Posted on 11/17/2012 2:33:22 PM PST by InvisibleChurch
The University of Maryland is in serious negotiations to join the Big Ten Conference, sources told ESPN.com on Saturday.
If Maryland goes to the Big Ten, Rutgers of the Big East is expected to follow suit. The addition of Maryland and Rutgers would give the Big Ten 14 members as the league gears toward negotiations on a new media rights deal when its first-tier rights expire in 2017.
No date has been set for an potential announcement, though it could come as soon as Monday.
Maryland president Wallace Loh has been handling the conversation with Big Ten officials, a source said.
One source told ESPN.com that Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson has informed key staffers that there are ongoing discussions.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.go.com ...
...there only two football conferences in America—the SEC and the NFL.
Well thats interesting. I geuss it will make the basketball better since Maryland usually decent at basketball. In terms of football not so much but I geuss it allows the Big Ten to expand into the Baltimore/DC/NYC markets.
For those who don’t wish to give the NYT a hit it gives a chart of the top television markets for college football (2011)
CITY, POPULATION, %FANS, # FANS,
1. New York City, 20,234,243, 14%, 2,911,514
2. Atlanta, 6,481,132, 41%, 2,633,017
3. Los Angeles, 15,258,292, 17%, 2,582,840
4. Dallas-Ft Worth, 6,986,116, 27%, 1,892,114
5. Chicago, 9,430,878, 19%, 1,756,048
6. Birmingham, 2,011,831, 85%, 1,702,758
7. Philadelphia, 8,120,182, 20%, 1,649,448
8. Houston, 5,862,228, 28%, 1,637,337
9. Tampa-St Pete, 4,833,628, 30%, 1,431,867
10.Detroit, 5,072,294, 26%, 1,330,846
The article goes on and shows the number of fans for each school in the major conferences. This data shows that even though NYC is not a hotbed of college football enthusiasm percentage-wise, the sheer number of people makes it worth the effort to try to get into the market. Sorry for the formatting of the chart, it looks good when you post it in the reply box, but not the finished product.
Hush, Maryland. Men are playing football.
Goodness no...Pitt and Notre Dame would be much better for the conference.
ND is already going ACC.
You’re right...then need to look at Louisville.
Basketball. Baltimore/Washington tv market
Maryland would get crushed in every sport if they go Big Ten. What is wrong with them? They can’t handle Fla. State, how are they going to handle Ohio State?
OH, Jeez...Maryland will scare the crap out of everyone/S
When 1-AA Delaware can go to play MD on their home field, with lineman about 40 lbs lighter and damn near kick the crap out of them....I’m sure the Big 10 is terrified
Basketball. Baltimore/Washington tv market
Maryland will use playing in the Big Ten to improve their recruiting in football. Big Ten uses the Maryland market to choose and pick basketball recruits to their hearts’ delights.
oh please....the SEC???
the big ten needs neither Maryland nor Rutgers....what’s in it for the conference?????
Pitt yes...Notre Dame, NEVER they have no need to belong to a conference for football....it will never happen....never.
A zillion television sets plus new recruiting ground.
can you spell MONEY ???? Notre Dame has no use for conference ties at all, their checkbook is in fine shape, thank you anyway!!
I have another link that suggests a strategy where the BigTen invades the East coast, separates the ACC, geographically, (Commisioner Delaney was the captain of the 1970 North Carolina bball team under Dean Smith), gets its hooks into them then finishes it all off with accepting Notre Dame football from a weakened ACC conference ... or something like that.
Notre Dame hates the BigTen and Pitt stinks and has no fan base. Maryland is much better and Rutgers has the NY metro market.
Hey, I’m Catholic, have friends that went to ND but teams should have to be in a conference. I love my NY Yankees, most successful team in sports history, doesn’t mean they don’t have to play in the AL east...
When every other sport joined the Big East, football should of had to as well. Of course they wouldn’t have liked it as they wouldn’t even have won the Big East most of the years they would have been in it!
Take a lesson from what happened to the Miami Hurricanes, they were dominant while still an independent, once they went to a conference it was over.
Why? Because they decided to go all out thug and break lots of NCAA rules?
Maryland is in for 2014. It’s all about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Just wait.
You try to run a team with a 5th string QB b/c the 1st 4 strings were all on injured list.
Maryland WILL be back.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family!
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