[Husker] Huskers-Badgers

[Mike Nolan]

> Right, I think there is a proposal to have one designated cross-divisional
> rival that a team could play every year.

I'm not sure that works.  With six teams in a division, an eight-game
conference schedule means you play all five teams in your division, plus 
half of the teams in the other division, like how the Big XII worked.  

If you designate one school as the cross-conference rival, then that leaves
five schools, so there's no easy rotation schedule for them.  

Now, if you go to TWO cross-division designated opponents and a nine game
conference schedule, then the four non-designated cross-division opponents
could play two on/two-off schedules against the other division.  

I personally will be surprised if the Big Ten comes up with a purely geographic
divisional alignment, because that would put Michigan, Ohio State and Penn
State in the same division, which isn't very balanced:

West             East

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

This might work better:

Mostly West      Mostly East

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

I don't think this works well for basketball, though.

Maybe they'll come up with an initial schedule that has Nebraska facing all 
eleven schools at least once in the first two years, though not home/home with
all of them.  That gives them two years to work on expanding beyond 12 teams (which
is still likely, especially if Notre Dame decides it wants in), at which point 
they would have to come up with a different scheduling process anyway.  
--
Mike Nolan