Tag: Kevin Warren

Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren emerges as finalist to be Bears next President/CEO

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a finalist to become the next Bears president/CEO, according to ESPN.

The Chicago Bears have quietly been interviewing and vetting candidates to replace the retiring Ted Phillips as team president and CEO and they may be zeroing in on one particular candidate.

According to ESPN college insider Pete Thamel, Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has emerged as a finalist for the job. He’s already interviewed for the position with the team and the process as a whole could be completed in early 2023.

Warren has held various positions within NFL front offices prior to becoming the commissioner of the Big Ten. He’s worked with the Minnesota Vikings as their executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer from 2005-2014, as well as their chief operating officer from 2015-2019. He also held titles with the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams prior to that in the 1990s and 2000s.

In 2020, Warren became commissioner of the Big Ten, the first African-American to hold such a title in any of the Power Five college conferences. Warren was instrumental in bringing over USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, which is scheduled to take place in 2024. Now, Warren could be returning to the NFL as Phillips’ replacement.

Phillips is retiring after 39 years with the Bears organization. He became team president and CEO in 1999 and spearheaded initiatives such as the Soldier Field renovations in the early 2000s and the agreement to purchase Arlington Park in 2021. Phillips also played a role in the massive renovations that took place at Halas Hall in the late 2010s with former general manager Ryan Pace.

The Bears have been quiet about their process to replace Phillips, who announced over the summer of his intentions to retire in 2023. Now with Warren emerging as a finalist, things could be wrapped up fairly soon with a new leader in place.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Kevin Warren has major plans for the future of the Big Ten

Warren touches on major topics regarding the Big Ten

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has been a busy man in recent weeks.

The conference sent shockwaves through the college football landscape when USC and UCLA announced their intentions to join the league for the 2024 season. Those additions could just be the beginning for what might turn into a 20-team league.

Warren spoke with Bryant Gumbel of HBO’s Real Sports this week, and wasn’t shy about the future of the conference. Where is the league headed in the net decade? Will the Big Ten keep on growing? How will athletes benefit from the growth? Warren had some answers this week:

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren says Big Ten could expand to 20 teams

Interesting comments from Kevin Warren on future expansion of the Big Ten. #B1G

Just when you thought all the conference realignment and expansion would die down, we get another nugget from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren that seems to leave the door wide open for further chaos. This after it was already thrown into the breeze with the news of adding USC and UCLA to the conference beginning in 2024.

Now, before we go there, quotes and comments don’t mean anything is impending or in-flight, but what it does mean is that the ideas are there and you can bet that the Big Ten offices are listening and observing when it comes to the changing landscape of college football.

So, what did Warren say that might have other conferences and teams with their head on a swivel? While appearing on HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” Warren was asked if he could see the Big Ten expanding further. It was a short answer, but a quick one that should give you some insight into where things stand in the future.

“You are at 16 teams now,” Gumbel stated. “Could you foresee 20 (teams)?”

“I could, yeah,” responded Warren. “I could see perpetual and future growth.”

Now, remember, This is a number thrown out to Warren by Gumbel and not necessarily one that he came up with by himself. However, the way things are going with NIL, expanded playoffs, talks of the bigger schools breaking away from the NCAA, and the transfer rules becoming looser and looser, it only makes sense for the money to coalesce into bigger conferences. And if and when that happens, you can expect the Big Ten to be right at the front of initiating the change.

As you can see from the tweet from Ross Dellenger, there was more covered in the interview that shows you just where the state of the game is right now. The battle for supremacy with the almighty dollar looks like it might continue between the Big Ten and SEC down the road.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft playlist_id=01eqbz0qtnjg5x7tc8 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft/01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft-98090a61c4af3208041fc5656a52a55d.jpg]

[listicle id=54703]

[pickup_prop id=”26002″]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Best Penn State photos from Big Ten media days

Best photos from Penn State at Big Ten media day in Indianapolis

Penn State is bracing for what it hopes will be a nice little rebound season in the fall. During Big Ten media days in Indianapolis, head coach James Franklin was joined by a trio of veterans on the roster — Sean Clifford, PJ Mustipher, and Ji’Ayir Brown — to preview the upcoming season n Happy Valley as part of Big Ten media days.

As the Big Ten moves toward expansion in the coming years, Franklin and his players were focused on the more immediate future of the prorgam. after a pair of mediocre seasons on the field, Penn State is hoping to restore the roar in Beaver Stadium this fall.

Here are some of the best photos from Big Ten media day as the Nittany Lions spent time with the media.

Report: Big Ten targeting Oregon Ducks, numerous other Pac-12 schools in expansion efforts

Is the Big Ten going to further expand? The commissioner says no. Multiple other reports show the conference is targeting the Ducks.

In the world of conference realignment, you need to be careful about who you’re listening to. There are a lot of conflicting reports out there.

For the past week or so, the Big Ten commissioner, Kevin Warren, has been steadfast that the conference is not looking to further expand after already poaching both USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 earlier this summer. However, there is a new report out there from CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd that shows that the Big Ten could be after another group of Pac-12 teams in the future.

