Maryland, Rutgers to join Big 10

[CameronCrazy06]

The University of Maryland's Board of Regents voted Monday to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten and begin competition in the conference in the 2014-15 academic year, sources told ESPN. An afternoon announcement will be made in College Park.


Big East Conference sources told ESPN that Rutgers will be announced as the 14th member of the Big Ten on Tuesday. The Big Ten's council of presidents unanimously approved Maryland's admission on Monday, a source said.

Meanwhile, Big East Conference sources told ESPN that Rutgers will be announced as the 14th member of the Big Ten on Tuesday.

Once Maryland's board voted and faxed a letter of application to the Big Ten on Monday, the conference's council of presidents unanimously approved the Terrapins' admission, a source said. Maryland, along with seven others, was a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953.
"Our best wishes are extended to all of the people associated with the University of Maryland. Since our inception, they have been an outstanding member of our conference and we are sorry to see them exit," ACC commissioner John Swofford said in a statement. "For the past 60 years the Atlantic Coast Conference has exhibited leadership in academics and athletics. This is our foundation and we look forward to building on it as we move forward."

Sources at Maryland believe the Terps will be able to negotiate the current $50 million exit fee from the ACC to a lower amount. The additions of Maryland and Rutgers would spur the Big Ten, then, toward negotiations on a new media-rights deal when its first-tier rights expire in 2017.

The stepped-up negotiations between Maryland and the Big Ten, and the conference's scheduled vote on the Terrapins' membership, were reported by ESPN over the weekend.

"The question is what's the future" of the ACC, Maryland regent Patricia Florestano told ESPN.com on Monday. "We've got to look to the future." Asked if the future of Maryland athletics is brighter in the Big Ten than in the ACC, Florestano said, "we perceived it that way."

One stumbling block for Maryland was thought to be a financial one. Its athletic department has recently dropped sports programs because of budget concerns, and the ACC recently raised its exit fee to the aforementioned $50 million.

Maryland and Florida State were the only two of the ACC's 12 schools that voted against a $50 million exit fee but lost the vote. Maryland president Wallace Loh was quoted in The Washington Post on Sept. 13 as saying he was against the hike from $20 million to $50 million on "legal and philosophical" grounds.

A source told ESPN that the Big Ten has been itchy about further expansion since Notre Dame made its official move to the ACC two months ago in all sports other than football. The source said the Big Ten can justify Maryland and then potentially Rutgers because they are in contiguous states to the Big Ten footprint.

The addition of the two East Coast schools would dramatically stretch the Big Ten's shadow. With Maryland holding down the Beltway, Rutgers, in New Brunswick, N.J., offering up the New York market and Penn State's strong eastern ties, the league has a solid anchor in the mid-Atlantic states.

Maryland becomes only the second school to leave the ACC. South Carolina was the other, leaving in 1971 to become an independent. The Gamecocks are now members of the SEC.

In the past few years, the nation's top five conferences -- SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC -- have added 10 new members, unleashing a coast-to-coast domino effect on college programs.
With the move of Maryland and pending move by Rutgers, the ACC and Big East are expected to seek replacement teams. Connecticut is the most likely candidate to join the ACC, sources said, though school officials said that they had not heard from the ACC as of Sunday night. Syracuse (to the ACC), Pittsburgh (ACC) and West Virginia (Big 12) have negotiated early withdrawals from the Big East in the past year.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Maybe move this to the Football section I'm not sure which sport this is more prevalent in but WOW

 

[bosoxlover12]

Why would UConn join the ACC? smh

 

[CameronCrazy06]

Because the Big East is falling apart at the seems and the ACC offers far more financial stability. I don't want them though.

 

[bosoxlover12]

That's a crazy amount of talent in the ACC if UConn, Pitt, and Syracuse go there, and probably Louisville then too

 

[Big Bid'Ness]

The Big 14 lol.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

That's a crazy amount of talent in the ACC if UConn, Pitt, and Syracuse go there, and probably Louisville then too

In basketball, yeah. Gotta look at it from a football perspective too.

 

[Hurricane Season]

I've heard that if Louisville does eventually leave the Big East, they'll be headed for the Big XII.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

That's what the word was originally but apparently now the ACC might try to replace Maryland with UConn AND Louisville

 

[elcheato]

These guys are worse than Indiana, and thats hard to do. This makes no sense for the Big 10, especially Rutgers.

 

[Elite]

Rutgers is definitely not as bad as Indiana

 

[RipCity32]

Welcome aboard lol. Weak football schools, I don't really get it.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

The only reason they wanted both is the DC and NY market. Although neither school is that big in either -____-

 

[Elite]

Rutgers isn't even in NY and gets zero coverage.

 

[elcheato]

Welcome aboard lol. Weak everything schools, I don't really get it.

 

[youngguru]

Great move for Rutgers. $$$$$

 

[youngguru]

Also, Rutgers is ranked 18th in the nation right now in football, higher than the majority of the Big 10.

 

[youngguru]

The only reason they wanted both is the DC and NY market. Although neither school is that big in either -____-

25th largest college in the nation > not big lol

 

[youngguru]

Rutgers isn't even in NY and gets zero coverage.

lolwut.

 

[CameronCrazy06]

25th largest college in the nation > not big lol

I was referring to their relevance in those respective markets. I'm from Maryland I know college park is a big school and I would assume Rutgers is too....