B1G in discussion to eliminate divisions by 2023

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

Hey should just rebrand them. Instead of leaders and legends make it sucks and sucks less.

Not sure Notre Dame is the right team to be talking trash. The last time Notre Dame won a national title, Ronald Reagan was the president.

 

[jjc2009]

Not sure Notre Dame is the right team to be talking trash. The last time Notre Dame won a national title, Ronald Reagan was the president.

Burn.

 

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

That defense is still gonna be loaded with 5 stars.

Scoreboard only goes back to the most recent game.

If you can’t talk shit and enjoy winning, there’s no point in winning.

Loaded with 5 stars is much different than loaded with All-Americans and soon to be 1st round picks in the NFL, which is what your defense had this year. Even with that -- it took Alabama to lose their top two WR's for you to beat them. Just saying.

 

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

Burn.

Not a burn. Just pointing out a fact.

 

[Illustrious Potentate]

Loaded with 5 stars is much different than loaded with All-Americans and soon to be 1st round picks in the NFL, which is what your defense had this year. Even with that -- it took Alabama to lose their top two WR's for you to beat them. Just saying.

The secondary should be better next year, Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter coming back are big for the front 7, and there's gonna be plenty of AA's and first round picks on next year's defense. Might not be as good overall, but it's still gonna be one of the best defenses in the country.

There were 9 UGA players drafted last season including 4 defenders in the first 3 rounds and 6 overall.

Bama should have more than two WR's capable of playing. We dealt with injuries at the position all year and it was still a deep position for us.

We're going in dry next season. Apparently they're only gonna have one WR capable of playing and he was a brittle bitch at UGA.

 

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

The secondary should be better next year, Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter coming back are big for the front 7, and there's gonna be plenty of AA's and first round picks on next year's defense. Might not be as good overall, but it's still gonna be one of the best defenses in the country.

There were 9 UGA players drafted last season includin defenders in the first 3 rounds and 6 overall.

Bama should have more than two WR's capable of playing. We dealt with injuries at the position all year and it was still a deep position for us.

We're going in dry next season. Apparently they're only gonna have one WR capable of playing and he was a brittle bitch at UGA.

Losing Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis is enormous. Both are essentially locks for the first round and you can probably add Lewis Cine too.

Replacing Dean and Davis is not going to be easy at all. The instinct and speed when Dean plays with isn't something you can teach and it isn't easy to find. And Jordan Davis is like a unicorn. You just don't find 6'6' 350 lbs guys with his agility and strength, so Georgia's run defense won't be the same next year.

I agree with the secondary being better at CB, as they were ripe this year at CB, which is why it was huge that Bama lost their 1st and 2nd string WR, as Georgia fans got to see what Williams did to Georgia in the SEC championship game.

I think the one team who match the success of Bama is Georgia. The talent you guys have in state is unmatched, especially when you don't have to fight another big time program in state for the kids. That makes me so jealous. I'd love to have that built in advantage.

Going to be crazy to watch Georgia and Bama battle in the upcoming years.

 

[jjc2009]

Not a burn. Just pointing out a fact.

Not sure what it has to do with anything but thanks for pointing that out

 

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

Not sure what it has to do with anything but thanks for pointing that out

If you want to talk trash, like you did, make sure you are at least relevant. And you're welcome.

Signed,

Manti Te'o Girlfriend

 

[jjc2009]

If you want to talk trash, like you did, make sure you are at least relevant. And you're welcome.

Signed,

Manti Te'o Girlfriend

Ohh another burn. From a decade ago. Update your material. They’ve been to the playoffs twice in the last 3 years. That’s pretty fucking relevant. Since you ain’t got the balls to list your teams there and my dig at the B10 seemed to get under your skin, unless you’re an Ohio St fan you don’t have much room to talk.

