This round of Big Ten expansion is over

The Big Ten sent out word this afternoon that its active search for new conference members is over, but did leave the door slightly ajar for possible future expansion.

"During today’s meeting it was decided that it was appropriate to focus completely on conference affairs at this time. “We have been thoroughly engaged in the process since last December,” said COP/C Chair and Indiana University President Michael McRobbie. “Following detailed discussions at today’s meeting, my colleagues and I can report that we believe that this process has reached its natural conclusion. We are pleased with the addition of Nebraska and look forward to working with our colleagues there in the years ahead.”

LBU Reaction to Big Ten Divisions

Those who are about to become
Penn State's biggest rivals, salute you!

It's been a crazy 24 hours, but a fun 24 hours. Big Ten Divisions are here, and we have something to say about it...

Linkbacker U is talking Big Ten Divisions

The first phase of Big Ten expansion is done (we assume), meaning it's time to start looking at the Big Ten's new 12-team future. We've been quiet around here because life tends to come slamming down at the most inopportune times, particularly when it happens to all of us at once. But I'll have a quick update for you all, following the link digest.

Big Ten Expansion, Divisions:

Brad Wolverton - Al Grivetti was a graduate student at Northern Illinois University in 1990 when he got a dream assignment: Design a new logo for the Big Ten Conference, whose membership was about to increase to 11 institutions. With two brilliant strokes—spelling out the "Ten" to play down the numeral, and adding a subliminal "11"—he created a logo that has lasted 20 years.

Rusty Miller (AP) - No matter how the schedules are drawn up, some schools likely will grumble quietly. The conference will try to preserve old rivalries, but there are no guarantees that all will be played annually. There's no question that new ones will be created.

Adam Rittenberg - But the Big Ten says it will continue to examine expansion for the next year or so, and Delany could "act and act again," he said earlier this month. So here's some advice to the league: If Phase 2 of expansion becomes a reality, make recruiting a top priority.

Brian Cook - Unfortunately, there's no obvious winner. Geography is going to be hewed to fairly closely if only because the serious rivalries in the league are based on it. So the Big Ten faces a choice between throwing three of its four-ish (three and a half, really) glamor teams in the same division, creating an unbalanced split of the top six programs, or disrupting some of the leagues most treasured rivalries.

Bruce Cisky - Outside of the uncertain future for Michigan (powerhouse, consistent contender or something worse), there aren't a lot of issues with putting divisions together. Delany and his cohorts have plenty of favorable options here, and it shouldn't be that hard to satisfy both those looking for geographic sense or tradition in divisions and those who want the divisions to be drawn with a sense of competitive balance in mind.

Pac-10 Expansion, Divisions:

Ivan Maisel - Instead of the unknown, college football awakened Wednesday in a slightly different known. In most pre-Scott expansion landscapes, the schools that best fit a move to the Pac-10 were Colorado and Utah. After all the negotiations, after all the rumors and discussions of a 16-team Pac-10, the league ended up with Colorado. Speculation is rampant that Utah is soon to follow.

Pete Fiutak - The Pac-10 Conference has extened an invitation to Utah to become the 12th member. It's a move that became necessary, and relatively obvious, once the Big Ten and the Big 12 all decided to stay together, and now Utah, assuming its higher-ups accept, has its BCS shot.

Pete Alfano - Order has been restored to college football, but for how long? "The only constant is change," Scott said, "so I wouldn’t rule out the super conference idea. I think that it’s been proven in this process that it is a compelling concept for the TV networks and schools."

Ralph Russo (AP) - Scott said he never felt he had an agreement in place with Texas that would have led to the Longhorns, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M joining the Pac-10. And he said he holds no animosity toward Texas for essentially killing the deal.

John Taylor - Based on geography, it would make sense for the conference to split into sort of a North and South division. Whether that's exactly how the Pac-10 decides to divide remains to be seen as the ink's not even dry on Utah's acceptance to an invite, but here goes nothing anyway.

