Am I wrong that the number in the name is related to the number of teams in the conference, or used to be?
Like, at least at one time the Big 10 had 10 teams right? Do they remain the Big 10 with 14 teams? The Pac 12 was once the Pac 10 right?
Sincerely, it’s confusing. But I guess so are names that are connected to regions when the conferences no longer contain only teams from that region. Either way they’ve got naming issues!
It’s the most convoluted dumb thing imaginable. It was founded in 1896 by seven original members as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives but was better known as the Western Conference (7):
Chicago
Northwestern
Purdue
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Two teams joined in 1899 (9) to form the Big Nine:
Indiana
Iowa
One team was voted out for cheating in 1907 (8):
Michigan
One team joined in 1912 (9):
Ohio State
One team rejoined in 1917 (10) to form the Big Ten:
Michigan
One team left in 1946 (9) to form the Big Nine:
Chicago
One team joined in 1949 (10) to form the Big Ten:
Michigan State
One team joined in 1990 (11):
Penn State
One team joined in 2011 (12):
Nebraska
Two teams joined in 2014 (14):
Maryland
Rutgers
One associate member joined in 2014 (14+1):
Johns Hopkins (lacrosse)
One associate member joined in 2017 (14+2):
Notre Dame (ice hockey)
Four teams join in 2024 (18+2):
USC
UCLA
Washington
Oregon
*The Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives did not officially change its name to Big Ten until 1987 when it incorporated as a nonprofit.
Penn State was team eleven. They joined early '90s.
hahahahahahah
OK I thought this was a me problem because I’m a noob.
Oddly, even though I’m new to the Coug family and don’t care about college athletics, this has definitely instilled a dislike for Oregon and UW in me that would usually take a while to acquire. Although I recognize this isn’t really their fault at all.
The SEC was the first conference with a championship game, right?
I blame those guys.
They’re gonna waste tons of time and millions of dollars for some design firm to deliver something like this:
CHESS TEAMZ
Three mega conferences seems equal to not having conferences doesn’t it? How do you even get an actual meaningful playoff, even expanded, from that?
Have 12 team playoff. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I hate 12 personally. I would much rather have 16 even though everyone knows that’s dumb and the bottom teams have no chance. But we have > 110 FBS teams, right?
But 12 or 16 do you even need conferences at all? Especially when 45% of the teams give or take are all in one of three massive ones
I wonder if this might be next, a few schools at the very top pulling a notre dame and going for their own TV deal.
Yeah, the 12ish teams at the top have already done this. They call it the playoffs
was just thinking, if the different conferences all decided to stream their own games, i’m def buying the big ten, 99% the sec, then… ??
yup, academically i guess it makes the most sense. GA tech, Duke, UVA, Stanford, Cal
Pac 12 is the only conference with 5 teams in the top 18 of the coaches poll.
lol UM at number 2
Wait what?
in the Coaches Poll that came out yesterday UM is ranked number 2 ahead of Bama at 3 and Oh st at 4
Sure and is that unreasonable? You’re going to put osu ahead of michigan?
i would happily put oh st ahead of UM, i think Bama is on the way down but i would have them ahead of UM too.
UM is probably more likely to make the playoffs than Bama but thats only bc of their schedule not bc they are a superior team.