 

[NewPhoneWhoDis]

Ohh another burn. From a decade ago. Update your material. They’ve been to the playoffs twice in the last 3 years. That’s pretty fucking relevant. Since you ain’t got the balls to list your teams there and my dig at the B10 seemed to get under your skin, unless you’re an Ohio St fan you don’t have much room to talk.

Getting curb stomped in the playoffs doesn't make you relevant.

 

[jjc2009]

Getting curb stomped in the playoffs doesn't make you relevant.

So which division is your team. Sucks or sucks less?

 

[Illustrious Potentate]

Losing Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis is enormous. Both are essentially locks for the first round and you can probably add Lewis Cine too.

Replacing Dean and Davis is not going to be easy at all. The instinct and speed when Dean plays with isn't something you can teach and it isn't easy to find. And Jordan Davis is like a unicorn. You just don't find 6'6' 350 lbs guys with his agility and strength, so Georgia's run defense won't be the same next year.

I agree with the secondary being better at CB, as they were ripe this year at CB, which is why it was huge that Bama lost their 1st and 2nd string WR, as Georgia fans got to see what Williams did to Georgia in the SEC championship game.

I think the one team who match the success of Bama is Georgia. The talent you guys have in state is unmatched, especially when you don't have to fight another big time program in state for the kids. That makes me so jealous. I'd love to have that built in advantage.

Going to be crazy to watch Georgia and Bama battle in the upcoming years.

Front 7 won't be as good, but it's still gonna be one of the best in the country. There's a lot of talent gonna be on that d-line and LB.

The two main CBs(Kendrick and Ringo) weren't bad this year. And again, if Bama only had two receivers that could play this year, both of whom were brittle bitches that got hurt without even being touched, what's their receivers gonna look like next year when their top receiver is gonna be a former UGA receiver that has injury problems and was losing playing tie to white 3 star freshman named Ladd?

And the offense should be better next year. The o-line especially, and all those freshman receivers and TE's are gonna be more mature now.

There's zero reason why UGA should be scared of Bama(Bama shouldn't be scared of UGA either). And there's zero reason to not talk shit after your team won a natty. The whole "act like you've been there before" is so stupid to me. It's pretty well saying you shouldn't enjoy winning. For all the years I had to hear "1980" and see replays of 2nd and 26, I'm gonna talk shit

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

So which division is your team. Sucks or sucks less?

 

[Rolltide94]

I like the idea of eliminating divisions but every time someone says The Alliance, I cringe

The Alliance > Leaders and Legends.

I'm waiting on all the 8 conference games is for pussies honks to fall on their swords.

 

[fishinabarrel]

The Alliance > Leaders and Legends.

I'm waiting on all the 8 conference games is for pussies honks to fall on their swords.

I'd say they are equally cringe worthy

 

[NU_WTF?]

The Alliance > Leaders and Legends.

I'm waiting on all the 8 conference games is for pussies honks to fall on their swords.

it is for pussies, its just now we've seen a G5 team get in with out really deserving it and playing virtually nobody so it clearly doesnt matter if teams play a FCS cupcake late in the season. That doesnt change it from being a pussy move, it also doesnt mean its smarter to play 9 instead of 8

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

Be honest, would you rather your team be Bama right now or Georgia? Say Georgia bc of the last title while ignoring 7 won in 15 years or whatever and I'm calling you a liar

Well, no, I am glad my team is UGA because I went to UGA and have been a UGA fan for 40 years. And we are the reigning NC, so I am enjoying the shit out of that.

If you mean, do I wish that UGA was on an historical run like Bama has been since Saban got there, well of course I do. Anyone would. I am kind of hoping we've started that to coincide with Saban getting old and perhaps hanging it up at some point. In the meantime, I think we can win a few in the next 5-10 years. That works for me.

 

[SJ76]

So basically…

1). this takes away Iowa every 3 years from drinking the koolaid after starting 6-0.

