The Big Ten has only had five commissioners since 1922. That’s an amazing number and a testament to the loyalty shown by these five individuals. One of those elite is none other than Jim Delaney, who has captained the conference for almost 20 years. He has undergone several changes in several different arenas, and one of his chief responsibilities at the current time is amongst other commissioners on the Bowl Championship Series “team”. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll admit it, I have been like a lot of people in my anger at both sides of this epic battle of the Big Ten Network and Comcast, as it seems it always comes down to money. Heck, I’m not real happy with Comcast in the least, they came in as the big bully and took over Insight as my “everything” provider, and has promptly raised rates as well as concerns with their network capabilities, etc. But I digress.

Since March, subscribers and Big 10 fans have eagerly been awaiting the final ok to a proposed agreement with the BTN and the cable network, but it has yet to be disseminated. In fact, it’s making me a bit nervous that there are more stipulations that I will not be hip to, but as long as at least I have an option to put the BTN on my list, I am simply ecstatic for that availability. The fact is with the biggies Michigan and Ohio State hogging much of the primetime games on the football schedule, when you want to watch another team, the choices are slim pickings most of the time.

Get it done, boys. You can only hurt yourself the longer this goes on, for pete’s sake.

Women’s volleyball has always had a strong following in the Big Ten, dating back to the early 80s when Illinois really broke onto the national scene normally dominated by California teams. Since that time, the programs throughout the conference have grown in size and stature amongst the masses, and when Penn State joined the Big Ten, not only did they bring one of the most storied football programs, they also brought a great tradition in volleyball (both men’s and women’s). Read the rest of this entry »