The Big Ten has no immediate plans to expand, and it would take more than a desire for a football championship game and a longer regular season for the league to add a 12th member, commissioner Jim Delany said.

“There are a lot [of schools] that could take a lot away, but there aren’t a lot that could bring so much to make the choice an easy one. You have to have a lot to make something go like this, and it’s broader than really a championship game or a basketball tournament.”

“The issue has come up with our football coaches a couple times — with the extra week and if we did expand, would we be more competitive?” Delany said. “I would say in some years they might be right. But has it enhanced the competitiveness of the ACC in football? Has it enhanced the competitiveness of the WAC? I don’t know.
“Just because you have a championship doesn’t make you more competitive. It’s about coaching the players. The SEC game has been a marketing bonanza. I wouldn’t discount that. But others have struggled with it.”
Delany admits the lack of a championship game puts the Big Ten at a marketing disadvantage, which also was the case before the Big Ten added league tournaments in basketball in 1995 (women’s) and 1998 (men’s). Although Delany pushed for the basketball tournaments, he pointed out that the events haven’t always translated to more success for its members in the NCAA tournament.