Mailbag question: What do you guys think of the Big Ten Divisions?

Posted at 8:00am — 9/8/2010

Mailbag question: What do you guys think of the Big Ten Divisions?

The final result seems like a pretty good breakdown and it does not seem like one division is clearly superior to the other like the recent Big 12 or SEC division results.

What are your thoughts and do you guys like who Michigan is paired with inside the division?

Fred B.

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Thanks for the question.

The recently announced divisional set-ups look pretty well thought out to us and the two seem to be fairly well balanced, unlike the Big12 or SEC conference set ups which have been dominated by one division.

The Big Ten sent early smoke signals that it wanted to keep its traditions essentially intact while building the Big Ten.

Even with Michigan being down, the school was shown clear respect when Michigan and Ohio State were split.

We are happy that Michigan and Ohio State are playing in the last game of the year in the Big Ten conference. That is a tradition we all have grown up with going back to the fond memories of Bo and Woody.

The only concern we currently express for Michigan is the extra tough game that will be added, which isn’t a totally bad thing. But the extra difficulty could hurt UM down the line when the Blue again battles to get into the championship game.

Ohio State is going to be one of, if not the elite team almost every year in the Big Ten, and Michigan has to play the Buckeyes where other teams in Michigan’s division will not.

Michigan State has Indiana as the crossover game, where Michigan has Ohio State. That one game could make a huge difference in the standings.

Michigan’s schedule has a somewhat strange look. It appears that Michigan will have two easier games (Purdue and Illinois), then two tougher games (Michigan State and Nebraska), then two easier games (Minnesota and Northwestern) and finally two tougher games (Iowa and Ohio State), but that is really nitpicking a little bit and things can change.

Of course Michigan, just like everybody else, would love to switch it around a little bit by taking the original schedule and exchanging an easier game with a harder game in between the tough guys, such as playing Purdue, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, and Ohio State so you don’t have to face a traditionally tough game two weeks in a row, or two very emotional games in a row as well.

The Big Ten sure did welcome Nebraska into the Big Ten in warrior fashion. We believe the huskers have the toughest conference schedule the first two years of the new arrangement (2011-2012).

Starting off with Wisconsin and the Huskers the next week face Ohio State. Indeed, a pretty nice welcome to Big Ten football.

Then, Nebraska plays Northwestern, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, and Iowa.

Nebraska will miss playing Indiana and Illinois the first two years.

You would have to think that Nebraska, if possible, will schedule easier non-conference teams to in part balance out the potentially brutal schedule.

Written by GBMWolverine Staff

Go Blue — Wear Maize!