Just My Type

JT: We just had our Big Ten meetings, and every year we cover all the [aspects] of adding teams and a championship game. What's the landscape in this sport at the moment versus what's gone on historically? There are some upsides to adding a team, as long as it's the right one. There are some upsides to a championship game, but there are also some downsides. If you did a lie-detector test on coaches that have championship games, I'm not sure that they would tell you that it's one of the greatest things that is a part of their world. Obviously if you win it's great, but historically, for teams that haven't fared well, it's been difficult when they went on to their postseason bowl game.

DP: Notre Dame has been floated as a possible 12th team. Is that a possibility?

JT: I don't know what the possibility is. It really wouldn't enlarge our territory, and so much of the discussion in this day and age is enlarging your market and your interest base. Simply from a football standpoint, Notre Dame is a great attraction, but there's so much more that you have in those discussions. I think we're a ways away from finalizing anything.

DP: So are you looking to the South or the East?

JT: If you look at the demographics of our country, there are a lot of people who live in the East. And we're probably only increasing two or three percent in our neck of the woods in population growth. The East continues to grow, and the South and the Sun Belt continue to grow. When we added Penn State [in 1990] we branched out geographically, and I know that's one of the discussions that people are having in our league: Is that a need for us at this point?

Now Hear This
Listen to the podcasts at danpatrick.com/interviews

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THE FINE PRINT: Terrell Owens is set to star in a reality show on VH1. I believe it's going to be called Arrivederci, Romo.

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