Hypothetical Expansion Divisions

Here is a link to a very long Q&A session with Pete Fiutak from CollegeFootballNews.com. Here a couple of the questions and answers that I found most interesting regarding the Big Ten expansion.

Q: Give me the odds of the Big Ten expanding to 12 teams, 14, and 16. - BH

A: I’d make it a 7-to-1 shot that the Big Ten goes to 16, 10-to-1 of going to 14, and 100-to-1 of taking on just one team. The league might stagger the expansion a bit, sort of like the ACC did, and it could bring in one team now and two to four more later after more research and negotiation. Unless it’s Texas or Notre Dame (and it won’t be), bringing in just one team isn’t going to cut it at this point; Delany will make a splash and won't settle for a ripple. With so many schools lining up to join the fun, adding five more will be easy and the Big Ten can pick and choose to create the right fit to make the most money.

Q: When all the dust settles, who’s going to be in the Big Ten and how will it be aligned? - JG

A: If all the inside info really is true, I’ll be shocked if the Big Ten doesn’t go to 16, and there’s just no way it’ll go to 12. 14 is a possibility if there’s a backlash or if there’s a change of heart from some schools that appear to be locks, but it appears that the Big Ten will likely have two divisions of eight. In the pecking order of schools on the Big Ten radar, it goes Rutgers (expands the Big Ten further into the New York City market and pushes the league out to the Atlantic Ocean), Missouri (mediocre academics are a problem, but the St. Louis and Kansas City markets and a natural tie-in with Illinois will help), Nebraska (the TV market isn’t a plus, but the football program adds luster), Syracuse (basketball, basketball, basketball), Connecticut (basketball, basketball, basketball … remember, Delany has a hoops background), and with Pitt (big city, natural geographic tie-in with Penn State and Ohio State) in the mix.

Your Big Ten, if it goes to 16, will probably end up being (with the new schools in bold) …

EAST: Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse

WEST: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin

If it goes to 14, the Big Ten will probably end up being …

EAST: Connecticut, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers

WEST: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin.