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Conference realignment rumor goes off the rails with this wild idea

This Big 12 expansion rumor involving a Big Ten team is ridiculous

Either the Big 12 is getting really desperate or somebody is fabricating a conference realignment rumor to draw attention. Feel free to decide for yourself on this one.

According to Charley Walters, a sports columnist for Pioneer Press, the Big 12 is “said to be quietly seeking” Minnesota as an expansion target. Bet you never saw that one coming, did you?

On the surface, this is a rumor that probably deserves very little credit. At the very least, it has about a 1% chance of ever happening.

Minnesota is one of the founding members of the Big Ten and would be crazy to walk away from the Big Ten’s massive revenue-sharing opportunities that would be unrivaled to anything the Big 12 could potentially offer. There would simply be no upside for Minnesota joining the Big Ten unless the goal is simply to get away from Big Ten hockey. Minnesota may be a hockey school, but it isn’t dumb.

The Big 12 adding Minnesota doesn’t even really make a whole lot of sense either. The Gophers bring little to the table for the Big 12 to capitalize on. Minnesota has no real connection to any existing or incoming Big 12 member. If anything, the Big 12 should probably focus more on trying to lure Nebraska back if it is looking for a Big Ten school.

Where this rumor actually comes from is unknown. Who exactly was saying the Big 12 is courting Minnesota is unknown. This is why this one feels manufactured for reactions, but conference realignment rumors are no longer considered impossibilities in this evolving era of college sports. When geography means nothing, anything is possible.

But Minnesota joining a Big 12 conference that may or may not sustain itself when staying in the financially stabilized Big Ten for years to come seems like an easy decision even if Minnesota did have to think about it for a moment.

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Paul Finebaum predicts Notre Dame’s future conference home

Paul Finebaum predicts where Notre Dame will end up in conference realignment

The entire conference realignment process appears to be in a holding pattern while Notre Dame figures out what it wants to do moving forward. Perceived as the next biggest domino to fall in the world of realignment, Notre Dame is the one school remaining that could cherrypick its future conference home if the leaders in charge ultimately decide the time is now to abandon its beloved football independence. The Big Ten makes the most sense, according to ESPN college football analyst Paul Finebaum.

“I think Notre Dame will end up in the Big Ten if they go somewhere because it makes too much sense,” Finebeum said in an interview with Greg McElroy during SEC media days last week. “I don’t know what the history is with Knute Rockne and Fielding Yost and things that happened even before I was born. We’re talking 100 years ago, more than 100 years ago. But it’s time.”

Finebaum believes Notre Dame would be a perfect fit to join the SEC but feels Notre Dame’s history blends naturally with the Big Ten. Notre Dame has historic rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, and future Big Ten member USC. Notre Dame playing games against Ohio State and Penn State would also make for great scheduling opportunities for the Big Ten and the Irish.

The Big Ten’s expansion with USC and UCLA is bringing the total full-time membership up to 16 members effective in 2024. The timeline is important because Notre Dame is looking into its next media rights deal, as is the Big Ten. Notre Dame’s current deal expires in 2025. The Big Ten’s new deal is going to begin in 2023.

Notre Dame is already a Big Ten member in ice hockey.

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Will Big Ten take advantage of the Big 12 calling off a merger with Pac-12?

With the Big 12 calling off a merger with the Pac-12, will the Big Ten pounce once more?

The conference realignment watch continues as the conference media days continue to play out across the country. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said at SEC media days the conference is not feeling any urgency to react after watching the Big Ten make its latest move, nor is there any urgency to speed up the timeline to welcome Oklahoma and Texas. Although the Sooners and Longhorns continue to say they are not expecting to leave the Big 12 earlier than originally announced, the Big 12 landscape could be preparing to change even more.

After previously having discussions about forming some sort of alliance or partnership with the Pac-12, reports indicate the Big 12 is no longer interested in any working partnership and is instead more interested in raiding the Pac-12 for any potential members. According to CBS Sports, the Big 12 decided a merger with the Pac-12 was not in its best interest, but potentially adding a handful of members from the conference is.

This follows previous reporters suggesting the Big 12 was having individual discussions with current Pac-12 members including Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah. Oregon and Washington have also reportedly been involved in some discussions with the Pac-12, which makes sense as each remaining member of the supposedly crumbling Pac-12 would be wise to evaluate all of their respective options.

The Big Ten could still potentially be an option for a few Pac-12 options after the conference planted its flag in California with the recent additions of USC and UCLA. Oregon and Washington would be seen as the next two best options from the Pac-12, although Colorado and Utah would not be a bad combination either.

