The Spartans will be joined by Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern in one of the yet-to-be-named divisions, leaving Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn state, Purdue and Wisconsin in the other.

Conference commissioner Jim Delany said the divisions were determined using competitive quality, traditional rivalries and geography, but they were not viewed equally.

“Number one was competitive equality,” Delany said. “From the beginning, whether talking to our presidents or athletic directors, we let that competitive equality be our guide.”

Simply having the divisions introduced was good news for MSU, as the Spartans now only have to win their division to play for a conference championship at the end of the season. But good news turned into terrific news when the divisions were announced Wednesday and MSU was on the opposite side of 5-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State and traditional power Penn State.

Every opponent in the Spartans’ division has been beatable in recent years. Iowa and Nebraska, the two toughest teams in MSU’s division, have been on the rise as of late, but as recently as 2007, both teams finished their seasons at .500 or worse and failed to reach a bowl game.

Along with the divisions, the conference schedules for 2011 and 2012 and each team’s protected cross-divisional rivalries also were announced. The Spartans’ battle with Indiana for the Old Brass Spittoon will be protected, while the matchup between U-M and Ohio State game will continue to be the last game of every season.

Although MSU’s divisional assignment looks favorable, its first conference slate in the 12-team Big Ten does not.

The Spartans open conference play in 2011 with a bang by traveling to Ohio State, followed by home games against Michigan and Wisconsin and another road game at Nebraska.

“When you look at the schedule, it looks like (MSU men’s basketball head coach Tom) Izzo put a football schedule together,” Hollis said later Wednesday night. “Our first four games are going against some very strong opponents. Those are the kind of games that kids want to play in.”

With all conference games counting toward who wins each division, the Spartans might have a tough time staying competitive in their new division initially, but it still should pay off in the long run.

So as the 2010 season approaches, there already is excitement surrounding 2011.

And now that most of the major details have been deliberated and ironed out, it is fair to say the Spartans are one of the winners when it comes to Big Ten expansion.