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With 14 teams in the league there are 13 potential opponents.  The obvious solution is a 3+5+5 where you play three every year then the other ten alternating either every year or every two years after a H&H.  

My methodology:

• The four Western schools (IA, UW, MN, UNL) all get each other as their three permanent rivals.  
• The three pairs of in-state rivals all get each other as one of their three permanent rivals (M/MSU, IU/PU, IL/NU).  
• THE GAME has to go every year (tOSU/M).  
• Penn State will want Ohio State.  
• Rutgers and Maryland get each other since they came in together and are both eastern.  
• Maryland will want Penn State.  

That gets me to here:

I need one permanent rival each for UMD, PSU, tOSU and M and two permanent rivals each for RU, MSU, IU, PU, IL, and NU.  

• Ohio State already has two "helmets" so their third should be a lightweight, I chose Rutgers.  
• It makes sense to me for the Indiana and Illinois schools to all play each other every year due to proximity so I gave them to each other.  
• Michigan State and Penn State have some history so I gave them to each other.  
• That left me with two pairs of two teams that are already playing each other (RU/UMD and MSU/M) and each need one more permanent rival.  I went with RU/MSU and UMD/M.  

Thus, I present to you the B1G 3+5+5 schedule grid:


Next is the issue of what to schedule each seasons' final weekend.  I know that most Ohio State and Michigan fans will be apoplectic over this but I think that you just can't schedule the two winningest programs in the league against each other the week before a potential rematch in the CG so THE GAME has to lose it's final weekend slot.  Additionally, where possible, we should avoid other likely CG match-ups so as to avoid a rematch just one week after the first game.  My solution is:

• The three pairs of in-state rivals all play (M/MSU, IU/PU, IL/NU).  
• I'd like the Axe game to be the final weekend so UW/MN get each other and that means that IA/UNL also get each other.  
• Ohio State has to finish with Rutgers because otherwise it would be a helmet (PSU or M and M isn't available).  
• That leaves PSU/UMD as the final last weekend game.  

Thus, I present to you the B1G final weekend games:


The next part is the most complicated.  This has to be set up such that it is mathematically impossible for three teams to all go undefeated.  In order to accomplish that any two teams that DO NOT play each other cannot have a common third team that they also don't play.  I think that the easiest way to handle this is to simply figure it out one time and then just alternate (probably every two years so that you play one group of five teams H&H then the other group of five teams H&H.  Furthermore, these groups of five should be reasonably balanced because you don't want to end up alternating between your two tough years and your two easy years.  


This last part is a lot more complicated than it sounds.  If you've ever taken the LSAT, it is like a REALLY complex LSAT question.  What makes it tough is that there are so many moving parts.  Ie, if Ohio State doesn't play IA, UW, MN, UNL, and UMD then all of them have to play each other.  Then in the other group tOSU wouldn't play IU, PU, IL, NU, and MSU so all of them have to play each other.  Then keep going for 13 more schools and try not to mix anything up.  

Is it locked they go to 8?

Huskers don't have as many Chitown alums

won't be in the fight for NW

was always more RED in Evanston than purple 

Ed Zachery

I was gonna say... no thanks to Chicago. I'd stay in Evanston though.

Hmm... not sure I like that setup.

For UW, Minnie and Iowa are a must. I think Nebraska would probably rather have Penn State than Wisconsin anyway.

I also think Penn State fans would probably rather have Nebraska too.

Give me OSU and I'd be happy. If not OSU, then Michigan. If not Michigan, then Northwestern.

I was going for geographic proximity with that western group (UW/IA/MN/UNL) and the IL/IN group (IL/NU/PU/IU).  The problem is that Lincoln, Nebraska is FAR from most every school.  Per google maps, Memorial Stadium to other B1G Stadia:

• 306 mi, 4:33 to Kinnick
• 435 mi, 6:27 to TCF Bank
• 472 mi, 7:18 to Camp Randall
• 519 mi, 8:00 to Illinois Memorial Stadium
• 535mi, 8:04 to Ryan Field
• 610 mi, 9:33 to Ross-Ade
• 658 mi, 10:15 to Indiana Memorial Stadium
• 727 mi, 10:55 to Spartan Stadium
• 753 mi, 11:15 to the Big House
• 815 mi, 12:30 to The Horseshoe
• 1,075 mi, 16:21 to Beaver Stadium
• 1,205 mi, 18:28 to Maryland Stadium
• 1,287 mi, 19:33 to SHI Stadium

Madison-->Lincoln or vice-versa is drivable for a lot of people.  It is a lot of driving for a weekend but you can do it.  Madison-->Happy Valley or vice versa is a REALLY long trip.  

Also, I'd prefer to apply these "rivalries" to BB and the non-revenue sports as well for two reasons:

• It would create a sense of continuity to play the same group of teams every year in FB and twice annually in BB, and
• In the non-revenue sports where travel costs are a significant issue it obviously makes sense to group teams geographically.  

I fully realize that Nebraska is NOT one of the closest schools to Wisconsin:  Per google maps, Camp Randall to other B1G stadia:

• 146 mi, 2:28 to Ryan Field
• 177 mi, 3:03 to Kinnick
• 252 mi, 3:50 to Illinois Memorial Stadium
• 268 mi, 4:09 to TCF Bank
• 269 mi, 4:38 to Ross-Ade
• 367 mi, 6:09 to Spartan Stadium (277 mi in 6:01 if you take a ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon)
• 389 mi, 6:28 to the Big House (338 mi, 6:56 using the aforementioned ferry)
• 374 mi, 6:19 to Indiana Memorial Stadium
• 472 mi, 7:18 to Nebraska Memorial Stadium
• 504 mi, 8:04 to The Horseshoe
• 714 mi, 11:34 to Beaver Stadium
• 842 mi, 13:34 to Maryland Stadium
• 925 mi, 14:44 to SHI Stadium

If you did it solely by geographic proximity for Wisconsin they'd get NU, IA, and IL but then UNL and MN would end up paired with schools even further away.  The same thing happens with Ohio State.  Per google maps, Ohio Stadium to other B1G stadia:

• 185 mi, 3:07 to the Big House
• 225 mi, 3:36 to Indiana Memorial Stadium
• 243 mi, 3:45 to Ross-Ade
• 249 mi, 4:00 to Spartan Stadium
• 297 mi, 4:36 to Illinois Memorial Stadium
• 328 mi, 5:21 to Beaver Stadium
• 339 mi, 5:50 to Ryan Field
• 402 mi, 6:37 to Maryland Stadium
• 508 mi, 7:40 to Camp Randall
• 516 mi, 8:17 to SHI Stadium
• 561 mi, 8:10 to Kinnick
• 766 mi, 11:28 to TCF Bank
• 815 mi, 12:28 to Nebraska Memorial Stadium

If you did it solely on geographic proximity for Ohio State they'd get M, IU, and PU but then PSU, UMD, and RU would end up paired with schools even further away.