Michigan Monday: What Will the Big Ten Do Next?

There are a lot of Men at Work in the Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10 right now.

Who can it be knocking at my door?

Go 'way, don't come 'round here no more.
Can't you see that it's late at night?
I'm very tired, and I'm not feeling right.
All I wish is to be alone;
Stay away, don't you invade my home.
Best off if you hang outside,
Don't come in—I'll only run and hide.

Who can it be now?


All I really care about is the Big Ten and what's next. It's pretty obvious that the big fish for the Big Ten are Texas and ND. Let's talk about what I'm hearing...

There are a number of people at Texas that aren't real happy about the Big Ten, since they consider the Big Ten to be the reason the Big 12 is dying (by taking Nebraska). It seems to me the Pac-10 took Colorado first, but OK, I sort of see their thinking. It seems Texas is open and negotiating with all three big divisions, SEC, Pac-10, and the Big Ten. Texas will have an internal vote on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see what happens this week. By the end of the week, it should be clear where Texas lands.

A team that has been pretty quiet through all this is Notre Dame. What are they going to do? It seems they will have three choices: stay independent, go the Big East full-time, or go to the Big Ten. You could say these have always been their options which is true, but the world is different now. It seems the Big Ten, Pac-10 and maybe the SEC could be getting bigger and stronger. I don't see ND jumping to the Big East 100 percent (though Brian Kelly is pretty successful in that league!), so that leaves the Big 10 or keeping the things the same. 

This is a difficult decision for ND. If it's about money, it seems The Big Ten is paying their members very handsomely. If its about academics, then ND is a good fit with the Big Ten.

So whats the hold up? The hold up is that ND likes to be a bachelor and wants to stay that way. They don't like any league telling them what to do in football. The problem is if the Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC are mega conferences, then ND could be left out in the cold for scheduling and bowl games. 

If ND and Texas wants to come to the Big Ten, look for the Big Ten to fill in remaining spots with Missouri and maybe a Big East team. Texas A&M is an option but reports this morning are saying they have one foot out the door for the SEC, which also may give us some insights into what Texas is thinking.

What if neither ND or Texas come to the Big Ten? Then I think they stay at 12 and call it a conference. 

So Big Ten, Texas and Notre Dame—what's next?

• Yahoo's Dr. Saturday considers who should host the Big Ten Championship game? They could go outdoors in Chicago or Cleveland, but I'm guessing it would be in a dome in Indy, Detroit, or Minneapolis. A dome is more fan-friendly for a $150 ticket. My vote is Indy. Not as cold and a great town to host an event like that. Ford Field would be No. 2 in my book.

• Do you ever stop to ponder why USC hired Lane Kiffin? A guy who was knee-deep in the Reggie Bush foolishness? (BTW:  Don't be fooled that it's just Reggie. There are a number of "rumors" flying around for years, that shopping trips are/were common practices for official visits for prospective 4-5 star HS football players). It's clear their top guy in the athletic department just doesn't get it. Either he drank too much USC Kool-Aide, or he has a screw loose. Here is what Mike Garrett (USC AD) said after he read the penalties from the NCAA: "As I read the decision by the NCAA… I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy,'' Garrett said. "They wish they all were Trojans." Later he said, "Today I got a purpose for really wanting to dominate for another 10 years." He also said he felt "invigorated by all this stuff," and "with the penalty we got today I know we're bigger than life." After reading those quotes, every Michigan fan should be very happy with the recent hire of David Brandon.

• It seems Wisconsin wants an end-of-the-year rival, and they hope it's Nebraska. Maybe this one will have all the success of the Penn State-Michigan State showdown has had. Well, maybe they will try to set the bar a bit higher.