A 9 or 10-game conference schedule for the Big Ten?

[Dan]

Jim Delany says he would like nine conference games.

http://twitter.com/BryanDFischer

[brosox]

i am in favor of 9 as well, plus 20 for basketball.

[Shief]

+1, 9 games if the NCAA sticks with a 12 game season.

[Groundhogday]

They pretty much have to go with 9 games given a 14-team conference.

[Dan]

I'm pro-9 game schedule. On paper it's not an advantage for Illinois, but league games are more exciting than non-conference games.

As we saw in the SEC this season, the luck-of-draw of a team's league schedule becomes way too much of a factor in a 14-team conference with an 8-game sched. Georgia had an easier league schedule than Florida & S. Carolina. Alabama had an easier league schedule than Texas A&M & LSU. Play more games.

[carmelillini]

No more South Dakota States.

[Illinnoying Orange]

I like the idea of a 9-game conference schedule. 3 non-conf games are plenty.

One of the things I think would be fun to see (if it could ever be coordinated) would be something like a Big 10/ACC challenge week for football on the 2nd or 3rd week of the season. A Big10/Big12 challenge week would be cool too --- just not a Big10/SEC challenge!

[GilThorpe]

imo, it should be 10 conference games. but I also favor similar rules for the other major conferences. 9 games if you are in a 10,11 or 12 member league, 10 if 13 or more members.

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by Illinnoying Orange

I like the idea of a 9-game conference schedule. 3 non-conf games are plenty.

One of the things I think would be fun to see (if it could ever be coordinated) would be something like a Big 10/ACC challenge week for football on the 2nd or 3rd week of the season. A Big10/Big12 challenge week would be cool too --- just not a Big10/SEC challenge!

With 9 conference games, I think you are going to see fewer high major non-conference opponents.

[Illini87InClt]

I like the 9 conference game schedule. The '83-'84 team beat every B1G opponent in making it to the '84 Rose Bowl. That won't happen with 14 teams, but I still like 9 games and getting rid of one of the boring non-conference games. As we saw beating Charleston Southern had no correlation with how the season ended. We might be giving away an easy win, but it should help B1G teams by bringing on higher competition earlier in the season.

[Illinnoying Orange]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

With 9 conference games, I think you are going to see fewer high major non-conference opponents.

I think teams like Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, etc would like that to be the case in the event of a 9-game conference schedule --- but if BIG $ can be made, it will be made and over-ride such thinking.

[Greensboro]

Originally Posted by Groundhogday

With 9 conference games, I think you are going to see fewer high major non-conference opponents.

With the current set up, definitely. Long term I heard this was an awful year for bowl TV numbers, so maybe long term things will change so you are less penalized for a good loss & teams may be more willing to take the risk of losing to a good team than taking the easy win to try to improve bowl outlook at the end of the season.

[GilThorpe]

there very well may end up being a computerized system of rankings similar to what is done in basketball. This way, teams that play quality opponents and lose might not be any worse off than a team that plays a cupcake and wins.

This is not important for teams in the top 25, but it would matter to those 7-5 , 6-6 , or even 5-7 teams that are in the middle of the pack.

Teams simply should not be able to schedule their way to 6 wins to get bowl eligible. It would not be that hard to find agreement on a better way than W-L's.

[Dan]

9 and 10-game B1G league schedules are on the table. The more the merrier!

B1G ADs weigh number of league games

ESPN.com interviewed several conference athletic directors, who confirmed that a nine- and even a 10-game league schedule are on the table in the upcoming discussions.

"That’s something that we have to really resolve quickly, because the ramifications of that discussion are significant," Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon told ESPN.com. "It’s a high-agenda item."

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/...f-league-games

[Shief]

I think I said this before, I am for a 9 game schedule but if we do go to 10 game schedules we may want to have a protected rival in the 14 team system (6 own division, 1 protested other div, and a two year rotation with other six playing 3 teams in a home-home in years 1 and 2 then the other 3 home-home years 3 and 4) but for a 16 team setup that is TBA.

