| 09 June 2010
Make no mistake about it ... there are two camps that want to see the Big-10 and PAC-10 expand: BCS proponents and the individual league offices.
Where are the fans on this matter?
As usual, the fans are (for the most part) sitting back watching in awe. Many fans that I have spoken to on facebook and twitter think that expanding their respective conferences to 16 teams will help their conference.
In fact, most of the folks I have spoken to almost immediately point to the fact that the SEC has literally dominated the BCS since expanding in 1992.
While several SEC football coaches believed that the original SEC expansion would hurt the league, the sheer number of BCS wins can not be ignored ... or can it?
One thing is certain, as an SEC fan, I do not want to see the SEC expand to simply keep up with The Jones'. That would be short sighted of the conference. If the league can expand, and add quality teams to the mix, then expansion would not be a bad thing. BUT (notice, big letters) ... the SEC should examine cutting some of the weaker non-traditional teams in order to add new teams.
Twelve teams are enough.
I still say let the Big-10 and PAC-10 expand all they want. If you have a bucket of water that is only 2/3's of the way full ... and add another quart of finely distilled water to that bucket, what do you have? Yep, more water in the bucket.
Sure, the water might have cost more and could even improve the taste. At the end of the day the end result is the same: the bucket defines the reach of the water, not the other way around.
By retaining border-line teams due to tradition and adding current upper tier teams is a mistake. The upper tier teams will have more hurdles to trip them up ... if you want a better product on the field, subtract the weak teams and add the stronger teams.
It really is that simple.
But, to the powers that be within the BCS (and the conference offices), the interests of the fans is not being considered. The bottom line in any expansion scenario is money. Sure, expanding to 16 teams will increase revenue.
Adding six teams to the Big-10 and PAC-10 will increase the likelihood that two upper tier teams will face one another in a conference championship game. At the same time, the chances of not-so desirable games will increase. Honestly, how many Texas Longhorn fans are going to travel to see their team face-off against Northwestern every other season?
When you drill this expansion talk down to its smallest portions, one can not escape the fact that this is about money and not the fans.
