Big Ten expansion doesn’t end the era of change in college sports

USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon officially joined the Big Ten on Thursday, meaning the formerly Midwestern conference now stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

That should end the maneuvering in major college sports.

Or not.

The better bet is there’s a lot still to sort out, and it might not all be good for Northwestern and Illinois. Both are working hard to show they can compete with the elite in the FBS. Some schools probably will be weeded out as not good enough, and football is the key.

Illinois is a step ahead, with athletic director Josh Whitman in May being named chair of the NCAA Division I council. It won’t help the Illini on the football field, but it will help them in the Zoom room or conference room where decisions are made.

Whitman, a former Illini football player and the AD since 2016, has shown he’s one of the best in the business.

Meanwhile, the pressure is on Illinois football coach Bret Bielema, entering his fourth season, and Northwestern football coach David Braun, entering his second season but the first knowing the job is really his.

There’s a lot of money and prestige on the line as college sports continues to seek its future, whatever it is.

Oly cow:

You know what’s fun? Watching the local kids succeed in the Olympics.

The quadrennial Olympics, maybe the biggest stage of all, and there’s Deerfield’s Paul Juda leading the USA men’s gymnastics team to the medal stand. Here’s Lemont’s Djordje Mihailovic scoring 2 goals in the Olympics to send the USA men’s soccer team into the knockout stage, where the Americans lost to Morocco.

Mihailovic, of course, formerly played for the Chicago Fire, where U.S. Olympic coach Marko Mitrovic was an assistant.

The suburban volleyball scene is alive and well in Paris too.

More locals will be in action now that track and field is getting started.

Extra credit:

I’ve been tough on the Chicago Fire over the years. It’s been deserved, of course. The club has been a disaster over the years. Since making the 2009 conference final, the Fire has a mere two playoff appearances, one playoff goal and zero playoff wins.

I wasn’t a big fan of the move to Soldier Field from Bridgeview’s SeatGeek Stadium either. It’s done little for attendance, and obviously it hasn’t helped in the win column.

So it’s only fair I offer kudos when they’re deserved. And owner Joe Mansueto deserves praise for his statement saying the team won’t pursue public financing for a stadium of its own.

“If we’re going to build a stadium, we will privately finance. I’m not comfortable taking public money. Stadiums, in general, are not great investments,” Mansueto told Crain’s Chicago Business. “They are big, expensive, costly to maintain and sit empty most of the time.”

Are you listening, Chicago Bears? How about you, Chicago White Sox? You too, Chicago Red Stars.

More praise:

While we’re at it, good for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the General Assembly for just saying no to the Bears’ big plans to use taxpayer funds.

“In reality, there isn't a proposal on the table right now that would be acceptable to anyone that I know in the legislature,” Pritzker said.

Again, if the Bears have $2 billion to pledge to the construction of a new stadium, they can build it themselves.

• Daily Herald Sports Editor Orrin Schwarz can be reached at oschwarz@dailyherald.com.