So Joe Paterno caused quite a stir at his spring ball press conference last week, and not simply by showing up with a functioning cardiovascular system. (SPOILER ALERT: jokes about JoePa being a geriatric coming your way) No, it wasn't because he reiterated his support for political candidate Dwight Eisenhower, nor because he was excited about his team's chances now that the Penn State was integrated. No, believe it or not, the Old Man of College Park was actually taking a progressive stance: he wants to see the Big 10 expand to 12 teams, you know, before he dies.
This is not a new issue for the Big 10, and not even new to us here at OT, but it is worth looking at again. The Big 1o is currently sitting on 11 teams in the conference, which is the perfect number to ensure unbalanced scheduling, annoying bye weeks and mid season non-conference games, and a season that ends early without any post season games. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, who's picture reminds me of a college freshmen eager about his first encounter with a woman's nether-regions in a sophomore dorm now that he's finally escaped maniacal grasp his overly domineering mother, covered some of the pros and cons of a possible expansion of the Big 10. Here are my thoughts on the issue.
Why the Big 10 Should Expand:
1. It will give them a championship game. The NCAA/BCS will only allow you to have a conference title game if your conference has 12 teams. The conference title game will help the Big 10 in two ways. First, it will prevent them from ending their season a week or two earlier than the Big 12, SEC and ACC. This will keep Big 10 teams fresh in the minds of voters as they put in their final rankings into the BCS computers of wisdom, so the Big 10 will get more teams into the BCS and the national title game. This would have helped Michigan, for instance, after their 2006 Ohio State game when Florida leap frogged them into the #2 spot. It will also help the Big 10 because the numbers show that the longer your layoff is before a bowl game, the worse you do. And not even the MAC has a layoff as long as the Big 10
2. Helps Scheduling: Having an even number of teams would make scheduling much easier for the Big 10. Right now, the Big 10 scheduling is completely random-- other than Michigan-Ohio State and the other major rivalries, you really have no idea who is going to play who each year. Also, it would get the Big 10 to play 9 conference games instead of 8. This would also cut down on the number of ridiculous 1-AA match ups. Everyone wins
3. Money: Big 10 schools have the largest collection of alumni of any conference in the country (just look at shear school size), so the game would sell out every year and be a huge money maker. Detroit and Minneapolis also provide great stadiums to serve as hosts immediately.
Why Not to Expand:
1. Really, the Ohio State-Michigan game. I think deep down, the Big 10 loves the fact that this game gets so much national attention, and the reason it gets this attention is that it decides the Big 10 championship so often. If the Big 10 expands, then the rivalry will change nationally. Either you put them in separate divisions so they can play each other in the title game (and risk them not playing at all in a given year), you put them in the same division and then ensure it no longer decides the Big 10 champion (which will cut the national attention).
2. As I see it, there isn't a #2. Rittenberg argues that it matters who they choose, but I disagree. They are a football conference primarily, but also a good basketball conference, so they can take either type of athletic program. The idea that they need the right type of academic institution is a farce, because unlike the ACC, they aren't a conference that is equally strong academically across the conference (it's very top heavy, with Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana's Sociology Department well ahead of everyone else).
So the question is, who do they offer the chance to expand? Well, the ideal is Notre Dame, but as stated before, their TV deal ensures that this will not happen anytime soon. Joe Pa said Pitt, Syracuse, or Rutgers. Personally, I'm sure Syracuse has no intentions of leaving the Big East's basketball, and I think Pitt would feel the same way. Rutgers seems too Eastern to belong in the Big 10. West Virginia is an interesting choice, and Moutaineer fans would froth at the mouth to boo RichRod and John Beilen 4 times a year. A team like Iowa State, Missouri or Kansas make sense geographically, and the Big 12 might be OK with it if they could get TCU to join in their place. University of Chicago would be a good fit, but they are still reeling in a football-less existence since Bronco Nagurski graduated.
My dream: Kentucky. First, it would help out all the football schools that run the conference (Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Penn State) without really threatening their dominance. It would also be a huge boon to the basketball side of the conference. Kentucky wouldn't lose any money on football in the move, and would get into a better basketball conference with one of their bigger rivals in Indiana. Not to mention it would screw over the SEC and cost them their own title game. But that's just me.
