I'm sure it's been talked about but I haven't seen any solid info on it. How does the Big Ten determine crossover opponents? I know you can't have all West teams play the same East teams and vice versa, but there has to be a better way to balance or determine how those are scheduled? Next year Wisconsin gets a draw similar to Nebraska's this year? Does anyone know how that is determined? Thanks in advance.... Only 277 more days till kickoff
Crossover Games...
- Thread starter cdriftt24
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I really don't know, but I'd like to know. There doesn't seem to be any balance. Next year we are facing Indiana for only the 2nd time since we joined the conference, and the first time at home. Yet we'll be facing Ohio State for the 6th time and the 4th year in a row.
Purdue-Indiana is a protected cross-division rivalry. Everyone else gets a temporary cross-division rival for a few years (not sure who Nebraska had; Northwestern's was MSU), and round-robins the other 6 schools. The cross-division rivals in the first 6 (?) years of the current arrangement were determined by "competitive balance", but the next set of temporary rivalries was determined by drawing names from a hat. Nebraska evidently drew Michigan. [ouch]
I think the big was looking for the money up front, so they had NU play Michigan and ohio state at the same time...then later drop both, which was dumb. they should have split them 2 up for balance.
in the west at this point I think wisconson and iowa would be the big teams you split up..
(till frost gets it rolling and we are the west)
in the west at this point I think wisconson and iowa would be the big teams you split up..
(till frost gets it rolling and we are the west)
It works in 4 to 6 year increments. Each school has crossover partner school (for Nebraska it is Ohio St from 2016 thru 21 and Michigan from 22 thru 25) that they play every year. The other 6 schools are then rotated for the other 2 slots on the schedule. Our 2019 crossover schedule is the same as the 2016 schedule except for home and away being different. 2020 will be like 2017 and 2021 will be like 2018.
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Elaborate rotation, with some 'tiering' for competitive balance. Nebraska, Wisconsin and Iowa are paired with OSU, Mich, and PSU. They'll have them until it's looked at again. Then some years they get more than one of them. The system benefits NW and upstarts like PU and Minnesota. Their cross over they get every year is not OSU, MICh, or PSU.
I'll say this: football crossovers appear to have more logic and structure than the overall baseball scheduling, which looks like they're just throwing darts each year.
First and foremost for the Big Ten is TV inventory. That's where the long-term crossovers are determined. Like @TennesseeHusker75 and @kaTNap said, there are tiers. For now, they are as follows:
Tier 1
West: Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin
East: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
Tier 2
West: Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern
East: Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers
Like @kaTNap said, Purdue-Indiana is the only permanent/non-rotating crossover, and it is the only crossover game played the last weekend of the regular season.
The tiers only dictate the long-term crossovers and are rotated every 4 or 6 years. The other two crossovers for each team appear to be random.
First and foremost for the Big Ten is TV inventory. That's where the long-term crossovers are determined. Like @TennesseeHusker75 and @kaTNap said, there are tiers. For now, they are as follows:
Tier 1
West: Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin
East: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State
Tier 2
West: Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern
East: Maryland, Michigan State, Rutgers
Like @kaTNap said, Purdue-Indiana is the only permanent/non-rotating crossover, and it is the only crossover game played the last weekend of the regular season.
The tiers only dictate the long-term crossovers and are rotated every 4 or 6 years. The other two crossovers for each team appear to be random.