By Dave Krieger
Denver Post Columnist
The Big 12 will soon have 10 members. The Big Ten will soon have 12 members.
Which raises the philosophical question: Does an intercollegiate athletic conference have to know how to count?
And the related question: If they just trade names, will that make all this unseemly money-grubbing by our major universities go away?
Alas, probably not. Institutions of higher learning don't like to admit this, occupied as they are with the very serious business of educating the next generation, but in their spare time, they also operate de facto farm systems for the NFL and NBA as sort of a hobby.
In pursuit of the best players, they pay coaches as much as entire engineering departments and build weight rooms the size of what we used to call gymnasiums. Then they run around looking for the money to pay for it.
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http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_15306000