Big Ten Expansion Heats Up

Is it really fun and exciting to dream about playing Rutgers and Pitt instead of Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin? Adding more than one team means we’re playing these current Big Ten schools a couple of times a decade, and we’re almost certainly going to be put into a division with both of the newbies above, Ohio State (which is basically the same deal we have now), plus a couple of the Indiana schools.

I find this future world much more lame than the current one. /get off my lawn

1) Rittenberg also reported that the B10’s bylaws only require a 70% (8 of 11 schools) vote for acceptance. So if Michigan and OSU don’t want Rutgers, and everyone else does, TS for them.
2) With the seeming increased urgency, I think that the Pac10 is also going to be doing the Expansion Dance real soon, and the B10 doesn’t want to be left with the prom-night-uggos. If we go to 16, and pull some potential Pac10 schools away, it may force the Pac10 to take some schools they wouldn’t have taken (like Hawaii or Boise or whomever).

I really don’t care that much. I like the Big Ten fine as it is. But if we have to do this, I’d prefer we stick to 12. I’d be interested in the following: Texas, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, Missouri. In that order.

Financially at least this can only be in our best interest, right? I havent’ seen anything indicating adding teams is going to detract from our bottom line. In fact everything I’ve seen is to the contrary.

I don’t give a crap about the Big 10 or its history, legacy, etc. and I don’t imagine most PSU fans do. I’m a little worried about adding more Pitt/Rutgers scrub programs bringing down our strength of schedule, but 9 out of 10 years those programs are going to be better than Indiana so . . .

It just seems the writing is on the wall, and it’s expand or dwindle. We need BTN to be profitable and the Big 10 to thrive, and we appear to be in an age of consolidation of conference power. Already most people think the Big East doesn’t deserve its automatic bid. Blink, or go slowly and conservatively, and that could be us before ya know it.

Two divisions with seven teams. You play your six division foes and three opponents from the other division with one “protected” rivalry game from the group.

That boosts the conference schedule to nine games keeping the money in the conference leaving only three out of conference games. Hopefully that eliminates the need to schedule FCS teams.

And of course South Bend will probably implode into civil war if anyone suggests they are about to give up their independence

Breaking news! Notre Dame is joining. It’s a done deal.

(See, here’s my thought. Either I want ND to join or I want them destroyed. They’re of no use to us unless they’re in the conference. So if we start the rumor, either it’s true, or they’ll rip themselves to pieces. It’s a win/win.)

I think what a lot of people are forgetting is that, from a football point of view, Pitt, Rutgers, and whatever programs we’re looking at now as inferior to the averge Big Ten team would probably see a big boost in recruiting, and would naturally become better programs simply by leaving the Big East.

I think we’re wrong to assume that Rutgers in the Big Ten five years from now will be the same Rutgers we have in the Big East now.

If Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, or any of these other eastern teams in consideration could get to an Illinois/Minnesota/Sparty type level, I’d be just fine with that, and would probably enjoy seeing those teams every year more so that some of the more western Big Ten teams. If all I have to trade to get that is playing Michigan every year, I’m fine with that too.

though I’m a little worried about what impenentrable—and hilarious—defensive schemes Luther Van Dam would dream up.

and beg for them to come back. “Please, I was young and misguided, but now I’ve changed…”

The Big 10 has 13 or 15 teams and wants to achieve an even number, but the only schools available would not sweeten the pot financially. Would you consider taking Army or Navy on the condition that you will only give them 1% or 2% of the TV money? If you think about it, these are very good schools, have all the sports, affluent alumni base, and have athletic departments who do not give out a dime in scholorship money.

Come on. You want to play Pitt. Somewhere deep in the nooks and crannys of your soul you know it. Its in our PSU blood, even if you weren’t old enough to remember the true hatred. You will still deny it and act like you are so angry if Pitt joins the Big10, but secretly you will be happy to know we will get the opportunity to stomp them again every year. Instead of hoping for tOSU or Iowa to embrace us in full on rivalry hatred, EMBRACE YOUR LITTLE BROTHER AND THEN STOMP HIM OUT. I don’t care if they suck, its still fun to stomp them. Besides, if they were in conference, we wouldn’t have to deal with wasting a non-con game on them. How is that worse than playing Indiana or Purdue or Northwestern?

Anyways, as far as expansion, I don’t care strongly one way or another. I think I’d prefer to expand, but not just for expansion sake. As for the teams that will be picked? I DON’T want ND, no sir. Now, if they come, I won’t be upset, I’d just rather watch them die on the vine, or form a conference with Army and Navy. Texas would be wild. That be awesome. I wouldn’t be upset if we added just one (L)eastern team, but if we add 3, at least one has to be UT or Nebraska, or a wild card choice like VaTech or Auburn or Canada. If that makes sense.

Personally, I’d like to blow the whole conference thing up and create it from scratch. If we can create a little anarchy with this, great. I personally have no attachment to the conference, so only playing Minnesota or even Wisconsin once every 6 years doesn’t hurt me at all. Lets just go to 64, create our own college football division. Do it.

In all reality, I think we end up with either ND or an eastern school, and thats it. Kind of ho-hum, meh, blarhg.

I have to think that a couple of the big fish (ND, Texas or Nebraska) must have shown interest otherwise I can’t see why they would accelreate the timetable.

expansion isn’t just about how the new school(s) would fit football-wise. I think they’re looking for schools that fit the Big 10 mold: large state schools with a lot of research, a variety of sports teams, etc. Add to that the desire to expand into territory outside the typical Big 10 zone, and it startes to narrow down the field: Texas, Rutgers, Mizzou, others?

14 total:

Texas, Nebraska, and Rutgers.

BUT….pretty sure it will be Rutgers, Pitt, and Mizzu….darkhorse is Cuse.

Indeed, it is going to be one crazy summer…