Big Ten Football: Top 5 expansion candidates for the conference

Top of the list for Big Ten expansion is always going to be Notre Dame. The school has the academic bona fides to fit into the conference. They also have the historic success on the field and a national audience that would only serve to increase their take from the television networks.

The big issue with Notre Dame as a candidate is getting the Fighting Irish to give up independence. The Catholic institution has never been a member of a conference in over 125 years of its athletic existence. And it has staunchly clung to independent status, even as almost every other historic independent powerhouse has found itself a conference home.

Were the Big Ten to convince the Fighting Irish to join its ranks, however, the partnership could prove of immeasurable benefit to both parties. Notre Dame already has long-standing rivalries with many of the teams it would take on annually in conference play. They are geographically situated right within the league’s footprint, but their diffuse alumni and fan base covers the nation in a way no other team does.

Again, getting the Irish to join the Big Ten would be the hardest part of the equation. Long term, the league and the school would both be much stronger for the union.