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Big Ten football should switch from divisions to pods

YouSayPotato

True Freshman
Jun 4, 2021
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The best way to do it is four pods, two with four teams and two with three teams. Sounds crazy but it would work well to preserve all key rivalries and also increases the frequency of games for teams within geographical proximity.

North – MN WI NE IA

South - NW IL PU IN

Central - MI OS MS

East - PS RU MD

Every year, each team in a four-team pod would play the other three teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the three-team pods and two teams in the other four-team pod. Using Minny as an example, in Year One MN would play WI NE IA + MI OS MS + NW IL.

The following year MN would again play WI NE IA + all of the teams in the other three-team pod PS RU MD + the other two teams from the South Pod, PU IN. In Year Three the schedule returns to the Year One format.

In Year One a team in a three-team pod would play the other two teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the four-team pods and two teams in the other three-team pod. Using Penn State as an example, in Year One PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI MS.

The following year PS would play RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MS OS. And in Year Three PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI OS. In Year Four the PS schedule is RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MI MS.

The way this works out, each team in a four-team pod plays the other schools within its pod with 100% frequency and all other teams in the B1G with 50% frequency. Each team in a three-team pod would play the other two schools within its pod with 100% frequency, each team in the other three-team pod with 67% frequency and the other eight teams in the conference with 50% frequency.
 
All four teams in the South division would say "I like our chances!"
You understand that three of the four teams in the South Pod - Purdue, Illinois and Northwestern - would be playing Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State with a considerably higher frequency than they are right now, right? As an example, all three of them would be on Purdue's schedule every two years.
 
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Someone posted a very similar proposal in The Athletic. Big Ten teams would have three protected rivalries and play all other teams twice every four years. They actually went through each of the major conferences and created similar pods. I like the basic idea, although I think the divisional model may create a more natural Big Ten Championship game.
 
Someone posted a very similar proposal in The Athletic. Big Ten teams would have three protected rivalries and play all other teams twice every four years.
Can you provide a link? It seems that three protected rivalries for each Big Ten team would have several that were contrived.
 
Athletic articles are paywalled. But some of the rivalries were either contrived or didn't make sense. In the ACC, for example, they had NC State, UNC, and Duke in a "pod" with Virginia instead of Wake Forest. I can try to find it later.
 
The best way to do it is four pods, two with four teams and two with three teams. Sounds crazy but it would work well to preserve all key rivalries and also increases the frequency of games for teams within geographical proximity.

North – MN WI NE IA

South - NW IL PU IN

Central - MI OS MS

East - PS RU MD

Every year, each team in a four-team pod would play the other three teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the three-team pods and two teams in the other four-team pod. Using Minny as an example, in Year One MN would play WI NE IA + MI OS MS + NW IL.

The following year MN would again play WI NE IA + all of the teams in the other three-team pod PS RU MD + the other two teams from the South Pod, PU IN. In Year Three the schedule returns to the Year One format.

In Year One a team in a three-team pod would play the other two teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the four-team pods and two teams in the other three-team pod. Using Penn State as an example, in Year One PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI MS.

The following year PS would play RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MS OS. And in Year Three PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI OS. In Year Four the PS schedule is RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MI MS.

The way this works out, each team in a four-team pod plays the other schools within its pod with 100% frequency and all other teams in the B1G with 50% frequency. Each team in a three-team pod would play the other two schools within its pod with 100% frequency, each team in the other three-team pod with 67% frequency and the other eight teams in the conference with 50% frequency.
I would prefer four teams in each of the 4 pods.
 
Can you provide a link? It seems that three protected rivalries for each Big Ten team would have several that were contrived.
The one he's referring to had us with Illinois (cannon), Indinia and Northwestern.

I had to laugh at Indinia's though. They had us, then Rutgers and Maryland because no one cares enough about them to consider them a rival, so they put them in with the east coast newbies.
 
The best way to do it is four pods, two with four teams and two with three teams. Sounds crazy but it would work well to preserve all key rivalries and also increases the frequency of games for teams within geographical proximity.

North – MN WI NE IA

South - NW IL PU IN

Central - MI OS MS

East - PS RU MD

Every year, each team in a four-team pod would play the other three teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the three-team pods and two teams in the other four-team pod. Using Minny as an example, in Year One MN would play WI NE IA + MI OS MS + NW IL.

The following year MN would again play WI NE IA + all of the teams in the other three-team pod PS RU MD + the other two teams from the South Pod, PU IN. In Year Three the schedule returns to the Year One format.

In Year One a team in a three-team pod would play the other two teams within its pod, all of the teams in one of the four-team pods and two teams in the other three-team pod. Using Penn State as an example, in Year One PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI MS.

The following year PS would play RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MS OS. And in Year Three PS would play RU MD + NW IL PU IN + MI OS. In Year Four the PS schedule is RU MD + MN WI NE IA + MI MS.

The way this works out, each team in a four-team pod plays the other schools within its pod with 100% frequency and all other teams in the B1G with 50% frequency. Each team in a three-team pod would play the other two schools within its pod with 100% frequency, each team in the other three-team pod with 67% frequency and the other eight teams in the conference with 50% frequency.
Our most hated rival is not in our pod!
 
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