Big Ten Expansion: Part 1

I thought about doing one big article on the probable expansion of the Big Ten conference, but there is just too much to talk about to try and capture it all at once. Instead, I'm going to break it up into a few posts, including focusing on what would happen to all of the collegiate conferences if the Big Ten expanded to 14 or 16 teams. For now though, I'm going to focus on what should happen, that being that the Big Ten should add Notre Dame and call it good, and how college football should move forward after this.



I know that some people out there still think that Notre Dame is Notre Dame and can be independent and all will be good. They of course are naive and most likely Irish supporters. The fact is that college football has changed. It no longer is only a select few games on NBC, ABC and CBS. The Big Ten has its own network, the SEC has every game showing on ESPN/ABC and affiliates, and even teams like Boise St., East Carolina and Utah can found on TV almost every weekend. Notre Dame was able to survive as an independent because for the longest time they were one of the only teams that was on TV every week. You grew up wanting to play for Notre Dame because you knew you would be on TV every week. Its not just the money like many people talk about though, its also the exposure. Now that you can be seen on TV every week no matter where you play you don't have to go to Notre Dame, you can go anywhere! This means your decision comes down to going somewhere and holding the clipboard for two or three years and hoping the next Peyton Manning doesn't come to your school your junior year, or going somewhere else and starting from day one, which might also be close to home where your family can see you too.



There also is this thing called the BCS. Now hopefully the BCS changes and instead of keeping the same format they have an actual tournament soon, but even if they don't Notre Dame is now at a big disadvantage for a National Title. They still have a good chance to play if they can run table for now, but one loss and all of the sudden you are competing with the SEC or Big Ten champ who probably might also have one loss but play in a big conference. THe Big Ten doesn't have the playoff to propel a champ further yet, but once the twelfth team arrives they will. And you can bet that the team, if not Notre Dame, will be a very good team like Pit, Missouri or Nebraska. There is no way that a one loss Notre Dame team can compete with an OSU team that has one loss and finishes the season with a win against a one or two loss Big Ten school from the other division. The SEC is already on a pedestal and any one loss team is a shoe in.



So, I believe that if the Big Ten expands only one team it will be Notre Dame. This is the best case scenario in my mind for Notre Dame and the Big Ten. Twelve teams is great because you have two six team conferences which means you get play the same five teams every year and can rotate three teams from the other division. The conference will most likely go to a North and South division. IT is not ideal for travel, but would probably put Purdue, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and then my guess would be Iowa in the same division. I know Michigan and Notre Dame have a long standing rivalry, but something would have to give, and Minnesota has to play Iowa and Wisconsin every year, they are too big of games for all three teams, and Minnesota is the only conference rival of both. Oh, and the "tradition" of the Michigan and Notre Dame Rivalry is only 37 games deep, so if that is tossed aside its not that big of a deal. Notre Dame could then play Army, Navy, USC and Stanford out of conference. Sure its not the easiest schedule, but then again once the new format goes into effect all that matters for them is winning the division, so they are just good tune up games. This allows Michigan and OSU to play every year. I think an East and West division would be best with Minnesota, Wisonsin, Iowa, NW, Illinois and Indiana or Purdue, but the conference won't want Michigan, Notre Dame, PSU and OSU in the same division because they are four of the best six teams the last 25+ years.

I think the NCAA then should of course move to an eight team tournament with one team from each of the big six conferences and two more. I think there are many ways to find out who is the best of the rest, but I think that a great way to make sure everyone has a chance is to add another championship game, we can call it the Best of the Rest championship game. The top two teams from a non big six conference can play with the winner getting a spot. Then the eighth spot would go to the top team left. If we had a situation where there were three teams who all were undefeated, maybe Boise St, TCU and East Carolina all go undefeated, then I think the only fair way to go would be have the top team get a spot and the winner of the other game get the other. This most likely won't happen, but if it did I don't think any team that didn't win their conference has an argument, take care of your business when you have the chance.