The world of conference expansion never really slows down. It just keeps plugging along. Where the Big Ten goes is likely to be the domino that creates a chain reaction throughout college football.
After all, last summer, the Big Ten created a domino effect when it raided the Pac-12 for USC and UCLA. And all the recent buzz is that the Big Ten may not be done plucking the Pac-12’s best programs.
So where could the Big Ten turn to next? There are a variety of different options in play here. Keep in mind a few things:
Every Big Ten school, upon entry into the conference, has been an AAU member. This matters.
The Big Ten is likely to add two more schools from west of the Rocky Mountains to balance the conference.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be any other expansion, simply that targeting the West Coast seems likely.
Television market size matters.
Football matters almost as much as television sets. Basketball is a distant third in the priorities.
Scroll down and check out where things are being projected to shake out for the Big Ten’s next big move in the conference expansion sweepstakes!
Boston College has a couple things working against it. First, it isn’t an AAU member institution. Second, it isn’t exactly strong in football or men’s basketball right now.
Those aren’t knock out factors (although the AAU membership might be), but it certainly hurts Boston College’s resume for the Big Ten.
Now, BC has a strong reputation in football and historically has been a solid team in the ACC and prior to that in the Big East. They could fit into the Big Ten and would bring a top 10 media market, but there are just too many hurdles to clear on this one.
Without AAU, this one is admittedly a long shot. But Boston is the seventh largest television market in the nation. Would the Big Ten overlook AAU status given that Boston…
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