We were all thrown a little aback yesterday when news broke that Texas and Oklahoma were reportedly kicking the tires around, potentially exploring the option of leaving the Big 12 and joining the SEC. It set off a flurry of conversation just in time for Big Ten media days to kick off.
But what does it all mean for the conference? It could mean nothing. Things are clearly changing in the collegiate landscape at breakneck speed. With the folding in of name, image, and likeness rules into the model, along with changes with transfer rules, there are clearly changes afoot. Not to mention, playoff expansion seems to be only a matter of time.
It all makes sense that some more conference realignment and expansion may at least be revisited, and here we are. I mean, it’s no secret that the balance of money and power in big-time college football — the sport that generated the most revenue by far has two main players — is aligned with the SEC and the Big Ten. Those two conferences make more money than any of the others, even the other three Power Five conferences. If you are positioning yourself for a dramatic shift, why not go to the land of consistent milk and honey?
Maybe nothing comes of this new chatter about conference musical chairs. Maybe that’s all it is, chatter. But if something more gets legs and the SEC gets another team or two, you better believe the Big Ten will have some similar conversations and look to position itself in the same market as sweet tea and grits.
Heck, even Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren seemed to leave the possibility open with some comments on Thursday. “We’re at an inflection point in college athletics,” Warren told reporters. “We’re always evaluating what’s in the best interest of the conference.”
So, it got us thinking. IF (emphasized) the Big Ten were to look at conference expansion and realignment once again, what teams would make sense? This is obviously just opinion, but based on what we’ve seen in the past with where the conference looked last time there was a reshuffling of power, we can throw out some options.
Here are ten teams that make sense to cozy up with some brats, cheese, and cold weather if the Big Ten were to look at expansion once again, in really no particular order.