Ohio State and Michigan - Different Divisions

Fans in Ohio and Michigan are up in arms. Woody Hayes must be turning over in his grave. Ohio State and Michigan, one of the most storied programs in college football history, will no longer be playing each other every year. The Big 10 released the divisional structure once Nebraska is accepted into the league starting in 2011. If the Buckeyes and the Wolverines want to face off on the final weekend of Big 10 play each year, they'll have to plan to meet for the conference title.

The loss of one of sports most storied rivalries is another casualty of conference realignment. When the Big 12 was formed, we lost OU vs. Nebraska. Now we lose OSU vs UM. If not for some last minute finaggling by the state of Texas, we would have lost Texas vs Texas A&M this past season (and may still lose it in the next few years).

It seems in the midst of taking advantage of the popularity of college football, conference commissioners, university administrators, and even some coaches are overlooking the traditions that made the sport as popular as it is. In a sport where only 2 teams have a shot at the national championship at the end of the year, does it seem fair to take away games the players grow up dreaming to play? Players who go to Ohio State yearn to crush Michigan each year, and vice versa. When Michigan plays Ohio State and they are both having subpar years, the ratings are still huge, the emotion is still high, and the desire to win remains higher than for any other game either team played that season. Now what is a 9-2 Ohio State and its legion of fans going to get so excited for? Wisconsin? What about Michigan? With their recent struggles, it seemed their biggest game every year is Ohio State - who replaces the Buckeyes? Nebraska?

If the people running college football want to continue to create high ratings and grow the sport, they ought to reconsider changing the parts of the game we love. Including historic rivalries for the sake of a buck.