![]() Unfortunately, Big Ten fans will have to face the reality of an extreme competitive drop off if Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Cincinnati say no. ![]() If the Big Ten can’t entice two prime targets such as Texas and Oklahoma, and wildcards Oklahoma State and Cincinnati, they would be in major trouble unless they would be able to lure schools like Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Colorado, Kentucky, or Tennessee from their current conference, but that is very unlikely. If both get swooped up by other conferences or only one joins the Big Ten, there is a good chance that Maryland and Rutgers will have company at the bottom of the barrel. It is time to make each an offer to join right now before it is too late. The Big Ten can’t afford to wait around for the ACC, Pac 12, and SEC to make their attempt to get Oklahoma and Texas. An added bonus would be that both Oklahoma and Texas would get to rekindle their individual rivalries with Nebraska. For Oklahoma, it would preserve their rivalry with Texas and help strengthen the Big Ten West. For Texas, it would give them a saving grace for their failing Longhorn Network. Both Texas and Oklahoma are blue bloods that the Big Ten covets and would certainly make Big Ten Network flourish more than ever. This move to add the two final pieces to the puzzle must be done for the right reason: football. There are only room for two more teams– it is not feasible to kick Maryland and Rutgers to the curb at this time. Maryland has been average at best on the football side and Rutgers has been brutal at both football and basketball. The last move– adding Maryland and Rutgers– was purely for financial and television reasons of adding New York and Washington DC markets to the league. I could see the Bearcats as a possibility if the two Oklahoma schools and Texas are off the table. They just hired a potential game changing coach in Luke Fickell and made the NCAA basketball tournament now seven years in a row. However, I would be satisfied with Texas or Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.Ī wildcard would be Cincinnati, who is competitive in both football and basketball. They have been pretty consistent in both football and basketball, but something about them just does not scream Big Ten. Oklahoma State would be an alright fit if Oklahoma or Texas says no, but not ideal. The biggest reason Oklahoma State, Kansas State, and West Virginia are not the best fits for the Big Ten’s final expansion is that they are not blue bloods, which is what the top tier of the Big Ten hangs its hat on. Kansas State and West Virginia make some sense (geographically), but are not the best fit because of their inconsistency in both football and basketball. Unfortunately for the Big Ten, there are no other legitimate options after Oklahoma State: TCU and Kansas are extremely football-heavy. If Oklahoma joins and Texas declines and instead heads for the SEC (we’ll get to that later), than Oklahoma State will be priority No. However, it seems as if Oklahoma is more likely interested than Texas (Longhorn Network). For the sake of competition, divisional stability, and financial revenue for the conference, Oklahoma and Texas are the only schools that make complete sense as the final two members of the Big Ten. ![]() ![]() I think West Virginia makes perfect sense and the Mountaineers join.īig Ten: There are multiple scenarios that could potentially play out. Each conference will add members to get to 16 teams each to make a Power 64.ĪCC: With Notre Dame likely to join sooner or later, it will be a race against the other conferences to grab schools like West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and TCU. The ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12, and SEC will become the “Power 4 Conferences” and the Big 12 will no longer exist. With these drastic changes in the past twenty years, what will college football look like in the next twenty years? Power 4 Conferences ![]() It went from having its national champion be voted on by the Associated Press as recent as 1997 when Michigan won a “share” of the national championship with Nebraska, to the Bowl Championship Series from 1998-2013, to the present College Football Playoff method. College football has evolved dramatically in just the past twenty years. ![]()
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