divisions debate down to Indiana, Purdue
As you might've missed amid the NCAA tournament's start last night, ESPN's Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg reported that, as previously interpreted by many accounts, the league is headed for a clean and sensible East-West divisional split. This would obliterate the dopey, pretentious and indecipherable Legends and Leaders nonsense.
One team needs to move West, and speculation has centered on three schools: Purdue, Indiana and Michigan State. But Michigan State isn't in play to move West, sources say, and the debate now is whether Indiana or Purdue enters the "West" division.
Although no announcement is imminent and discussions will continue, here's what the divisions are expected to look like (the division names have yet to be decided):
Before Hoosier fans and Boiler fans panic about their annual rivalry, rest assured that the Bucket game will be preserved with a protected crossover. Barring a change in the discussions, Indiana-Purdue will be the only protected crossover, as the Big Ten wants to create as much flexibility as possible with its schedules.
League sources tell ESPN.com that a 9-game conference schedule likely will go into effect for the 2016 season -- there's still some discussion about a 10-game league slate, but all signs point to nine -- and that the goal is for every pair of teams to play at least once every four years.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/i ... ana-purdue
