Penn State and Wisconsin in the same division?

Earlier this week we posted that splitting Ohio State and Michigan, as their athletic directors are hinting, makes a season-ending Penn State-Ohio State game a natural.

Now we have more clarity about the proposed divisions...

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On Wednesday, University of Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez told the Wisconsin State Journal that UW and Iowa will be in opposite divisions.

Putting together the pieces, here is our best guess about the divisions...

• Woody Division: Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin
• Bo Division: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, and Northwestern

The protected cross-division rivalries would be Ohio State vs. Michigan, Iowa vs. Wisconsin, Penn State vs. Nebraska, Illinois vs. Purdue and...well, who really cares what they do with Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Northwestern?

One possible swap could be Minnesota and Illinois, which would protect the Iowa vs. Minnesota series and the Little Brown Jug game (Minnesota vs. Michigan). In this case, Illinois vs. Northwestern would become a protected cross-division rivalry.

Here's what we see for rivalry games to end the regular season...

• Illinois vs. Northwestern
• Indiana vs. Purdue
• Iowa vs. Nebraska
• Michigan vs. Michigan State
• Minnesota vs. Wisconsin
• Ohio State vs. Penn State

Alvarez also confirmed that the Big Ten will be adopting a 9-game conference schedule. It will take effect in 2015, allowing schools to complete signed contracts for non-conference games.

Perhaps the expanded conference schedule will lead to two protected opposite-division games. For Penn State the obvious choice would be a continuation of the fake rivalry with Michigan State.