With UCLA joining, they're getting what I would call a "2nd tier power" in baseball. Someone who can make Omaha some, even win the title () and probably will make the Field of 64 more often than not, but not really someone you expect to be competing for national seeds and Omaha year-in, year-out. But they will immediately be the top program in the conference.

What if the Big 10 decided to care about baseball at the level the other power conferences do?
  • Pros - Bring college baseball fandom to the Midwest, making the sport more prominent. It would be cool to be a national power in a sport that's broadly followed across the country. They would probably argue in favor of the same rule changes the SEC wants. If the upcoming "Power 2" breakaway, we need someone to compete against.
  • Neutral - Them getting better could take postseason slots away from us. However, they're averaging about 4 bids anyway over the last decade, so we'd only be taking about them taking a few more slots.
  • Cons - They'll take talent away from us. We're an elite program in a niche sport now, but if Ohio State or Michigan starts pumping money into baseball, it could hurt us. Most Big 10 fanbases can probably outspend us if they wanted to.