Big Ten could expand beyond additions of USC, UCLA, says commissioner Kevin Warren, if it adds 'additional value' to conference

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The Big Ten will take a bold approach to major changes in college athletics if further expansion beyond USC and UCLA is done for the right reasons.

The Big Ten will give full revenue shares to USC and UCLA immediately, unlike the three most recent additions, Warren said. Warren hopes to announce a new media rights agreement for the Big Ten soon.

I get asked what's next all the time. The Big Ten media days will begin Tuesday. It will be done for the right reasons, at the right time, with our student-athletes' academic and athletic empowerment at the center of any and all decisions that we will make.

We won't expand just because we want to. Adding additional value to our conference will be strategic.

Warren studied USC and UCLA while interviewing for the Big Ten commissioner job. Los Angeles has the largest section of Big Ten alumni outside of the Midwest, according to his recollection.

The Big Ten will soon have a presence in the country's three largest markets, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and will provide content all the way from the morning into the night. Fox will be the Big Ten's lead media partner for the next agreement.

A lot of work has been done on any potential expansion. The Big Ten Conference is always analyzing the goodness of fit for any institutions that are coming to the conference.

Warren talked about taking a bold and innovative approach to college athletics. He said the league won't be in a bureaucratic state.

Warren said that it was important for all of them in business to know that they were in a time of change. There are two types of people in the world, one looking at change as a problem and another looking at change as an opportunity. I get excited about change when it happens. It's an opportunity for us to do a lot of things that people have thought about but haven't done yet.

I am embracing change.

Warren supports an expanded College Football Playoff and is confident that a new model will be found. The Big Ten and the other two conferences voted against a 12-team proposal after months of discussion. The champion of power conferences should get automatic berths in the expanded system.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said earlier this month that he doesn't think automatic qualification should be included in future models.

Warren believes that we need to open it up to have more than one media partner. We need to look at things from a different perspective. Some of the bowl relationships need to be protected. I'm confident that we'll be able to reach some resolution if we get these new individuals in the room and get these issues on the table.

The Big Ten has an athletic advisory and advocacy committee. The environment that they're competing in will change with the USC and UCLA additions.

It's easy to talk about money but what does it mean? Warren spoke. To understand what's important to them, I need to have big ears and a small mouth.