You seem underwhelmed with Iowa's 2015 home B1G schedule

The Big Ten was up early today handing out 2015 conference schedules.

I tweeted Iowa's 2015 B1G home schedule, which includes Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota and Purdue. Your responses were less than enthusiastic. And they should be. You're the ones paying the money and the donation and accumulating the points for your seat placement in Kinnick Stadium.

You can voice your displeasure. It won't do anything, but your opinions here are fair. That is underwhelming. Has a Big Ten schedule -- we're talking Iowa's '15 home schedule -- ever felt so un-Big Ten?

In '15 the conference will be in the second of its 14-team structure. Of course, you remember the B1G added Maryland and Rutgers. I just wanted to make sure everyone remembered that.

Here's what Maryland has done in the last six seasons 4-8, 2-10, 8-4, 1-11, 8-4 and 6-7. The Terps have had three bowl appearances -- vs. East Carolina in the 2010 Military Bowl, vs. Nevada in the '08 Humanitarian Bowl and vs. Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl after the 2007 season.

And here's Rutgers in the last six seasons 9-4, 9-4, 4-8, 9-4, 8-5 and 8-5. That's not bad, not bad at all. Also keep in mind that the Scarlet Knights also lost the coach who built things up, Greg Schiano, to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also keep in mind that Rutgers is coming from the Big East and not the ACC, as Maryland is.

When the Big Ten added Nebraska in 2010, everyone nodded. Everyone saw the wisdom and got it. In this second round of realignment, you saw the New York and Washington D.C. cable markets and nodded. You saw Maryland and Rutgers and, I don't know, probably didn't think about it too much.

I think Rutgers is on strong footing. Coach Kyle Flood seems embedded and seems to have the same laser focus that Schiano brought to the porgram. Maryland is a mess. Randy Edsall goes into his third season with a 6-18 record.

Rutgers has potential to be a nice addition. Maryland has work to do. Nebraska was a no-brainer. The New York-DC cable money also were no-brainers.

And so here's today's B1G home schedule and you're underwhelmed. And you should be.

Think of it this way and it might ease the pain: This is all a build-up to the 2016 season, when the B1G will kick in a more parity-based scheduling model. This is, of course, the year before the conference's current TV deal with ESPN/ABC ends, so the season will be one long commercial for why a TV exec would want to spend a billion dollars on B1G football.

Remember, 2016 also is the first year B1G will play nine conference games. Iowa is in the West Division, so it will play four conference home games in '16.

Let's take a shot at the '16 B1G home schedule: Penn State/Michigan State, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Nebraska.

That's better. That's much more B1G.

Here's Iowa's release:

IOWA, BIG TEN ANNOUNCE 2015 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Park Ridge, Ill. -- The Big Ten office announced the conference schedule for the 2015 football season today, as approved by the Big Ten Directors of Athletics. The 2015 schedule consists of eight games for each of the Big Ten's 14 teams.

Iowa's Big Ten schedule includes homes game against Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota and Maryland.  Iowa plays its first Big Ten home game Oct. 10, hosting Illinois.  The Fighting Illini will be making their first appearance in Kinnick Stadium since 2007 (a 10-6 Iowa win).

Maryland will make its first appearance ever in Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 31.  The Hawkeyes and Terrapins will meet for the first time ever at Maryland in 2014.  The Hawkeyes host Minnesota on Nov. 14 and Purdue the following weekend (Nov. 21) to close the home season.  Maryland and Indiana are Iowa's non-division opponents for the second straight season.

The Hawkeyes travel to Wisconsin (Oct. 3) to open Big Ten play.  Additional road games include Northwestern, Indiana and Nebraska.  The regular season finale at Nebraska will once again be played the day after Thanksgiving (Friday, Nov. 27).  Iowa travels to Northwestern (Oct. 17) before the only open week on the schedule and plays at Indiana Nov. 7.

Iowa opens the 2015 season by hosting Illinois State on Sept. 5.  The Hawkeyes then travel to Iowa State the following weekend for the annual edition of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.  Additional non-conference opponents are Pittsburgh and North Texas, with both of those teams visiting Kinnick Stadium.

Beginning in 2014, the Big Ten football division alignments will feature Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers in the East Division, and Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin in the West Division. Each school will play the other six schools in its division plus two teams from the other division in 2014 and 2015, which will serve as transitional years in which the schools will still be playing eight-game schedules. Beginning in 2016, each school will play three teams from the other division as part of its nine-game schedule. The cross-division games will include one protected matchup on an annual basis between Indiana and Purdue.

The Big Ten will hold the 2013 Football Media Days and 42nd annual Kickoff Luncheon on Wednesday and Thursday, July 24 and 25, at the Hilton Chicago, featuring all 12 head coaches and some of the nation's top returning players. The 118th season of Big Ten football kicks off Thursday, Aug. 29, and culminates with the third annual Big Ten Football Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 7. The winner of the title game will earn the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in either the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

Sept. 5                  Illinois State

Sept. 12                at Iowa State

Sept. 19                Pittsburgh

Sept. 26                North Texas

Oct. 3                    at Wisconsin*

Oct. 10                  Illinois*

Oct. 17                  at Northwestern*

Oct. 24                  Open

Oct. 31                  Maryland

Nov. 7                   at Indiana

Nov. 14                 Minnesota*

Nov. 21                 Purdue*

Nov. 27                 Nebraska*