Back in my younger days, I lived and went to university across the border from Big 10 country. In the Fall, I would listen to or watch traditional games like Michigan vs Michigan State and Michigan vs Ohio State in late November. The latter usually being for the Conference Championship. Michigan was furthest team East. Iowa was the furthest team West in the Big 10. There were other tradional matrches, usually for conference championships in other conferences, such as UCLA vs USC in the Pac 10 and Oklahoma vs Nebraska in the Big 8. The colleges within the two conferences I just mentioned were relatively grouped together geographically.
Things have changed. The SEC became a super conference raiding teams from what is now called the Big 12. The Oklahoma vs Nebraska Thanksgiving weekend tradition game is no more, now that Nebraska is in the Big 10 and Oklahoma just went to the SEC. The Big 10 in order to compete with the SEC superconfrence just raided UCLA and USC from what is now called the Pac 12. UCLA and USC has been in the PAC 12 for over 100 years. The Big 10, the Rustbelt conference, now has colleges as far east as Rutgers, in the East, to UCLA in the West. The Pac 12, in order to compete will have to raid teams from, most likely, the Big 12. It is a mess, a big freaking mess.
All this raiding and superconferences have some people salivating like the tv executives at FOX, who have tv contracts with the Big 10 and ESPN who will soon have a tv contract with the SEC.. Ratings will go through the roof, for the superconferences Fans will watch. Of course they will watch. But college football, as a whole, especially the small conferences may suffer in the long run. A Rutgers vs UCLA Big 10 matchup? My Big 10 heart kind of shudders. The Rose Bowl is played on New Years Day. It features the Big 10 Champion vs the Pac 12 Champion. The Rose Bowl is in Pasedena, a city within LA County. The 2 LA teams are no longer in the PAC 12. A possible Oregon vs UCLA Rose Bowl game just does not sit right with me.