2) takes Northwestern’s great season away every 10 years

3) takes Wiscy’s dream season away every 5 years

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

The Athletics' Andy Staples put these out for pods in all P5 conferences:

Paywall:

Staples: Divisions are boring, worthless, bad for business. Here’s how Power 5 leagues keep tradition and maximize CFP chances

We took a try at creating some sensible division-free schedule formats for the Power 5 conferences, possibly to save them from themselves.

theathletic.com

Big 10

Illinois — Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue

Indiana — Purdue, Maryland, Rutgers

Iowa — Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota

Maryland — Rutgers, Nebraska, Indiana

Michigan — Ohio State, Michigan State, Minnesota

Michigan State — Michigan, Penn State, Northwestern

Minnesota — Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan

Nebraska — Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin

Northwestern — Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State

Ohio State — Michigan, Penn State, Illinois

Penn State — Michigan State, Ohio State, Rutgers

Purdue — Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern

Rutgers — Maryland, Penn State, Indiana

Wisconsin — Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska

Even though we didn’t compare notes beforehand, Dochterman and I didn’t differ much.

Here are the SEC groupings I proposed in August when the buzz about the nine-game conference schedule began percolating. This would end the madness of teams that aren’t in the same division and aren’t fixed opponents playing only twice every 10 years.

Alabama — Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee

Arkansas — Kentucky, Missouri, Texas

Auburn — Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt

Florida — Georgia, Tennessee, LSU

Georgia — Auburn, Florida, South Carolina

Kentucky — Arkansas, Mississippi State, South Carolina

LSU — Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M

Mississippi State — Alabama, Kentucky, Ole Miss

Missouri — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Oklahoma — Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas

Ole Miss — LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma

South Carolina — Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt

Tennessee — Alabama, Florida, Vanderbilt

Texas — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Texas A&M — LSU, Missouri, Texas

Vanderbilt — Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee

In the Big Ten, I defaulted to creating annual matchups TV networks would covet. I did not use that as a decision-maker for every SEC decision because certain teams would have become overloaded. Florida and LSU would love to play Auburn annually, but replacing Vanderbilt with either of those wouldn’t be fair to Auburn, which already has to play Alabama and Georgia. Tennessee also could be claimed by Georgia as a rival, but the Volunteers already have Alabama and Florida every year. Plus, someone has to play Vanderbilt.

The ACC already showed us what a division-free season can look like in a super-sized conference. The 2020 season ended with two of the ACC’s teams in the four-team playoff, which is why it’s a mystery as to why the ACC even went back to divisions at all. The 2021 season brought us a non-conference game between conference members Wake Forest and North Carolina, which are 81 miles apart and had grown tired of not playing one another. Such silliness would be unnecessary with a format just like the one proposed above for the Big Ten, which also has 14 teams.

Boston College — Miami, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

Clemson — NC State, Georgia Tech, Florida State

Duke — North Carolina, Wake Forest, Syracuse

Florida State — Miami, Clemson, Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech — Clemson, Florida State, Louisville

Louisville — Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech

Miami — Florida State, Boston College, Pittsburgh

North Carolina — Duke, NC State, Virginia

NC State — Clemson, Wake Forest, North Carolina

Pittsburgh — Louisville, Miami, Syracuse

Syracuse — Boston College, Duke, Pittsburgh

Virginia — Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest

Virginia Tech — Virginia, Louisville, Boston College

Wake Forest — Duke, NC State, Virginia

I ran this list past one colleague who asked why I didn’t just have a round-robin between all the North Carolina schools. Virginia and North Carolina have played 127 times, and rivalries that ancient must be honored. As for the others, I tried to make sure all blood feuds are played. Florida State and Miami obviously must meet annually. I kept the Textile Bowl between Clemson and NC State. I tried to rekindle some old Big East rivalries. But because so much of the league was Frankensteined together to keep it from being picked apart by stronger conferences, most of the matchups didn’t feel particularly sacred.

