Which schools could move to Big Ten's 'front burner?'

Big Ten expansion speculation has swirled from the moment Penn State became eligible to compete for the Big Ten title in 1993. After Notre Dame rebuffed the league in 1999, Big Ten officials have denied much interest publicly in expansion. Until today.

Big Ten Conference Commissioner Jim Delany told me in May the league didn't have much interest in expansion because league presidents weren't pressing the issue.

“It's a back-burner issue for a long time, but it's not to say that it doesn't get discussed,” Delany said. “It's just a back-burner discussion, because I don't know how else to say it other than periodically.

“We've spoken with two institutions, in one case Penn State, and it resulted in an expansion; another with Notre Dame and it did not result in an expansion. We haven't felt the need to move it off the back-burner since that time (1999), although it gets discussed - the pros and cons internally - from time to time.”

Several Big Ten leaders have announced their interest in adding a 12th school to the league. Those include Ohio State President Gordon Gee, Wisconsin Athletics Director Barry Alvarez and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.

The league will release a statement this afternoon about its interest in finding a 12th school to join the Big Ten. When asked in May about schools potentially interested in the Big Ten, Delany said, “I wouldn't comment on that. If they do, they do. If they don't, they don't. But certainly they didn't inquire to make an announcement.”

Well, the league will make an announcement about its future today.

The next league member will need to combine four primary factors to be considered:

1. It must be a prominent academic institution. The Big Ten is more than just the Rose Bowl and March Madness

2. Its athletics department budget/revenue must be in the same ballpark as the league's current universities, save Northwestern

3. It must bring something unique to the prestigious league, such as a new major television audience for the league's network to penetrate

4. It must be able to handle itself on the football field. Football is driving this train and expect two divisions and an annual league title game

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Here's a look at several schools that have a chance to become the Big Ten's 12th's school. Let the speculation begin.

TOP CANDIDATES

NOTRE DAME

The Fighting Irish played the league for a sucker 10 years ago by turning down the league's expansion offer. But the dynamics are different now. Back in 1999, Notre Dame could keep all of its BCS bowl money, around $14 million for itself. Now, a BCS payday is worth $4.5 million tops. NotreDame has an exclusive contract with NBC that pays them a reported $15 million annually to broadcast home football games. But Big Ten schools, like Iowa, have seen revenue grow from $10.5 million to more than $19 million strictly from the league.  That's from fiscal years 2006 through 2009, and that's primarily because of the Big Ten Network.

PROS -- Notre Dame ranks No. 20 overall in the latest U.S. News and World Report top universities rankings. Only one Big Ten university, Northwestern, ranks higher at No. 12. NotreDame's athletics department generated more than $81 million in revenue in fiscal year 2008. ranking it fifth (and just ahead of Iowa) in the Big Ten. It plays Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue annually and is located in the heart of Big Ten country. The institution would benefit in every sport, not just football. It also could join the Committee on Institutional Cooperation, an academic version of the Big Ten. The school's faculty voted in favor of joining the Big Ten in 1999 but its board of trustees declined the offer.

CONS -- Notre Dame turned down the Big Ten in 1999. Rewind and replay.

BOSTON COLLEGE

At first blush, this one doesn't seem possible. Boston is nearly 450 miles from its potential closest school, Penn State. But the school would open up a new market for the league and its network. It has had football success and already competes in one of the top leagues in the country, the Atlantic Coast Conference.

PROS -- The Big Ten would conquer yet another major market in television world. Boston College has competed recently in the Big East and ACC so the athletic competition wouldn't be too extreme. The athletics department generated $64 million in revenue during fiscal year 2008, ranking it among the Big Ten's midsection. Boston College ranked No. 34 in U.S. News and World Report's best university rankings.

CONS -- Boston is too far in travel for many of the non-revenue sports. It generated only $20.7 million in football revenue in 2008, ranking above only Purdue among Big Ten schools.

MISSOURI

Few institutions fit the perceived requirements like Missouri. It's a state institution with a long tradition of athletics and Missouri borders two Big Ten states. It participates in the Big 12 Conference and has two major metro areas - St. Louis and Kansas City - within its borders.

PROS -- Missouri ranks No. 48 in the latest U.S. News and World Report top public universities rankings. Its athletics department generated nearly $58 million in revenue in fiscal years 2008. It competes against other Big Ten schools in a variety of sports and was among the nation's best in football and men's basketball in the last three years. St. Louis and Kansas City are new markets for the league and its Big Ten Network.

CONS -- The school's long-standing relationship with the Big 12/8 could create an anti-Big Ten fervor within the state. The school has had scandals involving its basketball program this decade.

IN THE DISCUSSSION

RUTGERS

The school has little to no history in college athletics, save for a few bowl games. But the school's reputation is growing, and its proximity to New York makes it an attractive candidate. Rutgers generated more than $54.3 million in revenue in 2008 and was ranked No. 26 among public universities by U.S. News and World Report. It is considered the state's primary public university and is a world research center.

PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh fits well in every area. Geographically it's not as far east as Penn State, but it does have a rich tradition of competing with the Nittany Lions. It ranks No. 20 among public universities on U.S. News and World Report and No. 56 overall. It's widely considered among the nation's best in health care. The athletics department generates nearly $46 million in revenue, which would rank last among Big Ten schools. Athletically, the school has solid football and men's basketball programs.

SYRACUSE

Syracuse would extend the league into New York, which would give the Big Ten a stronger East Coast presence. Historically, Syracuse's football program has been strong, albeit not recently. The men's basketball program is among the nation's best and won the national title in 2003. Its athletics department generates around $52 million but just $17 million in football, both of which would rank it second-to-last among Big Ten schools.

NEBRASKA

Athletically, its football program would rank among the Big Ten's best with a rich tradition. Its athletics department generated nearly $75 million in revenue in 2008, making it one of the Big Ten's strongest. It ranked No. 43 among public universities and No. 96 overall in U.S. News and World Report's rankings. The big question is how would Nebraskans support this? There's a great tradition with the Big 12/8 and a common kinship with those competing states. Nebraska doesn't bring a major market.

WEST VIRGINIA

It fits athletically on the field and the arena. Its athletics department generated $55.6 million in revenue in 2008. But it wasn't among the top 100 in U.S. News and World Report's rankings. It doesn't bring any market value as well.

IOWA STATE

It generated nearly $46 million in athletics revenue in 2008, ranking it near the Big Ten's bottom. Iowa State ranks No. 39 among public universities in the latest U.S. News and World Report's rankings. It is close in proximity to Iowa and Minnesota but wouldn't bring an additional market for the league or its network.