Panther,you are correct in posting that the Big Ten schools are making a lot more money for their national tv rights(estimated in excess of $14 million per school for 2008-2009) than the other BCS conferences,especially the(estimated at about $3-3.5 million per school for 2008-2009) BE.The Big Ten tv amounts should increase in coming years.Also, the SEC tv money is estimated to about triple in their next contract(beginning next year) from the current estimated per school amount of $5.5 million.The three other(Pac-10,Big-12,ACC) BCS conference are in this general range also.

The easiest way for conferences to increase revenue is to expand to obtain new tv markets and have a FB championship game.This is what the ACC did in 2003-2004.

In addition,The Big Ten came up with the BTN to maximize their current tv markets.The SEC played the "SEC network" card and got ESPN to pony up extra money for their new tv deal.

Conferences like the ACC and Big 12 have already cashed in their FB championship game chips.Now they are looking to maximize their current markets with a possible conference/school network in their next tv deals.

The BE has not expanded to 12 to cash in on a FB championship game or to claim more tv market share.They do not seem to have any plan to try and catch up with the other BCS conferences financially.

The SEC and Pac 10 structures seem set at this time for different reasons.
However,the Big 10 still has not been able to expand to 12 to have FB championship game revenue and obtain an additional tv market.Look for that to change in the future.

Here is an unconfirmed Big 10 expansion rumor on the UConn Scout MB that involves Pitt.
Link at http://forums.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=342&F=2873&T=2791370&P=1

The simple reason, IMO, that the BE has NOT expanded to 12 with a championship game is that there aren't 4 schools out there that are WILLING to join the BE that would bring the money to make expansion to 12 worthwhile. The BE will ALWAYS be behind the other 5 BCS conferences simply because the teams in most of their markets are 2nd tier or lower in terms of viewership statewide. There's not much they can do about that in most cases except to build the fanbase to make the gap closer.

Expansion in the ACC brough ~ $30-$35 million for the new TV markets AND the championship game!

Expansion with RU or SU by the Big 10 AND getting the BTN on in NJ or NY and especially in NYC would give the Big 10 money that would rival the amount of money that the ACC got with three teams! The key now is the conference networks or get an existing cable network to pay you like a conference network (SEC and ESPN).

Article with announcement that Big Ten has extended Jim Delany's contract to 2013.
Look for Delany to push for Big Ten expansion prior to 2013 with any possible announcement within a 2009-2011 time frame.
Link at http://bigtennetwork.com/news/article.asp?list_id=1&story_id=3174450

That's interesting. He will be 64 or 65 at that time. The Big 10 presidents and therefore Delany have been very much against a playoff. I don't expect that to change with a new commish.

However, don't all of the BCS TV contracts (Rose + the others) end around that time (January, 2014)?

A few things are on the agenda.

BCS Bowl TV Contracts. I belive the Rose Bowl contract with ABC runs through 2014. Right now Fox has an exclusive bargaining window for the Orangs, Sugar, Fiesta and NC game, and they are looking at negotiating an extension through 2014, so that it will next expire concurrent with the Rose. This would mean that if the BCS structure were to change, maybe all BCS Bowls could be merged into a single TV contract.

Big Ten Expansion ? Delaney has taked out of both sides of his mouth on this one. He had advocated staying with the partial round robin / no playoff game, noting that gives the Big Ten a better shot in the BCS. The dominant team doesn't have to play another killer game (en route to NC or Rose Bowl), and the #2 team is sitting prettier (maybe even undefeated) for an at-large BCS berth. But once the Big Ten Network got rolling, Delaney has remarked that expansion to 12 might be worth pursuing. I think he'd take Notre Dame in a heartbeat (he has essentially said so). Perhaps once the BTN starts raking in Big $$$, the Big Ten might actually look like a financially lucrative jump for Notre Dame. So maybe he plans to take another run at the Gold Dome between now and 2015.

Kevin Weiberg. Hired from his rather prominent job as Big XII commissioner, to head up the Big Ten Network. This move sounded like a step down, unless you assume that he is set up to be Delaney's heir-apparent. Weiberg's initial task of getting cable TV penetration for the BTN is largely complete. Suddenly he is on hold. Will he become the point man for Big Ten expansion next ? Or what does he do to cool his heels while waiting for Delaney ot retire ?

There is a candidate that might be picking up some steam for the Big Ten...

While the Notre Dame elephant will always be in the room, we've heard some Missouri chatter and the occasional Iowa State talk. And then to the east, we have Syracuse who was one of the first options from the ACC before the UVA power play getting VPI in. and Rutgers and the NY/NJ market is a school mentioned often now.

But what about the best of the basketball programs with a growing football program in UConn? In 5 years, UConn could be the crown jewel of the Big East and could give the Big Ten some eastern clout beyond Penn St.

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BE MB thread discussing whether it would be better if the Big Ten would expand out west rather than pick a BE school for #12 at http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=319408

From the BE perspective, THE BEST thing the Big Ten could do would be to steal Notre Dame. That would open a team #16 slot in the BE, and the BE would not be stabilized by being raided directly of a BE FB school or having a cascade that comes back around to deprive the BE of a FB school.

The BE could then expand by one by bringing in a FB school and they would have their 9, for 4 H and 4 A games. If the BE BB schools voted against this, the 8 FB schools could finally just split off and expand to 9, 10, or 12 as they please.

Tute79,agree that BE would probably prefer the Big Ten to take Missouri or ND as opposed to Rutgers or Syracuse.

I am hearing a "rumor" that the BE "could" be getting a temporary reprieve.
"Supposedly" the Big Ten has conference expansion currently "on the back burner"at least until the current economic climate improves.
I will be looking for written confirmation of this "rumor".

Thanks
Freaked

Big Ten MB thread discussing possible expansion candidates.In an unscientific poll it looks like ND is currently a slight(over Pitt) favorite.Link at http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=451&f=2364&t=3285913

Article out of spartan country with comments from Big Ten Commissioner Jim delany and Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez.
Apparently the conference is concerned with possible negative impacts on that league from the current economic climate.

Confirmation that there is no current movement to add a 12th league member at this time.

Also,there may be some support for a Big Ten hockey league,adding a 9th league fb game, and tweaking the Big Ten bowl lineup next spring.
Link at http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20081102/SPORTS/811020691/1019/SPORTS