[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]
Cavalcade of Whimsy[/FONT]
[FONT=verdana, arial, sans serif]College Football For the Handsome[/FONT]
Sorry if this column sucks, its not my fault - the Big Ten really doesn't love me, it just wants me for my TV market.
Jim Delany facts ... Keaton always said, 'I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him.' Well, I believe in God, and the only thing I fear, is Jim Delany.
"If you're part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they're going to kill you, doesn't happen that way. There weren't any arguments or curses like in the movies. See, your murderers come with smiles, they come as your friends, the people who've cared for you all of your life. And they always seem to come at a time that you're at your weakest and most in need of their help." ... Did the announcement of the Big Ten adding Maryland and Rutgers seem a little bit underwhelming to you, too?
Maybe it got swept aside in the sports news cycle with all the attention on Notre Dame-USC and the other rivalry games. Maybe we?ve all been a bit desensitized to the idea of schools changing around their conference dance partners, and maybe none of this is really shocking anymore, but this is still the Big Freaking Ten and this is still a big freaking deal.
Both schools bring in nice names, and there are certainly merits to the marriage in terms of TV markets, academics, and on the field possibilities, but this is really just about the cash grab for Maryland and a step up in prestige for Rutgers. Again, though, bringing in these two isn?t exactly like adding Nebraska and Penn State.
Or North Carolina.
Do you really think that Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is going to be satisfied with the stand-up double? Do you really believe that the grand design for college sports world domination is going to end with Rutgers and Maryland? Just wait, because whatever is happening next will be a foundation-shaker.
One thing to remember, anyone who says they have inside sources or any real knowledge of who's going where in the realignment craziness is full of beans. The ACC went to bed thinking all was right with the world, and it woke up with Maryland walking out the door. This is all cloak-and-dagger, big-time corporate wheeling and dealing that extends far beyond the idea of whether or not the Terp defensive front seven can handle the Ohio State running game. The commissioners are the sharpest knives in the college athletic drawers - there's always a plan.
Why did Delany go so apespit over demanding that the Big Ten's partnership with the Rose Bowl be rock-solid - to the point of seemingly sacrificing the league's best interest in a playoff? On the surface, the tie-in helps maintain the Big Ten's footing in Los Angeles and continues to give the league a permanent, carrot-at-the-end-of-the-stick presence on the West Coast.
Rutgers and Maryland obviously extend to the conference further out to the east, and now they should go after the big basketball whales with North Carolina on the table along with Virginia. These two fit the academic profiles of what the Big Ten wants, and they?d bring lots and lots of eyeballs and gobs of TV money. While it might seem sacrilegious to have an ACC without UNC, there are enough good reasons - mostly involving money - and enough rumblings to make the move to the Big Ten seem plausible.
Remember, Delany is a Tar Heel.
And don't think that the expansion would stop there. Kansas has long been on the Big Ten radar, while Florida State and Louisville could be the right fit for the Big 12. The SEC? Virginia Tech continues to make the most sense, but who'd be the balance? NC State?
However it happens, the world is going to continue to change. The rich are going to end up getting a whole bunch richer, and if you liked this year with all the big games in the big conferences, you're going to love what's coming up soon...
More Jim Delany facts ... In Jim Delany?s house, the toilet seat stays up.
More Jim Delany facts ... Grover Norquist pledges to Jim Delany.
More Jim Delany facts ... Cialis uses Jim Delany.
More Jim Delany facts ... Jim Delany is allowed to use 141 characters.
More Jim Delany facts ... Jim Delany gets the Pac-12 Network.
More Jim Delany facts ... Chuck Norris was once put in traction for merely thinking about kicking Jim Delany's ass...