Big 12 Expansion/Contraction:

The Trenches (TSN) - Lawrence (Kan.) Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan, citing an unidentified source familiar with Jones' thinking, blogs that Jones is the "driving force" behind the idea of the Fighting Irish and Razorbacks replacing Nebraska and Colorado.

Big East Expansion:

Sporting News (wire) - Orlando, Fla., television station WKMG reported Wednesday that the Big East Conference will issue invitations to Central Florida and Memphis as early as next week. The station cited multiple college football sources. Under that scenario, the Big East would become a 10-team football league and an 18-team basketball behemoth.

LBU Update:

As I pointed out at the top of this article, it's been slow this week at LBU. We are truly sorry about that. I guess after all the expansion stuff last week, there was a burn-out factor going into this week. However, I can assure you all that there will be plenty of stuff going on this summer, probably starting as early as this weekend. Tim is working on a special edition 10 Minutes or Less (we're not telling which team it features, but you can probably guess), while I will dive back into the recruiting world. Plus, our weekly features like the team profiles by Galen and the blogger Q&As by Tim will settle into their schedules, especially since we will be getting into the Big Ten teams soon.

And don't forget, if you ever have any questions or suggests, you can email us at WeAre.LBU[at]gmail[dot]com, or find us on Twitter and Facebook.

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Pac-10 Expansion: It's Utah's Turn... right?

So Boise State went to the Mountain West Conference. It sounded like that league would finally be the seventh BCS automatic qualifier. That could be in jeopardy, now that Utah is expected to join the Pac-10. The question is, though, when?

There was this report by the Las Vegas Review-Journal saying Utah to the Pac-10 was basically a done deal:

"Utah is on its way to the Pac-10, a Mountain West Conference source said Tuesday night. The source did not want to be named because an official announcement has not been made.

Comcast SportsNet in the San Francisco Bay Area reported a formal announcement would be made today."

But that was shot down almost immediately by the LA Times:

"[Utah] still reside[s] in the Mountain West Conference, and Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said Utah's athletic director told him Monday that the university had not been contacted by the Pac-10."

But then we got this latest one out of the Coloradoan, citing the Colorado State (MWC team) official who said he was preparing for Utah's departure:

"Utah's been a good partner, and they're certainly a class act within the conference, and I respect and appreciate Chris Hill and his staff and his coaches tremendously," Kowalczyk said. "I really would hate to see them go, but we all understand how this game is played and how things are. In our business, there are no guarantees."

Kowalczyk said CSU never was contacted by any of the conferences looking to expand but did acknowledge that the MWC was looking at partnering with some of the Big 12 schools that would have been left behind had Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech accepted the Pac-10's invitation and formed a 16-team megaconference."

So, is this just an attempt by some sports media to keep the juicy expansion storyline alive a few more days/weeks? Or is this Utah thing real? I'm sure we'll find out soon enough.

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Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock STRIKES MIDNIGHT; Nebraska is Joining

Check back later for any updates to this story...

Update: The Big Ten released its official announcement that Nebraska will be its 12th member school.

Signed, sealed, delivered:

Two sources from conference offices said that Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany contacted BIg 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe on Friday morning to inform Beebe that Delany had officially invited Nebraska to join.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Nebraska accepted.

Some quotes from the board of regents meeting, which is still going on as of this posting...

Tom Osborne: "We take academics seriously and Big Ten is a big fit in that regard." ... "The stability of the Big Ten is something that we cannot ignore at this time." ... "We take academics seriously and Big Ten is a big fit in that regard."

UNL Chancellor Harvey Perlman: "The Big Ten Network will be carrying our games across the landscape of Nebraska." ... "I think we are, as an institution, more aligned with Big 10, especially academically." ... "We want to begin competition in Big 10 in 2012."

