Conference expansion pros, cons
Pros
• The Big Ten can stage a championship game, which should be successful given the huge individual fan base for each school and the fact that the conference, unlike the ACC, is confined to a specific geographic region.
• The league could charge more for ads on the Big Ten Network, and it would command a huge fee for its next deal with ESPN/ABC or any other bidders.
• Rivalries would be protected and even enhanced; Michigan-Notre Dame would mean something.
Cons
• If Notre Dame doesn't improve, the Big Ten would be adding another slow, plodding team.
• If Michigan and Ohio State each win their division, they could play consecutive games. In some years, however, that could be a good thing.
Pros
• The Big Ten could stage its championship game. To understand how much money that means, consider the 2008 SEC title game generated $14.3 million for league members.
• If Rutgers or Syracuse joined, the Big Ten would add the New York City television market.
• One more school would win a seat at the BCS-conference table when the Big East filled its opening. Central Florida and Memphis would be the best candidates.
Cons
• With the possible exception of Pitt-Penn State, no natural rivalries would result.
• If UCF joined the Big East, its basketball program might not win a conference game against anyone except South Florida for five years.
Pros
• The Big Ten and newly renamed Pac-12 could stage championship games and share more revenue.
• Voters wouldn't dismiss the Pac-12 champ when picking the BCS title-game participants, like they did with USC in 2008. A one-loss champ from a league that includes Boise State, Cal, Oregon, USC and Utah would get just as much respect as a one-loss SEC or Big 12 champ.
• Putting Missouri in the Big Ten would help make the conference faster.
• Giving TCU Big 12 money might produce a program that can compete with Texas and Oklahoma on an annual basis.
• Meaningful complaints against the BCS would dwindle because the teams creating most of the ruckus would be part of the BCS machine.
Cons
• Meaningful complaints against the BCS would dwindle because the teams creating most of the ruckus would be part of the BCS machine (and yes, we're intentionally repeating this point).
• Boise State beating Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on a Statue of Liberty play would still be cool to watch, but it wouldn't mean the same thing.
• BYU and the Mountain West would truly get stiffed.
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