B1G Ten Tour - Latest News & Notes

B1G Ten Tour - Phil Harrison's Big Ten News and Notes

Phil Harrison
Harrison:B1G Ten Tour

Follow me on Twitter @PhilHarrisonCFN

The latest Urban Warfare at Ohio State-

Urban Meyer continues to have a lot on his plate through the first six months on the job. First came the news that OSU would be ineligible for any postseason play this year as a result of the fallout from the Tressel-tattoo fiasco. Then like steady waves crashing against the facade of the Horseshoe, there were rumored recruiting improprieties, former players gone wild with stark accusations, bizarre fan tweets with recruits, star players pulling sophomoric acts of elimination, and even criticism of practice jersey colors.

If that wasn’t enough, Meyer is now dealing with news on two more battle fronts. First, there’s freakish injury news of the “playmaker” that seemed to be THE guy to moonlight as the hybrid Percy Harvin type position. Jordan Hall--apparently out for ten weeks after stepping on glass while going for a stroll--will no doubt leave the coaching staff scrambling for another spark of electricity with TE Jake Stoneburner already sitting in the penalty box. Hope still springs eternal in Columbus that Hall can make it back in time for the season opener, but the only guarantee is that a replacement will need to be found for practice, meaning a slight shift in philosophy might need to occur this year--at least initially.

And that’s not all. Now a new meal is being served on a plate with the last week’s news of senior linebacker Storm Klein’s arrest and subsequent dismissal from the team. It should be noted that Klein has plead not guilty to the domestic violence and assault charges and that the fairness of the law should be allowed to take its due course. And certainly it goes without saying that this off-the-field episode trumps a game played on Saturdays. Still, in a football-sense, Klein started ten games for OSU last fall, and despite being bitten by the injury bug in the spring and losing his starting role to sophomore Curtis Grant, he still figured to be a key contributor that OSU will have to replace on defense.

OSU will more than likely be fine in the long run, but all of a sudden the year off from postseason play is beginning to look more and more like a silver bullet lining amidst the stormy clouds of bad news that keeps rolling in.

Thoughts on the Inked Deal Between The Rose Bowl and ESPN-

The Rose Bowl folks had to be breathing a sigh of relief that the announced playoff model will still have the “Grandaddy of Them All” in the mix. Shortly thereafter, with the landscape now somewhat known, many bowl sites and deals have been announced. Included with that, is news that ESPN and the Rose Bowl will continue their partnership through 2026.

Though the scene in Pasadena has been marginalized somewhat through the evolution of the college football postseason, it still has its cherished place in the hearts and minds of many football fans. The news of this deal then should be good news to the Big Ten, Pac Twelve, and fans of football in general as the traditional time slot of 5PM Eastern on New Year’s Day will continue (commence pictures of the sun setting on the San Gabriel Mountains).

And the money’s not bad either. The prior deal stood around $30 Million per year which sounds like pocket change compared to the reported average amount of about $80 Million per year under the new deal. If you ever wondered what a playoff would do for the business side of college football--this should provide the first evidence that it’ll be a cash cow going forward.

The Rose Bowl has done a good job of hanging on in the midst of all of the chaotic innovation over the last couple of years. And it now appears to be somewhat safe for the next twelve years thanks in large part to the efforts of Larry Scott and Jim Delany.

The Crumbling of the Pac-Twelve/Big Ten Scheduling Arrangement-

The relationship between the Pac-Twelve and Big Ten has never been better. The Pac Twelve and Big Ten (along with the Rose Bowl) have almost held hands and skipped their way to the playoff negotiating table each time any forum got together. The two conferences had even agreed in principle to schedule each other on a yearly basis throughout its membership.

And then this.

We now know that the two conferences either bit off more than they could chew, or were simply setting things up to try and steer the playoff model their way. The scheduling arrangement is now dead thanks in large part to the demands and commitments of keeping a nine game schedule in the Pac-Twelve together in concert with commitments with other institutions. Or so the happy marriage says.

Something tells me that had the playoff model not involved at the least semi-finals and the Rose Bowl as a part of the equation, Larry Scott, Jim Delany, and all their disciples would have found a way to make the “tough” scheduling work.

Maybe there’s some absolute truth to the difficulties in stitching all of the schedules together. But maybe there’s more substance to the notion that the Big Ten, Pac-Twelve, and Rose Bowl fraternity got enough of what they desired.

The Playoffs and the Future Effects on Scheduling-

Speaking of scheduling, though the Pac-Twelve and Big Ten won’t be vacationing with each other as often as first thought, the entire college football scheduling universe will likely see tougher scheduling going forward.

It’s simple. By forming a selection committee, our founding fathers of the playoff constitution have in effect put strength of schedule back on the map. And unlike the tired BCS model that rewarded teams for stacking cupcakes in exchange for computer points, wins, and ultimately prime real-estate in the BCS rankings, the new “status quo” won’t reward teams for simply piling up wins out of conference and then running through a 'BCS' Conference schedule.

Just like its cousin--the NCAA basketball committee--you can bet that rankings will still be taken into account, but it’ll be just one measurement in the building blocks of a resume that teams will pass across the table. And just like March Madness, the selection committee--all things being equal--are more than likely going to reward those teams that have had to till through rougher terrain to make the landscaping look pretty.

This undeniable shift in scheduling that’s likely coming should be an unintended--yet welcome byproduct of the bold, new, playoff world. There will of course always be a place for the hired punching bag to fill some schedules, but the huge paydays for teams looking to make a buck for their athletic departments will more than likely be a thing of the past soon.