Ladies and gentlemen, the time is now:

12:00:00

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Clock History

Day	Change	Time	'Till Midnight	Reason
May 10	0:00	11:45	15 min.	Initial setting of Big Ten Expansion “Doomsday” clock
May 10	+11:00	11:56	4 min.	Sports Radio 810 WHB reports Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame
May 11	-3:00	11:53	7 min.	Jim Delany enters full-scale denial mode about Sports Radio 810 WHB report
May 19	-3:00	11:50	10 min.	Jim Delany, says expansion plans are still 12-18 months away
June 3	+4:00	11:54	6 min.	Rivals reports the Pac 10 will invite six Big XII teams
June 6	+4:30	11:58:30	1 min 30 sec	Nebraska, Mizzou given ultimatum by Big 12; Pac-10 continues with plans to get Big 12 South teams to join.
June 9	+1:00	11:59:30	30 sec	Omaha World-Herald reports that Nebraska will leave the Big 12 for the Big Ten on June 11.
June 11	+0:30	12:00:00	00:00:00	At a Nebraska University Board of Regents meeting, it is decided--on the record--to accept a formal invitation to join the Big Ten.

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Expansion like this might not happen again, so enjoy it

What we are seeing right now with the expansion and realignment of conferences, it will rival the biggest moments in college football history. (photo: BuckNuts.com)

It's not often that you get to really enjoy history as it's being made. Luckily for us, it's happening right now.

This is kind of a big deal. Today in Lincoln the board of regents for the University of Nebraska will conduct what just a few weeks earlier would have been considered a standard meeting to discuss university issues. That is, it was a standard meeting until one resolution was added a few days ago to Section VI:

Resolution regarding UNL athletic conference alignment.

Once that hit the board's official Web page, everyone assumed it would be just a formality; that the board wasn't really meeting to weigh the options, but rather, go over just how fast they can get this deal sealed.

After all, the past few days have been full of mere formalities, such as the fact that Nebraska still has to "apply" for an invitation to the Big Ten. Right, like the Big Ten, after nearly failing to hold it in its pants when Nebraska AD Tom Osborne supposedly told staff that the realignment was happening, would say "eh, maybe you're not for us after all."

This is going to happen. There's no going back. The media has been building up this day for a week now. So there's a lot to live up to.

We are witnessing history. But it's not just history like national championships, or big controversial plays, or fantastic epic games. This could possibly be the biggest single shift in college football... ever. We need to enjoy every second of it. And quite honestly, we're the fortunate ones who can do so.

Penn State is in the unique situation of being on the safe side. Expansion can only help Penn State and the Big Ten. Those saying otherwise, well, are full of crap, or animosity, or simply jealous that their teams are either not involved or going to get screwed.

So enjoy today. Take it all in. We may not see anything like this for a long time after the dust settles. Will there be more conference shifting in the next few decades? Of course. But I'm willing to type this on the internet, where words never die, right now: nothing of this magnitude will happen again for at least 30 or 40 years.

Have fun with this. That's all I'm saying.

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Nebraska will join the Big Ten; Four more schools to follow?

The Cornhuskers will bring all those "National Championships" with them to the Big Ten. (photo: HuskersGameday.com)

It looks like this will be it, folks. Between Rivals' Chip Brown, Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein, and ESPN it's become 99 percent certain (Is it possible to be "almost certain?") that the University of Nebraska will officially join the Big Ten expansion party. The problem is, no one is going on the record to confirm it.

We do know that Nebraska's board of regents will meet tomorrow. And now we know that their official agenda will include a "Resolution regarding UNL athletic conference alignment."

And a little while ago, Twitter erupted with the rumor that WFNI Indianapolis was reporting that Notre Dame, Syracuse, Rutgers & Maryland are Big Ten bound along with Nebraska. But there isn't a hard link to the story, probably because it was reported on-air. So that's something to watch.

