Bold Prediction: The Big Ten will set an attendance record in 2022

Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty ImagesMy husband and I took a long-awaited trip to Italy in April and caught the travel bug once again. As we were searching for our next trip, we noticed that ticket prices had almost tripled for some routes (including the one we’d just been on a few months ago). That’s because everyone else has caught the travel bug too now that COVID restrictions have largely lifted. As a result, the willingness to pay for these experiences is significantly higher.

Moving a little closer to home, the addition of USC and UCLA to the Big Ten will mean the conference is literally a national brand stretching coast to coast. Will we find Big Ten fans regularly willing to foot the…