When Round Robin, Becomes Square Robin

I sometimes do need to be enlightened.

In case you haven't heard (before lots of emails come in, I know most of you have), on July 1st the Pac-10 will become the Pac-12. Kind of exciting, expansion is always good, the whole league needed a shot in the arm. Congrats to the Pac-10 office for making it happen

But what is not good is the fact in the new Pac-12, when league play starts for men's basketball in the 2011-12 season, the schedule will not be round robin. Puzzling to say the least.

I don't know about you, this to myself makes no sense at all. Rather than going to a 22 league game schedule the Pac-12  league schedule will remain as it has for years at 18 games. I was certain that we kept hearing out of the Pac-12 office, "Change is a brewing", but apparently that change stopped when it comes to basketball.

Now, what would make perfect sense is to say if the Pac-10 would have gone to 16 teams or even maybe 14, then I would be the first to say a round robin schedule would make no sense, but please, 12 teams and your not going to going to play a round robin schedule ??????

Here are four good reasons why I think a round robin schedule makes complete sense.

1. Each year, home fans will be DEPRIVED of seeing two teams during league play. Season ticket holders, you got ROBBED.

2. When it comes to the NCAA tournament time, the Pac-12 teams will get hurt in the RIP and overall league strength of schedule, by not playing a round robin schedule.

3. As fans what if a league game early on goes three overtimes and it is the only time the two teams are going to play because of this unbalanced schedule. We all would want to see the rematch, that is what makes sports fun, ANTICIPATION.

4. I don't know about you, but I want to see Arizona-UCLA play twice each year and see bitter rivals like Washington-Oregon do the same. Sadly if nothing changes, it will not happen in two year cycles when it is their turn to play only once.

Now follow along here,  this is how the schedule is going to work in the Pac-12 for basketball all the way through 2020-21, although I have to think with so many bright minds in the Pac-12 office this non round robin scheduling is going to be evaluated and changed, plus TV might just step in and say it needs to be changed. Below is a 2011-12 example and I used just two teams, so not to bore you or confuse even myself.

In the 2011-12 league season, Washington and Washington State do not play Utah and Colorado at home and do not travel to the Bay Area to play Stanford and California. In the 2012-13 season this flip flops,  with the Huskies and Cougs, playing  Utah and Colorado at home, but not on the road and traveling to the Bay Area for Cal and Stanford, but not getting them at home.

Every two years the teams you play only ONCE on your league schedule will rotate, with the exception of your rivalry game. Not sure if Colorado and Utah, are much of a rivalry, but there going to have to pretend for now.

Pac-12 you messed this up for sure, but the good news is that there is still time to evaluate and change. Hopefully you will do just that.