Rutgers is growing as a serious contender for the third spot in this first wave of new additions to the Big Ten. But should Notre Dame get swayed towards the conference, we could see all five (as the radio report supposedly claimed) of those named schools jump in tow with Big Red.

This is a moving story. What you're reading right now is probably out-dated. Check back later tonight, as we may have even more movement (two in one day!) on the Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock!

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Joe Paterno Predicted Pac-10 Expansion

(HT:BSD)

As Run Up The Score put it: HE TRIED TO TELL YOU. Yes, with all this talk about the Pac-10 suddenly expanding, and the media world seemingly caught with their pants around their ankles, we can look back almost seven weeks to comments by Joe Paterno. He was in the press box for ESPN's live broadcast of the Penn State Blue-White Game. While discussing a number of topics with Brent Musberger, Kirk Herbstreit, and Matt Millen, Paterno told a national TV audience that he felt the Pac-10 would expand, and that "friends of mine (his)" said it would happen.

But what did he know? Paterno is just a crazy octogenarian past his prime, right?



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Poll: Who should get the Big Ten expansion invite?

With a newly "accelerated" timetable for expanding the Big Ten, let's dip back into the waters of prognostication. Tell us who you think should get an invitation to join the Big Ten? (note: if you choose "other" be sure to give us your thoughts in the comments)

When the Big Ten sends out expansion invitations, which schools would you most like to see on the list?

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Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock is banking on Notre Dame

Who would have thought the Pac-10 would be the catalyst for Big Ten expansion, while the Big 12 would actually destroy itself in the process?

But that's exactly what we got today.

The Big 12 issued an ultimatum to Nebraska and Missouri--both have been very receptive to Big Ten overtures--demanding the two schools let conference officials know their plans for the future (i.e. Are they going, or not?).

Farther west, the Pac-10 took the mediasphere (Just made up that term. Like it?) by storm, with its leaked intentions to invite six Big 12 programs: Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and either Colorado or Baylor.

Chip Brown of OrangeBloods.com has been "the guy" today when it comes to scooping the world. He's been on top of everything before it even happens, including the most recent word that the Big Ten will work on Notre Dame first, even before dealing with Nebraska and Missouri.

Chicago-based Teddy Greenstein of the Tribune also tweeted earlier today that the Big Ten expansion schedule, according to Jim Delany, "could be affected."

So we've heard from the Pac-10, the Big 12, aaand the Big Ten, all in one 24-hour span. This is no longer rumor. It's suddenly shifted to serious discussion, and action, by conference officials. College football appears to be heading for a seismic shift. But the biggest question remains: When?

No one knows. We could see it happen tomorrow. It could be another two weeks. But it will happen, soon.

The time is now:

11:58:30

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Clock History

Day	Change	Time	'Till Midnight	Reason
May 10	0	11:45	15 min.	Initial setting of Big Ten Expansion “Doomsday” clock
May 10	+11	11:56	4 min.	Sports Radio 810 WHB reports Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame
May 11	-3	11:53	7 min.	Jim Delany enters full-scale denial mode about Sports Radio 810 WHB report
May 19	-3	11:50	10 min.	Jim Delany, says expansion plans are still 12-18 months away
June 3	+4	11:54	6 min.	Rivals reports the Pac 10 will invite six Big XII teams
June 6	+4:30	11:58:30	1 min 30 sec	Nebraska, Mizzou given ultimatum by Big 12; Pac-10 continues with plans to get Big 12 South teams to join.

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Big XII continues march to self-destruction; Nebraska, Mizzou given Ultimatum

Will Nebraska jump ship? The Pac-10 and Big XII are now in an all-out war over expansion. And the Big Ten is, surprising, not directly in the middle of it. (photo: Huskers.com)

Just as we all started to recover from the Pac-10/Big XII expansion news, another salvo was fired by the Big XII, which is quickly growing into the most dysfunctional conference in college football.

Bitter, much?

