Dave Birkett of Ann Arbor.com reveals the answers to some interesting poll questions given to some Big Ten players here.
Here is a couple I found interesting.
Who’s the most exciting player in the Big Ten? Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State - 8 Adrian Clayborn, Iowa - 1 Denard Robinson, Michigan - 1 Comment: “I’ve seen how fast he is.” N/A - 1
Who’s the most overrated player in the Big Ten? Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State - 3 Tate Forcier, Michigan - 1 Keith Smith, Purdue - 1 Nick Toon, Wisconsin - 1 N/A - 5
As an unabashed Denard Robinson supporter, I believe he is the man to lead U of M back to prominence.
Apparently I may not be the only one who thinks this way.
Jim Delany was unusually candid during The Big Ten Media Day in Chicago on monday. He did not shy away from questions regarding Conference Expansion, A Conference Championship Game, and of course Conference re-alignment.
Here is his address to the press.
Hail to The Victors Blog is going to try again to re-align the Big Ten.
Well, Mr. Delany made some things much more clear in regards to how they would divide the new 12 team conference. Competitive Balance, Tradition and Rivalry's, and Geography in that order, will be the major factors when determining how the league will be divided. In addition, Delany mentioned the year 1993 as a fair starting point to judge the modern era of the Big Ten, noting Nebraska had won 3 National Championships during that time period.
Here is a look at The Big Ten Conference during that time period.
Big Ten Games
Overall
Team
W
L
T
Pct
W
L
T
Pct
Ohio State
106
29
1
0.783
170
43
1
0.797
Michigan
94
42
0
0.691
146
64
0
0.695
Penn State
86
50
0
0.632
147
62
0
0.703
Wisconsin
79
54
3
0.592
144
66
4
0.682
Iowa
71
64
1
0.526
119
86
1
0.580
Purdue
63
70
3
0.474
104
98
3
0.515
Michigan State
63
72
1
0.467
106
98
1
0.520
Northwestern
59
77
0
0.434
96
106
1
0.475
Illinois
45
90
1
0.335
75
121
1
0.383
Minnesota
44
92
0
0.324
92
111
0
0.453
Indiana
33
103
0
0.243
68
127
0
0.349
Hail To The Victors Blog believes conference record gives a clearer picture of the Big Ten hierarchy.
With that said, here we go.
Michigan and Ohio State must be in the same division, This ensures the greatest rivalry in sport keeps its........
Edge!
But lets not forget who got the last word in this argument......
Look at the score during these highlights.....
David Why?
OK back to re-alignment.
Bo-Woody Division:
Ohio State Michigan MSU Purdue NW Indy
Joe Pa-Osborne Division:
Nebraska Penn State Wisconsin Iowa Illinois Minnesota
Since 1993 the Bo-Woody Division has 418 league wins between them. While if you give Nebraska 100 wins the Joe Pa-Osborne Division has 425 wins. This seems to provide a very competitive environment while splitting the 4 major powers in the conference. 7 games over a 17 year period seems very even to me.
In addition, Hail To The Victors Blog would propose one intersectional game that remains on the schedule yearly. This contest will help the league keep some of those trophy games the fans seem to love, while producing some others.
We propose the following intersectional games.
Michigan-Nebraska Ohio State-Penn State MSU-Wis Purdue-Iowa NW-ILL Indy-MN
Finally, geography may be an issue for teams like Penn State and Minnesota. But if you look at possible schedules for such teams it really isn't that much more travel.
If you look at that example, Penn State which is the eastern most team would really only have two western trips every year. Of course the sectional games would change randomly, but with Ohio State being their intersectional rival, Penn State has a yearly opponent close by, not overly straining travel.
Hail To The Victors Blog believes this schedule is not only consistent with other Penn State schedules but we believe it is in the best interest of the league to have U of M and OSU in the same division.
To further speculation, if Joe-Pa agrees to these terms without any real objection, we believe he has been told an eastern expansion will change divisions within 5 years anyway. (*speculation alert*)
Of course this is an example/prediction, and Hail To The Victors Blog remains committed to changing its mind if someone can provide the ammunition to do so. So as always all input is welcomed.
A position of need has been filled by the University of Michigan today. Kellen Jones 4 star Inside Linebacker from Houston Texas has decided he will play for Michigan.
According to Scout.com Jones is the 11th ranked player at his position in the Country. At 6-1 210 pounds, Jones seems to be a perfect fit for a linebacking core that has underachieved in recent years.
