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There is a lot of money in college football, and the Big Ten wants more of it. Right now, the Southeast Conference has some of the best teams in the country. However, there has been some speculation that the Big Ten is looking to add teams like Notre Dame, Miami, Washington and Oregon.
We have been hearing of the expansion of the conference for more than a full year, and if the rumors are true, this could be massive. How would this change the power and money aspects of the sport if this winds up happening?
The Big Ten is critical for success
Having more competent conferences is critical for the health of the sport. Right now, it seems most of the country does not have a chance at competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff due to conference alignments.
When you look at how the College Football Playoff have worked, there is a distinct difference between being in the SEC or not. The SEC has had 11 appearances out of the nine years with the playoffs system while the ACC and Big Ten are tied for second with eight. Why are we valuing one conference's champion over another?
Having the Big Ten stocked with more elite college football programs helps the health of the sport as a whole. There would be more competition on a week-to-week basis with Ohio State challenging Notre Dame or Michigan facing off against Miami. The more interesting matchups are on a college football slate, the better the product is going to be.
What about the money?
Right now, it feels like college football is the SEC and the rest of the conferences on a lower level. If these conferences have bigger impacts as the Pac-12 seems to be falling apart after losing UCLA and USC already. We are getting to the point that the Power Five conferences are going to dissipate and instead have either two or three larger conferences with shifts.
The money for networks that are broadcasting the games is going to continue to increase while the product is better. There are seemingly no reasons for the conference to not want to expand and improve.
Less than one year ago, the Big Ten completed a seven-year, $7 billion media rights agreement with Fox, CBS and NBC. If more lucrative programs like Notre Dame or Oregon enter the fray, the conference gets stronger and we see a better product as a result.
