Wednesday, August 11, 2021
An idea for Big 10 Expansion
With the announcement that the University of Texas and Oklahoma University are leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, speculation has run rampant that other moves are imminent. One rumor has schools like Iowa State, Kansas, West Virginia or USC joining the Big 10. People well-versed in these things doubt it, given that those scholls don't have a lot to offer the Big 10 (except USC, but it is way outside the Midwest footprint of the conference).
Here's a school that really could add something to the Big 10: the University of Chicago. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out:
-- The Big 10 truly values academics, and Chicago arguably is a more distinguished school that any of the great universities already in the Big 10.
-- Chicago was a founding member of the Big 10 in 1895 (along with Wisconsin, Michigan, Purdue, Northwestern, and Illinois), and stayed in the league until the 1940's. It remains a part of the Big 10 academic consortium.
-- Chicago would have to jump from Division III to Division I, of course-- but St. Thomas just did that in under two years with only a fraction of the resources of Chicago.
-- And those resources... Chicago has the wealth and power to pull off such a move. And to come back after 80 years? Ka-pow!
-- Finally, Chicago kind of needs it. It loses great students to places like Michigan and Northwestern because Chicago has a reputation of just not being much fun.
So... whaddya think?
Comments:
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Mark: When word of your idea reached him in the afterlife, Robert Hutchins began to spin in his grave. As a UC alum I can assert that this is one bad idea, probably the first you ever had.
# posted by 
: 9:18 AM
: 9:18 AM 
Anon-- I have had a LOT of bad ideas... clearly, you have not been following along.
Anyways, I probably should have noted that UC left big-time football 80+ years ago in part because of injuries to players, and that sadly is still an issue.
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Anyways, I probably should have noted that UC left big-time football 80+ years ago in part because of injuries to players, and that sadly is still an issue.
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