With an enrollment of 250,000, the University of Phoenix have the numbers to create an avid fan base. And with campuses everywhere, it's in the footprint of ALL conferences! Everyone would want them to join. However, they might decide to form a new conference with ITT Tech and DeVry.

OK, Panther, lash, I have to admit that U of Phoenix stuff is pretty funny.

That said, I still stand by the concept of a Big 20.

I think the Big 10 is non-typical in terms of the fact that while it is a sports conference, membership in the academic affiliation is valued by many in the university structure as much if not more. You can't say that about CUSA or even the ACC or SEC. I am simply projecting that a little further. Make the competition extend into academic areas as well.

All of the schools I am talking about fit the academic criteria of the big 10 to some degree. (unlike the U of Phoenix. :) ) It costs the Big 10 nothing to go into this sort of arrangement and if they end up pulling say an additional 1-3% viewership out of the combined alumni bases for the non-Div 1 schools, that just puts money into their pockets.

It is pretty far out there, I will admit, but did anyone predicted the big 10 would expand to 11 and keep the big 10 name for what is it---15-20 years? Reality is far stranger than anything I could come up with.

Alternative to above proposals:

Big Ten adds Syracuse (all sports), Notre Dame (non-football) and Georgetown (non-football). All three have the best academic fit with the other research universities in the Big Ten. Syracuse gets in over Rutgers for a group of 4 privates.

If the big conferences ever got serious about 12-football/14-all sports alignments, they could dramatically alter the current makeup of conferences.

Dream on!!!!

The B-10 is one of the strongest all sports conferences out there. It will never be a Hybrid. The remaining spot for the 12th member is reserved fore ND. Cancel their automatic BCS spot if they are rated 12 or higher and they will have to join a conference. Special treatment for one school in the BCS is disgusting. Right now ND is dumbing their schedule down to guarantee that bid every year. Paying ND 1.75 million to sit home with a loosing season like last year is even more asinine.

Eventually the B-10 will go to 12 teams and a playoff. Maybe not in the foreseeable future, but it will go in that direction for the playoff money and to expand their TV markets for the B-10 Channel TV revenue. ND will be given one last chance or ultimatum to join and then the B-10 will move on for a BE team for the NYC TV market or Missouri for their market if they are willing to leave the B-12. As for the BE any team would jump in a split second to join the B-10. Rutgers and Syracuse would be the prime targets. I think Rutgers gets the nod with continued success in FB, the stadium expansion program, their past connection to Penn State, and their proximity to NYC, NJ, and eastern PA and Philadelphia TV markets but at this time you could flip a coin on Rutgers and Cuse.

As for Georgetown you can always schedule them as a non conference foe without sharing the B-10 wealth. The same can be said for ND for FB and BB if they refuse to join the conference as an all sports member with no special privileges. Any remaining Hybrid BE teams will play the B-10 too. The BE Hyrid is an entity unto itself for that conference's survival and no other sane elite conference will ditch their all sports form to follow that model any time soon, or ever for that matter. As a matter of fact the BE FB schools are constantly weighing the pros and cons of leaving the Hybrid to form an all sports conference on their own.

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SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS - SEC
RUTGERS SCARLET KNIGHTS - BIG EAST / AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE / BIG TEN

Agree with this 150% as a Big Ten guy. There are lots of possible expansion scenarios (some much more likely than others), but the Big Ten will absolutely, unequivocally, NEVER, EVER invite a school that doesn't join for football. Out of all the BCS conferences, the Big Ten is the one that is above-and-beyond the most committed to allocating power and revenues among its members equally, so there's absolutely not going to be special treatment for anyone, including Notre Dame. I've always been more partial to Syracuse as the prime expansion candidate outside of ND. I'm still very skeptical about the long-term prospects of Rutgers - I can't repeat this enough, but the Big Ten isn't going to invite a team with just a couple of good seasons under its belt after a long history of subpar performances and, more importantly, attendance and TV ratings. West Virginia is the most consistent program on the field but provides the least attractive market off the field. Pitt simply doubles up on a market that Penn State already covers, so there's tepid interest there. Forget about any suggestions about Mizzou because (1) from a practical standpoint, a Big 12 team has a lot less incentive to switch than a Big East team and (2) from a market standpoint, the Big Ten is looking to pair Penn State up with another school to lay claim as a real East Coast power, which is more valuable than just covering more Midwest territory that it already has.

I expect the Big 10 will be at 12 within a few years. The question is, are they looking beyond Notre Dame? It seems odd to be waiting on them heading into additional decade since they had a dance and turn-down in the 90s'.
Everything publicly out of Notre Dame expresses they are not interested and will not join any conference for fb. The Big 10 should treat that school as not an option. The stance appears, "yes we will expand, but only if it is Notre Dame who remains saying they don't want to". The Big 10 is too established, high profiled, and prestigious, to allow that hanging over them for the long term. But they managed to do it.

So if the Big Ten is looking elsewhere, their serious options are really not that numerous. We hear or speculated what they would reject:
(a) Iowa State, Pittsburgh, or Cincy are in the footprint but don't offer anything new in terms of market and each has drawbacks in other variables.
(b) West Virginia has competitive sports programs with success and enthusiastic fans......but it's in West Virginia...and academic prudes can't go for that.
(c) Kentucky or Louisville....see some of (b), and Kentucky probably would say "no thanks".
(d) A non-contiguous school such as Colorado or Texas? It conflicts with their charter and really appears hybrid and travel becomes an issue. No assurance of any acceptance either. Such schools also want their natural rivals.

So, who is acceptable? Missouri? Rutgers? Syracuse? Sounds like those names are kicked around the most.

While the Big 12 may not have the package equal to the Big 10, would it be enough for Missouri to leave? Is Missouri unhappy where they are at? Their fans may not want those rivalries with Kansas and Oklahoma schools and Nebraska, Colorado and Texas to cease. Illinois will not off-set that. They may not be jumping up and down either at the prospect of playing Indiana and Minnesota types compared to what they currently have.

Syracuse appears to be diminishing in football, for now. Rutgers may be the most plausible, be a good partner for Penn State, and offer a new market. Rutgers road trips would be long, and would they sustain themselves well in the Big 10 athletically?

If the Big 10 has the power to extract from another BCS conference outside the Big East, then some seldom mentioned possibilities could be noted. I am not talking about Tennessee, Florida, or Texas as some sportswriters have sentimentally suggested. Rather, what about Maryland? That is east coast, metro, and fit most criteria. What about Nebraska? It is contiguous to Iowa, has a brand athletic name, and once was not so happy with the Big 12 arrangement. As said, none are perfect.