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.<\/p>\n
The Big Ten is part of that with its own network and giant television deals and loyal fan bases.<\/p>\n
Who wouldn't want to be in the Big Ten?<\/p>\n
Well, the University of Chicago for one.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
On Thursday at Big Ten media days, commissioner Kevin Warren implied he was open to the league expanding.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\"I think what we have seen is that we are at an inflection point in college athletics,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Here's a look at football history of Big Ten expansion.<\/p>\n
The original members of the Big Ten conference<\/p>\n
The first expansion came in 1899 when Indiana and Iowa joined the league.Michigan was briefly exiled in 1907, but rejoined in 1916.<\/p>\n
Ohio State became a member in 1912.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The Nittany Lions won their first Big Ten championship in 1994 during a 12-0 season.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It was confusing for awhile.<\/p>\n
Nebraska football, one of the most legendary programs in college football history, went 9-4 in the first year in the league.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The last conference growth came in 2014 when Maryland and Rutgers joined the league. Notre Dame also joined, but no, it wasn't football.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the 1890s, the Big Ten was formed. Continue reading