by Peter Christian
If the rumors are true I’m on board. If, in fact, the Big Ten did make offers to Notre Dame, Rutgers, Missouri and Nebraska to leave their current conference posts to join the Big Ten, it is a brilliant idea. Yep, that’s right, brilliant. Now I know that I’ve been steadfastly adamant against Notre Dame joining the Big Ten previously, however, in this case it makes a ton of sense.
Also, I’ll admit, I was probably arguing against Notre Dame joining the conference because I tend to hate them so much. If I can come to grips with my Notre Dame hate, so can you. Especially when you consider the positives of the proposed expansion.
The biggest reason I’m on board with this plan that was reported on a Kansas City radio station Monday afternoon is because it isn’t dependent on Notre Dame, but only gets better if they jump on board. If Notre Dame says “no thanks,” the Big Ten isn’t left with a dead plan and doesn’t look like the ugly guy at the middle school dance who got turned down by every girl, but instead the conference still brings in 3 new schools to make the league a 14 team conference representing 11 states and therefore making Big Ten “Country” the most expansive of the major conferences.
If, on the other hand, Notre Dame does finally accept the Big Ten’s offer to join their ranks, it will help the conference go out and recruit one more collegiate program to jump on the expansion bandwagon and make the Big Ten a true 16 team powerhouse.
(Note: I know I’m assuming that Rutgers, Nebraska and Missouri all accept the alleged invitation in my ramblings but let’s be honest, why wouldn’t they? Rutgers is an afterthought in the Big East in both basketball and football even though they are a few years removed from competing for a BCS bid in 2006.
Nebraska and Missouri are consistently overlooked in the Big 12 North unless it’s their week to play Texas or Oklahoma. Moving to the Big Ten makes sense for all three schools and will elevate their profile nationally, especially for recruiting. In short, I’m assuming those 3 schools accept the supposed offer because it’s stupid for them not to.)
The plan is solid logically because it strokes the ego of the Notre Dame officials and boosters by allowing them to think and feel like they are the centerpiece of the expansion, but it also doesn’t fall apart if they stick to their current system of having exclusive contracts with the BCS and NBC for football and staying in the Big East for everything else. Notre Dame can sit back and think, “if we don’t join the Big Ten they won’t consider the expansion a success,” but the Big Ten can just leave the ball in their court and go with the flow.
Of course this is all just speculation. For now. If at any point the Big Ten or any of the 4 schools confirm this proposal the wheels will really start moving and a certain network based in Bristol, CT will most certainly reach a breaking point of total implosion with their desire to constantly discuss this situation 4 steps down the line. But rest assured that amid all the conjecture that has gone on about this subject since Big Ten expansion was first brought up, this plan makes a ton of sense because it accomplishes the goals the Big Ten set out at the beginning of the discussion.
By adding these 3 or 4 teams it expands without watering down the competition level in the two major college sports, but instead it strengthens and will make the bottom feeders of the league either step up or disappear into oblivion (I’m looking at you Northwestern and Indiana).
I’ve been very vocal about wanting the Big Ten to make a smart thought out decision and I can honestly say that if it is indeed true, I applaud it.
