

We’re all just watching how this will play out in the theater of collegiate athletics. If it comes down to it, and the Big Ten has an opportunity to take a school that checks all the boxes except the AAU accreditation, what will it do? Especially if it means a boatload of money because of market expansion, etc. In fact, they may not even get past the front door.īut here’s the deal - we’ve seen before where situations can change when money really becomes an issue. There may not be a seat at the table for some institutions. That really pares the list of schools that could even be in the picture for joining the Big Ten if mass chaos ensues. It’s true Nebraska is not an AAU member, but the Cornhuskers were when they joined the Big Ten. In fact, the only Big 12 schools that are AAU members are Texas, which appears headed to the SEC Kansas and Iowa State. If true, that means a school rumored to be in the mix, Oklahoma State, would not be considered. Despite all that a school can bring on the field of play and its reach, the academic side has always been highly considered as well. Big Ten Conference Schools Known As: Big Ten Conference, Western Conference.

However, the Big Ten seems to have a condition a school must meet before it will be considered for membership, and it’s one that was important during the last round of conference musical chairs as well.Īccording to Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, the Big Ten is only interested in schools that are a part of the Association of American Universities (AAU). So, we’ve heard about Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and others scrambling to get on dry land before the ship sinks. It is fallout from Texas and Oklahoma firing a cannonball into the hull of the Big 12 ship by expressing interest in leaving the conference to join the SEC. Some suggested that the Big Ten would move back to scheduling eight conference games with other cross-conference games against power fives teams added to the schedule. Bringing the conference to 16 teams creates new opportunities and issues regarding the balance of the conferences. 'There are two types of people in the world, they look at change as a problem or see it as an opportunity. There have been multiple reports about several Big 12 schools reaching out to the Big Ten about the possibility of joining the league over the last week. READ: Sources say UCLA and USC eyeing move to Big Ten. 'The Big Ten conference was born out of a desire to be bold,' Warren said.
