Without the geographic divides of the Big Ten East and the Big Ten West, the only way to ensure that some of the conference's most exciting regional battles will continue was to devise a format that honored them. Earmarking rivalries that will be protected and played annually was a critical step toward entering a division-less world. Michael Cohen: The model seemed to strike the right balance of preserving and respecting the league's storied history while also granting the powers that be enough wiggle room to tweak the format as life with 16 teams takes shape.
What was your overarching impression of the Big Ten's new scheduling model?
