The Wiz of Odds

Is Delany's Big Ten Expansion Talk a Lot About Nothing?

Big buildup. Big letdown.

But that's the Big Ten.

League commissioner Jim Delany had his 37 minutes in the spotlight Tuesday at the league meetings in Chicago, and when he wasn't babbling about beer and brats, he spoke about demographics in relation to the league's ongoing study of possible expansion.

"In the last 20 years there has been a clear shift of movement into the Sun Belt," he said. "The rates of growth in the Sun Belt are four times the rate in the East or the Midwest. That has demographic meaning long term for the economy, for jobs, for recruitment of students, for recruitment of athletes, for recruitment of faculty, for tax base."

Delany wouldn't name any possible expansion candidates, but his comments ignited speculation — again — that Texas remains a prime target. The problem is that the Longhorns — much like Notre Dame — have shown little or no interest in becoming a member of the Big Ten.

Delany said there will be no decision or vote by league presidents on expansion until this fall and there is a possibility the league — get this — will not expand.

But that's the Big Ten.

Other reactions:

Notre Dame's Kelly Remains an Independent Thinker

While Big Ten execs were enjoying their little get-together in Chicago, Brian Kelly was in Cedar Rapids to address Notre Dame alums in Eastern Iowa. Kelly was asked again about the Fighting Irish becoming members of the Big Ten.

His message remains the same: Winning conference championships is nice, but Notre Dame wants to play for national championships, something it can accomplish being an independent.

Reporters Notebooks

Tom Sorensen, Charlotte Observer: The Atlantic Coast Conference didn't get it right when it added Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech in 2003. The idea was that the lucrative Boston and south Florida markets would generate money and enhance football. But Boston College has been an utter waste and Miami, once the premier program in college football, is now the overweight bald guy who sits on a bar stool and tells you what a stud he used to be.

Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle: Critics will whine that Lane Kiffin's "reported" $4 million salary is too high for a young (35), unproven, scandal-plagued nimrod. USC, though, is confident that Kiffin will create so much havoc with his social blunders, petty rule violations and assorted lapses of decorum that he will make the world completely forget the ongoing Trojan scandals involving Reggie Bush and O.J. Mayo.

John Wilner, College Sports Hotline: Pacific 10 Conference commissioner Larry Scott thinks the ACC's new TV deal ($155 million annually) bodes well for the Pac-10. "I've felt all along that college sports is undervalued ... And I think the Pac-10 is more undervalued than any conference."

Adrian Dater, Denver Post: Holding two fingers less than an inch apart, Colorado's Dan Hawkins said that is all that separates the Buffaloes from returning to "the national stage" as a program. "Guys, trust me. We are that far away."

Rob Moseley, Eugene Register-Guard: Mike Whalen, who is organizing a tour of U.S. military installations in Iraq and Afghanistan for Oregon's Chip Kelly, Army's Rich Ellerson, Harvard's Tim Murphy, Texas Tech's Tommy Tuberville and Illinois' Ron Zook, said the group will follow a "very aggressive schedule" of travel and events, and there are some coaches "that physically couldn’t do it."

Should the NCAA Forever Own Athletes' Rights?

The Atlantic Coast Conference has a new TV contract worth $1.86 billion over 12 years. The Southeastern Conference is benefiting from a $3 billion TV deal that runs for 15 years. The Big Ten is looking to expand in hopes of increasing its annual payout to league teams past the $22 million mark. The NCAA just negotiated a 14-year, $10.8 billion deal for TV rights to March Madness.

Everybody is making money on college athletics these days. Everybody, that is, but the athletes.

Yes, athletes get a free education, but the NCAA and its business partners continue to make money off the players' images and likenesses long after they have completed their eligibility.

Oregon junior tight end David Paulson, in a piece for CNBC's Sports Biz, says the exploitation must end.

Reporters Notebooks

Mark Snyder and Jim Schaefer, Detroit Free Press: Michigan will announce self-imposed penalties for five potential major NCAA violations next week. The NCAA committee on infractions could decide that Michigan's sanctions are sufficient or could assess additional penalties. Michigan officials are scheduled to appear before the committee Aug. 13-14 in Seattle. Plus, what the NCAA allegations say, a timeline of the investigation, what happens next and what the NCAA might ultimately decide.

John Ourand and Michael Smith, SportsBusiness Journal: ESPN outbid Fox for rights to Atlantic Coast Conference football and basketball games. The league will get $155 million a year, dwarfing the average of $67 million the league was getting from its previous media deals, which expire at the end of the 2010-11 season, but falls well short of the $205 million a year that the Southeastern Conference gets from its new 15-year deals with CBS and ESPN.

Jon Wilner, College Sports Hotline: What does the ACC's deal mean for the Pacific 10? The fact that the ACC's deal is more than double its existing contract … and the fact that Fox was interested enough to join the fray, thus creating a bidding war … bodes well for the Pac-10.

Caulton Tudor, Raleigh News & Observer: The Big Ten should heed the ACC's expansion travails.

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune: Big Ten coaches, gathered for league meetings in Chicago, are enjoying the league's lofty stature.

Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports.com: Notre Dame looks like it's working on an independent future.

Reporters Notebooks

Sports By Brooks: Bloggers who are reinventing sports media. Might the Wiz be on the list?

Brian Murphy and Chadd Cripe, Idaho Statesman: Reports continue to swirl that the Mountain West Conference will invite Boise State to become a member in June, but extending an offer to the Broncos will require the approval of seven of the nine athletic directors in the Mountain West. Plus, what you need to know about Mountain West expansion talk.

Darren Everson and Aditi Kinkhabwala, Wall Street Journal: Rutgers doesn't have much of a championship tradition. Its stadium doesn't seat 100,000 — more like half that. And it's not exactly driveable to Iowa City, unless you've got 17 hours to kill. But the school makes more sense in the Big Ten than you may think.

Austin Ward, Knoxville News Sentinel: The fastest player in college football: Florida running back Jeff Demps ran a blistering 10.06-second time to win the 100 meters at the Southeastern Conference outdoor track and field championships.

Dave Hooker, Knoxville News Sentinel: Lane Kiffin, in an interview that will air Tuesday on HBO's "Real Sports," on his decision to leave Tennessee for USC: "It's part of the business."

Dave Henry, Amarillo Globe-News: Steve Kragthorpe called getting fired by Louisville "a great blessing."

Jake Trotter, Oklahoman: The need for teams to expand TV revenue was what brought the Big 12 Conference together. It could also be what rips the league apart. Plus, a look at the TV contracts of the six Bowl Championship Series conferences and how Big 12 TV revenue was divided in 2007.

Steven M. Sipple, Lincoln Journal Star: Gary Barnett, who has coached in the Big Ten (Northwestern) and Big 12 (Colorado), said a move to the Big Ten "would be very appealing to a school like Nebraska."

Gil LeBreton, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: It's all speculation now, but the Big Ten is after a big fish, and there isn't a bigger fish in the pond than Texas.