University of Chicago is the only team to leave the Big Ten. A history of football expansion in the league – The Columbus Dispatch

In the 1890s, the Big Ten was formed. In that time college athletics has grown to the point where it's no longer just an extracurricular activity, but a giant billion dollar business.

The Big Ten is part of that with its own network and giant television deals and loyal fan bases.

Who wouldn't want to be in the Big Ten?

Well, the University of Chicago for one.

The only former member of the Big Ten that played football was a charter school that joined the league in 1896 but left in 1946. The small university of just more than 16,000 students won 73 conference titles in various sports as a member school.

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Chicago dropped football in 1939 but stayed in the league for a few more years. The league didn't replace them until 1949when Michigan State signed on for Big Ten play.

On Thursday at Big Ten media days, commissioner Kevin Warren implied he was open to the league expanding.

Amid reports that Texas and Oklahoma are exploring joining the SEC,Warren was asked if the Big Ten is considering another round of expansion. He answered that theyare always evaluating.

"I think what we have seen is that we are at an inflection point in college athletics," he said.

Here's a look at football history of Big Ten expansion.

The original members of the Big Ten conference

The first expansion came in 1899 when Indiana and Iowa joined the league.Michigan was briefly exiled in 1907, but rejoined in 1916.

Ohio State became a member in 1912.

Forty-oneyears after Michigan State entered the league, Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1990 but didn't didn't start competing until 1993.

The Nittany Lions won their first Big Ten championship in 1994 during a 12-0 season.

The Big Ten had more than 10 teams in 2011 already, but when Nebraska decided to leave the Big 12, it was the Big Ten that now had 12 teams.

It was confusing for awhile.

Nebraska football, one of the most legendary programs in college football history, went 9-4 in the first year in the league.

The Big 12 is facinganother potential loss with big-name programs Oklahoma and Texas looking to join the Southeastern Conference. But that's a little confusing too.

The last conference growth came in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers joined the league. Notre Dame also joined, but no, it wasn't football.

It's been a mixed bag. Both schools in football have struggled mightily. Rutgers is on their third head coach since joining the league, while Maryland is on their fourth.

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University of Chicago is the only team to leave the Big Ten. A history of football expansion in the league - The Columbus Dispatch