Maryland To Join Big Ten

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 19, 2012 6:45PM

Any notions fans of the Big Ten Conference had of solely representing the heartland were pissed away today by the University of Maryland’s decision to join the conference. Rutgers University is expected to follow to bring the number of Big Ten schools to 14—numbers that even Michigan or Ohio State grads would recognize as bad math.

That is, unless the math one’s looking at is cash and television ratings. ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski telegraphed this move in the spring, after talks for a proposed “super-alliance” between the Big Ten and Pac-12 broke down.

"I could see him sending in a Big Ten Special Forces unit to extract Rutgers from the ACC's possible grasp and Maryland from the ACC altogether. Rutgers hasn't made much of a secret of its fondness for the Big Ten. And who knows -- maybe Maryland is ready for a change too. ... That would give the Big Ten 14 members and a strong presence in Pennsylvania, the mid-Atlantic states and the New York/New Jersey areas."

--snip—

So Delany secured Rutgers and Maryland to give his conference that East Coast/mid-Atlantic market presence. In return, Rutgers gets instant league stability and Maryland receives a football upgrade.

Now the question becomes: Is the Big Ten done adopting?

I don't think expansion was ever Delany's first choice. That's why the Pac-12 alliance had so much appeal to him and the Big Ten presidents.

But when it fell apart, and the ACC formed its own alliance with Notre Dame, and geography began to work against the Big Ten, Delany decided he couldn't sit on his hands. In essence, it had become a zero-sum game.

Maryland apparently believed it was worth the $50 million buyout penalty to leave the ACC and join the Big Ten’s lower ranks beginning in 2014-15. (Maryland was one of two ACC schools—Florida State the other—who voted against the buyout clause. Florida State is being courted by the Big 12.) Rutgers, according to Deadspin, is expected to pay close to $20 million to extricate itself from the Big East.

With presences in the New York/New Jersey and DC areas, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is expected to command plenty of leverage when the conference renegotiates its broadcast deals when they expire in 2017, which will mean more money for the conference and both Maryland and Rutgers receiving a quick write-off on their buyouts. As Wojciechoski wrote, the Big Ten may not be done with Rutgers and Maryland, as they’re in a race with the Southeastern Conference, Pac-12 and ACC to form super-conferences with 16-team memberships. Rutgers and Maryland can also pencil in easy wins against Illinois. Maryland will join the Big Ten's Leaders division; Illinois will move to the Legends division.

Sports columnists like the Detroit Free Press' Jeff Seidel can complain about these realignments all they want, but the proverbial genie is already out of the bottle.