Clemson in the Big Ten. What would that be like for the Tigers?

It is an interesting question to ponder, especially with so much going around these days. As of tonight, however, Clemson is still a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. But how much longer will that be the case?

What would it be like for Clemson to be in the Big 10? The Clemson Insider examines what life might be like in the SEC on Wednesday night, but tonight we will focus on the Big 10.

Currently, the Big 10 has 14 teams, but that will change next fall with the additions of Southern Cal and UCLA, who both left the Pac-12 last year for the big dollars of the Big 10. Though, with the current state of the Pac-12, you can’t blame them.

You can’t blame Clemson either if it leaves the ACC for the Big Ten. Of course, the Big 10 has to invite the Tigers first.

If the Tigers did leave the ACC and join the Big 10, what are the pros and cons for such a move.

The obvious pro will be the money. Last year, the Big Ten finalized media rights contracts with CBS, Fox and NBC that will total more than $8 billion over seven years, making it the most lucrative conference rights deal in the history of college athletics.

With the 16-team structure to begin in 2024, Big 10 schools are expected to receive payouts over $70 million — that’s $20 million more than what their schools are currently making under the old grant of rights. It’s also $30 million more than what Clemson is expected to receive from the ACC.

If Clemson joins the Big 10, along with some of those other schools rumored to join them, then the Big 10 will begin new negotiations with FOX, CBS and NBC, which potentially could bring more television revenue to the individual schools.

What also makes the Big 10 attractive to Clemson is the simple fact it is currently a two-team conference in football, with an occasional pull by Penn State.

Ohio State and Michigan have owned the Big Ten for the majority of its existence. Ever since it joined the league in 1993, Penn State rose up a few times and challenged the two, but that is about it.

Southern Cal, with Lincoln Riley calling the plays, will come into the league and be a player right off the bat. If Clemson were to join the conference, then the Tigers, considering their historical success against the league, should be able to compete right away.

Clemson has a 41-29-2 record against Big Ten teams, including a 34-26-2 record against Maryland, who used to be in the ACC. However, of the six opponents the Tigers have faced from the Big 10, Clemson has a winning record against four of them, including a 5-1 combined record versus Ohio State and Penn State. Minnesota (0-1) is the only Big 10 school with a winning record against Clemson.

Unlike the SEC, which has Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee consistently battling for conference and national supremacy, the Tigers will have to worry about just two teams in the Big Ten for the most part, and maybe Penn State and Southern Cal.

In other words, the Tigers will have more of an opportunity to compete on the national stage and will be considered one of the football powerhouses in the Big Ten.

Also, if the Big Ten does expand to 20 teams, it means the conference potentially could become the first conference to establish a true playoff for its conference championship. Using five-team pods and breaking it into four sections, the league potentially could add a semifinal round to go along with its conference championship game.

And the best part is that it is feasible in the current structure of a 12-game regular season.

Another favor for the Big 10 is the fact Clemson will no longer play in a league that plays second fiddle on ESPN’s family of networks. Let’s face it, ESPN is in bed with the SEC. Greg Sankey, the SEC Commissioner, pulls on the strings of ESPN like he would a puppet.

Clemson can break away from the puppet master and get more respect being in the Big 10, which has television deals with CBS, FOX and NBC and is the first conference to stretch from coast-to-coast.

The negatives are the obvious ones. Clemson will lose playing a lot of its natural rivals, such as NC State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina.

No one knows how it might affect the future of the South Carolina rivalry. Does it get canceled, or best case it is moved to an earlier date on the schedule?

Another negative, which is not as bad as some people think, is the traveling. If Clemson and those three other schools join the Big 10, it’s likely Clemson will be in a pod and travel is not so bad in most cases. Yes, occasionally Clemson will have to travel to Los Angeles or Seattle for a football game, but traveling to places like Ann Arbor, Columbus or Happy Valley is actually closer than Boston, Syracuse or Miami.

What Clemson does from here, we will have to wait and see. But, as you can see from what I wrote above, the positives of going to the Big 10 clearly outweigh the negatives.

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