(01-20-2020 08:31 AM)indianasniff Wrote:  Having looked at it with each cross rivalry game you add complexity and more games that happen infrequently

Except going from two to three, "add complexity" is not true ... three is easier than two.

And while the average wait goes up, the maximum wait goes down ... the maximum in between playing any school is two years, the maximum between hosting any two schools is five years, which is more frequently than some schools are seeing each other in the current two-locked system.

A 16-year conceptual schedule? A traditional 4-year cycle would be a lot simpler than overlapping 8- and 12-year cycles. Both have "conflicts" and replacement games because of BGU-TOL, but it'd at least be simpler.

The best option is to use a 3-year cycle.

Toledo and Bowling Green (and Ball State and Miami? sure) can play each other every year, a select other team 2 out of the 3 years and everyone else once. The remaining teams will play 3 cross-division foes twice in the 3-year cycle and 3 once.

Easy.

If you want to smooth out the frequency of cross-division matchups, you could expand to a 6-year schedule and get most matchups 3 times in a 6 year rotation, but it is not nearly as elegant.

Choosing who you play twice and who once is not an apparently easy task, but it is also rather inconsequential. If you'd like, employ a Big Ten mechanic and have the stronger teams play one another more often.

(01-30-2020 02:18 AM)Crayton Wrote:  A 16-year conceptual schedule? A traditional 4-year cycle would be a lot simpler than overlapping 8- and 12-year cycles. Both have "conflicts" and replacement games because of BGU-TOL, but it'd at least be simpler.

The best option is to use a 3-year cycle.

Toledo and Bowling Green (and Ball State and Miami? sure) can play each other every year, a select other team 2 out of the 3 years and everyone else once. The remaining teams will play 3 cross-division foes twice in the 3-year cycle and 3 once.

Easy.

Note that this is a three year slice out of a 12 year cycle.

This divides each division into three groups of two: Group A: have a locked cross-division game. Group B: plays a cross division Group A member twice per three year cycle. Group C: plays both cross division Group A members once per three year cycle.

So Group B has 9 cross division games, 3 against Group A cross division are set (2 and 1), so 6 to fill from four schools. Set them to play each school at least once, two more to fill. They each play the two Group C schools twice, they are set. 1/3 to one Group A and both Group B, 2/3 to the other Group A and both Group C.

Group C has 9 cross division games, 2 against the Group A schools, 2 against each Group C cross division, so two to fill from two schools, so they play one of the other Group C schools once and the other one twice.

At the end of three years, swap out Groups B and C, at the end of another three years swap them back, but pair them the opposite way from round 1, at the end of three years swap them back, paired the opposite way from round 2, there's your 12 year rotation that the four year schedule is plucked from.

You don't have to keep it going, you could do it Big Ten style and re-arrange everything based on SOS every three years, or every six ... that just means you are scrambling which specific twelve year rotation you are taking a slice out of. But staying with the rotation makes it more straightforward to work out how the home/away cycles "fairly".

Umm... I think your over complicating things. If you want to keep the BG/Toledo game every year but keep a balanced schedule, why not just have Toledo play in the east and BG in the West on odd number years (football only of coarse). Wont the problem fix itself?

Six years becomes 12 with home and home


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(01-30-2020 06:03 PM)indianasniff Wrote:  Six years becomes 12 with home and home

Depends on which cycle you are referring to. The one I posted, the six year cycle already balances home and away games, so no home and home needed.

(01-21-2020 01:59 PM)BeatWestern! Wrote:  

(01-19-2020 05:58 AM)emu steve Wrote:  Guys, putting TOL and BG in the same division isn't easy. The divisional lineups make geographic sense right now.

I know fans here HATE IT, but TOL and BG should be treated the same as any other inter-divisional foes.

That would mean each West division team would play half the East teams each year and complete the cycle every two seasons. And vice versa. So within 4 years each team would play each team in the other division twice, once home and once on the road.

Having TOL play BG EVERY season just screws up the schedule for EVERYONE.

P.S. The only other reasonable solution is would be to add two teams to the West, e.g., NDSU and team X. Move Tol to the East with the rest of the Ohio schools.

Actually, the MAC has preferred in years past to have two 7-team divisions. You know the recent history so I won't repeat it here, but what would be the best COA, IMHO, is to add Marshall and James Madison to the MAC East and move BGSU to the West.

FIRE UP CHIPS! :)

Thing is you don't just snap your fingers and have these two teams move. Fact is, there is no one in line to join the MAC right now.