It sounds like Ohio State and Michigan will be in opposite divisions, but the game has a chance to remain where it is.
Ohio State president Dr. Gordon Gee added some nuance to the OSU-Michigan discussion, saying he'd like the game at least near the end of the regular season.Dr. E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State's president, said in a brief phone call with The Plain Dealer today that it is possible that Ohio State and Michigan could remain the final game of the regular season for both teams. Statements in the past week by various decision-makers at both schools and from Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany gave the impression that the schools were headed toward separate divisions in the 12-team Big Ten in 2011 and very likely playing their regular season game earlier in the calendar.
That idea has not gone over well with most fans on both sides of the rivalry.
"The answer is yes, there is a possibility," Gee said. "Nothing has been put finally on paper or voted on among the representatives, so until that takes places, all things are possible."
Gee also said he today spoke with athletic director Gene Smith about the feedback they've been getting from fans, and he's not surprised by what they have heard.
"Any time change is afoot at the university, it causes a substantial reaction among students and faculty and fans," Gee said. "The reaction doesn't surprise me. I want to ensure that we're doing the right thing. One of the reasons this is a great rivalry is the great fans. But we are moving into some unknowns."
Gee spoke after a radio interview with 97.1 The Fan in Columbus in which he said there has been serious discussion in the Big Ten about putting Ohio State and Michigan in separate divisions. But he offered a nuance that hadn't been heard before. Previous mention by Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, and others, about ending the regular season with division games led to the assumption that Ohio State and Michigan would be played much earlier in the regular season.
While Gee did not guarantee that Ohio State and Michigan would remain where it is, he said, "I don't think it has to be the last game. I think it needs to be the last or near the last game."
That certainly doesn't sound like October. Gee also expressed apprehension about the possibility of the teams playing in back-to-back games if they were to end the season and then play again for the Big Ten Championship. But when radio host and Ohio State legend Chris Spielman said that, as a former player, he didn't have a problem with that scenario, Gee seemed more receptive.
And that may be the compromise. It certainly seems like the conference is down the road on separating Ohio State and Michigan. But the schedule can always be tweaked. So risking that back-to-back, but saving that last regular-season game, could be the answer.
"One thing I don't want to do, I don't want to in any way, shape or form detract from the magnificence of the rivalry," Gee told The Fan. "That is the one thing we will not do. That is the one thing we're fighting very hard for."