Jay Paterno offered his thoughts this morning on StateCollege.com about the Big Ten expansion. It’s no surprise that the two major factors in the decision are “money and television,” but he brings up another issue that hasn’t been discussed much yet: how the expansion will affect longtime relationships and rivalries.

Paterno explains that by expanding the conference, the frequency of big-time Penn State-Michigan or Penn State-Ohio State games will decrease dramatically.

It has taken nearly two decades to build up the rivalries and the bonds of conference membership. It would be a shame to see some of those bonds loosened as the frequency of football competition against cross-division teams regress to the frequency with which we play non-conference opponents.

The column is definitely worth a read.

[Photo: Geoff Rushton for Penn State Live]