Either way, it appears as though the Big Ten (Plus One) is determined to expand past its current membership.
Consider me a traditionalist.
At the high school level, I was bummed when the Greater Miami Valley Conference and Southwestern Rivers Conference — and others — fell victim to mergers.
But if the Big Ten wants to expand, and even add a conference championship game, I’m willing to go along with it.
I just hope the new teams don’t get the Penn State treatment.
I grew up an Ohio State fan and adopted Penn State to give myself a team to rival — and needle — my brother’s following of Pittsburgh.
It’s understandable, though, that no Big Ten team or fan would want the new kid on the block to show everyone up and win the conference title.
But Penn State did that in 1994, and should have won the national title, too. After building a big lead against Indiana and pulling starters, the Hoosiers made a comeback. Penn State still won, but was dropped from No. 1 in the poll to No. 2 behind eventual champ Nebraska. And if I remember correctly, voters among Big Ten media played a key role in that fall from No. 1.
This isn’t meant to sound like sour grapes or even Big Ten bashing. I just hope attitudes have changed should new teams, say Nebraska, make a similar debut when and if they join.
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