Iowa-Wisconsin forced Big Ten to change rivalry scheduling

Iowa defensive lineman Matt Kroul carries the Heartland Tropht off the field after the Hawkeyes' win over Wisconsin at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, in Iowa City. Iowa won, 38-16. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

IOWA CITY -  Big Ten rivalries are full of trinkets and trophies but only a few outlast the rotation-scarring league schedule, like games involving Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. But that wasn't always the case.

In 1993, Wisconsin fell off Iowa's schedule for a two-year period, the first time the teams hadn't played since 1936. Wisconsin Athletics Director Barry Alvarez, who served as an Iowa assistant coach for eight years, coached the Badgers those two seasons. Alvarez and others immediately noticed the glitch and helped change the system.

“I think that was the regular rotation of the schedule that came off the computer, it just rotated that we weren't playing,” said Alvarez, Wisconsin's all-time leader in coaching wins. “I think in the Big Ten directors' meetings, there was a discussion that we should protect natural rivalries, and then everybody declared who their natural rivals would be and came to an agreement on that.

“It's allowed us to protect what we need to protect.”

The 11-school Big Ten chose an even number of games after Penn State joined the league in 1993. Instead of everybody playing a round-robin or 10 league games, the Big Ten stuck with eight. That forced league officials to scrutinize every match-up.

Mark Rudner, a Big Ten associate commissioner who handles football and basketball scheduling, said the league never defined traditional rivalries before Penn State. But, he said, the league understood which rivalries “made sense.” For instance, Iowa didn't play Indiana in 1985-86 and 1989-90, or Illinois in 1987-88, but it had played Minnesota since 1930.

After the Iowa-Wisconsin glitch, each school tabbed two others as permanent. A few rivalries were automatic: Michigan-Ohio State, Indiana-Purdue, Wisconsin-Minnesota. Some grew in intensity, such as Illinois-Northwestern. Others, like Penn State-Michigan State, began with friendly college presidents and escalated into season-ending trophy games.

"If you take the the 11 schools and multiply it by two for rivalry games, 21 of the 22 are pretty good rivalrie now," Rudner said. “The one that you could argue isn't really a rivalry is Northwestern-Purdue.”

Since the mid-1990s, when permanent opponents took effect, no school has asked to change.

“It all sort of fell into place,” Rudner said. “During that time there's been no request from athletic directors to re-examine the rivalries. It's been constant since it was first adopted.”

The Big Ten's rivalry schedule is unique in college football. Of the six BCS conferences, two - the Pac-10 and the Big East - have true round-robins. The Big 12 has divisional play and schools from opposite divisions compete for two years then rotate off the schedule. The other two - the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern - have divisional play and designate one non-divisional opponent as permanent.

In 1992, the SEC expanded to 12 teams and divided into two divisions. Those boundaries eschewed long-standing rivalries, such as Alabama-Tennessee, so the SEC allowed each school to select two rivalry games from the opposite division. It maintained tradition but was brutal to schools like Tennessee, which played Alabama and Auburn as well as a tough divisional slate. In 2004, the SEC revised its non-divisional schedule and gave each school one permanent opponent with a rotation on the others. The TennesseeAuburn rivalry, one of the nation's best, reignites just four times in 10 years.

“The permanent opponents were really for historical games,” said Mark Womack, the SEC's executive associate commissioner. “We felt the conference really couldn't afford not to have played because of their historical significance. Those became Alabama-Tennessee, Auburn-Georgia, Florida-LSU. Then we had to fill in some of the other games.”

That's where the SEC differs slightly from the Big Ten. After the high-profile, non-divisional match-ups, the SEC's other permanent clashes include those without history (newcomers Arkansas-South Carolina) or context (Vanderbilt-Ole Miss). The Big Ten's permanent rivalries have relevance.

That could change, if the Big Ten expands to a 12th school. It's likely the league would divide based on geography, and the permanent rivalries would continue on a divisional basis. Rudner said no scheduling plan exists for expansion.

Don't expect coaches to get worked up over hypotheticals. Most care little for the format outside the upcoming foe.

“It's a roll of the dice,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “There's no sense worrying about it.”

Alvarez felt the same way in 1993.

“I never worry about things I can't control,” he said. “I always thought the rivalry (against Iowa) was healthy.  It was so good, so convenient for our fans and Iowa fans to jump in the car and go and follow. Yet when it came up that we weren't playing, I was disappointed but you worry about who's on there, not who's not on there.”

Wisconsin reappeared on Iowa's 1995 schedule. For Alvarez, two is the magic number when it comes to permanent opponents. It preserves tradition without distorting the schedule.

“I think if you get any more than that, then you get into an issue of schedule,” he said. “How are you going to protect that many schools and have some type of a fair rotation?”

It's all about the ax, the pig and the bull. Everything else is kosher.

Games considered "rivalry games" by the Big Ten Conference and played annually:

• Iowa vs. Minnesota
• Iowa vs. Wisconsin
• Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
• Illinois vs. Northwestern
• Illinois vs. Indiana
• Indiana vs. Purdue
• Purdue vs. Northwestern
• Ohio State vs. Michigan
• Ohio State vs. Penn State
• Michigan vs. Michigan State
• Michigan State vs. Penn State

How Big Ten does it

The Big Ten's annual football scheduling begins with permanent opponents. Iowa's permanent opponents are Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The next step is determining the league's eight-season rotation. Outside of its permanent opponents, Iowa will play each Big Ten school six times over eight years. Opponents shifting off Iowa's schedule during the current rotation are:

• 2007-08 -- Michigan, Ohio State
• 2009-2010 -- Purdue, Illinois
• 2011-2012 -- Michigan State, Northwestern
• 2013-2014 -- Penn State Indiana

Once a Big Ten school's permanent opponents and league rotation is set:

• Computers determine the annual league schedule
• The final week is saved for at least one round of rivalries
• Each school must get two home games in the first four weeks and final four weeks
• Athletics directors approve the schedule.

How others do it

• ACC

  The 12 teams split into Atlantic and Coastal divisions and play eight conference games. All division schools play one another, totaling five games. Each school has a rivalry opponent in the opposite division to play annually.

• Big East

  Every school in the eight-team league plays each other annually for seven conference games.

• Big 12

  The 12-team conference has North and South divisions and plays eight conference games. All division schools play one another, totaling five games. The other three games against non-division opponents rotate after two seasons.

• Pac-10

  The 10-team league plays every conference school annually for a nine-game league slate.

• SEC

  The 12-team conference has East and West divisions and plays eight conference games. All division schools play one another, totaling five games. Each school has a "rivalry" opponent in the opposite division to play each year. The other two SEC games stagger annually (one school on, one school off) with non-division, non-rivalry opponents meeting four times every 10 years.