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The Pac-12 is desperate for stability, and a merger with the Pac-12 may have been the best possible solution for the conference. But the Pac-12 is also having discussions with the ACC about a partnership that would span coast to coast and help get more Pac-12 programming on ESPN. But if the Pac-12 loses more members to other conferences, any discussions about a partnership will likely collapse anyway.

While all of this is going on, the Pac-12 is beginning to negotiate a new media rights deal, but it would not make sense for any broadcast partner to offer a great package given the worry about stability from within at this time.

According to CBS Sports, the remaining 10 members of the Pac-12 are set to stick together and work out a new media rights deal with no motivation to join the Big 12. But we all know that money has a powerful sway on schools and an opportunity to cash in a Big Ten check may be difficult to pass up compared to whatever the Pac-12 is able to negotiate for its members.

Most reports seem to agree that conferences are waiting and hoping Notre Dame makes a decision on its football independence soon, as the Irish going to a conference could be a significant domino in ongoing media rights negotiations and show which way each conference will ultimately move in conference realignment. Notre Dame officials continue to say there is no rush for the Irish to make any drastic moves as they feel they are in a comfortable position with football independence and a relationship with the ACC.

In any event, the upcoming Big Ten Kickoff is going to be full of questions about the future.

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NIL benefits one step closer to coming for Pennsylvania high school students

Pennsylvania is one step closer to allowing NIL deals for high school athletes

The evolution of the era of name, image, and likeness opportunities has been moving quickly through the college landscape since the NCAA opened the doors a year ago. Now, the trend is racing through the world of high school athletics, and Pennsylvania is one giant step closer to allowing for that to happen as well.

Last week, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association board passed a policy that will allow high school student-athletes to be compensated for use of their name, image, and likeness similar to how college athletes now can benefit. The policy must pass through three readings, or votes, in order to become the new official policy, so two more readings are needed for the policy. In that time, changes may be made before the policy becomes official.

If passed, Pennsylvania would become the latest state to allow for NIL deals to high school athletes. New York and New Jersey are among the states that allow for high school athletes to benefit from NIL, while Ohio has not passed such a policy.

As currently constructed, there are some limitations to what a high school student-athlete (and thus, a potential Penn State recruit) could benefit from. Some of the restrictions include not being able to promote a good or service during a team or school activity, not wearing a piece of clothing or the logo of an NIL partner during a team or school activity that is not a part of a standard uniform, and not promoting or endorsing any adult entertainment products, alcohol products, casinos, firearms, and more.

One of the biggest sticking points to be clarified is how old a student-athelete has to be in order to sign an NIL deal. Most student-athletes in high school are under the age of 18, which has led to some concern about how NIL deals will be conducted.

This is still a little bit away from changing the game for high school athletes. On3 notes any changes to the PIAA policy would not be expected to go into effect until at least July 2023. By then, the entire landscape of NIL at the high school level could change massively and the policy in Pennsylvania will surely be refined over the course of time.

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Conference realignment rumors: Phil Knight wants Oregon in the Big Ten

Conference realignment rumors: Phil Knight wants Oregon in THIS conference…

The Big Ten has planted its banner on the west coast with the upcoming additions of USC and UCLA beginning in 2024, but the college football world is waiting to find out if there will be more expansion moves made by the Big Ten. Among the schools evaluating its future in the face of seismic shifts on the tectonic plates of college football’s map is Oregon, with the support of one of the most famous alums in school history reportedly taking part in guiding the Ducks in the big decision-making.

That alum, of course, is Nike co-founder and chairman emeritus Phil Knight. According to a report from John Canzano, Knight and Oregon are actively reviewing every scenario on the table which includes a move to the Big Ten if the conference opens the doors to them. Canzano suggests Knight would prefer Oregon to be in the Big Ten, but there are still a lot of variables in play for the future of the Ducks.

Orgeon and Washington are the two Pac-12 schools that would make the most sense for the Big Ten’s west coast expansion to accompany USC and UCLA, should the conference wish to move in that direction. But there could still be some hurdles to clear before that could even happen as well. State government officials are proposing laws in Oregon and Washington that would tie the University of Oregon and the University of Washington to be required to compete in the same conference as Orgeon State and Washington State, respectively. Whether those state proposals carry much weight is best left to those in Oregon and Washington to decide. But it is worth monitoring just in case.

With the Big Ten adding USC and UCLA, however, adding Oregon makes sense for the Big Ten as it would provide another west coast travel partner of sorts for the Trojans and Bruins, rather than leave them on their own island on the west coast with the nearest Big Ten foe located in Lincoln, Nebraska.