[lawrence-related id=26576]

“According to my reporting, the Big Ten is now targeting Cal, Stanford, Oregon, and Washington in a further expansion that would bring the league to 20 teams at least,” Dodd said. “There is another report out there that the Big Ten is also looking at Florida State and Miami, and at that point would be a monopoly of college athletics at the top of the food chain.”

When would this potential expansion take place? That’s a question that we don’t have an answer to. It could be something that comes to fruition soon, or it could be something that takes a couple of years to play out. Despite the report, Warren is holding strong in saying that there are no current plans to continue the expansion.

Make of that what you will.

For now, we are going to look at things as if the Big Ten did reach out to those four Pac-12 schools and consider what it would mean for the sport of college football. It would certainly be great news for the Oregon Ducks since they would no longer be left behind and instead be able to join one of the super conferences and compete with the best teams in the nation. On the other hand, it could very well mean the end of the Pac-12, at least as we know it.

[lawrence-related id=26552]

“With a 20-team league, they would control more than 30% of the schools in the current Power 5,” Dodd said. “This has sent reverberations throughout the industry. Television sources have consternation because they don’t know how to price these four schools because they’re just not worth the $80-$100 million that the current 16 are going to get in 2024 with USC and UCLA. College athletics are further upset because how many is too many? This has the chance to wreck the Pac-12 and make it go away or at least stay together in some limited fashion. You’ve already heard names like San Diego State headed to the Pac-12, Arizona maybe to the Big 12 as they seek to expand. But nothing on this scale. This is major news and would have reverberations throughout the industry.”

Will the expansion happen? In the long run, I certainly wouldn’t bet against it. Will it happen in the next year or two? That’s something that I don’t feel as confident about.

[lawrence-related id=26558]

The news surrounding conference realignment changes nearly every day, so don’t treat this report as the end-all-be-all. However, if you’re an Oregon fan who thinks the sky is falling because they may be left out of the big dance when all is said and done, I wouldn’t lose hope just yet.

[mm-video type=video id=01g906v6m3x026mrgxsb playlist_id=01f27mq9z7hjgk6vc6 player_id=01f1jz1vgtfhzk6ner image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g906v6m3x026mrgxsb/01g906v6m3x026mrgxsb-e817f79e2eb06a08f699a3d5ebc81c54.jpg]

[listicle id=26561]

Big Ten’s Kevin Warren talks TV implications of UCLA, USC: ‘we’ll be able to provide content all the way from the morning into the night’

The Big Ten’s Kevin Warren talks about the impact on programming that UCLA, USC brings to the conference.

Kevin Warren is the commissioner of the first coast-to-coast conference in major college sports. And the Big Ten’s commissioner is excited about what he sees as opportunities for his conference, even if this new blueprint comes with some hurdles.

Last month, the Big Ten approved UCLA and USC becoming member institutions. It was a huge win for the Big Ten in the latest college football expansion craze.

Undoubtedly, the driving force behind the Big Ten’s conference expansion wasn’t just adding two storied programs, it was adding a significant media market in Los Angeles. For a league already making oodles – yes oodles – of money, adding the second-largest market in the country certainly has ramifications across the college sports landscape.

The Big Ten now has at least one program in the top three media markets in the country, something that no other Power Five conference can boast.

The move to add UCLA and USC doesn’t come without some headaches. Scheduling across four time zones will be a challenge. Early kickoffs will be a pain for the West Coast fanbase and late kickoffs might find the East Coast heading for bed.

[listicle id=17257]

Warren doesn’t see the logistical challenge. Instead, from the podium at the Big Ten’s football media days, he talked about the opportunity he sees in having college sport’s first true coast-to-coast conference.

“I always ask why and why not. I think sometimes later time zones on the West Coast, people looked at it as a negative, and I always looked at it as a positive. So for us in the Big Ten to be — we’re in four time zones, we will be in 2024: East, Central, Mountain, and West. So now we’ll be able to provide content all the way from the morning into the night and lead into some really incredible programming,” Warren said at the start of the conference’s football media days.

“So I think the value of being across four time zones for multiple reasons is really important. We haven’t finalized the financial impact, and ironically this probably will shock you, the numbers and finances associated with it are typically the last thing that I kind of consider and analyze. It’s important for me from a business standpoint, but from a decision-making process standpoint, always look at all the other reasons why because, if all the other reasons make sense, the finances will take care of themselves.

“So I’m looking forward to building a brand to be fortified and strong from Los Angeles to New Jersey and everywhere in between. So it will be an exciting time, busy time for these next two years.”

Warren also talked about his belief that the College Football Playoff should be expanded and will be expanded.

WATCH: Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s opening remarks at media days

The complete opening remarks from Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to kick off the conference’s media days. #B1G

There are a lot of things that are mile markers to the start of the college football season. None of those is more noticeable and noteworthy than the various conferences’ media days. We’ve already seen some of the conferences hold their annual event, and the Big Ten got things started on Tuesday.

One of the most anticipated openings of any Big Ten media days event occurred on Tuesday when commissioner Kevin Warren made his first public remarks after the bombshell news of UCLA and USC joining the conference beginning in 2024.

