The Big Ten is moving to a 20-game conference schedule, from 18 games. As recently as 2007 they were at 16 games. From their perspective, it probably is a very good thing. Most of the rivalries in the Big Ten are old and intense, and more chances to play those opponents can only help them. Plus, less non-conference games means less opportunities for one of those embarrassing losses to a non-power conference school, and less times having to shell out considerably money to buy a win. Of course, it presumably makes their schedule tougher, but that will only help them come Selection Sunday. Plus, it presumably will push games that will gain the attention of their fan base a little further into the football season, which can only help Big Ten basketball as a whole.
What does it mean for us? It is just one more small step toward the little guys getting squeezed out of the process by the money schools. We have only two times when we can be meaningful: upsets in the non-conference season and in the NCAA tournament. Less opportunities to play big games means less opportunities for little guys to help our RPI and to garner national attention.
We probably will respond in kind to this movement by money conference schools: we also will have more conference games. But absolutely no one cares about Sun Belt games except the Sun Belt, so we will have been nudged a little further into irrelevancy and basketball will be a little closer to the situation in football, where D1 is divided into the big guys (who matter) and the not-so-big guys (who do not).
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