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Accelerated timetable for Big Ten expansion - Chicago Breaking Sports

Accelerated timetable for Big Ten expansion
April 17, 2010 3:24 PM | 15 Comments

By Teddy Greenstein

Remember the talk that the Big Ten would take 12-18 months to decide whether to expand?

An accelerated timetable has emerged, according to sources familiar with the process.

High-ranking Big Ten representatives will meet Sunday afternoon in Washington D.C. to discuss expansion. The timing and location of the session make sense considering the Association of American Universities is holding its semi-annual meetings in D.C. from Sunday-Tuesday, and all 11 Big Ten schools are AAU members.

Among those attending will be Northwestern President Morton Schapiro, according to a university spokesman, and University of Illinois interim chancellor Robert Easter.

If the league can emerge from the D.C. meetings with a mandate to expand, commissioner Jim Delany could take a substantial step next week at the annual BCS meetings, outside Phoenix.

As laid out in the Big Ten's Dec. 15 statement, Delany would "notify" the commissioner(s) of the affected conference(s) before "engaging in formal expansion discussions with other institutions."

In other words, Big East commissioner John Marinatto would get a heads-up if the Big Ten wishes to contact schools such as Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

That would allow the Big Ten more than a month to negotiate with schools before conference presidents and chancellors meet in Chicago during the first weekend in June.

That timetable also makes sense from a financial standpoint. The fiscal years of universities end on the last day of June, "so if you go past July 1, then you have to wait an extra year," said one source.

Delany could not be reached for comment Saturday and has declined interview requests, saying he's in a "silent phase."

The thinking among those in touch with Big Ten officials is that the league is likely to add at least three schools -- to end up with a 14- or 16-team league.

"I don't think 16 is scaring anyone off, as long as you can find that many (five) that are a good enough fit," said one source who has been consulted during the conference's exploratory phase. "They're looking long-term, across the horizon. What gives them the best shot at keeping value at a high level?"

Notre Dame remains Option A, though observers are flummoxed about the school's intentions because of seemingly divergent statements made by Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick.

By joining the Big Ten, the Irish could increase their annual TV revenue from roughly $12 million to $22 million per year, get a national TV platform (the Big Ten Network) for its top-notch Olympic sports and decrease travel costs for its teams.

Tribune reporter Jodi S. Cohen contributed to this report.