Big Ten Commmissioner Jim Delany's State of the Conference address to the media

Jim Delany took a half-hour Monday to get the world up to speed on Big Ten matters.

Among his comments:

Really excited about the bowl partnerships. No shock there.Regular-season college football is maybe as healthy as it's ever been. It's controversial because of the BCS, but also successful.On expansion: Media interest was an interesting phenomenon.It required some discipline and some focus."We went faster than we thought we were going to go.""We've paused to spend the time necessary. ... Tom Osborne is hear working with the other athletic directors on division structures."Division structure won't be announced here this week, then comes football title-game location and a new league logo.Not actively involved in any expansion initiatives at this point. One hundred percent of energies at this present time focused on helping Nebraska transition into the conference."I presume we'll have a championship game." Duh.Division structure 30-45 days out, most likely.Need to do everything we can to preserve rivalry games.

Division structure won't be announced here this week, then comes football title-game location and a new league logo.

Not actively involved in any expansion initiatives at this point. One hundred percent of energies at this present time focused on helping Nebraska transition into the conference.

"I presume we'll have a championship game." Duh.

Division structure 30-45 days out, most likely.

Need to do everything we can to preserve rivalry games.

Can see an eventual 9-game conference schedule because teams join a conference because they want to be in the conference, to play other conference teams.

Chances of rotating a title-game site/playing it outdoors: "There's a lot to do over the next 120 days. ... I'm not sure whether in the next 90 or 120 days we'll have the time to do the fair due diligence to visit a half-dozen venues. ... Would we be wise to just identify a site for one year, let's get it done and then this spring go out and spend more time with more venues and more cities."

"I'm not sure divisions make sense in basketball. ... We have a tournament where everyone gets to go." Makes sense to me.

On putting Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in the same football division: "When we get finished looking at the data ... we would be inclined to try to create and move teams into divisions where each division is about as powerful as the other one."

"I think the Big Ten is the Big Ten regardless of the number."

About Notre Dame in future Big Ten expansion possibilities: "I don't see them as a player, really. ... I see Notre Dame playing as an independent in football for many years to come."

On the 9-game schedule in Big Ten football: "I think there's a consensus among our athletic directors to do that." It would take time, he said. "I think it's what our fans want, it's what the athletes want. ... To be honest with you, I don't think the nonconference games we've seen since we've added a 12th game (have not been appealing to players or fans)."

"I'm not giving any thought to other expansion as we work through (coming up with divisions for next year)."

A nine-game league schedule: "might affect some schools that are now scheduling high-quality opponents on a home-and-home basis." Said that concerns him and the league will work to try to fit in those games. It certainly leads to questions about Iowa-Iowa State, wouldn't you say?

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