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In the eight years from 2014-2021 the B1G-E holds are rather slim 77-70 advantage in regular season cross-over games.  That amounts to a little less than one game per season and all but one of the seasons have been either tied or within one game:

• 2014:  7-7
• 2015:  7-7
• 2016:  11-10 B1G-W
• 2017:  13-8 B1G-E
• 2018:  11-10 B1G-E
• 2019:  11-10 B1G-E
• 2020:  7-7
• 2021:  11-10 B1G-E

That is obviously really close but the elephant in the room is the B1G-E's dominance of the B1GCG.  In these eight years the Buckeyes have won five B1GCG's while PSU, MSU, and M have won one each.  That is all eight.  the B1G-W is 0-8 with UW losing four and Iowa and Northwestern losing a couple each.  
Here are the regular-season cross-over game records:


I would group these as follows:

• tOSU and M are 11+ games ahead.  
• IA, PSU, and UW are 5-7 games ahead.  
• MSU and NU are a game down.  
• UNL, MN, IU, and IL are 2-5 games down.  
• UMD, PU, and RU are 7+ games down.  

The reason for the B1GCG disparity shows up here pretty clearly.  Four of the seven B1G-E teams are in the top or bottom group (tOSU, M, UMD, RU) while only one of the B1G-W teams is in the bottom group and none in the top.  


Including the CG, here are the cross-overs:

So the top-3 and bottom-3 teams include five of the seven B1G-E teams and only one B1G-W team while the middle eight include the other two B1G-E teams and six of the seven B1G-W teams.  As we all already knew, the B1G-E has a better top and a worse bottom and the B1G-W is more competitive.  

maybe should try some other way, that avoids rivalries and has ridiculous names... something like... leaders and legends maybe?

No.

The geography is the geography.

Leave it alone.

but... but legends.
and leaders.
come on, at least think about it.

IMHO the problem you run into is the problem you always run into. Michigan and Ohio State.

Put them in the same division, and that division is automatically going to be the stronger division. Split them up, and suddenly you have to find a way to keep their annual rivalry and ALSO to keep their annual rivalry from resulting in a 2-game series the final week of the regular season and the CCG.

If you keep Michigan and OSU in the same division and put PSU, MSU, and Wisconsin in the opposite division, you're as close as you can get to competitive balance as possible, but the winner of that division will likely always be an underdog to those two. On top of it, if you stack the rest of the M/OSU division with patsies, you'll get criticized for basically making their division come down to the M/OSU winner every year and giving them an easy road to the CFP.

If we go to 16 and do the pods thing, this will all sorta resolve itself IMHO. UM and OSU can be in the same pod, and because their pod will rotate "division" alignment with the other three pods, they won't constantly be paired with the strongest of the other three pods, if there is one.

if it goes to 16, who are the two teams? that's the $64,000 question.

IMHO the problem you run into is the problem you always run into. Michigan and Ohio State.

Put them in the same division, and that division is automatically going to be the stronger division. Split them up, and suddenly you have to find a way to keep their annual rivalry and ALSO to keep their annual rivalry from resulting in a 2-game series the final week of the regular season and the CCG.

If you keep Michigan and OSU in the same division and put PSU, MSU, and Wisconsin in the opposite division, you're as close as you can get to competitive balance as possible, but the winner of that division will likely always be an underdog to those two. On top of it, if you stack the rest of the M/OSU division with patsies, you'll get criticized for basically making their division come down to the M/OSU winner every year and giving them an easy road to the CFP.

If we go to 16 and do the pods thing, this will all sorta resolve itself IMHO. UM and OSU can be in the same pod, and because their pod will rotate "division" alignment with the other three pods, they won't constantly be paired with the strongest of the other three pods, if there is one.

Yup.  No good solution unless/until you go to pods.  

I personally like the idea of no divisions, 2-3 protected rivals, rotate everyone else through. Top 2 teams play in the CCG. Downside is the pearl-clutching possibility of OSU/UM in back-to-back weeks.

Also, it should not be considered until we have an expanded playoff. No need to cannibalize yourself out of a playoff spot.

agreed. SEC does a great job of ensuring they get two teams in by only playing 8 conference game schedules + 1 FCS tune-up. 

B1G should follow that lead until they expand the playoff.

Leave it alone.