Indiana signed on for two more years of the Crossroads Classic this week. It’s a move, coach Tom Crean said, that changes some non-conference scheduling.“We’re going to play a neutral game in Indianapolis.Fred Glass has plenty of thoughts on Big Ten expansion. Indiana’s athletic director is just keeping them to himself.
“(Big Ten) commissioner (Jim) Delany has asked us to move from a quiet phase to a silent phase as they do their thing at the staff level to evaluate what we (the Big Ten) should do,” Glass said during a visit to Fort Wayne two weeks ago.
Conference expansion became the major story in college athletics this spring. The Big Ten announced in December that it would explore adding to its field of 11. At the time, the conference established a timetable of “12 to 18 months” for Delany to make a recommendation.
Speculation has intensified since. Will the league grow to 12, 14 or possibly 16? Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska and Rutgers are just some of the schools that have been mentioned by the media as possible candidates.
Glass wouldn’t bite.
“The good news from a conference’s perspective, the conference is so strong financially that we don’t have to expand,” Glass said. “It’s always good when you go into a potential business situation to not have to do a deal. And we do not have to do a deal.
“If it’s not a great deal, we won’t do it. But my guess is the momentum is toward expansion, and we will end up doing something.”
IU football coach Bill Lynch got a taste of how big a deal expansion is during the Big Ten meetings three weeks ago in Chicago.
“When we were at the Big Ten meetings there was media from all across the country there. I’ve never seen that many for a spring meeting of that kind,” Lynch said.
“… There are a lot of people this will affect. And how far reaching, I don’t think they even know that. Certainly, they are engaged in the process, as I’m sure all the other conferences around the country. When will we hear something, I don’t know. But I think as a coach, it’s the age-old thing; you control what you can control. That’s certainly not one that we do. I do think something down the road will come about.”
Delany provided an update to the football coaches.
“There’s a lot of exploring to, one, make sure it’s the right thing for all our institutions in the Big Ten; and then two, if it is the right thing, who is it with, are they compatible, do they want to do it and what are the ramifications,” Lynch said.
Lynch said it’s a decision best left to administrators.
“I don’t think (coaches should have input),” he said. “That’s a commissioner, presidential-level, faculty reps, athletic directors. It affects so many people. If you ask coaches, we have tunnel vision of how it will impact football. Or (Indiana women’s basketball coach) Felisha (Legette-Jack) would be how will it affect women’s basketball. It needs people who are responsible for the big picture. As coaches we’re going to be positive about it and move on whichever direction they go.”
