It seemed like a good idea in 2014.
Nine years ago, the Big Ten welcomed Maryland and Rutgers into the fold. The conference took the opportunity to scrap its wildly unpopular Legends and Leaders divisions, instead opting for a simple East-West arrangement. With Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State in the East and Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa in the West, the two seven-team groups seemed fairly balanced on paper.
That was to be a mirage, as the Wolverines’ 26–0 win over the Hawkeyes Saturday in the final East-West Big Ten championship marked the 10th straight victory for the league’s eastern contingent. The conference is dropping divisions next year, when USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington will join the league.
