July in sports offers thoughts of football. Preseason and regular season are in view. The Voice in previous weeks had included the Chicago Bears preseason and regular-season schedules through the final regular-season game, January 5, 2025. Postseason play, of course will be determined. Optimism always starts high, at least relatively.
With the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox both struggling and playing at a clip under .500 more football thoughts continue with college football.
The Big Ten Conference this season expands from 14 teams in 2023 to 18 teams this season with the addition of four West Coast teams, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, and USC. That puts the three largest cities and metropolitan areas in alignment with Rugters near New York City, Chicago the hub of the old Big Ten (when there were 10 teams, and Los Angeles for UCLA (University of California in Los Angeles and USC (University of Southern California. How will the other teams of the former Pacific Coast Conference adjust to the new alignments?
The 18 teams will not be broken down into divisions, rather with each Big Ten (18?) team playing nine games and nine games a second time to complete a home and home series. That leaves three games for non-conference battles in a 12-game schedule prior to bowl games. It should be interesting, at the least. The West Coast teams will travel together for their Midwest opponents, although not long ago the Big Ten expanded to Nebraska on the west and Rutgers on the east to now truly make the Big 10 (14) (18) an unquestioned national conference.
The expansion of quality teams to an 18-team conference is a testament to made-for-television to appeal to the armchair quarterbacks. The inclusion of UCLA, USC, Washington, and Oregon, into the Big 18 is a direct result of the inability of the now defunct12-team Pacific Coast Conference’s to agree on media (television rights), so the four strongest schools fled to join the strongest conference for self-protection. The Pacific Coast Conference was a fine conference so we will see what develops in the next three or four years, or, sooner. On a one-year trial will be an alliance, not merger, of remaining teams from the Pacific Coast, Washington State, Oregon State and Mountain West Conference.
Will there be a natural rivalry for Washington and Wisconsin, or, Oregon and Ohio State, or, can the other teams develop long-term bonds?
The Mountain West has developing programs which include Air Force, San Diego State, Colorado State, Brigham Young, Nevada, UNLV.
Most teams across the country will begin non-conference play Thursday, Aug. 29, Friday, Aug. 30, or, Saturday, Aug. 31. Illinois will play its first game Thursday, Aug. 29 at home against Eastern Illinois and Northwestern will start at home against Miami Ohio Saturday, Aug. 31. Northern Illinois will begin Saturday, Aug. 31 at home against Western Illinois University. Notre Dame will begin at Texas A&M Saturday, Aug. 31 and Northern Illinois will play at Notre Dame Saturday, Sept. 7.
It all sounds interesting, at least on the surface. We will gauge halfway though the season how the four West Coast teams adapt and the climate in the rest of the country.
•The Bears face a schedule of good teams, however, brutal does not come to mind. If the Bears put themselves into position for a playoff berth, even a competitive Big Ten schedule in the Midwest will take a back seat. We know fans, in any case, will be drawn to Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Iowa, but, other teams cold be left behind by a an excellent Bears team!
Stay tuned!
•The Chicago’s Cubs and White Sox will meet two more times this season in early August. Barring the unexpected their meetings could be the most excitement from them the rest of the year. Through Monday both teams had slipped below .500, each needs miracles.