The more I think about a Big Ten Conference, the more I think it's a horrible idea. You're talking about ripping apart not one, but two conferences full of rivalries to create one conference with a few.
Penn State isn't going to enter the hockey world as a highly competitive program, and anyone who thinks they'll be competitive out of the gate is sorely mistaken. It'll take them five or more years to get to that level. They need to establish themselves first before they get all of those top end recruits.
I am truly hoping that the CCHA and WCHA put up a fight to keep their current membership. Sadly, I doubt McLeod will do so. He seems to think that losing Minnesota and Wisconsin will have no effect on the league. I've always thought that man was an idiot, and this is just another piece of evidence to prove my point.
As hurt as the WCHA would be, the CCHA would be even more hurt. Three of the top four schools in that league would be missing then, giving them eight teams to try and rebuild from. How very tough would that be.
If Penn State were smart, they'd apply for membership in the CCHA. First, location wise it would work out well for them. Second, they'll have three of the five Big Ten schools in their conference already, and it wouldn't be a big deal to get the Gophers and/or Badgers on their schedule every year. Third, it would be so much better for the game to wait until other Big Ten schools join the mix to make a more competitive and viable league. Fourth, it keeps the CCHA viable and adds the potential for some more good rivalries to form.
Furthermore, I think these six team leagues are ridiculous. In my opinion, the NCAA shouldn't allow an auto-bid until a league has eight members. Six is just too few to prove anything and takes away another at-large bid. With that said, the team coming out of a Big Ten Conference would, most likely, actually deserve to be there, though. However, can you imagine if Penn State won the tournament in one of its first years when they're obviously going to suck? I know I'd be pretty upset if my team were left out because another undeserving team made it in. There just isn't enough competition to prove your worth with those few members.
Also, let us not forget, there will be three teams with losing conference records each year. With the exception of Ohio State, and Minnesota's most recent struggles (which they'll turn around soon enough), which of these perennial top-half finishers is going to want to be on the bottom each year? Can you imagine being a Michigan or Michigan State fan and finishing perennially at the bottom of your league in hockey after finishing at the top of your previous league every year?
Can you imagine not making the NCAA tourney each year because of your league too? I can't. I'd rather have the variety in my schedule with those other teams to be able to make it on my own merits. Yes, they'll be able to win a lot of non-conference games, but they're still going to need help in conference play to make the tourney as an at-large bid. We all know how difficult it is to make it, and how much the PWR rankings change on a weekly basis to know that it will be difficult to put all of those teams into the NCAA's every year.
Bottom line, it's better for hockey as a whole if Penn State joins the CCHA. The Big Ten Network will still get its Big Ten match-ups and they'll still make their money.
