DaytonDailyNews.com

Like most people, Kirk Herbstreit was surprised this week to learn that Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said the conference probably will discuss adding a school in the coming years to boost the upcoming Big Ten Network.

"It's interesting that they changed their tune rather abruptly," said Herbstreit, the former Centerville High School and Ohio State quarterback and current college football analyst for ESPN and ABC.

Herbstreit covered the Big Ten and Ohio State's football prospects Friday as part of a conversation about the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, which will match 22 high school football teams from Ohio and around the country in Canton and Cincinnati on Labor Day weekend.

On the Big Ten, Herbstreit said that as other conferences grew to 12 schools to add a conference championship football game, the Big Ten didn't seem interested in doing the same.

"They were kind of looking down on it," Herbstreit said. "They seemed committed to staying at 11 schools, especially after it was clear Notre Dame was not going to join."

Herbstreit's schedule is becoming more hectic because of the upcoming college season, which he said should see a strong Buckeyes effort.

"I'll be shocked if they're not 8-0," Herbstreit said, noting the relative ease of OSU's first eight games, before it closes with Penn State, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan. "(The game) at Purdue, I think, is the only part of the early schedule that could pose a problem.

"This team will remind people more of the '02 than the '05 and '06 (teams). There won't be a lot of offensive fireworks. The defense will set up a controlled offense with a new quarterback, and in the final four games they'll find out how good they really are."