Iowa AD says Big Ten down to final number of divisional scenarios

IOWA CITY - Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta

said the league is down to a final number of realignment scenarios and confirmed Thursday there's one that has Iowa and Wisconsin in opposite divisions.

"There's a scenario that shows a set-up like that, but again there are multiple scenarios," Barta

said. "Until the commissioner comes out and says, 'Here it is,' I'm going to stay pretty tight on the different scenarios because the more I try to break it down question-by-question, I'll start to get in a situation where I'll start to reveal what the last two models look like.

"I know it's going to be great. It will be a little different. Will we get everything? Maybe not. I think we're going to like it, conference-wide as well as Iowa."

The Big Ten adds Nebraska as its 12th member next fall and the league will split into two six-team divisions for football. Wisconsin Athletics Director Barry Alvarez told the Wisconsin State Journal on Wednesday that the league plans to separate Iowa and Wisconsin into different divisions.

Barta said the league's athletics officials met Monday to discuss the final scenarios. He declined to reveal specifics about the potential divisions but emphasized he argued Iowa should maintain its traditional ties with Minnesota and Wisconsin plus form a rivalry with

new member Nebraska.

Iowa has played Minnesota annually since 1931. After playing for 57 straight years, Iowa and Wisconsin did not play in 1993 and 1994 after the league added Penn State. The league then altered its scheduling policy to allow each Big Ten school to choose two annual permanent rivals. Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin all play one another.

"When I was asked,what would be my choices for rivalries, because of geography and tradition I said Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota.," Barta

said. "I feel pretty good that it may not be perfect for every school every year but we're going to get, based on the versions I've seen so far, we're going to get most of those fit in over time."

Michigan Athletics Director David Brandon, Ohio State Athletics Director Gene Smith and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany publicly have discussed the potential for Ohio State and Michigan to play as non-divisional opponents. The schools potentially would move their game to mid-season and possibly meet again for the league title.

"We've yet to cross the bridge, but I think you could have them in the same division, or you could have them in different divisions," Delany told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "If you have them in the same division, they're playing for a spot in the (championship) game. If you have them in different divisions, they're playing potentially in the championship game for the Rose Bowl."

Barta

said the public discussion about splitting Ohio State and Michigan wasn't floated publicly as an intentional trial balloon.

"That wasn't a strategy," Barta

said. "We didn't set out at our last meeting and say 'Why don't we test this in any way shape or form.' We didn't leave the meeting saying, 'Here's the strategy, we'll test it out at all.'"

Barta said the conference hopes to finalize the divisional plan quickly so schools can book hotel rooms and make travel plans but "not at the expense of getting it right."

"There definitely a commitment by the commissioner, the conference, by the presidents, and by the ADs to get it right, whatever "get it right" means.," Barta

said. "You could poll 100 people, and you'd get a slightly different answer of what 'get it right' means. I love the fact that we identified the two principles: competitive fairness, equity and rivalries. Based on those two principles, we've come a long way. We're down to just a couple of models that make sense."

Other notes:

• Barta

  said league officials have discussed divisional names using directions, icons or colors. He said the names will be widely scrutinized so the discussions are intense because "they have to stand the test of time."

• Barta said he believes everyone has had an equal voice in meetings and everyone respects the value of the Ohio State-Michigan game to the Big Ten Conference.
• The league's divisions will be permanent, Barta

  said.

• Barta said on KXIC that there's "great likelihood" that the Iowa-Iowa State non-conference rivalry will continue as long as the schedules line up properly for both schools. Barta

  reiterated that his school needs seven home games annually.