2 ACC schools become hot targets for Big Ten expansion after conference realignment catches heat in top Power 5 conferences: Reports
The Big Ten expansion is one of the bigger storylines in college football throughout the offseason. The latest reports suggest the conference could continue adding teams outside the USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, Washington Huskies and UCLA Bruins for the 2024 college football season.
College football insider Greg Swaim reported Thursday that the Big Ten expansion might not be finished as it could be looking to bring in the Virginia Cavaliers and the North Carolina Tar Heels from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
This would continue to expand the national exposure of the Big Ten as it could get a portion of the southeastern United States. Swaim added that the Big Ten expansion is looking to expand for academics more than college athletics. It will be intriguing to dissect whether this will be positive for college sports.
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Would the Big Ten expansion help college football as a whole?
The Big Ten expansion will turn some heads as the conference continues to grow in size, with notable names being added. However, this may be something that causes an issue in sports as fewer conferences mean less variety of styles in the college athletics sphere. Let's take a look at football first.
The college football landscape has changed drastically, transforming the game into a stellar defensive showing, with programs like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Michigan Wolverines and Iowa Hawkeyes being labeled top defensive teams. However, each conference has a different style of football. Look at the Mid-American Conference, a high-octane passing league.
The differences in the styles make matchups intriguing and more fun to watch. However, the expansion of the Big Ten would dilute the product in a way that could be irredeemable. Also, this just helps the strong get stronger, with the Big Ten continuing to build its roster of universities to battle the Southeastern Conference like a sort of Cold War.
It may be good for some parties, but this level of expansion is not great for college football in the long term.
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