As the college football landscape started to change this week, I sat quietly, watching everything unfold. For months, the experts have speculated about how the conferences would realign and this week was just the beginning in what looks to be a long, drawn out process. In all the expansion-speculation articles I read (up until this week), the University of Maryland was rarely, if ever, mentioned as a potential candidate to join the Big 10. Rumors are just rumors, but Maryland’s name has started to show up a lot more this week in connection to the Big 10, so here are some thoughts on conference expansion as it relates to Maryland.
1) As the headline says, Maryland would be silly not to jump ship and join the Big 10 for a variety of reasons. It seems plainly obvious that the powerhouse conferences of the future will be the Big 10, the SEC and the Pac-10, assuming the Big 12 can’t survive There is still a lot that needs to play out, but the ACC looks destined for a future as a conference pieced together from remnants of the Big East, Conference-USA, and who knows where else. Personally, I don’t want Maryland to be a part of a makeshift conference. I want the Terps in a respected league with other respected teams, and the Big 10 is the way to do that.
2) Those who argue for the Terps to stay in the ACC say, “Well what about our basketball rivalries with Duke and UNC? I can’t imagine an ACC basketball season without playing them. Think of the history!” Folks, history is just that…history! Maryland needs to look towards the future. Sure, it will take time to get used to it, but Maryland cannot base it’s decision solely on a desire to keep the same basketball traditions and rivalries. With the Big 10 comes an exponentially better football conference, a basketball conference stocked with good teams (although not as good as the ACC), increased academic reputation, and increased revenue and exposure as a result of the Big 10 Network. Is it worth to trade all of those things to keep alive a few basketball rivalries against universities that have never really viewed Maryland as an integral part of the conference?
3) Athletic Director Yow recently reaffirmed Maryland’s status as a proud member of the ACC. Honestly, did anyone expect her to say anything else? How would it look if Maryland’s AD came out and said: “Yeah, we are in the ACC, but truthfully, we’re hoping the Big 10 comes calling.” Yow did what she had to do, but I hope behind closed doors she is campaigning for acceptance of the Big 10 invite, if it comes.
For the sake of time, I am going to stop here. Back with more later.
Bruce Adds——It is only fair to note that Josh wrote this last week before Texas decided to stay in the Big 12.
freddy from boca
the big 12 is now the big ten and the big ten is now the big 12
· 11/12/2019