Maryland to the Big Ten

I realized this is a little out of date, but it took me some time to form my opinion over the conversion of the University of Maryland from the ACC to the Big Ten. I have been a Big Ten fan all my life and last year was emerged into Terp nation. While I was initially shocked by Maryland’s switch, I no longer think it was that bad of a decision. Here are the pros and cons of Maryland’s big move.

From The Sports Mistress

Football

Maryland’s football has not been doing well recently. Last year they managed to go 2-10 and this year they were 4-8.  None of their wins were against teams with a winning record and they went 2-6 within the ACC. While this has many Maryland fans groaning about the prospect of moving to a more difficult conference, this might not go as badly as one first assumes. There are two 4-8 teams and one 2-10 team in both the ACC and Big Ten. Maryland took on 3 ranked teams this year and went 0-3. Iowa and Indiana, who both have the same record as Maryland, went 0-3 against ranked teams combined; this means there were not significantly more ranked Big Ten teams than ACC teams through out the season. Maryland also played all of their games without their starting quarterback and had to go as deep as to play their fifth string quarterback.

While the hits Maryland faces will not get any softer with the ironclad defenses of the Big Ten, Maryland will not do so badly. They have faced adversity and are a much better team than they were during their 2011 campaign even without a real quarterback. The addition of coach Randy Edsall to Maryland was a good decision. He understands what it takes to make a competitive football team and the move to the Big Ten will only expand his recruiting field.

Basketball

The ACC and the Big Ten are arguably the best basketball conferences in the NCAA. The Big Ten currently has 4 teams in the AP top 25 and the ACC has 3. The conferences recently tied the Big Ten/ACC match up, 6-6. Moving from one conference to another will not do much to influence Maryland’s results or the level of competition that they face. Maryland is on the upswing with the addition of Mike Turgeon as coach of the Basketball Terps and they will surely not suffer from the transition.

Money

Maryland had to cut seven sports teams last year because of a lack of funding. By switching conferences, they are going to make $7 million more annually than if they were in the ACC. The New York and DC television networks are going to bring in between 100-200 million more dollars to the Big Ten.  From a money perspective the move makes perfect sense. Given the opportunity to increase revenue and bring back athletic programs, the transition is a no brainer.

 Soccer and Lacrosse

Maryland will not be facing as much competition when it comes to Men’s Soccer and Men’s Lacrosse, arguably their two most successful teams. Men’s soccer is currently ranked #1 in the nation and there are three ACC teams in the top 25 to the Big Ten’s zero. The postseason for men’s lacrosse has four ACC teams in the top 11 and two Big Ten teams in the top 25. While these Terp teams will not be facing as much in-conference rivalry and competition, both sports play a significant number of games out of their conference, so the comparison is not the same as the effect on football and basketball’s regular season schedules.

Duke Rivalry

The Duke rivalry will never be the same with Maryland out of the ACC. Games in your conferences matter more in any sport because they not only influence your overall record but obviously your conference record as well. Also there will never be an additional Duke-Maryland match up in an ACC tournament game. Maryland is going to have to go out of their way to ensure they play Duke every year in every sport and that is genuinely very sad. As one of the most exciting rivalries in college sports, all will miss it.

Fate of the ACC

With the move of Maryland from the ACC, their conference is in question. Even Coach K said that he felt that the ACC could be in trouble. The addition of Louisville does not put an end to the uncertainty. The University of North Carolina and University of Virgina are both rumored to be in conversation with the Big Ten. While this is only a rumor, that is how the news about College Park’s transition first began as well. You just never know.

So what it comes down to is tradition or financials and it is no surprise that Maryland chose to switch conferences. The University is a business just like anything else. While it is sad to abandon the tradition that they had, they will be able to form new rivalries in their new conference and make it their new home. While right now is not the best time to be a Terp, 10 years from now it should be just fine.