For those of you itching for the Big Ten media day content, I've got good news: It's Ryan Day day.
Word of the Day: Bulwark.
PLEASE SIR CAN I HAVE ANOTHER? Don't hit that pause button on Big Ten expansion just yet, folks.
Expansion talks have slowed as the conference is apparently playing the waiting game with Notre Dame, but that doesn't mean there aren't other schools out there that would be worth adding.
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren told Action Network there are “a handful of schools” besides Notre Dame that would add value as future Big Ten members.
The schools being considered by the Big Ten, sources told Action Network, are Notre Dame, Oregon, Washington, Stanford, Cal, Miami and Florida State. Warren would not comment on specific schools as potential members.
“When I say add value: value is important, but I just look at the fit,” Warren told Action Network Tuesday at Big Ten Media Days. “A fit has to be there academically, has to be there athletically. All those things are really important. There are a handful of schools that potentially could add value to us, but I’m so focused right now that we welcome USC and UCLA to our conference in 2024 with open arms.”
...
“Literally every Power Five conference school not in the SEC has reached out to the Big Ten,” a source said about schools wanting to join the conference. “University presidents, athletic directors, senior women administrators, you name it.”
Honestly, just pull the trigger. If we're going to add USC and UCLA, may as well toss in the other ones, too. It's not like it's going to make any less sense adding Miami to a conference with a notorious midwest flavor than it does the LA schools.
At this point, your boy's just trying to add vacation destinations that I can write off on my taxes.
OHIO STATE IS KING. I've never loved Kirk Ferentz, but I might have to put the guy in my "reluctant ally" box after he essentially publicly announced yesterday that every Big Ten West team calls Ohio State daddy.
Kirk, why cant the West win the Big Ten?
— Marcus Hartman (@marcushartman) July 26, 2022
Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/bGGXczVlFK
The funniest part is that Iowa has lost in two Big Ten title games and neither of them was against the Buckeyes. But I respect him knowing the conference as a whole runs through Ohio State. Cause he ain't wrong.
16 TEAMS? With conference realignment taking center stage, we've kinda chilled on all the College Football Playoff expansion talks. Which is fair, frankly, because it's kinda hard to put together a football of any kind when you have no idea what the landscape of college football is even going to look like in four years.
Still, there's some "increased chatter" about expansion. And – expanding past the previously targeted 12 teams.
At SEC Media Days, Commussioner Greg Sankey acknowledged to ESPN that theres increased chatter about the potential of going to 16. https://t.co/Lxbz1CkQzH
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 26, 2022
I've made peace with playoff expansion long ago. Even if it doesn't actually lead to different national champions, I think simply giving people more quality college football games will be a success.
Ohio State, Bama, or Georgia may be the only ones with a chance to lift that trophy when all is said and done, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna watch Oklahoma play Notre Dame, or Oregon play Clemson.
TBT TO THE TBT. Hey, y'all remember The Basketball Tournament? Well, just because Carmen's Crew ain't participating this year doesn't mean there aren't some Buckeyes doing some stuff.
Behold:
C.J. Walker hits one from just inside half court at the third quarter buzzer. Red Scare leads 49-40. pic.twitter.com/WnFEav0atD
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) July 27, 2022
It's still fun, but I agree that this thing just doesn't have the juice that it did when Aaron Craft and Jon Diebler were out there.
SONG OF THE DAY. "1,000 Miles" by Vanessa Carlton.
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