Big Ten

A Pipe Dream: The B1G West is Still Open… Barely

We don’t say #BuckyByAMillion for nothing around here. No matter how bad it gets, if there’s a sliver of hope we’ll find it and cling to it.

Wisconsin can still win the Big Ten West.
#NotDeadYet

Well, actually no one is dead yet. (Except Purdue… sorry spoilermakers, boiler down). Yes, that means Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois, Northwestern, and Wisconsin all have a path to winning the West, despite Iowa’s 2 game lead with 2 games to go. 

If Iowa wins Saturday at home vs. Illinois OR at Nebraska in week 13  – Iowa clinches the West
BUT,
If Iowa loses out – it’s a mess. 

If you’re a Badger fan, you need 3 things to happen.

  • Wisconsin wins out (a very tall task)
  • Iowa loses out (possible, but not likely)
  • Illinois wins out (who knows)

This would force a 3-way tie atop the B1G west between Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. All 3 teams involved in the tie would have the same record against each other 1-1 (it’s a good thing Bucky won in Champaign).

The next tiebreaker is their division records:

  • Iowa would have 3 division losses
  • Illinois would have 3 division losses
  • Wisconsin would have only 2

A Pipe Dream: The B1G West is Still Open… Barely Read More »

Wisco Wednesday: Post-Realignment Schedule Thoughts

Oregon and Washington are in the B1G (in 2024). Time to rip up the current schedule plans.

I have some thoughts on future B1G schedules I want to touch on with the new additions to the B1G. I don’t think they are very extreme. But, there is likely to be some disagreement. This is a longer article that is a deep dive into schedule making (and how it’s impossible to please everyone). 

Schedule Demands Post Realignment

With Oregon and Washington being added to the B1G the schedule has to be redone, again. I have a couple of demands for the new schedule. They are all common sense, I think, but they should be said.

  1. Stay at 9 conference games. I fear that if the B1G goes to 10 conference games right now, most teams, including Wisconsin, will try to cancel their future, marquee, non-conference matchups. I do not want Wisconsin canceling their home-and-home series vs Alabama for 2024 and 2025. And, I want the B1G to continue playing big non-conference games in the future.
  2. Keep all 11 rivalries highlighted in the previous model, Flex Protect Plus, and keep Oregon vs Washington. This is likely a given, with one

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