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Football
Big Ten Realignment: Rivalries Worth Keeping (And a Few Worth Pitching)
By Brandon Castel

Singer Bob Dylan once wrote “The times they are a-changin.”

Ron Burgundy had never heard that song, but that won’t stop the landscape of college football from changing drastically and historically in 2010.

With the addition of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this past Friday, the Big Ten is headed for bigger and better things. Most likely, that means realignment—or would just be called alignment since they didn’t have any divisions to begin with?

Either way, a 12-team league means two divisions, not to mention a Big Ten Championship game. Commissioner Jim Delany said those divisions will depend heavily on three things: competitive balance, rivalries and geography.

In our next piece on realignment we will look at the competitive balance and geography aspects of the new Big Ten, but first let’s have some fun with rivalries.

They Aint Goin Nowhere
Five Rivalries Worth Preserving

1 Ohio State-Michigan
The Game

2. Michigan-Michigan State
Paul Bunyan Trophy

3. Ohio State-Penn State

4. Minnesota-Wisconsin
Paul Bunyan’s Axe

5. Indiana-Purdue
Old Oaken Bucket

More Fun with Big Ten Rivalries…

Oldest Rivalry Trophy
Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota): These two started swapping jugs in 1903 and haven’t stopped since.

Longest-Standing Rivalry
Minnesota-Wisconsin (Slab of Bacon/Paul Bunyan’s Ax): The Gophers and Wolverines may have started sharing drinks in 1903, but that doesn’t make them the longest standing rivals in the conference. In fact Michigan doesn’t even qualify as Minnesota’s oldest rivals. The Gophers began playing Wisconsin all the way back in 1890 and the two neighboring states have met a record 119 times on the gridiron.

Most Heated Rivalry
Ohio State-Michigan: For 10 years they called it a war, and it’s been one ever since. Case closed.

Biggest Complex Rivalry
Michigan-Michigan State (Paul Bunyan Trophy): Will these two just make out and get it over with already?

Does Anyone Really Care Rivalry?
 Illinois-Northwestern (Sweet Sioux Tomahawk/Land of Lincoln Trophy): Sure these two schools share the same state, but is there anyone who still gets excited for this battle between the jocks and the smart kids?

Most Lopsided Rivalry
Indiana-Michigan State (Old Brass Spittoon):The Spartans lead the all-time series 41-11, talk about Hoosier Daddy.

Most Competitive Rivalry
Iowa-Wisconsin (Heartland Trophy): They’ve only been calling it the Heartland Trophy rivalry since 2004, but these two have had some serious battles over the years. The Hawkeyes have won four of the six meetings since they named this skirmish (including the last two), but they only lead the all-time series 42-41 with a pair of ties.

Most Overrated Rivalry
Little Brown Jug (Michigan-Minnesota):Hyped as one of the oldest “trophy rivalries” in college football history, the battle between these two hasn’t been much of a rivalry since the 1960’s. The Gophers won four in a row from 1960-64, but they have won only five times since including just one win in the last 20 years and two in the last 30 years.

Most Underappreciated Rivalry
Iowa-Minnesota (Floyd of Rosedale): Because the Hawkeyes have won eight of the last nine meetings, few people remember this as a good Big Ten rivalry but the Gophers actually lead the all-time series with a 39-34-2 record. The two teams split the 90s right down the middle with five wins apiece.

Best Rivalry Name             
The Old Oaken Bucket (Indiana-Purdue): Let’s face it, this hasn’t been a highly competitive rivalry with the Boilermakers leading the 70-36-6 all-time, but the name itself comes from a poem by Samuel Woodworth… “And e'en the rude bucket that hung in the well—The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket which hung in the well…” Okay, so it’s not a great poem, but doesn’t the name Old Oaken Bucket reek of tradition?

Worst Rivalry Name
Land Grant Trophy (Michigan State-Penn State): For a rivalry that started in 1993, they could have gotten a little more imaginative with the name.

Rivalry Most in Need of a Name
Ohio State-Penn State: The state schools from these two neighbors have dominated the last decade of Big Ten football. They play each other year in what almost always equates to blood bath, and it’s about time they give this thing a name. Guess it Depends on JoePa…

Rivalry Most in Need of Starting
Nebraska-Wisconsin: The Badgers are asking for it, and they’re probably going to get it. These two share more than just their colors.

Rivalry That Will Create Itself
Ohio State-Nebraska: What football fan isn’t looking forward to a meeting between the fourth and fifth winningest schools in college football history? Having former Buckeye Bo Pelini as the coach in Lincoln will only add to the intrigue.

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