Big Ten Expansion For Dummies

Big Ten expansion is pretty much a bloggers dream. You get to read about rumors, talk about rumors, and if you’re lucky enough you get to make up a rumor or two. Chances are anything you read will get shot down by someone who actually knows what is going on, but that hasn’t stopped people from getting confused, and rightfully so.  If ESPN can take time out of Sportscenter to report things without citing any sources, and then turn out to be wrong, then you’re allowed to feel like you’re not 100% sure what is going on.

So let us try and be your guide to Big Ten expansion, because you want to be the guy at the water cooler who knows what is going on and what has gone on. Let us be the ones to clear the air for you. The guy with the spray-on tan in the corner cubical might have an Ohio State degree, but he doesn’t have any idea what is happening. He likes to say he does, but we all know he doesn’t.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Big Ten expansion owes a lot of it’s fire to Joe Pa. While he hasn’t been as active in the actual process, Paterno has always been a strong believer in expansion. The concept makes sense. The Big Ten ends it’s season several weeks before the rest of the nation. While Florida and Georgia are fighting over the SEC Championship, the Big Ten is a after thought, waiting the 4 or more weeks until they get their shot in a few bowl games. An expanded conference allows for two divisions at 6 teams (or more) a piece; which would extend the season by a few weeks and could give fans a long awaited Championship game.

"“We go into hiding for six weeks,” Paterno said, referring to the hiatus between the end of the Big Ten regular season and the BCS bowls. The other major FBS conferences play into the first weekend of December.” Everybody else is playing playoffs on television,” Paterno said. “You never see a Big Ten team mentioned. So I think that’s a handicap.” I’ve tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, ‘Let’s get a 12th team — Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt — we could have a little bit of a playoff.'”"

For those of you keeping track at home Joe is sneaking up on being 3 for 3. Joe wanted Instant Replay, he got it. Joe wanted expansion, and it’s happening. Joe wants a College Football playoff. We’ll get that later.

–December 11th 2009–

 The Big Ten didn’t do much talking about expansion in the open for the most part, but as more and more people got on board with the idea it started to take center stage. While plenty of fan support makes us all feel good inside, until people with power get involved it isn’t going to happen, in order for expansion to move forward the Big Ten was going to need the formal support of university officals and directors.

"Speaking to Wisconsin’s athletic board on Friday, Alvarez, the former longtime Badgers football coach, said the conference already has investigated possibilities for expansion “from all over the country.” And though he places no timetable on the search, Alvarez thinks conference commissioner Jim Delany will respond to a group of athletic directors and coaches who want expansion.I have a sense he is going to take this year to really be more aggressive about it,” Alvarez told the board. “I just think everybody feels [expansion] is the direction to go, coaches and administrators.”"

With expansion off the back burner for the Big Ten it was now the hot topic for every sportswriter. But with the 12-18 month time table not a whole lot has happend right away. And as you might imagine, the Big Ten didn’t walk out of their meeting and invite the next school they came across. Expansion is a big deal, and like all good things run buy large organizations, it moved along slowly…very slowly.

—May 10th 2010–

This was the first time things really started to get going. The rumor mill can get pretty busy when it comes to adding teams to a major BCS conference, and some bits of news popped up earlier but none of them gained much speed. At the outset, Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame all seemed like obvious invites. They have good academics, successful athletic programs, and are within the regions surrounding the Big Ten. When the news was broke that the Big Ten had made formal offers to these programs it got boat loads of attention.

"“Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City is reporting today that the Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame to join the conference. While nothing can be approved until the Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet the first week of June in Chicago, the league has informed the two Big 12 schools, Notre Dame and Rutgers that it would like to have them join. It is not yet clear whether the Big Ten will expand to 14 or 16 teams but sources indicated Missouri and Nebraska are invited in either scenario.”"

