Aggressive Expansion

Big Ten commissioner Gordon Jim Delaney will be addressing the media today from the site of the BCS meetings that are taking place in Arizona. No word as to the extent of what Delaney will talk about, but we suspect a little BCS talk will be included, as well as a smattering of Big Ten expansion talk as well.

We've recently discussed the ideas for expansion [link], so readers of this blog know how I feel. Surely the recent news that this expansion talk was going to be accelerated is good news for proponents of adding teams to the conference. This could also be a tactic by the Big Ten to strike while the iron is hot...especially to maybe force Notre Dame's hand. No question the Irish are maybe the biggest key to whether real expansion is feasible or not.

I think any expansion talk that doesn't include the Irish is a waste of time. If you get Notre Dame, the remaining chips like Nebraska, Rutgers, Pitt and Missouri, schools likely to make the jump, will tumble that much easier. If the Irish decline, the wheels will fall off the expansion bus pretty fast.

For a closer look at what a 16-team expansion could like for the Big Ten, check out posts from Brian from mgoblog [link] and Dave from Maize n' Brew [link]. And if you'd like some expansion reading of a more official variety, check out the link rundown by ESPN's Adam Rittenberg [link].