Big Ten expansion could be seismic
INDIANAPOLIS ? Even as the NCAA examines expanding its Division I men's basketball tournament from 65 teams to 96 in the weeks to come, it's the Big Ten's exploration of adding schools that could have a truly seismic, revolutionary impact on college athletics.
"I believe that if we expand, you probably ought to look at more than (just adding a 12th school)," Ohio State athletics director Gene Smith said.
Stressing that was his opinion and may not be shared by some colleagues, Smith added that he believed the impact "would be pretty massive."
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All of that, perhaps supplemented by frustrations with several recent bowl berths, helps explain why Missouri has indicated it would listen to the Big Ten if it knocks, a subtle yet public posture that has offended some of its Big 12 brethren.
Even so, Deaton reiterated Monday that an offer would merit a thorough analysis.
"We (would) owe that to the university," he said. "We (would) owe that to the state and our fans."
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Smith, who was on the Big Eight expansion task force when he was AD at Iowa State, said he hasn't considered the landmark landscape beyond the immediate he has on "a napkin."
But he well-remembers the impact of the Big 12 expansion.
"Killed the (Southwest Conference), (which was) teetering anyway," he said, then listing the Mountain West, Big East and ACC as others influenced.
Those ripples, he added, were "slower probably than what this one would be." Although careful to say the Big Ten might not act at all, he added, "Whatever we do, and whatever we affect, (others) will adjust and they'll survive."
Perhaps so. Just not in any recognizable alignment.
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Big Ten expansion could be seismic - STLtoday.com