The Lawrence Journal-World created quite a bit of noise earlier this month by reporting that the Big Ten and Texas had engaged in “preliminary exchanges” about the school joining the conference.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany put the kibosh on that talk in the days after the report first appeared.
Now, Barry Alvarez is reiterating Delany’s stance that Texas is not part of the discussion. At least not yet.
Speaking to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Wisconsin athletic director said that the Big Ten had hired a firm to help flesh out candidates for possible expansion. Alvarez stated that there were 15 teams included in the initial study; “there wasn’t anything on Texas” Alvarez told the paper.
Alvarez declined to divulge the names of the schools that are under initial consideration, but did speak in generalities as to what was contained in the report.
“They basically broke down what they would bring to the table,” Alvarez said. “They talked about academics. They talked about size. They talked about size of their arenas. They talked about attendance. They talked about the populace in that specific area.”
Another interesting aspect of Alvarez’s conversation was the fact that the A.D. seemingly confirmed that expansion of the Big Ten might not be limited to just getting to 12 teams — and might take as long as initially thought — saying that he “think(s) it could be one (school), or I think it could be multiple.” While the league initially stated that it could take anywhere from 12 to 18 months to finalize the expansion question, Alvarez said a recommendation of either one or multiple schools could be made to university presidents as early as this summer.
Alvarez also reiterated the stance of many that Notre Dame will be a no-go as part of any league expansion.
[Tip O' the Hat: CBS Sports.com's Dennis Dodd]
My guesses:
Boston College
Rutgers
Syracuse
Pitt
Cincinnati
Louisville
Iowa State
Missouri
Nebraska
West Virginia
Kansas
Georgia Tech
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Vanderbilt
I don’t understand why a Big XII or ACC school would consider joining the Big Ten? Could someone please explain this to me.
I understand that these lists of possible additions are just rumors and guesses, but why do they include Big XII and ACC schools? I can see why a Big East team would want to join the Big Ten. I just can’t see why a Big XII or ACC school would want to. It seems like they would be trading apples for apples.
It’s all about money. BTN generates truckloads of cash for its schools. EVERY school in the B10 got $20+ million last year. B12 and ACC schools get nothing close to that.
I think I read where UT’s football program NETTED 80 Million bucks last year. I believe the article said that’s what they returned to the school. Been a while since I saw it, but the figures should be close. They definitely do not need the Big 10 for the money. Maybe for a softer schedule.
I can’t speak for the ACC, but the schools in the Big 12 that aren’t as successful in the postseason (in any sports much less football) are most likely to look to leave the Big 12. The Big 12 doesn’t have revenue sharing. It’s set up so that those schools that tend to have the most success make more money. In the Big Ten, everyone shares money. Schools like Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska would see the Big Ten as less appealing than say a Missouri or Iowa State, who would stand to make a lot more money in the Big Ten Conference than they do currently.