CHICAGO—At the 2010 Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, plenty of talk centered around the addition of Nebraska as the conference's 12th team and the impact it will have on the league. While much of the conversation revolved around topics like division alignment, competitive balance and preserving rivalries, one key detail that impacts all three could be emerging as a potential source of disagreement.
How many league games will each team play?
Since the conference extended its regular season to twelve games, each school has played eight games against other Big Ten opponents. With Nebraska entering the fold in 2011, it seems possible that the number could be bumped up to nine, an idea supported by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.
""I think that there's a good consensus among our athletic directors,"" Delaney said. ""I hope it happens in two and no more than four years.""
However, multiple coaches expressed concerns about the idea of potentially losing a home game as a part of the deal. With a schedule that would include nine league games, half of the teams would play five conference road games. Problems occur if that year falls on the same year that a team plays a non-conference road game as a part of a home-and-home.
""Let's pretend it's 2011 and we're playing at Miami (FL) and we have five [conference] road games,"" said Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. ""Now we only have six home games.""
Tressel said that six home games would make it very difficult for his football program to generate enough revenue to support other parts of the Ohio State athletic department, a concern he shares with Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.
""For us to have a recipe of success at Wisconsin, we need to have seven home games,"" Bielema said. ""That formula can't change because otherwise you're going to throw off the whole athletic department. You're going to have a big problem with revenue, budgeting and everything that goes into it.""
Tressel also noted that playing an extra road game could curb the chances of Big Ten teams with aspirations of a BCS bowl berth or a national championship.
""I don't know if you're going to win five league games away,"" he said. ""It's tough to do.""
One potential route to playing nine conference games while still guaranteeing seven home games is to add a game to the regular season. However, that opens the door to a new set of ramifications, including the health of players. Asked if he would favor a thirteenth regular season game, Tressel said, ""I'm not the guy carrying the ball. That guy gets smashed and NFL careers aren't that long. No I'm not in favor of that for the good of the students at all.""
It is not completely unprecedented in league history to win nine league games, as Illinois turned the trick in 1983 on its way to winning the Rose Bowl. Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster captained that team and earned all-conference honors at tight end.
""I'm not against playing a ninth Big Ten opponent,"" Brewster said. ""I see merit with non-conference scheduling being as difficult as it is and as costly as it is. I'm not against it.""
The decision to add a ninth league game or stand pat at eight is just one of the decisions that will have to be made as the Big Ten moves forward with its expansion to twelve teams, but it's an important one. While Tressel made his stance clear, he also noted that he had not crunched numbers or thought too much about it as the season starts to draw near.
""I'm sure there are plenty of good reasons for it, and Jim [Delany], that's what he does, Tressel said. ""I try to make first downs and he tries to figure that stuff out.""
