Big Ten responds to rumors of further expansion

The Big Ten conference released the following statement today regarding rumors about the conference expanding beyond its current 12 teams:

In response to a number of recent media inquiries received by several Big Ten Presidents and Chancellors regarding the likelihood of further expansion by the Big Ten, the COP/C would like to reiterate that it will not be actively engaged in conference expansion at this time, or at any time in the foreseeable future, barring a significant shift in the current intercollegiate athletic landscape.   

The COP/C is aware that speculation about the possibility of expansion by the Big Ten Conference continues despite a statement from COP/C Chair and Indiana University President Michael McRobbie on December 5, 2010, indicating that the COP/C believed the expansion process had reached its natural conclusion, that it was pleased with the addition of Nebraska, and that it looked forward to working with its new colleagues in the years ahead. 

The conference has spent the past 14 months actively engaged in incorporating Nebraska, academically and athletically, into the fabric of the conference.  "We’re about as comfortable as we can be with where we are,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany.  “We’ve said that we will continue to monitor the landscape, but we have closed down active expansion and have no plans to seek new members.”