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Topic: Divisional races after week 8

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847badgerfan

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2022, 09:54:32 AM »
Would every team claim a divisional crown?
PJ Barnum would have "co-champion" rings made, like he did in 2019.

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medinabuckeye1

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #15 on: October 26, 2022, 03:59:09 PM »
If Illinois beats Nebraska this weekend that more or less knocks the B1G-W down to a 2-team race between them and Purdue. 

There are basically two things keeping the B1G-W interesting:

  • Illinois' baffling loss to Indiana, and
  • The fact that Illinois has to play Michigan (in Ann Arbor no less) right before Thanksgiving. 

On the subject of Illinois' trip to Ann Arbor, the scheduling sucks for that game. It sucks for Michigan because it could be a serious trap game possibility especially if the Buckeyes and Wolverines are both undefeated heading into the last two weeks. It sucks for the CG because there is now a very real possibility that the B1GCG on December 3 could be a rematch of a game played two weeks earlier on November 19.

I'm never a fan of rematches but if we have to have one I'd prefer if it was of a game played more like two months earlier, not two weeks.


medinabuckeye1

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #16 on: October 26, 2022, 04:01:34 PM »
In the B1G-E wins by tOSU and M thus weekend would mathematically eliminate Indiana and MSU and possibly Rutgers while practically eliminating everyone except the Buckeyes and Wolverines. 

FearlessF

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #17 on: October 27, 2022, 09:27:55 AM »
I'm never a fan of rematches but if we have to have one I'd prefer if it was of a game played more like two months earlier, not two weeks.


well, the big ten schedulers didn't give Bert much of a chance to win the west back at the time
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medinabuckeye1

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #18 on: October 27, 2022, 02:27:47 PM »
well, the big ten schedulers didn't give Bert much of a chance to win the west back at the time
I get it but I still think it was silly to take the chance.

Indiana/Purdue is different. The Hoosiers and Boilermakers have played for the Old Oaken Bucket the last week of the season almost every year since before WWI so there is a lot of history.

Additionally, Purdue and Indiana are two of the least successful football programs in the league so the chance of either one making the CG are remote. The chances of both making the CG in the same year are vanishingly small.

Michigan is the second most successful football program in the league within their period of contiguous membership. It shouldn't be hard to forsee that they might make a CG run once in a while.

Illinois obviously has less historical success than Michigan and their overall record is bad enough to be comparable to Indiana and Purdue but Illinois is a strange case. For a program with such a bad overall record they have a surprising number of league titles. This is because Illinois' history has been a case of feast or famine. They are rarely mediocre. Historically it has been mostly awful with an occasional dose of really good thrown in.

FearlessF

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #19 on: October 27, 2022, 02:48:27 PM »
I get it but I still think it was silly to take the chance.

Illinois obviously has less historical success than Michigan and their overall record is bad enough to be comparable to Indiana and Purdue but Illinois is a strange case. For a program with such a bad overall record they have a surprising number of league titles. This is because Illinois' history has been a case of feast or famine. They are rarely mediocre. Historically it has been mostly awful with an occasional dose of really good thrown in.
I don't think there was much of a chance when the schedule came out

perhaps Purdue in the west, but not really. Michigan has to play someone from the west.

I suppose they could always play all conference division cross overs early in the season.
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medinabuckeye1

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #20 on: October 27, 2022, 04:10:48 PM »
I suppose they could always play all conference division cross overs early in the season.
This!

I would minimize crossovers late in the season which they did.

The problem is that each division has an unequal number of teams so in order to play a full slate of league games there has to be one crossover game.

To minimize the chance of a short-turnaround rematch I would not allow the historically best teams from either division to have a crossover game late. Thus my solution with this year's matchups would be:
  • Final weekend, November 26: Purdue at Indiana
  • Penultimate weekend, November 19:  Rutgers at Minnesota
  • Third-to-last weekend, November 12:  Northwestern at Maryland
  • One month out, November 5: Michigan State at Illinois

In this way the likely long-term top-3 from each division would not play any crossover games within a month of the CG.
  • tOSU, M, and PSU from the B1G-E finish crossovers in October.
  • UNL, UW, and Iowa from the B1G-W finish crossovers in October.
Even for the other four in each division:
  • IU, RU, UMD, and MSU from the B1G-E play only one crossover in November and it isn't one of the historically best programs from the B1G-W so the chances of a short-turnaround rematch are miniscule.
  • PU, MN, NU, and IL from the B1G-W play only one crossover in November and it isn't one of the Helmets from the B1G-E so the chances of a short-turnaround rematch are miniscule.


LittlePig

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #21 on: October 28, 2022, 07:56:04 AM »
I would set it up for 2 teams, 1 from each division, to get a bye the 2nd last weekend.  Make sure those 2 teams are playing week zero games so that they get 2 bye weeks in a season. 

medinabuckeye1

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Re: Divisional races after week 8
« Reply #22 on: October 28, 2022, 03:39:54 PM »
I would set it up for 2 teams, 1 from each division, to get a bye the 2nd last weekend.  Make sure those 2 teams are playing week zero games so that they get 2 bye weeks in a season. 
That is a good idea. I didn't want any byes that late but I hadn't thought of compensating by having them start a week early and get two byes. All you need is an annual crossover in week zero.

 

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