Expansion Reaction Roundup

Blogs of record from each Big Ten team and a bonus.

Crimson Quarry (Indiana):

For all the talk about footprint and media markets and academic standing, the Big Ten is an athletic conference. The Penn State and Nebraska additions made sense for athletics. These moves, if they happen, will best be understood as a cash grab. I'll certainly welcome these schools if it happens, but at first blush I'm not thrilled.

Bucky's Fifth Quarter (Wisconsin):

I've heard plenty of people say, "Get over it! This is the new age of college athletics." And yes, for better or worse we're moving into a new era.

With that being said, I'll firmly stand on the side saying that, yet again, money and greed are the evils that us into this "new era" of college athletics.

Hammer and Rails (Purdue):

I only see this as an absolutely shameless cash grab for the conference that is already printing money with its own TV network. At least the addition of Nebraska made sense. This really doesn't. We're shaking everything up to add a horrible basketball program and decent football program plus one with an awful football program and a basketball program that had a good run 10 years ago.

Land Grant Holy Land (OSU):

The Big Ten isn't quitting on their arbitrary, silly, and frankly pretentious divisional realignment and divisional names…. but instead we get more constant reminders about what Jim Delany thinks about basically all Big Ten sports fans, writers, and alums.

[AFTER THE JUMP: Penn State is okay with it. Everyone else?]

Black Shoe Diaries (PSU):

I can't imagine many around here will be happy with this move. But Jim Delany doesn't care what makes you happy. The Big Ten is--once again--jumping out in front of the expansion race. And whether you choose to believe it or not, establishing a bigger footprint in the New York City and Washington, DC metro regions is a very good get for the conference.

Sippin' on Purple (NW):

We know why this makes sense for Maryland - their school is broke - and we know how it makes sense for Rutgers - the Big East is a massive compilation of suck - but nobody can really figure out why the Big Ten is doing this. Does it REALLY make that much extra money? Isn't the league already flowing in cash? If so, does it offput the weirdness of a league that justified Nebraska to the conference on the school's geographical similarity, similar personality and football prowess adding Maryland and Rutgers, which have none of those three things?

Corn Nation (NU):

The University of Maryland and Rutgers University Are Joining the Big Ten. Shock, dismay follow.

Daily Gopher (Minnesota):

While the move makes a helluva lot of sense financially for Maryland, Rutgers, and potentially for the Big Ten, it makes zero sense from a perspective of the things fans care about: competition, geography, and culture. Unlike with the announcement of adding Nebraska, zero fans across the Big Ten were excited about this potential move.

The Champaign Room (Illinois):

It makes all the sense in the world monetarily, but in this week of rivalries I am left wondering what could have been. When Nebraska joined up, there were rumors and rumblings that the Cornhuskers may have been bringing fellow Big 8 founding member Missouri with them. It was ultimately decided that the St. Louis and Kansas City markets just were not appealing enough to make the addition worth it and our neighbors to the southwest moved to the SEC. And like any responsible adult, I'm left wondering what could have been.

Neither BHGP or Fight For Iowa bothered to say anything, probably because they care about nothing and just want football to end.

Maize and Brew (Michigan):

Since this whole conference expansion thing was originally Jim Delany's doing, its damn well appropriate that he is about to execute its swan song: a foolish, misguided attempt to better an athletic conference by considering everything but athletics.

Also the MZone:

JIM DELANY:  I've had my eye on you forever.
SYRACUSE: You have?
JIM DELANY: 'Course.  We should get together.  Maybe go hang in the city.  With all the people and their cable-ready households.
SYRACUSE: You mean like Buffalo?
JIM DELANY (LAUGHS): New York.
SYRACUSE: Uh... okay, but that's like four and a half hours away.
JIM DELANY: What?
SYRACUSE: I live in Upstate New York.  Is that a problem?
JIM DELANY (MAKING HIS VOICE BREAK UP): What did you sa--? We ha-- a bad-- connectio--
CLICK! Delany slams down the phone.

MSU blogs didn't offer any opinions. Representative rec'd comment:

Booo!

I hate this move. Frankly Penn State was bad, Nebraska seemed like a good fit but Maryland? WTF are Delaney and Co. thinking? Maryland doesn’t fit geographically, regionally, ‘culturally’, and lets be honest: doesn’t bring much to the table athletically at this point either. Rutgers is just as bad if they end up coming along.

Terrible move for the B1G. I hate the shift towards super conferences they destroy everything that makes college sports special. I’ll always support MSU, but these moves just completely undermine regional and conference football identities.

For the record I graduated in ’02 even if the above makes it sound like I graduated in ’62.

By my count that's one yes from Penn State, two meh-leaning-nos from Illinois and Indiana, one inability to rouse yourself from overwhelming otter ennui at Iowa, and eight HELL NOs.

In other conferences, Best Rant Goes To From Old Virginia:

i hate college football

I guess there's no sense not addressing the elephant in the room.  I can't not - Maryland has changed so many of my opinions about college sports in one day that I never thought could be changed.

More specifically, I no longer have opinions about things.  I stopped caring.  People don't like "conventional wisdom" because it's conventional.  I like it because it's wisdom.  Conventional wisdom dictated that we were finally settling into an equilibrium again.  Now there is no conventional wisdom.  Does the Big Ten sit around or find more markets to try and put the BTN into?  Does the SEC look to the ACC for two more members themselves?

What happens to the Big East?  Are we headed towards, not 4x16, but 5x16?  Who knows?  I don't give a damn any more.

It keeps going, and going. Enjoy it. Savor it.