This rumor was quickly shot down within 24 hours by Jim Delany in some generic statement regarding the reports validity. So while there was some energy to this rumor, it was refuted as a good 98% of the expansion rumors had been. The universities involved might be accurate but the timing of the report was off. Keep those four teams in mind though, they aren’t going anywhere fast. On May 19th Jim Delany continues by stating that the Big Ten is still 12-18 months away from doing anything and no decision will be made any time soon. Oh Jim, you’re such a tease.

–June 3rd 2010–

Now things start to get interesting. In a move that Joe Paterno himself predicited  the Pac 10 is reported to have made the move to invite 6 Big 12 schools to join the conference. This not only brings the expansion of the Pac 10 to the forefront, it also forces the hand of the Big Ten. If Jim Delany wants to expand, he cant settle for the leftovers, he has to grab the schools he wants when he can get them. The expansion of the Pac 10 and Big 10 will undoubtedly be the start of a change in the landscape of college athletics. Conferences like the Big East, ACC, and SEC will be forced to react to the changing landscape. That being said Jim Delany stated yesterday that even though the Big Ten will speed up the process of expansion but they have not made any formal offers.

"“…it appears the Pac-10, which has its meetings in San Francisco starting this weekend, is prepared to make a bold move and invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league, according to multiple sources close to the situation.Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has maintained that the Longhorns will do whatever it takes to remain the Jones’ of college football.Left out would be Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Missouri.”"

–June 6th/2010–

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Just days after the news broke about Pac 10 expansion the Big 12 is taking names and making it’s voice heard. If the expansion of the Pac 10 goes along as planned, the Big 12 will fall apart. As you might imagine a conference with national powerhouse universities isn’t going to sit by and get taken apart without having something to say about it.

"“Nebraska and Missouri have been given an ultimatum by the Big 12 and told they have until this Friday to decide if they want to remain in the conference or entertain the possibility of joining the Big Ten, two highly placed officials of two Big 12 schools have told the Statesman.”"

 To be frank it could be very much what the big name schools like Texas and Oklahoma want. Texas already owns the state of Texas. They make an amazing amount of revenue and are looking into making their own specialized market, similar to the Big Ten network. While in regards to TV deals it is in Texas’ best interest to keep the Big 12 together, the Pac 10 is looking into a similar network with a payout of 20 million dollars per school per year. Texas has been very stanch in it’s support of the Big 12, but if the house starts falling apart they’ll need to choose which route they’ll want to go. Joining the Big Ten will equal more money, but staying in the Big 12 allows them to run the show.

So what happens next? There are really too many outcomes to Pac/Big 10 expansion to map them all out, but either way Notre Dame is key to the expansion of the Big Ten.

Notre Dame Joins— Notre Dame has long stood by it’s independent university status and hasn’t made any indications that will change. The Big Ten has reached out to the Irish before but only to be turned away. There is however some momentum gathering that if the Big Ten can convince Notre Dame to join the conference it will not seek expansion past a 12th team.

 What would make Notre Dame change it’s mind? Playoffs. If the Pac 10 and Big 10 expand, it will surely lead to responses by the ACC, Big East and SEC. Mid-major conferences could be swept up into several large “mega conferences” which would set up nicely for a playoff system which would in turn effectively end the BCS. If Notre Dame chooses to stay independent they seriously jeopardize their ability to compete in the system. It would be one thing if Notre Dame was still the powerhouse it used to be, but without a National Championship since the 80s and NFL duds left and right the Irish have limited options, and limited chips to work with.

No Notre Dame– If Notre Dame doesn’t take the bait, then the Big 12 is in trouble and the Big Ten will extend offers to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers two of which (Nebraska and Missouri) have already said they would accept such an invitation. The Big Ten doesn’t have to stop expansion with Notre Dame, but it is most likely how it would pan out.

Big Ten expansion is happening, and you’ve seen how we got there and where we are now. What happens next isn’t clear cut, but it is coming sooner rather than later.

So who wants to join the party?