<p>The Big 10 did the right thing. It did not divide itself according to East/West or North/South. Had it done so, one of the divisions would probably have been stronger than the other. Fortunately, the powers that be decided to divide the conference according to athletic strength and tradition, ensuring that both divisions have equal strength and potential. Not only does the new setup preserve the Michigan vs Ohio State tradition with their annual last-game-of-the-season romp, but it also creates an excellent balance, with 3-4 contenders on each side annually.</p>
<p>For those of you who have not yet seen the new Big 10 look, here it is:</p>
<p>Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Nebraska
Northwestern</p>
<p>Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Wisconsin</p>
<p>Wisconsin got the shaft. Nebraska’s first year schedule is ridiculous. And hopefully the OSU Michigan game doesn’t lose its importance.</p>
<p>Wisconsin wanted to join the big boys club. All they have to do is beat Penn State and Ohio State every year to do so. :-)</p>
<p>Wow, I actually really like this set up. It does create a nice balance while keeping the OSU-Michigan game. And I don’t think the game will lose any more importance than it has in the past few years (with OSU dominating)</p>
<p>Is it determined that we will continue to play OSU in the regular season finale?</p>
<p>Yes, the Michigan OSU game will be played at the end of the season on an annual basis.</p>
<p>The nice thing about this set up is that even if we lose to tUOS in the last regular season game, we could still replay them in the championship game. I like two divisons!</p>