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PrintThis time last year, the Big Ten Conference announced that it would look into expansion. Nebraska was pegged to be the 12th member of the league in June.
With 12 members, the Big Ten conference will play a conference championship game, and that required the conference to form divisions.
When the Big Ten expands to 12 teams next year, the conference will split into two nongeographical divisions.
Leaders Division
Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Legends Division
Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
Source: bigten.org
Instead of an east-west or north-south alignment, the Big Ten opted for nongeographical divisions. There are two possible reasons for this — either the divisions were drafted by drawing names of schools out of a hat, or it's all part of Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's plan to create a constant state of confusion surrounding his league.
Either way, when Big Ten play starts next year, the college football world will ask, "Wait, who's in which division?"
We found out who will be in each division in September, but the conference waited until Monday to announce what the divisions would be named.
Delany and company should have waited a little longer.
Despite having months to divide the league and name those divisions, the conference was only able to muster the names "Leaders" and "Legends."
The reactions to the names, and the conference's new Microsoft Word logo, have not been good.
The divisions both start with L. The conference would have been better off naming the divisions Lame and Loser. Even the band Chumbawamba thinks the Big Ten could have done a better job in naming.
And the logo. Oh, the logo.
Let's ignore the fact that it looks like a blue highlighter splotch and focus on the fact that it is completely illogical. Now, the Big Ten had to replace what was the coolest logo in sports. There was an 11 hidden in the logo — it was awesome.
Oh, but the designer replaced the letter "I" with the number 1 — how clever. Why is there a 1 in the logo? The only logical reason I can think of is that the number 2 is hidden somewhere in the logo, so deep that we won't find it for another three years.
I had to come up with my own logical reason because, according to the conference, the "I" and "G" in "Big" make a numeral 10, an homage to the original 10 members of the league. Certainly the subtlety was needed in paying respects to the originals — otherwise, I would never know that the 12-team Big Ten once had only 10 members.
That's the new Big Ten, and I doubt Missouri fans dreamed this summer of being a member of the Leaders division.
What do you think of the Big Ten's rebranding?
Show Me the Errors 
Comments
Article sounds distinctly like a lot of sour grapes by some football fan whose university didn't get invited to join the Big Ten.
Are you planning to make sour wine out of those sour grapes?
@Ellis - You missed a fantastic pun opportunity in your comment.
"Whine" for "wine," I assume.
There was sufficient whining over being "shut out" earlier this year to last for a very long time.
BIG DEAL