[DrewD007]

Originally Posted by Shief

I think I said this before, I am for a 9 game schedule but if we do go to 10 game schedules we may want to have a protected rival in the 14 team system (6 own division, 1 protested other div, and a two year rotation with other six playing 3 teams in a home-home in years 1 and 2 then the other 3 home-home years 3 and 4) but for a 16 team setup that is TBA.

10 kind of makes more sense as everyone will have an equal amount of home and away games then. Unfortunately it would probably entail not playing any other BCS conferences and scheduling more cupcakes in order to get bowl eligible.

[Shief]

Drew, very true on the weakened non-conference scheduling. I just tried to think of the most balanced way to accomplish the 10 game conference schedule with 14 teams, I hope the B1G offices are considering something like this. If they do use the East-West concept with NW in east and Purdue and Indiana in west the crossovers could be something like:
Illinois-Northwestern
Nebraska-Penn St
Minnesota-Michigan
Wisconsin-Mich. St
Indiana-Rutgers
Purdue-Maryland
Iowa-Ohio St
or something like that.

[jackman404]

I am in favor of 9 conference games with no protected crossover in a 14 or 16 team B1G.

If we expand to 18 or more, then I think a 10 game schedule is needed.

[GilThorpe]

Im for 10 games provided the other leagues do it too.

The day is coming where bowl eligibilty rules will be changed anyway, and in the best case scenario, you have the B1G and PAC doing a rotation with each other too so that you only need one cupcake game as a game 1 or game 2 of the season.

these big money tv deals arent being supported by a slate of games like UI vs EIU, Ohio St vs Youngstown St , or Wiscy vs Nevada for the entire month of September.

[troyk]

I would love 10 games but I just can't see the AD's agreeing to it unless the B1G had a guaranteed spot in the 4 team playoff.

It can't possibly be fair to have the SEC teams playing 8 league games and 4 cupcakes and going 11-1 vs a B1G team going 10-2 and losing two tough league road games. You know the SEC team gets the nod over the B1G team more often than not.

[DrewD007]

I hope the NCAA comes up with something where if you have more than 12 teams in your league, you have to play at least 9 conference games.

[pizzaman]

I would like it if the B1G teams only played other B1G teams. No out of conference games. JMO

[BobtheBarber2]

Originally Posted by troyk

I would love 10 games but I just can't see the AD's agreeing to it unless the B1G had a guaranteed spot in the 4 team playoff.

It can't possibly be fair to have the SEC teams playing 8 league games and 4 cupcakes and going 11-1 vs a B1G team going 10-2 and losing two tough league road games. You know the SEC team gets the nod over the B1G team more often than not.

One way to help get rid of cupcake scheduling would be to base bowl/playoff eligibility solely on your conference record. If you can't go at least .500 in your league then you stay home.

That probably wouldn't completely get rid of lousy non-conference games but it might be a step in the right direction. Coaches with confidence would want to play decent out of league teams but I'm afraid others would still want to pad their record with patsies.

[wpr]

Originally Posted by carmelillini

No more South Dakota States.

I agree.

9 games for sure. I wouldn't mind it if they did go to 10. I am tired of the BCS schools playing the 1-AA teams. (Yes I know that they are really FCS.)

I had a hard enough time watching Tennessee pummel Buffalo a couple a years ago. That was after TN bought out their scheduled game with NC to soften their schedule. They ended up paying four teams $3.1 million for the privilege to get beat in front of 100,000 fans in Knoxville. Plus an extra $750,000 that went to NC because TN weaseled out of their contract.

If they want to be a part of the BCS they should have to play BCS teams. No more than one mid major from the BCS division. That makes it harder for Boise of other teams to climb the ladder but it is not a perfect world.

[pizzaman]

Originally Posted by wpr

I wouldn't mind it if they did go to 10.

You're right. Is it really too much to expect 10 good in conference competitive games that mean something. The other two games can be patsies or big draws if you're looking for a good payout.

As for bowls, you need to be .500 in conference or stay home. The two non-conf games don't count.