Big Ten Divisions Decided, Possible Advantage to Michigan State Basketball

The Big Ten has announced the alignment of its two divisions in football, which will begin once Nebraska enters the conference in 2011-2012 and makes it a 12-team league.

The divisions, as first reported by ESPN's Andy Katz and later confirmed by the league, are as follows:

• Michigan, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern and Minnesota
• Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana and Illinois

Katz reported that the league wanted to preserve a number of "traditional" rivalries, naming, among others Indiana and Illinois. Of course, Michigan and Ohio State are in different divisions -- so that doesn't really seem to add up.

For that issue, the league announced a consistent crossover game in football so that those two rivals will play each other every season.

As far as basketball, the details are still being ironed out. Katz reported the Big Ten could use the divisions and play each divisional opponent twice (a home-and-home) and then each non-divisional opponent in a single game -- where each team would get three home and three road games. It's also a possibility that the league sticks with its current 18-game schedule, which would obviously need some modifications to accommodate Nebraska.

Football Spin: Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry Protected

During the Big Ten Network special in which commissioner Jim Delany announced the divisions, he stated that men's basketball is free to chart its own course.

In initially glancing at the divisions in basketball, one thing immediately sticks out when you look at the landscape of the current league. And that is that Michigan State will have an absolute cakewalk if the basketball people decided to use the divisional format. Ohio State, Wisconsin, Purdue and Illinois are all in the other division, as is Indiana -- currently in the doldrums but a traditional college basketball power that might rise again. In fact, if you ranked the top six basketball programs, it's entirely possible you'd end up with Michigan State being the only one in the top six from its side.

Basically, if the league adheres to a divisional basketball setup, Tom Izzo has got to be a happy man.

UPDATE: Now Delany has said he doesn't see the use for divisions in basketball. So, obviously it sounds like the league won't use them. This is definitely a good direction on the hardwood.