Why isn’t ISU included in the Big Ten or Pac-10 Conference expansion talks?
Really, academics don’t have much to do with conference expansion. That’s a shame for ISU since it brings a lot to the table in that regard. No, money, and football, since that’s the biggest money maker in college sports, are driving expansion talks. Conferences want teams that can bring new states and new TVs under its umbrella. Unfortunately for ISU, Iowa is a small state without a major TV market. There is a little more than 3 million people in the state, according to the US Census Bureau, and Des Moines is only the 72nd largest TV market, according to Television Bureau of Advertising. Iowa doesn’t provide the kind of monetary windfall for a conference that Texas and its 24.7 million people would. That’s why Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech have been linked with the Pac-10. That’s why Colorado, which has the 16th largest TV market in Denver nearby, was attractive to the Pac-10. Omaha, Neb., is the 76th largest market, but the Cornhuskers, who announced Friday they would seek membersh
