Asmussen | Are you in favor of more Big Ten expansion? Have I got a plan for you

Jun. 3—Is the Big Ten complete with 16 schools?

Not if you believe Nebraska president Ted Carter, who recently told The Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald the conference will add more teams.

But who? And when?

The latter question is trickier than the first. Because of long-standing media deals in other conferences, some schools are available sooner than others.

But know this: Everybody is in play. Schools that seem ungettable at the moment (that means you Notre Dame) can be added eventually.

The first job for the Big Ten is to figure out what it wants to be. Right now, it ranks with the SEC as the most powerful leagues in all of college sports.

That's cool.

Probably not what the founders had in mind more than a century ago, but something to brag about.

The original idea was to keep the group small and in the Midwest. Early members Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin were joined in 1912 by Ohio State.

Chicago dropped out in 1946 and was replaced in 1950 by Michigan State.

For the next 40 years, the Big Ten actually had a matching number of 10 institutions. Until it didn't.

Penn State joined in 1990, showing the conference wasn't all that concerned about geography. Nebraska, which is actually adjacent to the league, signed up in 2011 and Maryland and Rutgers came three years later.

Which brings us to today, when the conference is about to grow by 14 percent with the additions of Southern California and UCLA.

The Trojans and Bruins become members at the onset of the 2024-25 school year, nicely coinciding with the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams.

To be clear, expansion is mostly about football. And the massive amounts of revenue the sport produces for participating schools. Yes, the NCAA basketball tournaments are great, the Frozen Four is fun and the College World Series is one-of-a-kind event, but decisions revolve around football. It is the sun that keeps the planets (conferences) alive.

How many is too many?

Time to forget the old concepts of conference alignment. No rules. No borders. No ask that is out of the question.

Go big or go home. The more super-conferency the better.

So I'm suggesting the Big Ten add eight schools to get to 24. Take that SEC. See you later ACC. Welcome aboard, Notre Dame.

Remember, before you spit out your coffee, this is mostly a football concept. Though I have an idea for men's and women's basketball addressed later.

Let's break the 24-team Big Ten into two, 12-team divisions named Tradition and Attitude.

The lineup for the Tradition: Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Kind of looks like your parents' Big Ten.

The new schools are mostly in the Attitude: Clemson, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Rutgers, Southern California, UCLA and Washington.

The 24 schools represent 18 states in four times zones (part of Nebraska is in the Mountain). Geographic diversity at its finest. A monstrous population base from which to draw fans and financial backing.

The Big Ten TV and streaming partners were already adding California. Now, they get population centers in Florida, growing North Carolina, Seattle and Atlanta. If you count New York for Rutgers (an admitted stretch), seven of the 10 biggest metro areas in the U.S. are in the footprint. Cha-ching.

Of course, adding the ACC schools won't be easy, but the lawyers can figure out the particulars. Sounds like some of the members want out and that is usually the first step.

Notre Dame is a bit of a long shot. The school likes its football independence. But it wants to be part of the football title chase, and the Big Ten offers the most reliable path.

Plus, I will throw in a bonus to the South Bend, Ind., school: One of the four football scheduling groups, let's call them Huddles, will be named in honor of Irish legend Knute Rockne. The other three are for Archie Griffin, Red Grange and Jackie Robinson (a former UCLA football star).

The conference schedule increases from nine to 10 games. Teams in the Tradition division are divided into the Griffin and Grange Huddles. The six teams play the other five in the group, then three against the other Huddle in their division. The final two games will rotate among the 12 in the other division, home and home, meaning you will play them twice every six years.

Here's a sample schedule for Illinois: Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Michigan, UCLA and Miami.

Attendance should spike. And the infrequent games against the other division adds to the appeal, making it almost feel like a marquee nonconference game these days.

How about the Big Ten title game? It will still be played between the teams with the two best records regardless of division. The expansion of the College Football Playoff makes having the title game an easy choice. Teams won't likely knock themselves out with a loss; they will simply slip a bit in the seeding. And the winner of the Big Ten title game is almost certain to get a bye the first week of the playoffs.

As for basketball

The Big Ten is already being enhanced with the inclusion of the best program in history: UCLA, North Carolina and N.C. State would be two more healthy choices. Duke is a consideration, but the football there — even with recent improvement — doesn't measure up.

Basketball scheduling is complicated but not impossible. Keep the same divisions as for football. There are huddles in basketball too, so that idea works. Name them Magic Johnson, Bob Knight, Michael Jordan and John Wooden.

Home and home with every team in your huddle. One each against the opposite six and four games against the other division to make it 20 total.

Genius, if I do say so myself.