While all of this is going on, the Pac-12 could be bracing for more changes on the horizon with a possible merger with the Big 12 or more schools opting out of the conference in favor of the Big 12.

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Conference realignment rumor mill: More Pac-12 teams preparing to leave?

If four schools leave the Pac-12 for the Big 12, more Big Ten expansion moves could be accelerated.

The fallout of the decision by USC and UCLA to leave behind their respective storied history with the Pac-12 for the greener cow pastures of Big Ten country continues to be seen as the remaining members of the conference are scrambling to secure their own stability in the changing landscape of collegiate athletics. While the company line from the Pac-12’s remaining membership has voiced a desire to stay together following the 2024 departures of USC and UCLA, it appears to be every school for itself at this point.

Immediately following the USC and UCLA news, the focus in the conference for many turned to Oregon and Washington, two schools many feel could easily follow the Trojans and Bruins to the Big Ten if the Big Ten extended an invitation. But sticking in the Pac-12 South, it appears there are some rumblings about the Arizona Wildcats.

According to a report from Jason Scheer of 247Sports, Arizona may be meeting with officials from the Big 12 as early as this week to explore a possible move to the Big 12. And that’s not all. Three other Pac-12 schools could contemplate a move to the Big 12.

Sources indicate to WildcatAuthority that there will be significant discussions between the Big 12 and Pac-12 this week. It would include four Pac-12 members joining the Big 12.https://t.co/6wDBvAaRnb

— Jason Scheer (@jasonscheer) July 3, 2022

Four schools that would make sense in the Big 12 from the Pac-12 would include Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, and Colorado, a school that left the Big 12 for the Pac-10 when the conference expanded to 12 members. One might call that a bit of an awkward situation for Colorado, but it would seem to make the most sense as long as the Big Ten doesn’t happen to come calling first. It would also be a full twist on conference realignment storylines as it once was reported that the Pac-12 may have been on the verge of adding four Big 12 teams in the last monster round of conference realignment changes.

Conference realignment news and reports rarely pan out, so it can sometimes be best to wait and see how things play out before getting too carried away. But if those four schools do muscle their way out of a crumbling Pac-12 and join the Big 12, then the path to the Big Ten cherry-picking Oregon and Washington could be even more likely to happen relatively quickly.

It still feels unlikely the big Ten really is done with its expansion efforts at this point with just USC and UCLA. Perhaps the conference is waiting for Notre Dame to make a phone call, or perhaps the Big Ten wants to allow for a little more time to pass before kicking up realignment dust on its boots. Either way, Big Ten fans will be paying close attention to the stories coming out of the Pac-12 and Big 12 as those two conferences may end up needing each other now more than ever before.

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Top 17 Big Ten expansion candidates for consideration

The Big Ten expansion possibilities are fun to think about. Notre Dame, Oregon, and the Army-Navy Game?

There are officially no limits on schools that can be considered expansion candidates for the Big Ten after extending invitations to join to USC and UCLA. With the Big Ten set to welcome the two iconic Pac-12 programs in 2024, the future of the Big Ten has never looked more open and there are so many directions the Big Ten could go next.

The Big Ten has made it a point to focus on schools that are members of the Association of American Universities when exploring potential expansion candidates. USC and UCLA are each members of the AAU, for example. But membership in the AAU is not necessarily a major deal-breaker, as is the case for Nebraska. Nebraska was voted into the conference when it was an AAU member, but the school lost its AAU affiliation months after heading to the Big Ten.

There are a number of AAU members not included in this list as they are current members or future members of the SEC. Of all the conferences out there, the SEC is likely the one conference that stands the least chance of having a school leave for another conference. The SEC is home to AAU members Florida, Missouri, and Texas A&M and Texas will soon join them.

This list of potential expansion targets for the Big Ten is based off the current membership of the AAU with one very notable exception. We may as well get that exception out of the way right now…

Big Ten officially announces additions of USC and UCLA

It’s official, the Big Ten will welcome USC and UCLA to the conference in all sports in 2024.

Things seemed to move very swiftly on Thursday as the Big Ten once again decided on expanding the conference’s membership. And this time, the Big Ten is going west to take two iconic programs from the Pac-12. The Big Ten announced on Thursday evening it has voted to accept applications for membership from USC and UCLA. The two west coast schools will join the Big Ten in all sports beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

“As the national leader in academics and athletics for over 126 years, the Big Ten Conference has historically evaluated its membership with the collective goal to forward the academic and athletic mission for student-athletes under the umbrella of higher education,” Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren said in a released statement on Thursday evening. “The unanimous vote [Thursday] signifies the deep respect and welcoming culture our entire conference has for the University of Southern California, under the leadership of President Carol Folt, and the University of California, Los Angeles, under the leadership of Chancellor Gene Block.”

