Did Delany call out Bielema, others for scheduling easy games?

CHICAGO - Badger fans tired of seeing Football Championship Subdivision teams on Wisconsin's schedule will love what Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said today.

"The twelfth game, probably too often, has gone to an opponent that is a home game and one that you have a really good chance of winning against, to be honest about it," Delany said.

He mentioned that coaches schedule those games in the interest of becoming bowl eligible, but said it can actually hurt them when they are 7-5 and playing a decent bowl opponent, when they might actually only be a 6-6 caliber team.

Among other issues, Delany said Big Ten coaches are open to adding a twelfth Big Ten team and admitted there have been conversations about adding a ninth conference game to the schedule.

"I think as a group [the coaches] are very open to expansion, but ultimately it's always been a presidential decision and always will be," Delany said. "And certainly if they decided at a certain point in time that expansion was appropriate with another institution or if it was right, it's nice to know that we would have [Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster's] and the other coaches support."

The comment came a couple of hours after Brewster had expressed his desire to add a twelfth team and play a conference championship game.

"I look forward to the day when we add a team and we split the divisions and we play for a championship on national TV on a Saturday night in December," Brewster said.

Meanwhile, Delaney said discussions of adding a ninth conference game are "alive", but a number of issues are holding the idea up, including the problem of some teams playing five conference home games, while others would only play four.

As for a college football playoff system, Delany held firm on his stance he and most of the conference commissioners share of not wanting a playoff.

"Clearly the idea of a playoff in any form or shape is not something that is very welcome in the Big Ten Conference," Delany said.

If only he realized a playoff in any form or shape is actually very welcome among the fans of the Big Ten Conference.