Super Conferences: Which League Each School Should Actually Call Home
Big Ten:
The current Big Ten traditions are too sacred to break up, but that doesn’t mean we can’t add to them.
Teams in Red = Basketball+
In this model, the Big Ten would add what’s left of the Big 12. The Mizzou-Kansas rivalry is as old as the Civil War itself, and Iowa-Iowa State could take it to the next level as conference foes.
Adding Army and Navy would give the conference two more football programs with rich histories. Marquette, Cincinnati, and DePaul return to a more fitting geographic conference.
But, the big addition is Notre Dame’s football program. The Fighting Irish are the class of college football and would fit nicely into a collection of schools which share similar traditions.
Nebraska would be able renew classic gridiron battles with Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State, and Iowa State. Ohio State owns its state on the football field, but with Cincinnati’s two recent BCS bowl appearances, the Buckeyes may finally have found a program to challenge them right in their own conference.
Scheduling? For football, nine division games, one crossover, two cupcakes and a conference championship. For basketball, nine games against teams on your side of the bracket, your rival twice and seven of the eleven from the other side. Easy peasy.
Michigan would still be on the schedule... Flickr/mjurn
Do the incoming schools also help in basketball?
Yup. A Big Ten team has not cut down the nets since Michigan State in 2000, but seven of the eight newcomers in basketball made the 2012 NCAA Tournament. DePaul gives Northwestern a true rival on the court and Notre Dame is thrown into the already passionate rivalry between Indiana and Purdue.
Marquette and Cincinnati would also provide Wisconsin and Ohio State each with an in-state conference rival, respectively. Also, heavyweights Kansas and Missouri would be sure to challenge for basketball supremacy.
Related Profiles
Read More From College Spun
Report: Top Recruit Eddie Vanderdoes May Already Be Leaving Notre Dame
Matt Lombardi - CS Editor-in-Chief - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 9:29 am
Michigan’s Team Footballs Are NOT Made In Ohio
Josh Poloha - Ohio State - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 2:27 pm
The 20 Men’s Basketball Programs With The Largest Twitter Followings
Matt Lombardi - CS Editor-in-Chief - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 7:06 pm
Cleveland Cavaliers Win 2013 NBA Draft Lottery
Matt Lombardi - CS Editor-in-Chief - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:57 pm
Coach Cal Defends Nerlens Noel And His Weight On Twitter
Matt Lombardi - CS Editor-in-Chief - Tuesday, May 21, 2013 4:46 pm
