The Big Ten’s West Division will cease to exist after the 2023 season, a casualty of the conference expanding to 18 teams and the league’s higher-ups finally asking themselves, “Just why are we letting one of those teams in our championship game?”
In the 10th season of the East-West divisional format, the East champion has won its division with no conference losses four times, one league loss five times and never with two Big Ten losses. In the West, three division winners have had two losses and one, Purdue last year, lost three Big Ten games.
This year, the West just might one-up itself by sending a team with four Big Ten losses to Indianapolis to face one of the East’s blue bloods, Michigan, Ohio State or Penn State.
How could that happen? Check out Saturday’s action.
The Gophers, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin started the day tied atop the West with 3-2 conference records. By 6 p.m., the Gophers, Nebraska and Wisconsin had 3-3 marks, and only Iowa escaped unscathed as the West leader at 4-2 after slogging its way to a 10-7 win over Northwestern at Wrigley Field. Nebraska and Wisconsin lost to the East’s co-cellar-dwellers, Michigan State and Indiana, respectively, while the Gophers watched as Illinois’ backup quarterback needed only three passes to traverse 85 yards for the winning touchdown with 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“There were some catastrophic things that happened,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said, “and in a game like this, it gets magnified.”
It’s as if the West’s coaches got together, channeled Eric “Otter” Stratton from “Animal House” and declared, “This situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody’s part.”
Sending a four-loss team to Indy would qualify, and the Big Ten West is just the division to do it.
With three regular-season weekends remaining, there are plenty of twists and turns left to play out in the West.
The Hawkeyes are in control with a one-game lead, but they’re not shoo-ins to make it to Indy, where the East has won all nine Big Ten title games in this format by an average score of 36-16. Iowa on Saturday is host to Rutgers, which pushed Ohio State into the second half before falling 35-16. The Hawkeyes face visiting Illinois on Nov. 18 before traveling to Nebraska on Nov. 24 for the annual Black Friday game. Last year, Iowa lost to both the Illini and the Cornhuskers.
With an offense that ranks last among FBS teams in total yards, Iowa leaves itself little room for error, and an opponent might not need to score a touchdown to beat the Hawkeyes, as the Gophers showed in their 12-10 win. It’s not out of the question that Iowa could lose two of its last three.
On the other hand, it would be so West-like if Hawkeyes offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, who’s out of a job at season’s end, got one more game to showcase whatever it is that he does.
For the second-place trio of the Gophers, Nebraska and Wisconsin, challenges and potential opportunities remain. Minnesota finishes with games at Purdue, at Ohio State and home vs. Wisconsin. Nebraska is host to Maryland, at Wisconsin and home to Iowa. Wisconsin finishes with home games against Northwestern and Nebraska and a trip to Minnesota.
The Gophers’ first aim is to achieve bowl eligibility with a win at Purdue. That’s no gimme given Minnesota’s inconsistent play this season. Barring an upset of Ohio State, Minnesota’s best hope to win the West would hinge on beating Purdue and Wisconsin and having Nebraska lose a game and Iowa absorb two losses. In this scenario, the Gophers would advance to Indianapolis at 5-4 with head-to-head tiebreakers over the Hawkeyes, Huskers and Badgers.
Looking that far ahead with any West team this year is a dicey proposition because nobody has grabbed the division by the scruff of the neck. The Gophers had a chance Saturday but gave it away. Will they get another? In the West, never say never.