Big Ten Gains a Gem But Meets None of Its Goals with Conference Expansion

Nebraska is a fine academic institution and athletically no other institution by itself would bring more cache to the conference.  Everything that I am about to say has nothing to do with Nebraska and as a part of expansion of the conference; it is a great addition to the Big Ten.  

My complaints on Big Ten expansion are on just about everything else.  We got a gem in Nebraska, but did we get what was advertised when this whole process set the college football world a tizzy?

First, walk back in time with me.

Cloaked in whispers and hints, Commissioner Delaney announces that the Big Ten will spend 12 to 18 months researching expansion.  Nudge nudge, Notre Dame, this gives you time to prepare your alumni.  Every talking head in sports and business took this opportunity to spend months making comments both sane and wild, while all the officials from the Big Ten would do is say we're looking at the issue. 

The ripples caused by all this forced the other conferences into making threats and promises both external and internal to their organizations. 

The MWC, Big 12, WAC, Pac-10 and Big East are all changed due to these machinations.  Even the SEC made preps it is said to make counter moves but they would prove to be unnecessary.  The WAC and the MWC are completely different, schools moving around like a children's game of red rover with the added result of BYU now competing as an independent. 

The Pac-10 tried to grab half of the former Big 12 and looked to be on the verge of success before the plans fell apart and only Colorado came from the Big 12 and Utah was added as a consolation prize to complete a championship dozen.

Big 12 officials listening to the rumor mills looked with suspicion at Missouri since some people from that state made it clear they would not mind a call from the Big Ten.  Like Nebraska, Missouri was tired of the fact that the Big 12 was Texas first and Texas last and wanted something to change.  Coupled with the Pac-10 moves, the Big 12 overreacted and the result was that Big Red was now in the Big Ten.

The ripples of all of this sent the Big East in by last count 15 directions finally settling on Texas Christian being admitted to the east coast.

Alright, enough history.

Money always was on center stage and leaping from the success of the Big Ten Network the conference wanted to cement its position in future negotiations for TV dollars.  This meant expanding the footprint of the network into additional lucrative TV markets. 

Making the number of member schools an even number and moving to 12 schools was an added bonus with scheduling and championship bennies that would follow but the conference footprint moving east was the main driver.  This is true no matter how much anyone denies it now.  So, I contend that the Big Ten's Expansion circus was a failure.

Compounding this failure is how the conference was divided into divisions, the new logo, the naming of the awards and basically everything that has happened.  I could have overlooked all of it if this were just a pause and the divisions would be geographically rectified when the final expansion happened.

The logo, well, it sucks; but again, if it were temporary, no problem.  I have survived bad haircuts with no lasting harm.  The awards, well, that's just PC gone wild, but in the end you would be winning best coach or top linebacker, the naming thing just reflects the times.  

Bottom line: the Big Ten is better with Nebraska as a member, but expansion was an overall failure since it did not achieve what it was intended to accomplish and the Big Ten officials are just making it worse with their actions since.