Big Ten Conference expansion seems to be the hot topic in college football. Is a Big Ten Conference expansion a reality or a myth though? There have been a number of stories since the college football season came to an end about the Big Ten looking to expand the conference. There are currently 11 teams in the Big Ten, and as they try to keep pace with the SEC and Big-12, suddenly the Big Ten has been found in the rumors of several schools. The biggest rumor has been that Notre Dame would join the Big Ten next season, ending their run as the biggest independent school in college football. Then the Big Ten said the rumors were false. So where is the truth in all of these stories? The most prevalent fact in all of these stories is that the Big Ten does want to expand. Expansion for the Big Ten means taking on additional schools, and possibly splitting into two divisions within the conference. The question then becomes which schools would actually come over to the Big Ten if they were invited into the fold. For some schools it is more beneficial to do so, including the rumored Rutgers shift, which would put them in a more lucrative network of schools. It's not quite as clear though, if Notre Dame would benefit from joining the Big Ten, because they would have to give up some of the money they get from being broadcast on national television every week. The Big Ten does have their own network though, so the revenue wouldn't completely disappear. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2994876/big_ten_expansion_a_reality_or_a_myth.html
