2010 is the last year of good Big Ten Football. For some time now, we've watched the signs that the powers-that-be wanted to screw the league up. Now they have.
Jim Delany, Commissioner of the Big Ten (with 12 members starting in 2011) has ruined the Michigan - Ohio State rivalry, the best rivalry (IMHO) in all of sports (at least, it is when we beat the Buckeyes). He stole Nebraska from the Big Twelve (which will have 10 members starting in 2011), making a two-division split necessary.
As MSNBC reports:
The Big Ten announced its divisional breakdown for football Wednesday night, and Ohio State and Michigan will be in different six-team divisions when the league expands to 12 members in 2011.
Neither division has been named, but they break down like this: Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota and Northwestern in one; Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois, Purdue and Indiana in the other.
The report continues:
Michigan and Ohio State will be a cross-divisional rivalry and continue to play each other each year in the Big Ten regular-season finale, as they have since 1943. That means they could wind up meeting again for the conference championship a week or two later. Not in the Big House or the Horseshoe but on a neutral field. Maybe even a domed stadium.
So now, "The Game" is a relic of history because it doesn't decide anything. True, for the last few underwhelming Michigan seasons, it hasn't decided anything. But that's beside the point.
Of course, the chuckeheads running the conference wanted to move Michigan-Ohio State to October, but fans on both sides threatened to burn down both states, and Delany backed down.
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