Top Five Options for the Big Ten to Expand

With the Big Ten talking about expansion again, the national media is buzzing over who would make the best match for the eleven-team conference. Suggestions are being made that are both rational and completely ludicrous. In both of those spirits, I present my top five nominees for the twelfth Big Ten team.

There are a few things to consider before the list. First, the conference affiliation of the teams suggested. Notre Dame is the classic example, but they guard their football independence so closely that it seems unlikely that they will ever fold into a conference. Second, the team has to be leaving a conference that has little or no importance, or a conference to which they have no effective history. Third, while Rutgers and TCU may be thrown around, the geographic nature of the Big Ten cannot be discounted. Rutgers may be a lucrative TV market, but expanding the Big Ten to the east coast is not a logical maneuver.

Here are my top five Big Ten nominees.

5. Syracuse

The Orange would expand the Big Ten slightly eastward, and would bring a recognizable name into the conference. The team is in the Big East, so it would be a slight upgrade in conference. I still think the team is unlikely to leave the Big East, partly because Syracuse is primarily a basketball school, and probably won't jump ship for football related reasons. It does fit into the Big Ten academically though, which is a bigger concern than some would think for the voting members of the conference.

4. Missouri

It would add the St. Louis market to the TV area, which would help the clout of the conference's fledgling network. The Tigers have had a solid performance in recent years, and make sense geographically, with Missouri bordering Iowa and Illinois. The arguments against it are simple: the Big 12 is also a power conference, and they have developed a very solid set of rivalries with Kansas and Nebraska that they seem unlikely to jettison for a new conference.

3. Pittsburgh

Pitt is a popular choice among many, and that is primarily because of the proximity to Penn State. It does accomplish both the goals of adding a TV market and fitting into the conference geographically. However, I feel many of the same arguments that applied to Syracuse fit in here: the basketball side of the equation may fit in, and Pitt may not be willing to leave a conference it has a solid relationship with for a mild upgrade.

2. Cincinnati

The Bearcats are an inspired choice. They have recently exploded onto the scene in football, they fit perfectly into the conference geographically being close to Ohio State, Purdue, and Indiana, and they don't have a long-term history in the Big East. The primary reason I could see them being passed over is that they don't have a storied football history, and since the decision is being made for primarily football reasons, the historical weakness of Cincinnati, coupled with the departure of coach Brian Kelly, may make them less appealing.

1. Iowa State

In my opinion, in order to preserve the Big Ten as a midwestern conference, the Cyclones are the best option. They do not have a storied history in the Big 12 and could be willing to relocate, although they have had success in the past. They come into the conference with their biggest rival already present in the Iowa Hawkeyes. They would allow the conference to divide into two six team conferences right down Lake Michigan and the Illinois-Indiana border. They could quickly develop rivals with border states Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois.