The Leaders & Legends didn’t last long in the Big Ten Conference. Expansion has
Big Ten Football
forced realignment in the Big Ten and it’s based largely on geography.
Starting with the 2014 season, the 14-teams will be divided up into two 7-team divisions.
The new West Division will include: Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois.
The new East Division will include: Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana.
The 2013 season will be the third and last for the Leaders and Legends. Those divisions were brought about when Nebraska joined the Big Ten.
The Big Ten’s Council of presidents / chancellors approved the new realignment for 2014 and also approved the 14-schools playing a 9-game Big Ten schedule, starting with the 2016 season.
Wisconsin gets its rivalry with Iowa back under the new East/West format. It would also appear to be more favorable setup for the Badgers, with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan and Michigan State all competing in the Big Ten East starting with the 2016 season.