What say you? Should the Big 10 expand, and if so, who should move to the Big 10?
3 comments:
Well, first of all Michigan sucks. But in all seriousness, if they are looking to expand then the best chance/best fit would honestly being a MAC team rather than a BCS conference team. The Big East/SEC would throw a shit fit if the Big Ten tried to steal one of its teams, and ND--provided it rebounds over the next couple of years--has no reason to join. Additionally, ND is ever so slowly moving into the Big East's orbit--it is committing to playing more of their football games against Big East teams.
So, honestly, all jokes about the Big Ten already being a mid-major aside--which is bullshit, by the way, as these things are cyclical--why not add a Miami (OH) or some other school along those lines? They are more centrally located, and if they picked a team with a proven tradition of winning at the mid-major level they should certainly be able--with the increased revenues of a major conference, etc--be able to compete.
But, regardless of who they should pick to expand, they simply should not expand. Championship games are overrated, and the expansion would dramatically alter the nature of Big Ten football. As it is, it sucks if in a given year the traditional rivalries of Big Ten football are not played, and if it expands to 12 and breaks into divisions, then those games will become increasingly rare.
Moreover, for fans of terrible schools like you are, the only divisional format that would make sense--if they pick up a team east of Indiana--would be for Michigan, and PSU to be grouped together. And that would just lead to a bunch of whiny fans complaining about who should be in the championship game and various Michigan congressmen holding hearings on how to alter college football rather than how to waste money on dead companies. If anything they ought to drop a team--say Indiana--and get back to playing Big TEN football.
Neither the big 10(11?) nor the pac 10 will beef up to create a title game because they're living in past glory. they still think they are relevant. it's kind of like your uncle guido who keeps wearing the leisure suit claiming it's still in style. (if i knew how to post links i'd do that here with a sweet pic but i'm essentially technologically illiterate).
however, we'll do the hypothetical thing. Michael is right in that stealing a BCS conf. team is very unlikely. if it were to happen, my money would be on cincinatti. 1)The bearcats have only been in the big east for a few years. 2) They have no substantial rivalries to keep them there. 3) Geographically they're perfect. 4) They're not an upper tier team that the big east is really gonna miss.
An interesting thought: Memphis.
If they went after a mid major then you could pick from many that would fit the bill. it really wouldn't matter which one.
the truth is that the big 10 likes the way things used to be. they don't want to change even though the rest of country has. they want to be handed trophies based on reputation alone (see ohio states' last 4 bowl games).
Good points. First, Adam Rittenberg tackled this issue already here. I can't get the hyperlink, so you can copy-paste this:
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-379/Missouri-makes-most-sense-for-Big-Ten-expansion.html
Missouri could work, if only because it is the only Midwest city that the Big 10 doesn't control. And if they came, the Big 10 title came could be played in the Rams' dome. Imagine: RichRod and Denard Robinson taking over as the new "Greatest Show on Turf." Or, you know, Minnesota could make it with their 2 remaining scholarships after the next round of APRs.
Now, Michael, there is no way a MAC team would happen. Basically, they lack the money to make it happen. They all play in tiny stadiums with tiny players and tiny budgets. Teams split the gate revenue, so they would lose a fortune to playing in Oxford, OH instead of hosting another game in Happy Valley. And your idea of dropping a team: Rick Pitino will coach the Celtics again before they ever drop a team. Even if Indiana football is weak for the MAC.
I also am not sure about Memphis. It's a good thought, but when you're second best football player of the last five years is Browns' 2007 4th round pick Brandon McDonald, you might be a little too small.
Also, don't completely disregard teams leaving a BCS Conference for the Big 10. Texas was in the Southwestern Conference with Arkansas until 1995, at the time one of the 7 major conferences in the country, to leave for the Big 12 (at that time, 8) and the SEC, respectively. Just 5 years ago, Va Tech, Miami and Boston College left the Big East (a BCS conference) for the ACC. It's not out of the realm of possibility, and it comes down to money. The Big 10 network has the chance to be a big money maker for the entire conference, not just one team like the upcoming all Texas, all the time channel. The SEC just signed a major deal with ESPN which may keep their teams in camp, but a Big East or Big 12 team may jump ship yet for the right price
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