Big Ten expansion talk, more morning links
The Big Ten is finally acknowledging, in a round-about sort of way, it's slipped a notch in the nation's conscience.
The conference, which trailed the SEC, Big 12 and Pac-10 in football prominence this year, announced Tuesday it's exploring the possibility of adding a 12th team. University presidents and chancellors have asked Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany to do some legwork on the issue, and Delany will offer recommendations in the next 12 to 18 months.
This is the fourth time the conference has looked into expansion since Penn State joined the league in 1990.
Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said the university is "open-minded" about adding a 12th team, and already one possibility has emerged. Missouri might be interested in joining the Big Ten, according to the Kansas City Star.
Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers and a handful of other usual suspects also are being bandied about, but SportsIllustrated.com's Stewart Mandel isn't buying the expansion talk just yet.
ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg, on the other hand, believes the time is right to explore the issue.
Expansion isn't the only thing going on in the sports world. Here's a few more links to start your day:
College football • It worked the first time, so Cincinnati is raiding Central Michigan again. According to multiple reports, the Bearcats are set to hire Butch Jones as their new football coach. Jones replaces Brian Kelly, who left CMU for Cincinnati 3 years ago and, after an undefeated 2009, jumped ship for Notre Dame.
• Speaking of Notre Dame ... former Michigan defensive back Corwin Brown, Notre Dame's co-defensive coordinator last year under Charlie Weis, isn't being retained by Kelly. No huge surprise there, though surely he'll land on his feet somewhere.
• Brandon Graham and Zoltan Mesko were second-team All-America selections by The Associated Press. Michigan was the only team with a losing record to put multiple players on any of 3 teams.
College basketball • Mike Rothstein filed this report on Zack Novak a few hours before having his appendix removed. When he wakes up, we've got another assignment for him.
Pro football • Nice gesture by the Lions I guess. Then again, empty seats don't spend money on concessions.
Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Comments
michael
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 : 12:17 p.m.
Having grown up with eucher...passion like his was hard to ignore...and bo [ditto] and a son who was both avid fan and a graduate [with honors] from the Michigan University it is hard for me to resign myself to the fact that the big house is nothing more than an historically significant venue for commencement exercises. Ms. Coleman and Larry from Google did a great job last year. Football's popularity is on the wane. Mark it. Move on.
pardawg45
Wed, Dec 16, 2009 : 1:06 p.m.
Where are people getting this "the big 10 doesn't compete on a national level" talk? Seriously?! Do you really believe everything that ESPN says! Michigan's record vs. the FAR superior SEC, is something like 24-5-1! We are 1 game under.500 in bowl games and 8-12 in Rose Bowls (11-8 in other bowls). So yes, we do lose some road games in the best team in the Pac-10. Big 10 fans have developed an inferiority complex, the SEC is not better, it is mearly favored by ESPN and has played its national championships as home games(Big 10 vs SEC bowl record last 13 games 7-6), Alabama will lose to Texas, mark my words.
knightmare
Wed, Dec 16, 2009 : 11:24 a.m.
The big ten may be down a little, but I have a good test to judge this. Bring these teams from the other conferences up here to play on a day like today. I suspect that they would struggle playing against a Big 10 team in these frigid temperatures.
81wolverine
Wed, Dec 16, 2009 : 10:58 a.m.
I agree that the Big 10 has slipped a notch or two nationally. Part of the problem is a declining recruiting base in this part of the country. But, some things can be controlled like instituting a playoff and playing some games after the 3rd week of November. Another thing would be to schedule more prime time night games. Some schools (like Michigan) have been resisting doing it for years. But, it needs to end. If it means investing in additional lighting at some of the stadiums and adjacent areas, so be it. But, schools resisting playing at night need to stop making excuses for why it can't be done and figure out how to play the games.
chosen1
Wed, Dec 16, 2009 : 10:45 a.m.
I was just listening to Colin Cowherd on espn and he was saying that Rutgers should be the choice. He made the arguments about academically its 34th in America, has a large campus, and would give the Big Ten automatic exposure in the New Jersey/New York markets. Would also help the Midwestern schools get in more doors of the eastern high schools for recruiting. Sounds like a good appeal for the big ten. I wouldn't want ND unless they came begging to be a part of it.
PortageLkBlu
Wed, Dec 16, 2009 : 10:29 a.m.
I've tried to get this point across for a long time, ohio state and Michigan beat up on the big ten for years but they never moved outside the box to compete on a national level especially as of late with a couple of exceptions. When the big boys, Florida, Miami, Oklahoma, USC, Texas, Alabama etc. are peaking the big 10 just doesn't compete, inside the 10 box they look good. I like the idea of Missouri and the more I think about Missouri the more I like it. Those priests enjoy that little kingdom ND and I don't see the royalty giving up that status any time soon.