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You may have noticed that the title for the GameThread against Georgia Tech on Wednesday night was "Is This A Conference Game Yet?" Well, it was only a half-joke. I'd been hearing rumors that Georgia Tech was one of the schools on Jim Delany's list -- right below eggs and above milk -- for further expansion.
And now there are more of those rumors.
RT @tim_matty247: Sources are indicating that the #B1G has approved #GT as its 15th member. Stay tuned...
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) November 30, 2012
Of course, it's important to point out that Tim Matty also posted this tweet not too long afterward.
Clarification - Not saying #GT report is done deal. Reported out of Midwest. Worth monitoring as we know the landscape is fluid & changing.
— Tim_Matty247 (@Tim_Matty247) November 30, 2012
So is Georgia Tech coming to the Big Ten? I have no idea. That's the problem with conference realignment right now, there really is no rumor that you can outright dismiss. Whereas six months ago the idea of Georgia Tech in the Big Ten would have been ludicrous, today it's "well it is in Atlanta."
And since conference realignment is just another phrase for reckless speculation, let's recklessly speculate. If the Big Ten does end up adding Georgia Tech my guess would be that Boston College would be the 16th team the conference would look to add.
That way Jim Delany can claim Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Atlanta and Boston as part of his B1G Kingdom for the Big Ten Network and also for the Big Ten's next television negotiation. Those are five markets that will command quite a pretty penny from ESPN, Fox or whoever wants it.
UPDATE OF UPDATE PROPORTIONS
Georgia Tech AD Paul Griffin to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
"I'm not aware of any communications between university leadership and the Big Ten or any other conference."
I can only assume this means an announcement is IMMINENT.