At the current rate of conference realignment, the Big Ten may contain half of college football in the next few decades. Next year the conference will grow to 18 schools, so who knows how long it will take to get to 26 or 30.
Regardless, the conference’s television coverage remains unmatched. The Big Ten Network does a phenomenal job at getting me, and likely others, excited for a midday matchup between Northwestern and Rutgers.
Related: Final Wisconsin football 2023 game-by-game predictions
There have been several notable former Big Ten athletes on the network for years. Earlier this week the network announced another addition, one significant to Badger fans: Wisconsin great James White, a three-time Super Bowl champion.
✅ 2010 B1G FOY
✅ 2x 2nd-Team All-B1G
✅ 3x Super Bowl winnerWelcome to the team, @BadgerFootball great James White!@SweetFeet_White x @UWBadgers pic.twitter.com/4Qv1qprHqP
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 31, 2023
White retired from the NFL ahead of the 2022 season after eight seasons in the league. He starred at Wisconsin from 2010-2013, totaling 643 carries, 4,015 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns, 73 receptions, 670 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. The backfields with him and John Clay and Montee Ball, or him and Ball and Melvin Gordon remain some of the best the program has ever seen.
Now Wisconsin fans will see White during the Big Ten Network’s studio shows throughout the week as the Big Ten football season reaches its stride.