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Indiana Football: 3 ideas the Big Ten should absolutely consider for realignment of divisions

By Adam Childs

BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 12: A football sits on the field before the start of the game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 12: A football sits on the field before the start of the game between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Memorial Stadium on October 12, 2019 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
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Stevie Scott III, Indiana Football
Indiana Football (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Indiana Football: 3 realignment ideas for Big Ten

Records since 2010

The last idea for realigning the divisions is by a team’s records over the last 10 years. You could also look at the last five years, but we think 10 years is a good sample space and more accurately judges how good a team is recently. One great year doesn’t skew the statistics as much.

If we look at the last 10 years and split them up like we would if we were doing a tournament bracket then we come up with this.

One

Ohio State
Purdue
Iowa
Minnesota
Penn State
Indiana
Northwestern

Two

Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan State
Illinois
Maryland
Rutgers
Nebraska

This splits up pretty nicely for everyone involved. The perennial top teams are split up evenly along with the teams that have struggled. There is not much to argue with this split.

Indiana would be in an ok but not great position in this division. They would still have to go through Ohio State and Penn State, but they would also get to be in the same division with their hated rival Purdue.

Geographically both divisions are split up about evenly. Rutgers and Maryland, the two furthest east schools, are in the same division so that would limit the travel just a little bit.

No matter what split they do it will cause more travel and that is the reason they split into East and West in the first place, but the balance is so out of whack that they need to change it.

There aren’t really a whole lot of other options out there. They could maybe just switch up Michigan and Michigan State for Purdue and Northwestern to preserve the geographical advantages a bit but it still wouldn’t solve everything.

Although that idea would probably make Purdue mad and that would be worth it for Indiana fans.

For Indiana fans, getting the big four in the East split away from them would be a win no matter how they do it. The best situation for them would to be away from Ohio State, but I think any team in the Big Ten would think that right now.

Next. 5 teams the Big Ten absolutely needs to consider adding. dark

Personally we think the Big Ten should do a mix of rivals and records over the last ten years. Our first two ideas would hit the nail on the head of that thought and should be one they should definitely take into consideration. The conference has great rivalries so why not try and build their divisions off of it.

One way or the other the divisions need to change and Indiana will be one of the first ones thanking the conference for it.

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