If you have a copy of the HBO Special The Rivalry put it away in your safe deposit box so you can teach your grand-kids how things used to be in the good ole days.
They're messing with the greatest game in college football, out of necessity, from the expansion, and when the dust settles, we will see where it lands. I'm not saying yet it's going to be worse, although I have a mighty hard time seeing how it will be better. I will say without any reservation, without any hesitation, that it will be different.
Everyone has an opinion, and you could go crazy reading all that have been expressed. I did read two today though, in a School Up North Paper of all places ( I spy on the enemy occasionally!), that had a couple of interesting takes. I will share the Detroit Free Press links with you for food for thought:
As for me, I say put us and that school with the funny helmets in opposite Divisions. Play The Game every year, the last game of the season like always. Some people say that wouldn't work, because we might have to turn around and play them again in the conference championship. Hogwash I say! So what? The only thing better than one Ohio State- Michigan game would be two! Can you imagine having to beat each other to get to the championship, and then again to win it! You say you couldn't sell the game out twice? Wanna bet? Can you imagine the fun of knocking each other out of the championship game. Beating the other for you to get in, beating the other to keep them out. And then if you did have to play two, the high of winning twice ! The low of loosing twice! I think it would do nothing but ratchet up the Rivalry. And I think anything less will diminish it. Unfortunately, I think the schools in the Big Ten that would want to see it ratcheted up probably number two, and the schools that want to diminish it number 10.
I'll say one more thing and then be silent and let the process play out. Don't you wish Woody and Bo were still living today! Imaging for a moment how they would take to the change going on, what they would have to say about it. Those are two press conferences I would like to be in, two interviews I would like to have! Colorful would be too vanilla a word to describe what that would be like!