B1G Commissioner Kevin Warren says student-athletes are at the epicenter of the Big Ten Plans

Written by Matt Smith

College football has been going through many different changes over the past couple of months with the NIL ruling or the expansion of the college football playoff and now the sudden change coming out of the Big 12 with reports that Oklahoma and Texas might join the SEC.

With all of those issues facing commissioner Kevin Warren, during his first press conference at his first official Big Ten Media days, his message was similar throughout, the focus of the Big Ten is what is best for the student-athletes. 

One of the first topics that was brought up was Covid-19, and with that topic Warren spoke about the priorities of last season.

“To operate a conference in a global pandemic...we had to keep in mind that our number one focus was the health and safety of our student-athletes,” said Warren.

Warren was also proud of how the Big Ten handled having a season during the middle of the global pandemic.

“It was a complicated time, not a perfect time, but we grew stronger as a conference.” Warren said.

Warren then addressed the college football play-off expansion that has been proposed this summer. The expansion would be from four teams to eight teams. According to Warren, he wants to take “appropriate time,” to determine what he thinks is best for the conference.

In order to make that decision, Warren says he wants to talk to their network partners, presidents, ADs and the student-athletes at each of the fourteen universities.

Another expansion idea that was brought up during Warren’s press conference is the conference expansion idea that has come to fruition after the reports that Texas and Oklahoma want to join the SEC.

“We’re at an inflection point in college athletics… we’re always constantly evaluating what’s in the best interest of the conference,” Warren said.

In regards to the new NIL policy that passed July 1, when asked about the new NIL policy, Warren said that there needs to be federal legislation. 

Outside of the hot topics facing the Big Ten, Warren thanked the bowl partners for being there as well.

“Our bowl partners are really special, just like our network partners, but our bowl partners provide our student-athletes with the opportunities to really enjoy what it means to participate in a bowl game, to travel, to experience new items and new experiences across the country,” Warren said.

Warren concluded his press conference looking back on his first 18 months as commissioner of the Big Ten.

“If I had the chance to do it all over last year, I would do, make the same decisions that we made, because one of the things that I've always tried to focus on, and you heard me say it today, is making sure we keep our student-athletes at the center of all of our decisions, athletically, academically, regarding college football playoff expansion, relationships with our media partners, relationships with our bowl partners, all of those different things,” Warren said.