"Nebraska and Missouri have been given an ultimatum by the Big 12 and told they have until this Friday to decide if they want to remain in the conference or entertain the possibility of joining the Big Ten, two highly placed officials of two Big 12 schools have told the Statesman."

Lately, the Big XII has been squirming like a three year old at church, so it's not surprising that this kind of story is developing. However, I have to believe that this could in fact hasten the demise of the Big XII.

“I’ve talked to the Pac-10,” said the Big 12 school administrator, who expected the speculation involving the Big 12 to be resolved within two weeks. “There is an invitation. When it comes, it’ll come fast.” One Pac-10 athletic director told the Statesman on Saturday, “There’s still a lot that has to happen. It’s nowhere near done. At this point, we have not been presented any definite plans. Said another political figure heavily connected to Texas, “I know the war drums are beating. This is way beyond gossip.”

Not so fast, my friend. Chip Brown, now approaching legendary status for his reporting on this story for Orangebloods.com, tweeted today that "Pac-10 commish Larry Scott today will recommend six-team, Big 12 expansion to league presidents and chancellors."

But that's not all, folks. The Pac-10 won't only go for six Big XII teams, but it's also going for a knock out punch. A follow-up tweet from Brown indicated "Pac-10 commish Larry Scott will also recommend a 16-team conference network that projects to pay $20 million per school."

That's basically a big'ole "suck it" to the Big Ten and Big XII. For the Big Ten, this takes all the air out of our home conference's sails. Jim Delaney & Co. was in the biggest spotlight for months now. To the Big XII, this move suggests the Pac-10 is not about to be left behind in this march toward expansion. And if that means the Big XII gets destroyed, well, that's just a casualty of war.

I'll be very interested to see what the Big Ten "officials" have to say to the media this week, if anything at all. You would think they will say something, particularly since Nebraska and Missouri were the earliest speculated invitees to the Big Ten.

What if Nebraska and/or Missouri say "good riddance" to the Big XII? Would they be left without a conference, if the Big Ten doesn't jump on them? Does this open up a chance for the Big Ten to have two teams basically locked in, with the momentum to grab a Rutgers, Pitt, or (dum-dum-dum!) Notre Dame?

Hang on, folks!

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Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock ticks to 8:54 p.m... Pacific Time

Well isn't this just a treat. For all the talk about the Big Ten, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and the SEC, we get a new rumor thread to floss with tonight. Rivals' Chip Brown reported this afternoon that the Pac 10--that's right, the PACIFIC TEN CONFERENCE--could end up jumping the gun on expansion:

"...it appears the Pac-10, which has its meetings in San Francisco starting this weekend, is prepared to make a bold move and invite Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado to join its league, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds has maintained that the Longhorns will do whatever it takes to remain the Jones' of college football.
Left out would be Iowa State, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska and Missouri."

It sounds so familiar. But this time it just feels different--scary, if you will. Brown's article continues:

"The six teams from the Big 12 would be in an eight-team division with Arizona and Arizona State. The other eight-team division would consist of USC, UCLA, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State...

...An invitation from the Pac-10 will be hard for the six Big 12 schools being targeted not to consider. Why? Because Fox Cable Networks (a division of News Corporation), which serves as the chief operating partner of the successful Big Ten Network, appears ready to make the Big 16 Network happen.

Fox is the chief television partner of the Pac-10 currently, and its subsidiary Fox Sports Net currently holds the rights to the Big 12 cable package, which comes up for bid in the spring of 2011. The Pac-10 also has television deals with Fox up for re-bid at the same time."

The entire article is full of many more speculations and tantalizing ripple effects that could happen if this is all true.

This isn't some local radio station reporting something they heard from someone somewhere. This is a major sports media outlet, associated with even bigger media outlets like Sports Illustrated and Yahoo. We will eagerly await the fully-expected "I know nothing" from both Pac 10 and Big XII officials.

