Big Ten Expansion Moving Fast: UPDATE
Well, Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune has broke yet another story in the Big Ten expansion scenario. Yesterday he wrote saying that officials in the Big Ten Conference already have a turntable and maybe expect to officially announce a school(s) by the end of June. Why June? One source says that “if you go past July 1, you have to wait an extra year.” So the whole “studying for 12-18 months” was just a mere decoy as I thought all along since they’ve announced expansion back on December 15th.
The Big Ten was in-fact studying the expansion scenario since sometime in the middle of last year and kept it very secretive until they publicly announced it in December. A lot of articles and interviews I’ve read/listen gave me enough evidence to support my theory that the Big Ten would announce a school(s) not too far from now.
Anywho, Big Ten officials, including Delany, and some Big Ten university presidents went to D.C. today for the AAU meetings to discuss somethings as well as expansion. Then they’ll discuss the expansion in Phoenix for the BCS where Delany will talk to other conference commissioners and let them know, as well as other meetings with Big Ten ADs and presidents in Chicago in May.
So a Big 14 or Big 16 might actually become a reality after the dust settles from this domino effect. More Big Ten expansion news to come!
UPDATE #1: When Delany finally talked to other commissioners and reporters at the BCS meetings, he says that the Big Ten is still sticking to its 12-18 month timetable. From what I heard when I heard an audio interview of him on a Chicago sports radio station that I thought that we might see what school(s) will come sometime in June, according to what Delany said himself.
But other commissioners were nervous and/or anxious to know what the Big Ten was up to. In an LA Times article, SEC Commissioner Mike Slive told reporters that “If there is going to be a significant shift in the conference paradigm, the SEC will be strategic and thoughtful to make sure it maintains its position as one of the nation’s preeminent conferences.” This means that he won’t let the Big Ten get the best of him and his conference, and seems that Slive might look into expansion as well; adding 2 to 4 more schools to the SEC.
ESPN posted a video with Delany addressing the expansion issue.
(You can follow me on Twitter @jasonnessa)
