It seems that former Wisconsin coach – and its current Athletic Director – Barry Alvarez sees Big Ten expansion as something that will be looked at by the conference in 2010, and this is terrific news for the entire conference.
Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, much talk has centered on when, not if, a twelfth member would join the celebrated conference. However, nearly twenty years later, no invitation has been sent nor accepted. Sure, in the late 1990s, the Big Ten apparently extended a tentative invitation to Notre Dame (which would be a terrific pick, in my opinion), but nothing serious ever came of those discussions, except a resounding answer of “NO” by the Irish. Of course, that was then, and this is now, and as we get close to flipping the calendar to another decade, perhaps the Irish’s recent misfortunes would suggest that now is the time to go after the team from South Bend, once again. But perhaps not.
Here, we discuss the five teams that might get an invitation:
Notre Dame
No other team would fit better within the conference than the Fighting Irish. Hell, the team regularly plays three conference teams anyway, so adding a few more certainly wouldn’t hurt. However, with its lucrative contract with NBC not expiring until 2015, the odds are against a Irish addition, at least for a few years. However, with Comcast purchasing NBC, perhaps that agreement could be voided, but who knows.
Pros – It’s Notre Dame
Negatives – It’s Notre Dame, love them or hate them.
Cincinnati
Sure, they lost their coach to Notre Dame, but don’t count the University of Cincinnati out. However, any invitation would have to be approved by Ohio State and perhaps that is not likely, given its strong (negative) ties with the team in the North. Still, Cincinnati is perhaps the best available team to join the conference.
Pros – Adds another team from Ohio
Negatives – Would Ohio State agree to this?
West Virginia
By inviting the Mountaineers into the conference, the Big Ten would be expanding its operations to include another state, just like they did when PSU joined. However, some might grumble that academically, West Virginia wouldn’t fit in with the other teams, but who knows. Still, it would be nice to see Penn State play the Mountaineers again.
Pros – Another state is added to the map
Negatives – Academically, are they equal to the other schools?
Pittsburgh
For Penn State fans, the inclusion of Pittsburgh would be heaven set. Not only would it likely mean the end of the artificial season-ending rivalry game with Michigan State, but it would add a balanced team to the mix and give the Big Ten added dominance in Pennsylvania.
Pros – A rivalry could be renewed
Negatives – The Pitt basketball team might not be happy about this.
Missouri
If the conference really wants to think out of the box, the selection of Missouri would go a long way. Like West Virginia, it would add another state to the conference’s map, but it would do a lot for conference recruiting.
Pros – A new state is added to the mix.
Negatives – Missouri wouldn’t bring any star power with it.
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