For now, though, this clock is ticking again. The time is now:

11:54

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Clock History

Day	Change	Time	'Till Midnight	Reason
May 10	0	11:45	15 min.	Initial setting of Big Ten Expansion “Doomsday” clock
May 10	+11	11:56	4 min.	Sports Radio 810 WHB reports Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame
May 11	-3	11:53	7 min.	Jim Delany enters full-scale denial mode about Sports Radio 810 WHB report
May 19	-3	11:50	10 min.	Jim Delany, says expansion plans are still 12-18 months away
June 3	+4	11:54	6 min.	Rivals reports the Pac 10 will invite six Big XII teams

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Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock is Cooling its Jets

You may have heard about this expansion thing in the Big Ten. So have we. But after what seemed like weeks of stories suggesting that Big Ten expansion could come any day now, we finally got something to bite into--the Big Ten spring meetings in Chicago.

Unfortunately, all we got was a big chunk of ice from Jim Delany, who quite plainly articulated that expansion plans are still on the 12-18 months timetable, and that no decision would come now, or anytime soon.

Not that it has stopped every news outlet from churning out expansion stories like collector mugs full of hot cocoa on a rainy November Saturday in Beaver Stadium.

But since it really does look like things are cooling off around Big Ten expansion, we decided to dial back our Doomsday Clock by three minutes. The time is now:

11:50

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

Clock History

Day	Change	Time	'Till Midnight	Reason
May 10	0	11:45	15 min.	Initial setting of Big Ten Expansion “Doomsday” clock
May 10	+11	11:56	4 min.	Sports Radio 810 WHB reports Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame
May 11	-3	11:53	7 min.	Jim Delany enters full-scale denial mode about Sports Radio 810 WHB report
May 19	-3	11:50	10 min.	Jim Delany, says expansion plans are still 12-18 months away

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Linkbacker-U commissions report proving Big Ten expansion stories are not hazardous to your health

To the traditional media at-large:

I know the feeling. There is just no way, no how you are going to let a storyline like Big Ten expansion die any time soon. It's just too damn popular. Your sports page is getting a huge boost in daily hits because of it, and the readers, although claiming to be sick of reading about it, keep coming back for more each day. How could you possibly separate the consumers from the product they crave? I mean, it's worked super swell for the cigarette companies, oil cartels, and fast food chains all these years. It's just capitalism! This is not Communist Russia, Nazi Germany, or Socialist China! We're Americans, dammit! And we'll consume whatever makes us feel good, for as long as it will make us feel good. Or, at least until it kills us.

Down with the Pinkos! [Big ol' TFJ]

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

You've probably seen this photo in nearly every article today, 'cause you know there was only one photographer at the Big Ten meetings yesterday.

And now for day three of our expansion stories link dumping. Because, you know, it's us bloggers who are brazenly spreading all this stuff about Big Ten expansion.

Looking South

• ESPN - Population shift driving Big Ten expansion study

• CBS Sports - Population could play large factor in expansion plans

• Kansas City Star - Big Ten widens expansion speculation

• USA Today - Demographics may prompt Big Ten to go with expansion route

• Columbus Dispatch - Big Ten looking at Southern Exposure

• Dallas Morning News - Big Ten Now Trying to Map Out a Move South

BREAKING: Nothing Is Happening

• ESPN - Notes from Day 2 of the Big Ten Meetings

• ESPN - Big Ten expansion vote 'months away'

• NJ.com (AP) - Big Ten commissioner says decision on conference expansion still 'months away'

• Syracuse Post-Standard - Jim Delany tells media nothing's imminent

• WILX.com (Lansing, MI) - Nothing From Delany On Big Ten Expansion

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Delany offers no thought on Big Ten expansion

• NBC Sports - Video of Jim Delany on Expansion Talk

Et Cetera

• Chicago Tribune - Don't overlook academic affiliation side of Big Ten expansion

• USA Today - Sorting through the Big Ten expansion scenarios

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Georgia Tech, ACC content to watch expansion for now

• Syracuse.com - Big Ten expansion talk is getting tiresome

• ESPN - Nebraska Cornhuskers vs. Big Ten Teams

• AL.com - Maybe the Big Ten won't Blow up the World

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Linkbacker-U tires of your Big Ten expansion fluff

Jim Delany, seen here counting to eleventy billion, the number of dollars the Big Ten will make in 2010...

