MichiganRadio

Big Ten Realigns Football Season, tries to maintain traditions ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) -

The BIG TEN conference announced last night its controversial plan to create two separate divisions in football.

The new look conference will maintain some traditional football rivalries.

Many fans worried the realignment would damage popular football rivalries. The realignment was prompted by the addition of the University of Nebraska to the BIG TEN.

The conference will be split into two divisions of six teams each. Ohio State is in one division. Michigan State and U of M are in the other.

But conference officials say traditional rivalries will continue, such as Michigan and Ohio State's end of the season gridiron matchup. The only difference is, the Wolverines and Buckeyes could meet again in a BIG TEN conference title game the next week.

"We said we wanted to do tradition. We said we wanted to do equal competition," says Jim Delany, the BIG TEN conference commissioner, "We felt we could do equal competition and tradition by making this move."

The football realignment plan will take effect in 2011 season. © Copyright 2012, Michigan Radio