Iowa AD Gary Barta on timeline for Big Ten's schedule changes
Gary Barta: “I think we're far enough along in the concept. And, really, we can't wait much longer."
theathletic.com
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren’s departure won’t delay the conference’s plans to change its football scheduling alignment for the 2024 season, Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said Thursday.
For multiple years, conference and school officials have discussed altering or ending the East-West alignment in part to have a more equitable championship matchup. There was momentum to enact changes for the 2023 season to coincide with a new media rights agreement until USCand UCLA accepted Big Ten invitations beginning Aug. 2, 2024. Conference officials decided in October to delay any structural football changes until USC and UCLA participate in league play.
Warren, who was hired earlier this month as the Chicago Bears’ team president and chief executive officer, still participates in conference meetings, but school officials have no interest in waiting for a new Big Ten commissioner before finalizing the structure.
“We’ve had enough conversation,” Barta said. “I think we’re far enough along in the concept. And, really, we can’t wait much longer. It’s really important to lay out ’24 and beyond. We’ve talked about different versions of it. We’ve also talked about a range from ’24 to some other number out aways so we can all plan. Maybe it’s a four- or five-, six-year window that we lock in, so that we can put together our non-conference schedules.”
Big Ten officials have their winter meetings scheduled for Feb. 20-21 in Rosemont, Ill.
“It might get finalized this month,” Barta said. “We’ll certainly talk about it. It’s on the agenda.”