You know you love the "Linkbacker-U" play. Admit it. So anyway, we told you this week would be slow around here. We weren't kidding. A bunch of nothing has come out of the Big Ten spring meetings so far, unless you consider fluff stories something. I don't.

Spring Meetings & Expansion in General...

• Sporting News (MSNBC) - Be patient with Big Ten as it mulls expansion

• AnnArbor.com - Big Ten athletic directors wrestle with expansion rumors

• Rivals.com - As rumors heat up, all eyes on Big Ten

• ESPN Big Ten Blog - Big Ten coaches, ADs turn to Delany for answers

• USA Today - Big Ten coaches, directors meet as expansion rumors fly

• Chicago Tribune - Coaches relish league's lofty status

• St. Cloud Times - Rajkowski column: A brave new and bloated Big Ten

Poll: Will there be any actual expansion news this week?

Notre Dame...

• ABC News (AP) - Will Notre Dame Keep Its Independence?
This one is so early March 2010.

• UK Daily Mail - (as in, United Kingdom!)Michael Kim's US sport column: Notre Dame must decide if it wants to stay independent or join the college expansion and make an extra $7m a year

• CBS Sports - Notre Dame looks like it's working on independent future
A look at ND's scheduling the next few years.

Big XII, ACC, SEC...

• ESPN Big XII Blog - Texas AD not looking to leave Big 12

• VandyMania.com (Scout) - [Vanderbilt to the] Big Ten? Maybe not a bad idea

• Washington Examiner - Jim Williams: Maryland in the Big Ten? An invite could come

• HuskerExtra.com - Steven M. Sipple: Big Ten has many appealing factors in its favor

• Tampa Bay Online - Big Ten expansion talk has USF's attention

Recruiting...

• Philly.com - What does “commit” really mean?
Definitely worth the read, since it's finally a decent story about something other than Big Ten expansion.

• Charleston Post and Courier (SC) - Gamecocks land Georgia prep QB
The QB isn't really the story here for PSU fans, rather it's the fact that USC is going after so many of the same recruits as the Lions.

Et cetera...

• AnnArbor.com - Michigan to announce self-imposed sanctions against football team, will announce specifics next week

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Link Dumping into the Big Ten Meetings

It's Monday, and I don't really feel like writing a thousand word rant on Big Ten expansion. So, here's what everyone else is saying as the Big Ten Spring Meetings kick off today in Chicago. Check back later today for more links (I'm sure we'll find more), and then even later for a wrap up of the first day, if there's any news...

Big Ten Specific:

• Adam Rittenberg (ESPN) - Welcome to the Big Ten spring meetings

• Cleveland Plain-Dealer - To be (Big), or not to be: Big Ten's expansion road map and the Notre Dame question

• Chicago Tribune - Don't expect expansion news at Big Ten meetings

• Detroit Free-Press - Expansion talk excites U-M coach Rich Rodriguez

• St. Louis Today (Post-Dispatch) - Delany is the Big Ten's point man

Big XII Stuff:

• Des Moines Register - Special Report: As Big Ten expansion rumors fly, ISU keeps lips tight on future

• Star-Herald (NE) - Nebraska shoots down report of initial contact with Big Ten

• Detroit Free-Press - Big Ten expansion could destroy storied rivalries

• Dallas Morning News - Big Ten moves could leave Big 12, other conferences scrambling

• Chicago Breaking Sports (Trib) - Big Ten expansion could end 119-year-old rivalry

Big East, etc.:

