The Big 10?!

[Blizzard]

So, we've got to talk about what the hell is going on with the Big 10...er 12...er 14...er 16 or whatever!

USC and UCLA were just approved to join the conference starting 2024. This is all an attempt at a revenue grab and has nothing to do or care about the health of the conference. The fact that these schools aren't even remotely geographically aligned to the rest of the conference? No problem. Should make for some riveting hockey.

Let's look at the history of the oldest D1 athletic conference in the country...

Without getting into gory details, while not entirely accurate, most people generally accept the conference of "original" members, going back to 1950, as the following - the "original" 10:
1896: Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan
1899: Iowa, Indiana
1912: Ohio State
1950: Michigan State

So, Penn State comes along in 1990 and says "we want in". OK. Fine. It's a stretch East but they had Paterno (note: their football program has sucked donkey balls since he left). So, now we have 11.

After that, the wheels fall completely off.

2011: Nebraska wants in. What the? Well, geographically, they probably made more sense then Penn State. So, they're now in.

2014: Maryland and Rutgers, neither of which bring anything to the table, are allowed in. Huh?! As if that wasn't enough Notre Dame becomes an associate member for hockey only and Johns Hopkins for lacrosse only. Why? What the hell is going on?

Now, 2 left coasters get added. It makes no sense and really ruins the structure of the conference. The travel costs alone are ridiculous and there's no regional or natural type rivalry. All this, simply to make a revenue grab.

Nope. I don't like it one bit. End of rant.

 

[Cookie_]

It's all about money. The Big 10 makes the most, closely followed by the SEC. Pac-12 is a distant third.
In 2020, schools in the Big 10 made around $54mil and SEC made $45mil.

Probably also has to do with keeping the conference the same size as the SEC.
The SEC is at 16 teams since the Sooners and Longhorns joined; this move makes the Big 10 the same size.

 

[Steve1839]

This is why Johnny can't math..."How many teams are in the Big 10"..."Upwards of fifty???"

 

[amlove21]

The silliest of silly goose goings on in the B10. I thought the addition of Maryland and Rutgers was weird; the whole two divisions thing was also weird, but what are you gonna do with 40 teams?

College sports are basically dead to me anyway, so it's as easy as not watching ESPN on Saturdays until bowl season... but agree, @Blizzard it's just a weird move.

 

[Cookie_]

College sports are basically dead to me anyway, so it's as easy as not watching ESPN on Saturdays until bowl season...

The only college game I consistently watch anymore (just to shit talk my traitorous cousins) is the Buckeyes vs. Wolverines

 

[Blizzard]

The silliest of silly goose goings on in the B10. I thought the addition of Maryland and Rutgers was weird; the whole two divisions thing was also weird, but what are you gonna do with 40 teams?

College sports are basically dead to me anyway, so it's as easy as not watching ESPN on Saturdays until bowl season... but agree, @Blizzard it's just a weird move.

I don’t watch a lot of sports at all anymore - simply too much going on. But when I do, I prefer college sports, except for possibly the NHL. Nonetheless, I still attend a couple college football games (Big 10-ish) each season. The atmosphere is great and it feels more pure. Some of the classic rivalries are simply unmatched.

These moves by the Big 10 chip away at tradition and the things that make college sports special. It doesn't improve the college experience at all. Were fans calling for this change? No. It was a bunch of egg head administrators looking at potential t.v. revenue.

Newsflash: Who the hell is going to tune in for the Indiana v. USC game? No one...at least I hope no one does.