I have a pretty good idea of what happened. After hours of unproductive debate that extended way past lunch, someone (probably the Michigan State rep who is still peeved about going to the Capital One Bowl) unseriously suggested the aforementioned Legends/Leaders names to make the less pedestrian monikers seem more appealing. Commissioner Delany, deluded by hunger, said, "Hey....that's not bad" and the whole thing spun out of control while the guy who originated the suggestion got that watching-your-car-roll-down-the-hill-into-the-lake feeling.
For what it's worth, the Legends Division consists of Iowa, Michigan State, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern, while the Leaders Division will host Wisconsin, Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue and Penn State. Also announced today were a full slate of conference awards/trophies named after various Big Ten greats. The entire list can be found here.
But back to the gripe at hand. Legends and Leaders? Really? This is the best that duly appointed representatives from 12 distinguished colleges could come up with? Imagine the joy of actually coming in last in the Leaders division and the punch lines that follow. Of course, putting newcomer Nebraska in the Big Ten Legends division is rank with irony, too.
The message boards on other lesser sports blogs are rife with division name suggestions, such as the Woody and Bo divisions; East and West; North and South; Big and Ten; Corn and Wheat; Pig and Skin; and, my personal favorite, the New Coke and XFL divisions. I make no qualitative assessments of these suggestions other than to say they certainly aren't any worse.
My own preference would be for something from the history of the game - maybe the Drop Kick and Flanker divisions, or the Gridiron and Single Wing divisions. I suspect the Big Ten+2 is not going to adopt my suggestions, however, as this would involve reordering the letterhead.
Go Badgers - take that Big Ten+2 Legends Division title!
