Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith recorded a video statement in order to talk to the fans a bit about the process of aligning the Big Ten's divisions and what it might mean for the Michigan-OSU game. The video, which can be seen below, serves as a definite sign of hope that there is a chance Michigan and Ohio State won't be split up, as he stressed that a decision of that kind has not been made yet. Also, he mentioned that over 90% of the fans he's received feedback from don't want the Michigan-Ohio State game to be moved, so again, it's a sign that there's a chance the tradition of "The Game" won't be trampled on by the new Big Ten.
Here are the important things to take from what Smith had to say:
- No decision has been made about moving the Michigan-Ohio State game and very few discussions have been held about schedules and when and where teams will play.
- Divisional alignment is close to being finished, and so far 100% of the efforts have been focused on aligning the divisions.
- A conference call will be held next week and after that, the process of talking about scheduling will likely begin with another conference call or an in-person meeting.
- The feedback he has received has been very beneficial.
- "At the end of the day, over 90% of the people want us to keep that game at the end of the schedule."