Alvarez: No Texas on Initial Big Ten List

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said a firm hired by the Big Ten did not list Texas among potential candidates for expansion.

"In our initial study, there wasn't anything on Texas," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

That's not to say that the Longhorns might be added. But if that is going to happen, it had better happen soon because Alvarez said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany could make a recommendation to university presidents this summer.

Another team Alvarez does not expect to enter the conversation is Notre Dame.

"My read is that Notre Dame wants to be a national school, and they want to play a national schedule," said Alvarez, who was an assistant with the Irish before becoming Badger coach in 1990.

"And unless you've been there and seen the magnitude of their fan base and the interest nationally, it is hard to understand. I understand."

Comments

[Matt]

Too funny. Remember that Barry Alvarez is, in addition to being Wisconsin AD, is a big Nebraska Alum who dials back to Lincoln as often as his duties will allow/preclude.

As I and others have said before, between the former Big XII Head going to the Big 10 Network (and vacating his Big XII chair rather abruptly) and Alvarez being on the committee, be sure they know of the infighting in the Big XII and how Texas is on course to ruin their second conference.

The Big 10 wants no part of that drama, no matter the paycheck, as the costs would outweigh the benefits.

And if you go down the list of remaining top possibilities for expansion, the biggest and most complete name on the list is Nebraska, both academically, sports-wise (save for men's basketball...*sigh*), and in terms of a national fanbase. Notre Dame hasn't realized that what they are turning their nose up at yet (they will come negotiating time with the networks for the Notre Dame games...), and besides Penn State, the next name on the list of most valuable NCAA Football programs is Nebraska.

Combine this with the about face Dr. Tom took recently on the Big 10 expansion issue, and one can come reasonably close to saying it's a question of "when" and not "if".

[yumtoad]

I don't think Tom Osborne did an "about face", he just said that Neb would listen. Any school would listen, doesn't mean the school is necessarily interested.

[Matt]

Right, but Tom Osborne is, if anything, guarded, stoic, and has played politics in Washington for a time.

For him to even suggest entertaining an idea from the Big 10 and say so publicly after what was said prior is out of the ordinary for Tom and suggests something is indeed 'up' with Nebraska and the Big 10.

[tim]

Don't forget that the current Penn State Chancellor is an old Nebraska Chancellor as well.