Big 14

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:25 am

Maryland board OKs move to Big Ten
Patricia Florestano, a member of the Board of Regents, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports the regents had voted to apply for admission for the University of Maryland into the Big Ten.

"There was certainly discussion about the tradition of the ACC. And the question is what's the future. And we've got to look to the future," Florestano said in Baltimore before a previously scheduled public meeting on education policy.

A formal announcement from the Big Ten and the school is expected Monday afternoon.

"I did it to guarantee the long-term future of Maryland athletics," university President Wallace Loh told Maryland's student newspaper, The Diamondback. "No future president will have to worry about cutting teams or that Maryland athletics will be at risk."

Maryland has been in a severe athletics budget crisis in recent years, going so far as to cut some of its intercollegiate programs. The Big Ten move is expected to generate several more millions a year, mainly through television rights. The Big Ten has the most lucrative television contract in college sports, with each member receiving more than $24 million a year, according to published reports, including by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Florestano said the vote earlier Monday was not unanimous but that she voted for the move to the Big Ten.

"There was a long discussion," she said.

Is Maryland's future brighter in the Big Ten?

"'We perceive it that way," said Florestano.

The Board of Regents has 17 members. "We had a majority in the room,'' she said.

Was the meeting closed?

"It was certainly an executive meeting without the public," she said.

Rutgers is expected to follow Maryland to the Big Ten. It has a previously scheduled Board of Governors meeting Monday, and an announcement on its move could come as early as Tuesday.

Maryland's move creates an opening, and perhaps some instability, in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After adding Notre Dame as a partial member (all sports but football and hockey) in September, ACC presidents voted to increase the league's exit fee to $50 million. Maryland and Florida State were the only to schools to vote against it. An ACC official, who requested not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the situation, said the league's legal council has determined that the exit fee is binding. Maryland is expected to seek a reduction in the buyout.

"There are no loopholes," the official said.

Florestano was asked whether the possibility of a $50 million fee to exit the ACC gave her any pause.

"We're still debating what that figure is and how we're going to deal with it," she said.

The ACC could look to add UConn to fill Maryland's spot, but others in the league — especially Florida State and Clemson — will be watching closely to see how the exit fee is handled.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/2012/11/19/maryland-big-ten-conference-realignment/1714169/

by PurplePrideTrumpet Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:45 am

From the Twitter grapevine it looks like Rutgers might make it 14.

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:52 am

Yeah, their board meets today and may announce tomorrow.

There is speculation the B1G won't stop until 16.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8651833/big-ten-shores-weakness-latest-expansion-college-football

by Guest Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:05 am

I feel like Maryland is a much better suited team for the ACC. I would not support this move if I were a Marylander. Rutgers, on the other hand, can do whatever it wants and I am not sure too many people will notice outside of Jersey.

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:13 am

RipCityPilot wrote:I feel like Maryland is a much better suited team for the ACC. I would not support this move if I were a Marylander. Rutgers, on the other hand, can do whatever it wants and I am not sure too many people will notice outside of Jersey.

Maryland actually had some pretty good rivalries in Football with schools outside of the ACC, especially with Rutgers, Penn State, and WVA. Back when Boomer played for them they were the highlight of the sports year. And for a bunch of years they played Penn State every year. In recent years they haven't been able to recruit against that bunch, but I bet the hope is they will able to.

Basketball? Probably not te best move. Their non-conference season just became more important. Maybe they can still pick up an ACC team or two each year.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:24 am

RipCityPilot wrote:I feel like Maryland is a much better suited team for the ACC. I would not support this move if I were a Marylander. Rutgers, on the other hand, can do whatever it wants and I am not sure too many people will notice outside of Jersey.

I wouldn't be too excited if I were a Maryland fan, but we both know $port$ don't have a lot to do with thi$.

I think Chris Henderson of All White Kit said it best when he Tweeted that if the Big Ten thinks Rutgers will deliver the NY market to them, RU should take the money and run.

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:34 am

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:

I think Chris Henderson of All White Kit said it best when he Tweeted that if the Big Ten thinks Rutgers will deliver the NY market to them, RU should take the money and run.

I'm not sure Chris knows the NY market all that well. The place is starved for top tier football. "Big" College games there are Syracuse and people taking a train to the Yale bowl.

Rutgers has access to its own stadium (53K?) and , more importantly, to the big New York stadiums. Ohio State and Michigan are instant sellouts, and the cable payoff cinches the decision. I'm just wondering what team the B1G taps for the rest of the NE corridor cable market. Each subscriber is worth $.80 to the big ten channel if a B1G team is near, only $.10 if there is no team close. Rutgers is between NY and Philly, and probably nails down the extra 70¢ per viewer in both markets.

I think BC is too small, but....

Maybe the ACC will have a fight on its hands over Connecticut.

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:52 am

...And, just the KC Star is calling Rutgers a done deal.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/19/3925470/report-rutgers-to-join-big-ten.html

by pilotram Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:22 am

So the Big East is now hosed?
Or do they add Idaho now?

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:38 am

Big East is going to an Eastern and Western division, if they have SDSU, why not Idaho?

