Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

that's why you were invited to Saban's party
he wants your money
not sure he's going to give you many perks

that's why you were invited to Saban's party
he wants your money
not sure he's going to give you many perks

And we want his money, as well.  Win/win.

Don't need any perks handed out from Saban, we come with our own built-in.  

Are you denying that OSU and Michigan get and have always gotten preferential treatment?

You are changing the discussion and beating up strawmen.  I never said that tOSU and Michigan have NEVER gotten preferential treatment.  

I'm arguing THIS instance.  You implicitly alleged that the fact that tOSU, Michigan, and PSU get five home games is an example of preferential treatment.  You ignored that while they do get five home (and four away) games in 2024, it alternates and they get four home (and five away) games in 2025.  It then alternates from there.  @LittlePig pointed out that it is simply a carry forward from the E/W division where the B1G-E teams got five home games in even years and the B1G-W teams got five home games in odd years.  

In order to balance the league, UCLA was tossed in with the B1G-E teams and USC was tossed in with the B1G-W teams such that, going forward:

• UCLA and the old B1G-E teams (RU, UMD, PSU, tOSU, IU, M, MSU) will have five home games in even years.  
• USC and the old B1G-W teams (UNL, MN, UW, IA, NU, IL, PU) will have five home games in odd years.  

Where is the preferential treatment?  


The only plausible argument I can see, which you didn't even bother to make but @FearlessF made it for you is that this *COULD* change in the future and *IF* this exists for an odd number of years, then PSU/tOSU/M (and five other teams) will have gotten five home games once more than they got four home games while your school and seven others will have gotten the opposite.  

Helmets get preferential treatment. 

Fans of helmet teams really should be able to admit this.

I'm not arguing that it has never and will never happen.  I'm arguing that *THIS* allegation of it is ridiculously weak.  It only ends up being preferential on the basis of a possible future contingency happening at a particular time.  

Furthermore, note that the pattern established with the growth from 14 to 16 teams is to keep the existing members in their existing situations (existing B1G-E members keep playing 5 home games in even years) and split the additions to balance things out.  Provided that precedent stands it doesn't even matter when and if new schools are added.  

Where is the preferential treatment?  @847badgerfan alleged it but he has been unable to back it up and fearless' argument is conditional with the existing precedent disproving it.  

If there is so much preferential treatment why don't you give an example where it ACTUALLY happened instead of alleging it where it does not exist.  

I'm with you in general but I'd be curious about the specifics. 

If somebody says that Rutgers, Indiana, and Northwestern all do not play each other in 2027 I wouldn't worry.  OTOH, if USC, tOSU and PSU don't play each other in 2025 I'd be more concerned. 

taking a page from the SEC book would increase chances of multiple playoff slots

When the conference went to 9 games, which division was the first to have 5 at home? That actually happened.

You're not going to convince me that they flipped a coin, and yes, I know it flips every year.

But that only becomes preferential if:

• The structure lasts an odd number of years, and
• The structure that replaces it fails to balance things out.

Ok, I guess it is hypothetically potentially preferential. That is extremely weak as evidence of preferential treatment. 

8 conference games is the way to go, unless/until the selection committee starts to punish you for doing it. It's bad for football fans but good for the conference's pocketbook.

But if they did that, they couldn't bitch incessantly about the SEC doing it.

I'd be OK with 8 IFF teams had to play two other P5s OOC.