It got a little trickier with the Big 12 and Pac-12, which we assume will each have 12 members when the dust settles. The Pac-12’s two-division format with a nine-game conference schedule actually works quite well in terms of exposure to all the teams in the league, but the league plans to cut down to eight games. Also, the problem of the potential fluky conference champ still remains. So let’s move that league to an eight-game schedule where every team plays two fixed opponents annually and the other nine schools rotate through the six remaining schedule slots. Then end with a No. 1 versus No. 2 title game in Vegas.

Arizona — Arizona State, Colorado

Arizona State — Arizona, Utah

Cal — Stanford, UCLA

Colorado — Utah, Arizona

Oregon — Oregon State, Washington

Oregon State — Oregon, Washington State

Stanford — Cal, USC

UCLA — USC, Cal

USC — UCLA, Stanford

Utah — Colorado, Arizona State

Washington — Washington State, Oregon

Washington State — Washington, Oregon State

The old Pac-10’s system of travel partners made choosing one fixed opponent very easy, and the desire of the Bay Area schools and the Los Angeles schools to play annually made distributing the second teams fairly easy. Oregon-Washington was the only interstate rivalry that really needed to be honored. The rest of the Pac-12 is a lot more chill about this stuff than the Big Ten or the SEC — which is kind of the Pac-12’s problem.

We’re assuming the Big 12 stays at nine conference games, though it certainly could drop to eight if the members chose. For now, we’ll go with three fixed opponents annually and the other eight schools rotating through the remaining six schedule slots.

Baylor — TCU, BYU, Houston

BYU — UCF, Cincinnati, Baylor

Cincinnati — BYU, West Virginia, TCU

Houston — Texas Tech, Baylor, West Virginia

Iowa State — Kansas State, Kansas, TCU

Kansas — Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech

Kansas State — Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State — UCF, Texas Tech, Kansas State

TCU — Baylor, Iowa State, Cincinnati

Texas Tech — Oklahoma State, Houston, Kansas

UCF — BYU, West Virginia, Oklahoma State

West Virginia — Cincinnati, UCF, Houston

The construction of the league made the choices less difficult. Former Big Eight members Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State should play annually. We couldn’t cancel a game called Farmageddon, so Iowa State vs. Kansas State isn’t going anywhere. Oklahoma State also was in that league, but the Cowboys probably would prefer getting into Texas and Florida for recruiting purposes. Houston gets to see former Southwest Conference foes Baylor and Texas Tech annually. BYU has a national following, so it gets the widest spread of annual opponents. We’ve also created an annual Mormons vs. Baptists game that undoubtedly will spawn a lot of T-shirts. West Virginia, meanwhile, gets to not feel so alone with Cincinnati and UCF on the schedule every year.

The Big 12 doesn’t have to take this advice, of course. It could continue and go back to divisions, which almost certainly won’t come back to bite it in the butt. Or it could act like the trailblazer it is and stay division-free forever.

 

[WhosYourDawggy]

Loaded with 5 stars is much different than loaded with All-Americans and soon to be 1st round picks in the NFL, which is what your defense had this year. Even with that -- it took Alabama to lose their top two WR's for you to beat them. Just saying.

First, you don't know that they win if they have their 2 WRs. And, if we are going to do that, I assume we got all the guys we lost to injury back. See how fucking stupid that is? Look, I get that was a break for us, but us losing Adam Anderson, WR1 being limited, WR2 out, WR3 out, RG1 out, etc., etc. was a break for them. Or, do injuries just during certain games count?

You are correct that there is a difference between mature, 1st and 2nd rounders, and a bunch of blue chips. We will take a step back, but it won't be as bad as everyone thinks it is. This year we gave up about 10 points a game. Next year it will be 15-16.

Here is a breakdown of our experience coming back. This is before we probably bring in 2 or 3 transfer guys after spring. For as good a defense as we had, and as many that will get drafted, that's some serious experience. ILB is the most concern ... ton of talent, not much experience. That said, more seniors and juniors than I thought. With a favorable schedule, some of our incoming DL might be playing a fair amount by year end.