Now Speculation is UCONN jumps Wednesday.

by **DaTruRochin** Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:15 pm

UMass just moved up to D-1 for football.... And play their home games at Gillette Stadium (2 hours from Amherst...) until their home one is built, but nobody up here (Read: Boston) cares about UConn unless they went there.

The only college sport that really generates much interest in NE is college hockey. (Unless of course you are someone who grew up in the South or Midwest, but they typically stay loyal to their own respective teams.)

Its kind of a shame that football $$$ are really dictating all of this, it really kind of takes the fun out of watching any of it.

by DoubleDipper Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:44 pm

DaTruRochin wrote:Its kind of a shame that football $$$ are really dictating all of this, it really kind of takes the fun out of watching any of it.

Did anyone watch 60 Minutes last evening (a fairly candid interview with the Michigan AD).....it's ALL about football.

by **DaTruRochin** Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:57 pm

Oh clearly... Which is going to be awkward 20 years down the road when concussions have rendered the sport unplayable. Duck!

by Geezaldinho Mon Nov 19, 2012 2:10 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:
DaTruRochin wrote:Its kind of a shame that football $$$ are really dictating all of this, it really kind of takes the fun out of watching any of it.
Did anyone watch 60 Minutes last evening (a fairly candid interview with the Michigan AD).....it's ALL about football.

Year, i watched it. I found it interesting that of The 124 BCS schools, 60 Minutes had to dig up One of The 22 which Makes money to interview. Isn't The bigger story The One about how 102 schools are going broke and draining their endowments and The taxpayers?

by Guest Mon Nov 19, 2012 2:56 pm

Seems like the Mountain West Conference may not be dead, either. And the Big East western division may be impacted. boise-state-broncos-sdsu-aztecs-byu-cougars-talk-mwc-return-sources-say

by Guest Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:53 pm

Any thoughts on whether a BYU move would be in all sports or just football?

by **DaTruRochin** Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:24 pm

RipCityPilot wrote:Any thoughts on whether a BYU move would be in all sports or just football?

Oh there as good as gone, it would be silly of them to be in 2 different conferences when they only need to be in one....

(Unless they see a revenue potential in having access to the markets the Mountain West doesn't touch...)

by pilotram Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:40 pm

DaTruRochin wrote:
RipCityPilot wrote:Any thoughts on whether a BYU move would be in all sports or just football?

Oh there as good as gone, it would be silly of them to be in 2 different conferences when they only need to be in one....

(Unless they see a revenue potential in having access to the markets the Mountain West doesn't touch...)

Wait is this a joke? Because they're in two conferences now. And independent.
And if I recall correctly, the whole disagreement with the MWC initially revolved around TV markets.

by Guest Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:01 pm

The MWC didn't offer a path to a football championship. Now, it does.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Mon Nov 19, 2012 5:12 pm

DaTruRochin wrote:
RipCityPilot wrote:Any thoughts on whether a BYU move would be in all sports or just football?

Oh there as good as gone, it would be silly of them to be in 2 different conferences when they only need to be in one....

(Unless they see a revenue potential in having access to the markets the Mountain West doesn't touch...)

Of course they said the right things about commitment when they joined the WCC, but I never believed for a second they would be here long-term.

by Geezaldinho Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:07 pm

It's official:

Rutgers joins the Big Ten, leaving Big East behind
By RALPH D. RUSSO (AP College Football Writer) | The Associated Press

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) -- Rutgers is joining the Big Ten, leaving the Big East behind and cashing in on the school's investment in a football program that only 10 years ago seemed incapable of competing at the highest level.
The school announced its decision Tuesday at a campus news conference attended by Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, Rutgers President Robert Barchi and athletic director Tim Perenetti.
Barchi said the Big Ten is ''really where Rutgers belongs.''
Rutgers has been competing in the Big East since 1991. But the league has been picked apart by conference realignment, and the Scarlet Knights were looking for a way out.
The move follows Maryland's announcement Monday that it was joining the Big Ten in 2014.

Stay tuned for UCONN to the ACC

by pilotram Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:34 pm

"But baby.....you said 'forever!'"

by Geezaldinho Tue Nov 20, 2012 2:43 pm

pilotram wrote:"But baby.....you said 'forever!'"

Maybe it seemed like forever Razz

by DoubleDipper Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:30 am

RipCityPilot wrote:Any thoughts on whether a BYU move would be in all sports or just football?

Spoke with a "highly placed individual" in UP’s Athletic Department last evening....his feeling is BYU will remain in the WCC as they are now for basketball and other sports, but will return to the Mountain West because of an ESPN deal and a greater opportunity to play in a BCS Bowl.

But, as he said, “Anything could happen....you just never know what other negotiations are going on.”

We also talked about U of Pacific. They’ve got to get their financial house in order a bit more before some will feel totally comfortable with their admission to the WCC. We talked a bit about their adding men’s soccer and beach volleyball. He said there was at least a 30 minute discussion amongst the 37 in attendance just about the proper beach volleyball attire for the women. Razz

No, UP has no intention of fielding a beach volleyball team, but it does have the advantage or year-round play and practice when combined with the indoor game.

by Geezaldinho Thu Nov 22, 2012 12:39 am

Tsk, tsk.

Sand volleyball.

Big 14

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