B1G News
Lost in the mayhem of the Boston manhunt over the weekend was the news that the Big Ten has realigned their divisions for the 2014 season once Rutgers and Maryland officially join the conference. The Leaders and Legends names will be pushed aside for the much simpler East and West.
The new Big Ten East will consist of Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, and Rutgers. The Big Ten West will be the home for Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin. What does this mean for Rutgers? Well, I can stop listening to people complain about our home opponents after this year because we're going to have some prestigious teams coming through Piscataway. This also means that we'll find out who the true Rutgers fans are because the first few years in the B1G are going to be ROUGH. Indiana? That's a win. Maryland? That's a win. Otherwise? Losses throughout the East division. 2-4 could be Rutgers in-division record for a few years. Could we overachieve? Oh sure, that's always a possibility, but I'm trying to be realistic here. I'm a Rutgers fan; what's a couple more disappointing seasons for one of the most tortured fan bases in sports?
 |
| Photo Credit: Google Images |
Devils Eliminated
Everyone seemingly knew that this day would come, but the fans still held out hope until the bitter end. With yesterday's 4-1 loss to the Rangers, the New Jersey Devils are eliminated from playoff contention. It's been a roller-coaster the past three seasons; missed the playoffs in 2011, Stanley Cup finalists in 2012, now missing the playoffs in 2013. The last time a Stanley Cup finalist missed the playoffs the following year was 2007 when both Carolina and Edmonton missed a year after squaring off in the first finals post-lockout. A season that started off so promising now ends in the bitter disappointment of no playoff hockey. If this had been a full 82-game season, losing Brodeur and Kovalchuk would not have hurt the team like it did because they would not have missed the as many games. Also, an unfortunate truth that I never wanted to admit is now made completely apparent: the Devils miss Zach Parise. I never wanted to admit because his leaving left an extremely bitter taste in my mouth. You can say that I was in denial about it all season, but with Kovy out, this fact was pushed to the forefront. I hope these next few games will be a chance to let some young guys get a chance to see what they're made of for next year. I will go into what the Devils need to do in the offseason at a later time. For now, I just hope this team can end the season with some pride.
It really depends on how people take games with the B1G. Despite being totally overmatched, it's quite something to have Michigan or Ohio State visit us every other year. Just have to hope the fans show up for the top teams in college football rather than ditch the game thinking it's just going to be Rutgers getting blown out. And hopefully we get a good rivalry with Penn State going.
ReplyDelete