Big Ten Football: Options for expansion to 16, 18, 20, or 24 teams
By Ryan Kay
Believe it or not, not every team wants to join the Big Ten conference.
Here is a look at four schools from other power five conferences who the Big Ten could greatly benefit from them joining the conference but the schools have shown little to no interest in joining the Big Ten.
The University of Flordia from the SEC Conference
. . Gators . . team. 840.
AAU Member: Yes
Top 30 Revenue School: Yes (#12)
Top 100 Academic National University: Yes (#30)
Top 20 tv/streaming market: No (#43)
Criteria Score Card: 3/4
Texas A&M from the SEC Conference
. Aggies . . team. 873. .
AAU Member: Yes
Top 30 Revenue School: Yes (#17)
Top 100 Academic National University: Yes (#66)
Top 20 tv/streaming market: Yes (#8)
Criteria Score Card: 4/4
Notre Dame is Independent in football, member of the ACC in other athletic sports
. Fighting Irish . . team. 819. .
AAU Member: No
Top 30 Revenue School: Yes (#8)
Top 100 Academic National University: Yes (#19)
Top 20 tv/streaming market: No (#98)
Criteria Score Card: 2/4
North Carolina from the ACC Conference
838. . . . Tar Heels . . team
AAU Member: Yes
Top 30 Revenue School: No (#41)
Top 100 Academic National University: Yes (#28)
Top 20 tv/streaming market: No (#24)
Criteria Score Card: 2/4
I know, as was famously said by Johnny Utah in the film Point Break, “You’re breaking your own rules” and with me having Notre Dame and North Carolina in the group of four schools that the Big Ten would add to their conference but they only make two out of the four criteria, please allow me to explain.
Notre Dame and the Big Ten seemed like a very natural fit like when Missouri joined the SEC. However, the Fighting Irish seem to have little interest in joining the Big Ten and if they were to join a conference for football, it would be the ACC as they did for the 2020 season.
Now, Notre Dame is not an AAU member, and South Bend, Indiana is not even a top 95 tv/streaming market. However, the Fighting Irish produce a ton of revenue through their football program and they are a top 20 nationally academic institution. Regardless, Notre Dame is destined to join the ACC. Speaking of the ACC conference.
North Carolina’s football program is on the rise but the Tar Heels are considered a basketball school by most accounts. The Tar Heels are in the ACC along with three other schools from the state of North Carolina.
Being able to play Duke, Wake Forest, and North Carolina State in all collegiate sports is something North Carolina wants to maintain and keep. If the Tar Heels were to join the Big Ten, they would demand schools like Duke and North Carolina State join them as well.
The Tar Heels are not a high-generating revenue school but they are not a bottom tier money revenue-generating school either. They are an AAU member and a top 30 nationally academically recognized school. They also are in a top 25 tv/streaming market in the south and North Carolina would expand the geographic footprint to the southeast portion of the country.
However, it seems the Tar Heels are content to stay in the ACC. There are two teams that the Big Ten would absolutely love to add to their conference.
Let’s take a look at the other two schools and why the Big Ten is unlikely to convince them to join their conference.