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How Realignment Is Changing College Football, In 20 Maps

In 1896, a group of administrators from Midwestern colleges met in Chicago to settle the rules for what was then called the Western Conference, which would later be known as the Big Ten. They agreed in writing, according to an account in the next day’s Chicago Tribune, “to keep inter-collegiate athletic contests within their proper […]

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Where Did The Big Ten’s March Magic Go?

March used to be a banner month for the Big Ten. In the first two decades of this century, no league was better at maximizing its opportunities in the men’s NCAA Tournament. From 2000 to 2019, the Big Ten reached 16 Final Fours, most of any conference, and 48 Sweet 16s, two shy of the […]

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Michigan’s Naz Hillmon Plays Bigger Than Her Size

In the latter stages of the first half of a matchup between Michigan and Baylor last month, Wolverines guard Leigha Brown fed the ball inside to Naz Hillmon. The 6-foot-2 Hillmon was guarded by NaLyssa Smith, a 6-foot-4 big who very likely will hear her name called first or second in this April’s WNBA draft. […]

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Ohio State Turned Its Defense Around And Looks Like A Contender Again

The first two weeks of the college football season raised an unusual but not unreasonable question: Was Ohio State going to be less than its usual dominant self in 2021?  In the season opener at Minnesota, the Buckeye defense was uncharacteristically leaky. The Gophers’ expected points added (EPA) per play was 0.08, then the fifth-highest […]

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