Since conference realignment in 2014, the Big Ten East has outscored the Big Ten West 75-13 in Big Ten Championship games. Though the outcome remains to be seen, the Big Ten East is seen as the stronger of the two divisions headed into 2016 as well.
But Big Ten West fans shouldn't fret. Their division has finally won something, although it's not a Big Ten championship.
From pennlive.com:
But that's the inescapable conclusion from a data crunch done by the Delaware-based 24/7 Wall St content churner based on stats collected by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps. It is, in turn, a collaborative effort of the Princeton, N.J.-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation public health initiative and the University of Wisconsin.
Fifteen of the communities listed in the top 20 rated for binge and or heavy drinking are found within the Big Ten footprint, all 15 of them in the West Division states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. Three of them are Big Ten campus towns – Madison, Iowa City and Lincoln. Two other major-university campus towns are in the top 20 – Corvalis, Ore., and Ames, Iowa.
But Wisconsin burgs lead the way with 12 of the top 20 heavy-drinking metro areas including a sweep of the top 4 led by Appleton, Wisc.
Take a bow, Big Ten West! You finally did something worth noting.
