The Big Ten conference made a huge move this past week, adding two of the most influential west coast schools to its ranks in UCLA and USC. When looking historically at the football programs and the cachet that comes with that, it is a fantastic move for the conference. However, there is a clear and obvious gap in the logic that spans almost 1,300 miles from the campus of UCLA to that of the University of Nebraska.

Why Nebraska is significant is because that is the westernmost school in the Big Ten conference and therefore closest to the two new California schools. That poses an obvious problem because that means at minimum all schools for all sports will need to travel 1,300 miles to play at UCLA or USC. For those schools on the east coast like Rutgers and Maryland, that distance balloons to nearly 2,500 miles, or a 5-plus hour direct flight. But let's also be honest, the only teams getting direct flights would be the football and men's basketball teams so tack on a couple extra hours for the vast majority of all athletics departments.

The Solution

Add more schools. It's no secret that there are two conferences that look to be the dominating forces in collegiate athletics, the Big Ten and the SEC (Southeastern Conference). The Big Ten should continue to snap up schools that add to their prowess to remain on top and there are a couple that make strategic sense, the University of Utah and the University of Colorado, Boulder.

It seems that the main driver for adding UCLA and USC to the conference was money to be made from football.

Utah's football resume:

• Ranked in the top-25 in five of last eight seasons

• Played in seven bowl games, winning four

• Averaged 46,000+ fans per game in 2019 (better than Minnesota, Illinois, Rutgers and Maryland)

Colorado's football resume:

• Ranked in the top-25 in three of the past six seasons

• Played in two bowl games

• Averaged 49,000+ fans per game in 2019

If those numbers don't excite you, they probably shouldn't because you aren't making any money from them. The Big Ten however could absolutely make money from them. Similarly, if you think Colorado is misplaced, they were truly last competitive for a national championship around the same time USC was so they have the history to back up the move.

What about the Fighting Irish?

There are reports out that said the Big Ten are talking to Notre Dame and won't consider more expansion until they join. That seems like a bad move, but also does not change anything in the sense that Utah and Colorado should still be strongly considered and opens the door for another team to join if the goal is to keep the conference balanced. Enter another big school like Oregon or Arizona State.

Will this happen?

Unlikely. But it does make sense. There needs to be some kind of waypoint between the Big Ten and the two new California schools, and two big loyal fanbases in Utah and Colorado provide great opportunity and value. We have until 2024 to see how this all shakes out but I would hate to be a baseball player making the 2,500 mile trip from UCLA to Rutgers and back, to turn around and go all the way to Michigan. Oof

Mound Visit

Saints Sports Network is a Christian group that brings you interesting sports coverage. Our name comes from Ephesians 2:18-21 where it notes that all Christians are saints in God's eyes. Therefore we are saints who write about sports but also want to make sure to share the Gospel. That's where Mound Visit comes into play because we all need a visit to the mound from God in good times and bad to recenter our lives and trust in him. We'll do that by highlighting a Bible verse for you to think and pray about in each newsletter that you receive from us.