I don't know why the Big 10 would have bothered to issue that statement if their appetite for expansion had been reawakened by the A&M situation. Unless they can get Notre Dame and/or the Pac-12 can get Texas and Oklahoma, I think those two bellwhether conferences are content to stay at 12 for some time.
What we may see in the next five years is simply:
A&M and Va Tech or Missouri to the SEC
Pitt, Syracuse or WV to the ACC (to replace Va Tech)
Houston and BYU to the Big 12; maybe TCU and Louisville too.

I wouldn't be surprised to see one conference of 14 teams, four of 12 teams and one of 10-12 teams in 2015. No superconferences yet.

After the third phone call, you just say "Screw it, send out a press release so people stop bothering us."

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If the Big Ten were to expand to 16 who would be the teams invited? Notre Dame? Boston College (to help lure ND)? Maryland? Rutgers? Missouri? Kansas?

If the goal is to entice ND I would offer to invite their rival BC plus Syracuse and Rutgers to tie up the NY/NJ/NE markets which is a big reason ND is in no rush to leave the Big East, only UConn would have any major claim left in the northeast. You could sub out Cuse or Rutgers for Pitt but I think the Big Ten would rather have the TV's than a mini rival of ND and PSU but maybe their fb and bb are good enough to put them in the conversation.

Personally I'm stumping for the NY/NJ/NE trio for multiple reasons. 1st I think its smart to add these high population markets for recruiting and to make the Big Ten Network even more profitable; 2nd ND and BC would fit right in the new Big Ten hockey league and make it even more credible, and finally ND, Cuse, and Rutgers would give the B1G ability to form a Big Ten lax league with tOSU, Michigan, and Penn St. If this was to happens the BE lax would need to add an associate member to have 6 but this would make the B1G look pretty solid as a conference of the Northeast and the Midwest.

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Would the Big Ten invite Syracuse even though they're not an AAU university? I know Notre Dame and Boston College aren't either but Kansas and Missouri are as is Rutgers.

Nor is Nebraska now.

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But there status was recently revoked. They had been an AAU member since 1909 and had their status rescinded by just two votes. Plus, the Big Ten had already voted to accept Nebraska in as the 12th member before their AAU membership was taken away.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, speaking at last year's spring meetings as expansion was heating up, had this to say about the Big Ten and its AAU ties: "AAU membership is a part of who we are. It’s an important part of who we are."

I’ve got to think that Syracuse lost some of their appeal to the B1G when their AAU membership disappeared. IMO the B1G will not pursue expanding into the North East without Notre Dame and then only if ND hand picks someone to join with them.

So I guess the Big Ten must be working on the papers right now to banish Nebraska out of the Big Ten. Course not. And I'm sure the Big Ten had no clue that for the past couple years, Nebraska has been threatened to be boosted from the AAU...decision to boot them did not happen overnight.

Because the pure academic factor is a non-factor. If the Big Ten were to expand to 16 as a reaction to other conferences expanding to 16, then it would be quite clear that AAU would not be the deciding factor, revenue would be. And last summer, Big Ten decided that only likely outgoing AAU member Nebraska was worth adding, not committed AAU schools like Rutgers, etc.

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Right on. Satus quo. ND wants in (#13), then head northeast for 14(-16).

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No, this is not news. It's the NY Post simply using "sources say" to pull up info from over a year ago (Maryland/B10). What else do you expect from this rag?

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... ost10Alpha

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BTW its not that Syracuse is a bad school now that they are getting kicked out of the AAU they just didn't do (and attract) the same kind of research activity that the AAU wants, Notre Dame is not and will never be an AAU school but I don't think that will stop the Big Ten from adding them. Boston College is the only school the B1G may look twice at since their academics are slightly below the B1G's standards but so were Oklahoma's...

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As far as academic rankings, US News has the following listed in order:

Notre Dame 19th
Boston College 33rd
Syracuse 55th
Rutgers 64th

All may not pack the type of research that the Big Ten wants but all are prestigious academic colleges ranked considerably high (all top 65).

#13 Notre Dame
#14 Pittsburgh
#15 Missouri
#16 Kansas

Big Ten won't invite Pitt despite how good of a fit it may be. Kansas is iffy but I think Missouri in the Big Ten is the best fit for them as they seem to fit there culturally, academically, and would provide for a natural rival with Nebraska and Illinois.