The real reason behind Big Ten expansion

I hate to sound so cynical, but the real reason behind Big Ten expansion has nothing to do with what is best for Big Ten students, Quote Unquote Big Ten Student Athletes, or the fans of this conference. The real reason is the reason most things get done, and that of course is money. Collegefootballtalk.com is quoting a piece that appeared in today’s Chicago Tribune that the amount of money that each Big Ten school makes each year could double if the right school are added to the mix.

The piece goes on to say that currently each Big Ten school gets about 22 million dollars a year. This money comes from the TV contract with ABC, the Big Ten network, Bowl game revenue, and NCAA March Madness revenue and licensing. The prediction is that with the right mix of school that number could grow to 40 million in the very near future.

That is why Rutgers remains high on the list of potential expansion schools, since it brings with it the New York market. The idea here is that the Big Ten network could get up 15 times what it gets now in right’s fees from that market. The only real concern is the dilution of the product hat has become some lucrative, but that does not seem very plausible given the nature of the sports programs at teh schools being rumored to join.

I guess the real point here is to yet again point out that big time college sports is all about money, and when the NCAA tries to lie and say it is about the academics we know it is a flat out falsehood.