• Providence Journal - Fate of Big East rests in Big Ten’s expansion plans

• Sporting News - Evaluating the Big Ten expansion candidates: Syracuse

• Washington Post - Big Ten expansion: Big dollars, little sense

• USA Today - Boise State could get invitation to join the Mountain West next month

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Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock Jumps 11 Minutes

While the mainstream media (save a Teddy-On-The-Spot story by Teddy Greenstein) is scrambling to confirm or debunk the report by Sports Radio 810 WHB that the Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame to join the conference, we all here at Linebacker-U.com huddled up for our first major adjustment to the Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock.

The time is now:

11:56

We know, that's quite a shift from the last time of 11:45. But Delany denying that the story is true only goes so far. Of course he's going to deny it, just like every other party involved, until the official announcement is set to be made. We all know how the sports world operates; it's worse than national politics.

Now remember, however, should Greenstein's report pan out and this storyline deflates or dies off, the clock will be turned back accordingly. That's the whole point, after all.

*yes, it is a word.

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Big Ten extends 'initial offers' to four teams; Delany denies it's true (updated)

Will Penn State renew an old rivalry with Nebraska? If the latest news is true, the Huskers are just one of four teams invited to join the Big Ten. (Photo: GoPSUSports.com)

No sooner do we break out our Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock, that a weeks-long dry spell in the conference expansion storyline comes crashing to an end. Get ready, folks, this one sounds serious.

Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City is reporting today that the Big Ten has extended initial invitations to Nebraska, Missouri, Rutgers, and Notre Dame to join the conference.

"While nothing can be approved until the Big Ten presidents and chancellors meet the first week of June in Chicago, the league has informed the two Big 12 schools, Notre Dame and Rutgers that it would like to have them join. It is not yet clear whether the Big Ten will expand to 14 or 16 teams but sources indicated Missouri and Nebraska are invited in either scenario."

Update: Teddy Greenstein at the Chicago Tribune reported a few minutes ago that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is denying the validity of 810 WHB's story.
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As this story develops and gets vetted by a few more news outlets, we'll keep a close eye on the situation. And stay tuned later tonight for the first movement on our Doomsday Clock!

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Big Ten Expansion 'Doomsday' Clock: 11:45

We needed to do something. This sounded interesting enough, so here it is. You know the "Doomsday Clock" that counts down how close humanity is to destroying itself? Well, considering the total freakout going on around college football these days, every media outlet under the sun trying to be the first to "break" the story that confirms when the Big Ten will expand and which teams will get the invitation, the parallels were too obvious.

So, allow us here at Linebacker-U.com to present the official Big Ten Expansion Doomsday Clock. It will be a regular feature here, though not on any regular schedule. As the talk or rumors heat up, we will call a conference of our distinguished college football minds, and determine just how far forward--or backward--we will set the time on the clock. On days when rumors get hot and heavy, you'll probably want to check us out that night to see how much time the college football world has left.

For its initial setting, we will start the clock at a quarter to midnight, 11:45. It's not so much to say that we're that far from the Big Ten announcing its expansion plans. Rather, it's just a good way to "zero out" before making any adjustments as time goes by.

We're sure this thing will need some tweaking as we go, so bear with us. But for now, be afraid! It's nearing midnight, and college football as we know it is closing in on a seizmic shift of Bear-Bryant-Biblical Proportions.

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Jack Swarbrick Reveals New 'Independent' Look for Notre Dame Football

New York Daily News's Dick Wiess wrote yesterday that the Fighting Irish would "remain independent in football... despite push from Big Ten..." The report surfaced immediately preceding Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick' impromptu press conference, in an attempt to drive home with the national media just how far Notre Dame is willing to take its vow of independence. Linebacker-U.com was able to obtain this exclusive photo from that meeting:

*If you don't understand that this is completely satirical, rest assured. It's only due to the fact that you have absolutely no sense of humor. Cheers!

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