big 14

Thoughts on the new Big Ten? I hate it.

Maryland and Rutgers?

The logic behind it goes against the very notion of conferences. The logic is that with a wide geographic reach, the Big Ten can charge more money for their cable package, since they're in more homes.

If that's such a great thing, why not have a conference with teams in every state? Who cares about rivalries and tradition when you can make more money with the Big Ten Network? I'm sure the product won't get watered down and people will still tune in for a fucking Maryland-Minnesota football game.

As for how it affects the Illini:

http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/colleges/post/_/id/7779/report-illini-to-legends-new-clubs-leaders

So obviously, Illinois is now in the much tougher division. A Lion Eye was all over it, calling it a "death blow to Illinois football." (He had it first on twitter.)

My reaction was that it doesn't change things. In order to win the conference, Illinois will have to be good again, and it shouldn't matter who you're playing.

But then I realized that college football is not like every other sport. College football has bowls. And a 7-5 season with a bowl game is much better than a 5-7 season without one. So even if neither of those two seasons had you in serious contention for a conference championship, a favorable schedule is a good thing.

- - -

As I was thinking about the last point, I struggled a bit. Because every sport I thought of has its own benefits for having a favorable schedule. Let's run through them real quick.

NFL
Division winners make the playoffs. So if you're in a crappy division like the NFC West over the previous 8 years, you could get in with a 8-8 or 7-9 record. And then win a playoff game. Meanwhile, a 11-5 Patriots team can miss the playoffs.

NBA/NHL
With over half the league making the playoffs, it doesn't matter for the top teams. But if you're a team like the Islanders and your division is full of 4 other playoff teams, while the Capitals and Senators get to play divisional games against weaker teams, it matters.

CBB
I think this effect is minimal. If you play an easy schedule, your resume on the surface might seem shinier. But the committee looks at schedules when slotting tournament teams, so I don't think you'll reap big rewards.

The lesson here and point I was trying to make is that favorable divisons/schedules don't matter to Ohio State or Michigan. So while Illini fans hope to one day be in a place where they don't matter, right now they certainly do.