Fearless Prognostications

Quick Hits: Big 10 Considering Expanding

Big Corn Field, IA (FP): Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney said the Big Ten would likely consider expanding to twelve teams to accommodate the Big Ten Network, which goes live August 30. He actually said they would consider talking about expansion - I guess this is like a meeting to talk about a future meeting.

He would not comment on actually changing the name of the conference to reflect how many schools are in it. Thousands of children across the heartland are confused each fall when they hear "11 schools" and and see the "Big 10" logo.

Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1989, bringing the total number of teams in the conference to eleven. Given that Northwestern still didn't know how to play football, it was pretty common knowledge that the athletic directors still only considered there to be ten football playing members.

In Landmark deal, SEC and ACC to swap schools

Birmingham, AL & Greensboro, NC (FP): In a landmark deal, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) have struck a deal for a play-out game among the leagues' worst football schools.

"Given the environment we face today," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive in a prepared statement, "We can no longer allow the tiny footballs of the world to drain us financially."

When asked to clarify, Slive would only say he didn't mean Vanderbilt University solely, but all the bottom fishes of the conference such as Vandy, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Kentucky.

At the same time, the ACC faces its own dilema. While Miami and Florida State bring home the bacon in Football, their basketball prowess is less than legendary. Then throw in the fact that sales of Virginia Tech football jerseys have plummeted with the Vick scandal, and you have yourself a financial conundrum of sorts.

"It kinda sucks," said ACC league commish John Swofford.

Enter the play-out game. At the end of the season, the leagues' two worst football schools will square off in a display of their last game as members of the conference. Immediately after, one school heads to the ACC, and the other to the SEC.

"What were obviously worried about," said Swofford, "is one of our premiere basketball teams finishing last in football and heading to the SEC."

This appears to be a win-win for the SEC. The conference would love to swap Vanderbilt for Duke. "Clearly," said Slive, "it can't be any worse for the conference to have Duke instead of Vandy for football - they at least have a nice basketball program."

Unconfirmed reports have Alabama blowing the season intentionally in football, so they can own the ACC next year. Alabama athletic director Mal Moore would only offer "no comment" to those reports.