RE: The Big 10 should get BIG
It will be interesting to see who the next Big Ten Commissioner ends up being (I'd think it would be Jim Phillips, but I also thought he would have been the favorite to replace Delaney). It sounds like Warren very much wanted to continue westward and add more PAC schools (namely Washington and Oregon), but the Presidents and ADs very much wanted to pause and wait. If it is Phillips, and with the new TV deal running through 2029/2030, I'd think the priority becomes adding ACC schools (namely Florida State, UNC, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Miami and/or Duke, as a filler). The PAC schools, respectively, aren't going anywhere (and if they are, it would be to the Big 12, which would still not shield any members from defections).
Long-term, I still view Stanford as a likely addition at some point. They, now, fit the B1G like a glove between academics, athletics and brand. Washington and Oregon could be added, but they wouldn't be added as travel partners for UCLA/USC; Stanford could come with Cal, but Cal doesn't move the needle, at all. Arizona would only make sense, in my mind, if they came with ASU, as ASU has a larger enrollment and a strong presence in the LA market. Does a western PAC wing make sense? Historically and geographically it does, but unless it makes financial sense (and right now it doesn't), it will just be a wish.
I think the ACC is the next target, which is also the same for the SEC. This will pretty much be the first time both leagues come head-to-head over select schools (I think the Big Ten was after UT/OU, but I think both preferred the SEC). ESPN needs to play this out carefully, as if they don't protect the top ACC brands when the SEC and Big Ten are making significantly more, these ACC schools may prefer to jump to Fox and the Big Ten. Time will tell. Today, I think most of the ACC brands end up in the SEC, with the Big Ten moving west. ND won't join a conference, but I could see them joining the B1G in a partial membership in the 2030s for bowl/matchup purposes.
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