Commissioner Jim Delany pooh-poohs rumors of Big Ten expansion

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Updated: November 29, 2011 8:26AM

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany shot down rumors of further conference expansion when he met with reporters Thursday at the Big Ten’s basketball media day.

Delany said conference expansion interests him as a fan, but not as a commissioner.

“We’re out of the discussion except for an interested observer,” Delany said. “We watch with interest what others are doing. But that’s been the extent of our interaction.”

The Big Ten added Nebraska as a 12th member in June 2010, about 20 years after adding Penn State.

“There’s expansion stories all over the country, but we’re not part of any of them,” Delany said. “When we were involved [in expansion], we were very direct and we released a statement. We never did speak about any of the schools we spoke to.”

There is speculation that Notre Dame could go to a conference and lose its independent status in football. Other Notre Dame teams play in the Big East, which might be down to five football schools if West Virginia leaves for the Big 12.

Delany acknowledged he has had conversations with Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick, but those involved college hockey and some scheduling issues in football and basketball, nothing related to Big Ten expansion.