Penn State legend Matt Millen talks Big Ten expansion, Lions’ biggest concern, and more

Penn State legend Matt Millen is approaching the decade mark as a color commentator for the Big Ten Network. The All-American defensive tackle and four-time Super Bowl champion has been with the conference’s television station since 2015. He was not in the booth when the league’s last expansion, which added Rutgers and Maryland , happened in 2014. But, he will be front and center as the 2024 season kicks off with the additions of Oregon , USC , Washington , and UCLA . And, if he has it his way, he might still be calling games when the inevitable next round of expansion takes place, whenever that may be.

“It’s just indicative of where we’re at, and it’s going to continue to change,” Millen told BWI. “This isn’t the end of it. So, and I said this maybe, geez, maybe 10 years ago, we’re going to eventually get to the NFL model. Especially with the NIL stuff coming in, you’re just going to have to have a salary cap in place, and you’re going to have to have two main conferences. And that’s the best way to run it, and so that’s where they’ll end up eventually. So this is a part of the change, but we’re not done.”

Many share Millen’s sentiments. The House vs. NCAA settlement, which is in the judicial approval process, will, among other things, set a per-school spending limit and erase scholarship maximums. Many view it as the next step toward further consolidation of the current Power Four. None of that will happen before this season, however. And, so, we turned Millen’s attention toward the slate of games ahead for his thoughts on Penn State and the league at large.

BWI: What are you most looking forward to about being back in the booth this season?

Millen: “Just the games, you know, I just enjoy seeing new talent come up. I enjoy watching kids getting better. You can see from year to year, like, okay, take [Rutgers coach] Greg Schiano, for example. He’s recruiting in [the Lehigh Valley area where Millen lives]. And so there’s some kids that I know right, that you’ve read about in high school, and then you just watch them and pretty soon they’re turning into NFL prospects. And so it’s kind of fun for me to watch that. And I’m fortunate enough to be able to see the whole Big Ten, and now, with it expanding, you get to see even more stuff. So a lot of times, a game will be on, and I’ll say, yeah, a kid played for Wisconsin. He did this [in high school]. It’s just kind of fun for me.”

BWI: What are your initial thoughts on what Penn State returns and its outlook in 2024?

Millen: “I think their biggest problem is going to be their offensive line. They have to rebuild the offensive line again. They have good skill set on offense and on defense. They have some pass rushers, [ Abdul Carter ]’s a good player. There are some good players there, but they’re just going to have to get that offensive line up to par fast. And if that happens, then they’ll be successful. And inevitably, you know, they’re always going to be judged by one or two games on their schedule. I mean, it’s always, traditionally been Ohio State and Michigan. They won’t have that all the time. It’ll be in a cycle.”

BWI: What are you most looking forward to in the Big Ten this year?

Millen: “Well, I like to watch the up-and-comers. I think Rutgers is an interesting team. I think Greg’s a really good coach. He’s going to spoil somebody’s season. And then I like his staff too. It ends up happening, I end up liking somebody’s head coaches so much that I start watching them all the time, right? So you just want to see them do well, right? And so that’s kind of the excitement for me in the in the season.”

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