The addition of USC and UCLA will bring the Big Ten’s membership to 16 full-time members in 2024, although it remains to be seen if the Trojans and Bruins will be coming alone. Conference realignment rumors will continue to be flying hot every which way you look as the Pac-12 attempts to figure out its future and other conference members could explore their best options available. Oregon and Washington joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten is not nearly a far-fetched idea anymore as it once could have been. Notre Dame is another school that will be in the spotlight as the ACC looks to avoid suffering a similar fate now seen in the Big 12 (Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC) and the Pac-12.

The expansion to the west coast is clearly driven by the Los Angeles television market opportunities for the Big Ten. With a new media rights deal in the works, the Big Ten now has a vested interest in the four largest television markets in the country with New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Washignton D.C. is the nation’s seventh-largest market. To prove this is a real priority, Apple has reportedly reignited interest in negotiating with the Big Ten to be a part of the media strategy in a new rights package.

There will be much to digest in this news as we also wait to learn what could possibly come next. But with USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten, it is evident that nothing can ever be considered off the table.

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NCAA announces Mark Emmert retirement plan

NCAA announces retirement plan for president Mark Emmert.

The NCAA is preparing for a monumental change in leadership. On Tuesday evening, the NCAA released a statement announcing Mark Emmert will step down from his position as president of the NCAA effective in June 2023. Emmert is now officially entering his final season as president of the highest governing body in collegiate athletics.

“Throughout my tenure I’ve emphasized the need to focus on the experience and priorities of student-athletes,” Emmert said in a released statement. “I am extremely proud of the work of the Association over the last 12 years and especially pleased with the hard work and dedication of the national office staff here in Indianapolis.”

Emmert’s pending resignation comes as the entire collegiate athletics landscape is undergoing seismic changes. The era of NIL rules and years of conference realignment in search of larger media revenue packages has led to many questioning where the NCAA stands in all of this. Emmert, fairly or not, has been tasked with being the face of an organization seemingly losing more and more credibility and respect as the years have gone by.

Emmert has been in the position of president of the NCAA since 2010, a role he ascended to after a six-year run as the president of the University of Washington. Emmert has been the target of criticism over many NCAA investigations, including the one into Penn State in the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal in 2011.

Emmert was also the voice of the NCAA in the landmark Ed O’Bannon lawsuit which challenged the authority the NCAA had over prohibiting the ability for athletes to capitalize on their own name, image, and likeness.

For all the controversy aside, the bottom line here is the NCAA is now in a position to hire a new president, and one that will carry on as the voice of an institution in need of respected leadership and able to take on the ever-changing landscape of the college sports world.

And while the list of worthy candidates for the job will no doubt be intriguing to monitor, one can’t help wonder if outgoing Penn State AD [autotag]Sandy Barbour[/autotag] could be a viable candidate, or if she would even be interested in such a position. Barbour has been a well-respected athletics director at Cal and Penn State, and she is heading into her own retirement from her current position at Penn State later this summer (and her successor may already be lined up).

Perhaps just something to keep tucked away in the back of your head for now. Odds are the NCAA will go for someone with experience as a university president, but this is a decision that will be watched very closely over the next year.

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Retiring Penn State AD a finalist for prestigious award

Penn State AD Sandy Barbour is a finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s top AD award for the third time.

Outgoing Penn State athletics director Sandy Barbour may be going into retirement with a crowning achievement on her résumé. Barbour has been named a finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s Sports Business AD of the Year Award by the Sports Business Journal. And for Barbour, the hope is that the third time will be the charm.

Barbour has been a finalist for one of the nation’s top individual awards for an athletics director twice before, including once during her tenure at Penn State. Barbour was a finalist for the award in 2009 while at Cal and in 2018 at Penn State.

Penn State’s athletics department as a whole has been tremendously successful in a wide range of areas. The football program and basketball programs may not have the wins to showcase the past two years, but the wrestling program is coming off its ninth national title in the past 11 years and the athletics program saw five teams win conference or tournament championships including women’s soccer, wrestling, women’s hockey, men’s volleyball, and men’s soccer. Penn State finished the 2021 season in fifth place for the Learfield Directors’ Cup.

Penn State is also in the early stages of a massive renovation project to various athletics facilities, including long-overdue upgrades to Beaver Stadium.

Last week it was announced that Barbour will be retiring from her position as director of athletics at Penn State later this summer, likely coinciding with the end of the fiscal year for the university.

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