Zero.

That’s how many times a B1G West team hoisted the conference championship in Indianapolis.

Actually, let me rephrase that.

Zero.

That’s how many times a B1G West team hoisted the conference championship in Indianapolis since the conference expanded to 14 teams and the new divisions were formed in 2014.

An 0-for-5 stretch has plenty of people wondering why the divisions are currently constructed the way they are. It’s hard to argue with that when the B1G East has a 5-0 advantage in Indianapolis. It won’t matter if the West holds the advantage in head-to-head play on a year-to-year basis, either.

But there’s good news for the West/general entertainment of the conference. In case you forgot, Urban Meyer is no longer in the B1G. Meyer of course won 3 of those 5 conference crowns under the current format.

What a perfect opportunity for the West to finally rise up.

It’s not just the Ohio State element that makes this the perfect opportunity for the West to get on the board. It’s that for perhaps the first time in the Playoff era, the conference as a whole appears more up for grabs than ever.

Each East contender has obvious question marks:

  • Michigan — Never done it before, always finds a way to spoil that chance, huge holes to fill in front 7
  • Ohio State — First-time head coach, first-time starter at QB, massive offensive line overhaul
  • Penn State — Lost Trace McSorley, 0-5 in last 5 games vs. 3 other East contenders, major offensive turnover
  • Michigan State — Season dependent on Brian Lewerke’s health, outscored 76-9 by Ohio State in last 2 years, won 7 games last year

You could tell me that each one of those teams would find a way to finish 6-3 in conference play and I wouldn’t be surprised.

Granted, there are just many question marks with West contenders. It’s not like Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska are all starting off in the top 10. And while optimism is expected, nobody is predicting Purdue, Minnesota and Northwestern to have a 2015 Iowa-like season.

But do those 5 teams all have a chance to produce top-25 seasons and perhaps win a more evenly-matched B1G Championship? I’d argue yes. In fact, we could even see a B1G West team spoil a Playoff berth for an East contender. The coaching and recruiting has never been better in the West.

The problem that the West has right now — and perhaps part of the problem with the conference — is that if any of those teams do somehow pull off a 2015 Iowa-like run, you know what the narrative will be.

“Well, who have they played?”

Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin don’t have what I’d call “impressive non-conference résumé builders.” Unless you think one of these wins is really going to impressive the Playoff selection committee/college football fans nationally:

  • at South Florida
  • at Colorado
  • at Fresno State

And as for the rest, sure, beating teams like Iowa State, TCU and Stanford would be nice, but they certainly wouldn’t change the way anybody felt about one of those B1G West teams.

These other Playoff era stats don’t exactly help the B1G West:

  • 31-71 vs. AP Top 25
  • 0 teams with winning records vs. AP Top 25
  • Against Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State, West is 15-42
  • Wisconsin is 2-7 vs. those B1G East contenders

With all of that being said, it still comes back to how the division is represented in Indianapolis. In the same way that the B1G is judged by its lack of Playoff success since Ohio State’s 2014 title season, the West is only as good as its best member.

That’s unfortunate because I expect this to be a year in which the B1G West has a lot of strong teams. They could beat up on each other a bit, though. The question “who’s the team to beat in the West” could change on a weekly basis.

But whoever emerges to play for a conference title, they’ll carry a heavy burden of finally breaking through. And if that doesn’t happen? I think it’s fair to wonder how long these current divisions will stay as they are.

Shoot, with the lack of desire for the ACC and SEC to change to the 9-game conference schedule, it’d be a good idea for the B1G to rethink that as well. Perhaps new divisions and back to the 8-game conference schedule would be the best thing the conference could do to set itself up for some sort of Playoff success.

I guess in a weird way, the East continuing to dominate could actually have a positive impact on the conference as a whole. There are definitely a couple ways to look at this.

But from a micro perspective, the B1G West is one of two divisions who hasn’t claimed a conference title in the Playoff era (the ACC Coastal is um, not good). As long as that continues, the “yeah, but” about the teams leading the West will continue.

So what does a West champion look like?

Maybe it looks like a Purdue team that returns a ton on defense and arguably the most electrifying player in college football on offense. Maybe it looks like a bounce-back Wisconsin team that has an offensive identity beyond Jonathan Taylor. Shoot, maybe it even looks like Hunter Johnson taking the college football world by storm and leading the Cats to their best season since Pat Fitzgerald’s playing days.

I don’t know what that is right now. But I do know that a conference without Meyer, AKA the guy with the highest conference winning percentage ever, is more up for grabs than ever. For all I know, Ryan Day will reach up and snatch the conference crown before anyone in the West can even sniff it.

Still, though. If there was ever a year to make it happen, this is it.

It’s time to get on the board, West.