The Big Ten Conference + Two?

First, a few facts: I am an Iowa Hawkeyes fan. I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin (home of the Wisconsin Badgers). I am originally from Brooklyn, New York. I went to a New Jersey high school that was located 30 minutes from New Brunswick (home of Rutgers). I also began a graduate student program at Rutgers that I didn't complete. I got my undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh.

With that in mind, the Big Ten is looking to expand the conference. The teams that seem to be most prevalent in public discussion are Notre Dame, Syracuse University, Pitt, Rutgers, and the University of Missouri.

I am wholeheartedly in favor of expansion. I also am of the belief that the program that the Big Ten should most aggressively pursue is Mizzou and my reasons for this are based very heavily on my background.

One has to begin by asking exactly what the Big Ten is looking for in terms of its new conference initiate?

I think it starts with geography, not necessarily in terms of importance to the Big Ten, but because it is the easiest to comprehend. The new Big Ten team should ideally be within driving distance of at least one, if not more than one Big Ten school. The logistical reality of this is obvious.

If a school wants its fans to travel, they've got to make it somewhat accessible. This is especially true in these days of recession and rising gas prices. Furthermore, geography plays a major part regarding natural rivalries.

Secondly, there is the question of "What can you do for me?" In other words, what does the program in question bring to the Big Ten? I'm sure University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,Northern Illinois, or Ball State, would jump at the chance to join the Big Ten, but those teams don't bring anything to the Big Ten table. There is nothing the Big Ten would gain from the inclusion of those programs.

Thirdly, there is academics. Given that this is about the athletic programs of the respective institutions, this would seem secondary. However, the reality is the Big Ten places a huge amount of value on the research its institutions produce.

This does not mean a high cumulative GPA or a renowned undergraduate program. This means research done by graduate students and doctoral candidates. The undergraduate production and reputation is somewhat irrelevant.

With those points in mind, what have we got?

There is Notre Dame who on the surface would seem the natural fit. This is especially true given the Big Ten's overtures to Notre Dame in the 1990's. Geographically, Notre Dame fits the Big Ten perfectly.

Furthermore, they already have established rivalries with three Big Ten teams (Michigan, Purdue, and Michigan State) and they play non-rivalry games with other Big Ten teams.

Moreover, despite being right in the middle of Big Ten country, Notre Dame is a program with a national following. Adding Notre Dame to the conference's roster expands the Big Ten's footprint to the national scope.

They have a competitive basketball program and they compete in all major sports. Also, their football program, while decidedly mediocre over the last 10-15 years, has prestige and tradition that is second to none.

On the other hand, there are three problems. The first is that Notre Dame is not a renowned research institution. The second is that Notre Dame can be tedious to deal with and would probably demand certain concessions from the conference. Thirdly, Notre Dame has made it clear that they are not all that interested in joining the Big Ten.

Then there is Syracuse. Frankly, it's not even worth entertaining Syracuse in the Big Ten. They are not geographically sensible. They do not really expand the Big Ten's footprint (Syracuse is not part of the New York City market). Their academics are fine, but they are a private institution, and their major sports programs are only OK. In short, forget Syracuse.

On to dear old Pitt, my  alma matter. Pittsburgh is an extremely good geographic fit and gives Penn State a natural rivalry, which they do not have in the current Big Ten. Academically, they are a fine research institute.

They have a competitive football program and a nationally recognized basketball program. Furthermore, they compete in all of the non-revenue-generating sports.

Here are the two problems: Pitt gives nothing substantial to the Big Ten. No new markets, no expansion of the Big Ten footprint, no terribly prestigious and tradition-heavy programs.

Moreover, the city of Pittsburgh doesn't care about the Panthers. Pittsburgh is a Steeler town, first and foremost.

After that, there are more PSU fans in Steel City than there are Panther fans. It has been that way since the mid-'80s and now, despite a pretty decent program, it is still that way and it is not going to change.

Next is R-U-rah-rah as my Rutgers friends say. The Good: Expansion into the lucrative and relatively untapped New York City market. As a conference with a still relatively new television channel this is a huge plus.

Rutgers is a top-notch research institution. They compete in all the major sports and while their football team is only slightly above average these days, they are hardly the embarrassment they were before Greg Schiano took over.

The bad, geography. Rutgers isn't near anything that has anything to do with the Big Ten. The closest institution is Penn State which, according to Mapquest, is a four hour and six minute drive. However, dealing with the reality of NJ traffic, you can add an hour onto that. Besides, Penn State isn't especially close geographically to the rest of the Big Ten.

Iowa City to New Brunswick- 16 hours, 13 minutes and again, add on one hour for the traffic that most Iowans are surely unfamiliar with.

Oh, and by the way, New Brunswick doesn't have that much to offer. Fans from other schools and states are unlikely to make the trip twice.

Another problem is that the NYC area, like Pittsburgh, has minimal to no interest in college sports. They never have and that is unlikely to change. I don't know exactly why it is. Maybe because North Easterners are snobs and they see no reason to bother with college sports when they have plenty of access to the professional version thereof.

I know that was what I thought for the first 25 years of my life. Either way, it is a safe bet that Rutgers is not the institution that is going to change that mindset.

In effect, the Big Ten could conceivably add Rutgers to the conference. They would then invest millions in pushing the Big Ten product (particularly the Big Ten Network) on the New York market and wind up with egg on their face when it doesn't sell.

Finally, there is Mizzou. They are geographically perfect. They are and have been a natural rival to the University of Illinois for years. Furthermore, Missouri borders both Illinois and Iowa. They compete in all major sports and have respectable football and basketball teams.

Academics: They are not a renowned research institution, but they are a research institution and would in no way be an embarrassment to the conference.

Moreover, they expand the Big Ten footprint into the lucrative St. Louis and Kansas City areas. Yes, this is not quite New York City, but it is proven and time tested. These areas will gobble up the Big Ten product.

Lastly, since announcement of the Big Ten's hope to expand, Mizzou has all but been actively campaigning for the Big Ten to look their way. And why shouldn't they? What has the Big 12 done for Mizzou?

They have to kowtow to Oklahoma and Texas and they got passed over for a bowl by Iowa State. Iowa State! In short, the Big 12 has done Mizzou no favors.

In closing, I don't think there is any question. Every other potentially new Big Ten institution is a rather substantial gamble with decided drawbacks. Mizzou has no real downside and brings something substantial to the Big Ten trademark.