The Big Ten had better do this right. The conferences nakedly greedy intention is to expand to 16 schools, which wo and Im OK with that. Major college sports is capitalism, and capitalism requires Darwinism. Only the strong survive.

The Big Ten is strong now. It wants to get stronger. Thats life in the U-S-A, so thats fine. Thats dandy.

But if the Big Ten is going to expand, do it right.

That means getting Notre Dame or Texas. That wouldnt make the Big Tens naked greed any less naked, or any less greedy. But it would justify the conferences ambition.

You: But it would create havoc all over college sports.

Me: Yeah, but the Big Ten got Texas.

You: Good point.

Anything less than Notre Dame or Texas, and the Big Ten would be expanding, and demolishing the NCAA infrastructure, for no good reason. Right now the Big Ten is a man among boys, one of the two most powerful BCS conferences (along with the SEC) thanks to its unique combination of academic excellence, geographic enormity and Big Ten Network revenue. As it is right now, holding steady at 11 schools, the Big Ten is a lean, mean, money-making machine. Even though ot a man among BCS boys.

But expanding to 16 teams without adding the muscle of Notre Dame or Texas would be like a man wanting to be bigger … and adding 40 pounds of fat. You hear what Im saying? Im calling Rutgers a beer belly. Im comparing Missouri to love handles. You know that flab that hangs off the back of a persons arm? Thats Syracuse.

Adding schools like that, without adding Texas or Notre Dame, would be expansion just for expansions sake. It wouldnt make the Big Ten stronger. It would make it fatter. It would be stupid, and you cant protect people from themselves, you know?

But this isnt happening in a vacuum. At 16 teams, the Big Ten would be a black hole threatening to suck college sports onto itself, triggering reactionary moves from the SEC, Pac-10 and probably some combination of the ACC and Big East. When all is said and done, the implosion could lead to four 16-team super-conferences that would break away from the rest of Division I, hogging the almighty national television revenue for itself. Ive written this before, so no need to belabor the point, but the talk of four super-conferences isnt idle speculation. Thats what those fools are planning.

But if its going to happen, if the Big Ten is going to topple the first domino, the Big Ten had better get this right. That means adding a superstar like Notre Dame or Texas. Ideally it would mean adding both Notre Dame and Texas, but there doesnt seem to be any chance of that. As it stands, it doesnt look good for the Big Ten to get Notre Dame Texas.

In the end, however, Notre Dame might not be a realistic option for the Big Ten. (Getty Images) If it was going to happen with Notre Dame, it would have happened long before now. Everything is yet it hasnt happened. Which tells me it never will happen. Thats just a common-sense guess, but its buttressed by recent media reports, like this one, that say Notre Dame isnt a realistic option for the Big Ten.

As for Texas, the Longhorns arent like Missouri or Nebraska, two average-looking Big 12 schools hiking up their skirts and showing the Big Ten their thigh. Texas is playing it cool, because with its size, tradition, money, location and Texas knows it. When youre Texas, you dont have to flirt. You fend off flirters until, finally, you pick a winner. Texas could pick the Pac-10. Texas could pick the SEC. Texas could stay loyal to the Big 12 or it might, in theory, join the Big Ten.

That, and only that, would make this whole ordeal worth it. Big Ten people would tell you that Im getting ahead of myself, that their league hasnt decided to expand at all, but thats hogwash. The Big Ten has been as subtle as a groupie. Its wearing a low-cut shirt and flaunting its enormous, um, annual school payouts. Even if you cant see Big Ten expansion coming, you can smell the flirting floozys perfume on the wind.

Once the Big Ten makes its move and goes to 16, other leagues will follow suit. SEC commissioner Mike Slive has guaranteed a counterstrike by his conference. By the time the Big Ten and SEC are done stealing teams from other leagues, and those other leagues are finished making their own counterstrikes, and on and on, the entire country would be affected. Seriously, the aftershocks would spread from upstate New York to Hawaii.

What a pity, then, if all hell is to break loose just so the Big Ten can add a bunch of schools not named Notre Dame or T some conferences gone, some new ones created, and just so the Big Ten can add cellulite like Rutgers, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Missouri and Nebraska. Just so the Big Ten can push the Big Ten Network on more cable companies in more states. Just so the Big Ten can enlarge its corporate-speak gobbledygook known as the “geographic footprint.”

What a waste of time, resources and tradition that would be. So dont do it, Big Ten. Either get Texas or Notre Dame … or crawl back into your hole and shut up.

Posted on May 23rd, 2010 by admin
Filed under: College football news, NCAA college football