As you would imagine, the interest in what he had to say was at a fever pitch, and boy did he deliver some especially interesting sound bites to make everyone believe that we haven’t seen the last of all the changes currently occurring in the sport.

In case you missed any of his comments, we’ve got them here thanks to video from ESPN.

This is just the first day of Big Ten media days. We’ll get to hear from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and some of the representative players on Wednesday, so we’ll have even more.

For now, though, embrace the change because there’s likely more coming.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft playlist_id=01eqbz0qtnjg5x7tc8 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft/01g8c201tsqd2rq1xmft-98090a61c4af3208041fc5656a52a55d.jpg]

[listicle id=93046]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren open to further expansion

Kevin Warren only added to the notion that further conference expansion could be on the table with his opening remarks at Big Ten media days Tuesday. #B1G

Big Ten media days kicked off on Tuesday, and everyone was anxious to get Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s reaction after the news of the league adding UCLA and USC of the Pac-12.

For his part, Warren did not disappoint. In fact, rather than calm anyone’s fears about further expansion, the commish left the door wide open for further expansion if everything lined up to benefit the conference.

“I get asked every single day, what’s next?” Warren remarked during his opening of Big Ten football media days. “It may include future expansion, but it will be done for the right reasons, at the right time, with our student-athletes’ academic and athletic empowerment at the center of any and all decisions that we will make. We will not expand just to expand. It will be strategic, it will add additional value to our conference.”

It’s clear that college football is going through some of the most transformational changes it ever has in its existence. With the news of Texas and Oklahoma SEC last offseason, and now the two main L.A. market teams heading to the Big Ten, in combination with Name, Image, and Likness, the potential of College Football Playoff expansion, and transfer rules, it’s hard to keep up.

There’s little doubt that we’ve seen the end of all that’s going on, and that includes further conference expansion. And with the Big Ten leading the way in revenue, and with a new media deal close to coming together, Warren and the conference he’s leading is holding a lot of the high-value cards to lay down when the time comes.

[mm-video type=video id=01g5sntctf7xm4w6zbex playlist_id=01eqbz0qtnjg5x7tc8 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5sntctf7xm4w6zbex/01g5sntctf7xm4w6zbex-cdcc16b3320cd9f9034a4c67986d8fab.jpg]

[listicle id=93046]

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

The Big Ten’s stance on College Football Playoff expansion

Where does the conference stand on CFP expansion?

Big Ten Media Days kicked off on Tuesday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and College Football Playoff expansion was among a long list of topics covered with conference commissioner Kevin Warren.

Where does the conference stand on expanding the current four-team structure? Warren’s answer was as clear as day: “I’m 100 percent supportive of College Football Playoff expansion,” Warren told the media in Indianapolis.

“We need to take a holistic view. We need to make sure we protect some of the critical bowl relationships. So as we work through all these, whether it’s automatic qualifier, whatever the case may be, I’m confident as we get these new individuals in the room, get these issues on the table, that we’ll be able to reach some resolution.”

2025 is the soonest the College Football Playoff could implement any changes as the current contract runs until then.

Big Ten football media days: Kevin Warren says ‘I’m 100 percent supportive for college football playoff expansion’

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is confident that the College Football Playoff will expand.

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren not only wants to see the College Football Playoff expanded, he is confident that it will happen.

College Football Playoff  (CFP) expansion has been one of the biggest buzzwords in sports over the past few years. The current set-up of four teams has been in place since the playoff was established in 2014.

In February, it was decided that the CFP would not expand until 2026 at the earliest. It was a blow to those who wanted to see the playoff expanded to six teams (the top two teams getting a bye in the playoff’s first round) or eight teams.

The Big Ten has only won the CFP once in 2014-15. That was the first season of the CFP experience.

Speaking at the start of the Big Ten’s football media days, Warren was asked about the idea of College Football Playoff expansion.

Warren said that “I’m 100 percent supportive of College Football Playoff expansion.”

“We have meetings coming up in September and October to be able to talk about these issues. I’m 100 percent supportive for college football playoff expansion,” Warren said during his press conference.

“You know, what is that right number? We’ll figure it out. I’m confident we will get College Football Playoff expansion resolved. I still feel strongly that we need to open it up to have multiple media partners that we need to have from the college football playoff standpoint. We need to take a holistic view, we need to make sure we protect some of the critical bowl relationships. And so as we work through all these, whether it’s automatic qualifier, whatever the case may be, I’m confident as we get these new individuals in the room, get these issues on the table, that we’ll be able to reach some resolution. And again, make sure we ask ourselves the right questions for the right reasons at the right time for our student-athletes and our fans but I look forward to the day that we can expand the college football playoff and I’m confident that it will happen.”

Last season, Georgia won a battle of the SEC in the College Football Playoff championship game. The Big Ten was represented by Michigan in last year’s playoff.

[mm-video type=video id=01g8xe4yfqg38yrnsxqk playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g8xe4yfqg38yrnsxqk/01g8xe4yfqg38yrnsxqk-8f207b230e9f635be9b50459a8892149.jpg]