Big Ten Introduces Scheduling Plan

[Dawgg]

They call it "Flex Protect Plus"... they protect 11 matchups across the entire league. Some schools have no protected games and others have multiples.

Protected matchups:
Michigan-Ohio State
UCLA-USC
Minnesota-Wisconsin
Indiana-Purdue
Michigan State-Michigan
Iowa-Minnesota
Illinois-Northwestern
Iowa-Nebraska
Maryland-Rutgers
Iowa-Wisconsin
Illinois-Purdue

Big Ten unveils new football sked model for 2024

The Big Ten will introduce a football schedule model in 2024 that includes 11 protected matchups across the conference, eliminates divisions and targets a rotation as the league expands to 16 members with USC and UCLA.

www.espn.com

 

[patdog]

So basically, they’re just going to make it up as they go along. . I’m sure they’ll be fair to every school. **

 

[OG Goat Holder]

I don't see any problem with it. I don't see anything there that unfairly protects a blue blood.

 

[Dawgg]

I thought this part was interesting:
"When examining different schedule models, the Big Ten asked its schools to list the most important matchups -- historic rivalries, regional games, trophy games -- they would want protected annually in a non-division format. The schools then were asked about their "nonnegotiables," Kenny said, as well as games they would like to play frequently but not annually."

If they do this in the SEC, Saban will 100% say "You just cannot break up a traditional rivalry like Alabama and Mississippi State. It's too important to our fanbase."

Of course, every other school is going to speak up about their long and time-honored Vanderbilt rivalry. I bet Ole Miss is at Hobby Lobby right now having a trophy made.

 

[Perd Hapley]

They call it "Flex Protect Plus"... they protect 11 matchups across the entire league. Some schools have no protected games and others have multiples.

Protected matchups:
Michigan-Ohio State
UCLA-USC
Minnesota-Wisconsin
Indiana-Purdue
Michigan State-Michigan
Iowa-Minnesota
Illinois-Northwestern
Iowa-Nebraska
Maryland-Rutgers
Iowa-Wisconsin
Illinois-Purdue

Big Ten unveils new football sked model for 2024

The Big Ten will introduce a football schedule model in 2024 that includes 11 protected matchups across the conference, eliminates divisions and targets a rotation as the league expands to 16 members with USC and UCLA.

www.espn.com

Whew. Thank God they preserved the storied Maryland-Rutgers and Iowa-Minnesota rivalries.

An SEC list of such games would be about 40-deep, using this same protection criteria.

 

[Dawgg]

Whew. Thank God they preserved the storied Maryland-Rutgers and Iowa-Minnesota rivalries.

An SEC list of such games would be about 40-deep, using this same protection criteria.

Yeah, neither of those were on my Big Ten rivalry bingo card. Iowa actually has 3 (Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin) and I suppose I didn't realize any of them were 'rivalries'.

Maryland and Nebraska somehow developed rivalries in the span of 10 years, meanwhile, Penn State has been in that league for 30 years and hasn't produced a single rivalry game they want to protect.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Yeah, neither of those were on my Big Ten rivalry bingo card. Iowa actually has 3 (Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin) and I suppose I didn't realize any of them were 'rivalries'.

Maryland and Nebraska somehow developed rivalries in the span of 10 years, meanwhile, Penn State has been in that league for 30 years and hasn't produced a single rivalry game they want to protect.

Yeah, Penn State is easily the 3rd biggest name in the whole league. Hard to believe they wouldn’t want to protect their matchup against at least Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, or Iowa.

And also, I can’t tell if “Flex Protect Plus” sounds more like a new line of North Face jackets, or an offensive line blocking scheme.

 

[retire the banner]

Yeah, Penn State is easily the 3rd biggest name in the whole league. Hard to believe they wouldn’t want to protect their matchup against at least Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, or Iowa.

Penn State hasn’t played those teams that often. They’ve played Ohio State roughly 35 times total. It would be the equivalent of us fighting to protect our annual game against Arkansas.

Penn State’s deepest rivalry is with Pitt.

 

[Perd Hapley]

Penn State hasn’t played those teams that often. They’ve played Ohio State roughly 35 times total. It would be the equivalent of us fighting to protect our annual game against Arkansas.

Penn State’s deepest rivalry is with Pitt.

35 times? I mean they’ve only been in the conference since the early 90’s. So that’s still a pretty good bit.

Tell me how that game isn’t protected, but Maryland-Rutgers is when neither of those teams were even in the Big 10 a decade ago.

 

[Dawgg]

Saw this on Twitter.

Everett would murder someone.

 

[patdog]

Whew. Thank God they preserved the storied Maryland-Rutgers and Iowa-Minnesota rivalries.

An SEC list of such games would be about 40-deep, using this same protection criteria.

Iowa - Minnesota is actually a long-standing rivalry game that's pretty big to the schools. We battle for the Golden Egg. They battle for Floyd the Pig.