Potentially, Terry Allen & Dan McCarney (and Nick Quartaro, who works for McCarney) get to play a game at “home.” Though Terry was 2-9 in his sixth year in 2011, which probably puts a lot of pressure on his this year. (Still, can you imagine being Missouri State, playing your first four games on the road, two of which were Arkansas and Oregon?) His body-bag games this year are K-State and Louisville, but at least the next two are at home. Very unforgiving game.

This whole scheduling issue is a bunch of crap.
The Big Ten Commissioner should have shoen some leadership and authority and political backbone and NOT involved the Big Ten University Presidents and Athletic Directors in initial dedision as to how to establish the tow Big Ten Divisions and scheduling for football. This crap about protecting rivalrys makes me want to vomit every time that the subject is brought up. Every Big Ten conference team/opponent should be considered a rivalry, because it is impossible to resolve/satisfy every team and fans wishes the way the divisions and scheduling has been determined. Further, labeling the two divisions Legend and Leaders also was/is hokey. Here is the way the divisions and scheduling should have been set up: Each football teams won/loss record each year should determine the divisions (team placement for the following year/a seeding method). For example, the team with the best record plaeced in one division, team with the second best record in the other division, etc. Schedules would be based on which division and placement slot the team is in each year.
The football determined divisions may then be used for other sports such as basketball each year. Also, the issues of requiring Big Ten football teams to schedule an additional Big Ten team and one less non conference team each year and requiring seven wins to qualify for boal games can only hurt teams from qualifying like Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Northwestern, etc. Teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State would not be affected either way due totheir abundance of talent. Less BIg Ten teams qualifying each year would adversely affect participating team and conference revenue. Plus, although the boals may be watered down with some relatively weak teams, playing in boals should be considered a reward for the players and not the fans, etc.
deleugene

Hey, Mike

Maybe you could look into why, with the Big Ten Conference “random” scheduling, the Hawks have not had consecutive conference openers at home since Hayden Fry was the Coach.

2011 @ Penn State
2010 vs Penn State
2009 @ Penn State
2008 vs Northwestern
2007 @ Wisconsin
2006 @ Illinois
2005 @ Ohio State
2004 @ Michigan
2003 @ Michigan State
2002 @ Penn State
2001 vs Penn State
2000 @ Indiana
1999 @ Michigan State
1998 @ Illinois
1997 vs Illinois
1996 vs Michigan State
1995 @ Michigan State