Elimination of Divisions?

[Cisco]

One point of speculation regarding a potential expansion to a 12 team playoff is that it might encourage conferences to do away with divisions.

The need to have a conference champion be ranked highly might influence the major conferences to try to avoid a situation where an underdog from one division upsets the favorite but remains ranked too low to get an automatic bid. It wouldn't be common but could happen occasionally.

The Big 12 already does it this way, albeit with only 10 teams.

The ACC could seemingly benefit. Their divisional alignment and schedules are a mess.

The Big Ten has divisions that make sense geographically but there are concerns about strength imbalance.

One possibility would be that each team have 2-3 protected games and then rotate through the rest of the conference.

 

[cthusker]

Lets be honest that the BIG has OSU and everyone else! I don't believe there is that much disparity between BIG divisions anymore. I would be 100% against getting rid of our conference divisions and dislike what the B12 does. If divisions were eliminated it would remove a big goal for teams which is to win their division imo. Nope I do not want to see our conference do away with divisions.

 

[BigRedAvenger]

I am in favor of keeping divisions, but balancing the crossovers. I understand why the B1G does what they do though, for ratings.

 

[Red Said Ted]

Lets be honest that the BIG has OSU and everyone else! I don't believe there is that much disparity between BIG divisions anymore. I would be 100% against getting rid of our conference divisions and dislike what the B12 does. If divisions were eliminated it would remove a big goal for teams which is to win their division imo. Nope I do not want to see our conference do away with divisions.

100 percent. It’s OSU and everyone else.

I’m fine with divisions going forward. And I’m fine with a lower ranked division winner knocking off a highly ranked division winner in the B1G championship. Championships should be won on the field, not in a voting booth.

 

[WestTexasHusker]

Couldn’t care less. Just start winning some meaningful ball games again. Maybe once a decade or two, win one we weren’t supposed to? Too much to ask?

 

[Kobayashi Maru]

One point of speculation regarding a potential expansion to a 12 team playoff is that it might encourage conferences to do away with divisions.

The need to have a conference champion be ranked highly might influence the major conferences to try to avoid a situation where an underdog from one division upsets the favorite but remains ranked too low to get an automatic bid. It wouldn't be common but could happen occasionally.

The Big 12 already does it this way, albeit with only 10 teams.

The ACC could seemingly benefit. Their divisional alignment and schedules are a mess.

The Big Ten has divisions that make sense geographically but there are concerns about strength imbalance.

One possibility would be that each team have 2-3 protected games and then rotate through the rest of the conference.

Protected crossover games are not good, unless agreed to by BOTH schools as something they want to play each year. The league office selecting protected crossover games is extremely subjective and will likely be punitive to certain teams.

 

[Cisco]

I am in favor of keeping divisions, but balancing the crossovers. I understand why the B1G does what they do though, for ratings.

I agree with this, at least for the Big Ten. But if I had to choose between divisions and the status quo regarding crossover scheduling or no divisions with a balanced rotation of opponents, I'd choose the latter.

 

[wcbsas]

One point of speculation regarding a potential expansion to a 12 team playoff is that it might encourage conferences to do away with divisions.

The need to have a conference champion be ranked highly might influence the major conferences to try to avoid a situation where an underdog from one division upsets the favorite but remains ranked too low to get an automatic bid. It wouldn't be common but could happen occasionally.

The Big 12 already does it this way, albeit with only 10 teams.

The ACC could seemingly benefit. Their divisional alignment and schedules are a mess.

The Big Ten has divisions that make sense geographically but there are concerns about strength imbalance.

One possibility would be that each team have 2-3 protected games and then rotate through the rest of the conference.

The money from CCG is too big to elaminate.

 

[Elwood von Kiowa]

The money from CCG is too big to elaminate.

You'd have to have a really big elaminator:

 

[Cisco]

The money from CCG is too big to elaminate.

There would still be a conference title game. It would just be the two teams with the best records.

 

[wcbsas]

There would still be a conference title game. It would just be the two teams with the best records.

The premise for eliminating the divisions would be to ensure the best team with the best record ends up in the playoff. If you still have a CCG then the Risk of a weaker/lower ranked team winning the CCG.

 

[Frosty1980]

Personally I love the idea of actually playing everyone in your conference. I miss the old Big 8 and the regional feel as well. We should try to realign things to make it more regional again. Penny St should be in some east coast league. Nebraska in a mid to southwestern league. Just my two cents!

 

[Cisco]

The premise for eliminating the divisions would be to ensure the best team with the best record ends up in the playoff. If you still have a CCG then the Risk of a weaker/lower ranked team winning the CCG.

It would most likely be like the Big 12, just with more teams. The idea is that of the two teams with the best record, whomever won would very likely be ranked high enough. With divisions there may be seasons where one side does not have a team ranked high enough to guarantee getting in even with an upset in the title game.

Imagine a scenario where Ohio State and Penn State are both very good. Let's say Ohio State is undefeated and Penn State's only loss is to the Buckeyes. Then in the West, it's been a very competitive and balanced year and Wisconsin takes the division with a 6-3 conference record that might involve a tiebreaker. But in the out of conference slate the Badgers also picked up a loss to a P5 opponent. They proceed to upset Ohio State. Even with that win, at 9-5, there's a decent chance they could not make it in. One the other hand, without divisions, if OSU and PSU were clearly the best teams and played for a second time, the winner would be guaranteed to get in because of their ranking.

 

[DuckTownHusker]

Eventually, conferences will expand to the point that divisions become the new conferences.

If we get to 16 teams in the Big Ten, than you've got your Divisional Big 8 right there.

 

[Beareye]

Protected crossover games are not good, unless agreed to by BOTH schools as something they want to play each year. The league office selecting protected crossover games is extremely subjective and will likely be punitive to certain teams.

You mean like six years of tOSU followed by six years of Michigan as protected crossovers? I can't see the conference doing something like that to a West team.