Testudo Times - Maryland reportedly in serious talks with Big TenSB Nation's award-winning Maryland Terrapins sitehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50025/testudo-fav.png2012-11-21T16:57:11-05:00http://www.testudotimes.com/rss/stream/34244072012-11-21T16:57:11-05:002012-11-21T16:57:11-05:00ACC: "no intention to negotiate with Maryland"
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<figcaption>Sam Sharpe-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>An ACC source says the conference won't negotiate down the $50mil exit fee. We'll see.</p> <p>Back when Wallace Loh voted against the increased ACC exit fee, he cited his assurance that it wouldn't hold up legally as reasoning. And at Monday's Big Ten presser, Wally reasserted that belief.</p>
<p>So what's the ACC have to say about that? "See us in court."</p>
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<p>Just talked to an ACC source about $50 million exit fee: "We have no intention to negotiate with MD. We're satisfied it's legally binding."</p>
— Pete Thamel(@SIPeteThamel) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/status/271362469782487040" data-datetime="2012-11-21T21:20:29+00:00">November 21, 2012</a>
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<p>Three things: one, of course they're going to say that. The ACC source knew he was talking to Thamel and that he was going public with this. He needs to retain some optimism to keep the ACC's position about the legality of their exit fee strong. For, y'know, their negotiations with Maryland about the exit fee.</p>
<p>Second: ask the Big East how "legally-binding" those exit fee thingamabobs are. As Mark Ennis pointed out on Twitter, West Virginia voted <i>for</i> a perfectly reasonable 27-month waiting period and still got out of it. Maryland voted <i>against</i> a punitive exit fee. I'm no lawyer, but I'm guessing that would be considered stronger ground.</p>
<p>Third: I won't say the fee is irrelevant from Maryland's perspective, but it's not a killer. A big donor - Gossett or Plank or someone like that - will front some, and the rest will come from the Big Ten who'll allow Maryland to pay it back with another no-interest loan. It doesn't really change the perspective of the deal, though detractors will still shout about it. The ACC's worry isn't about getting $50mil out of Maryland as much at is keeping FSU and Clemson in line. If they're not confident about that, the optics of getting it struck down in court isn't going to do a lot for the ol' "the ACC is full of nepotist, favorite-playing incompetents" storyline.</p>
<p>Either way, keep your eyes on it. Maryland is confident and probably should be, but it's not a done deal and is worth following.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/21/3677210/maryland-terrapins-big-ten-acc-realignment-exit-fee-legalBen Broman2012-11-19T18:45:36-05:002012-11-19T18:45:36-05:00SVP makes a killer Big Ten pitch
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<figcaption>Patrick McDermott</figcaption>
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<p>And it's a very good one.</p> <p>Do you know financial mumbo-jumbo, know the logic behind the move, know all the arguments, and still find yourself upset with the Big Ten move? Maybe Scott Van Pelt's highly-emotional appeal can sway you a bit.</p>
<p>SVP is a Maryland alum and a Terp lifer, with a background in the community to rival any fan's. He's always seemed like a regular fan merely provided a huge platform, and that quality about him has endeared him to most. He talked about the move today on his radio show - <a href="http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8653119" target="_blank">you can listen to it here</a>, and I have a transcript below. Right then. I'll get out of the way.</p>
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<p>Much of my youth is framed by memories that are tied to the ACC. The great players, the colors, the fight songs, the mascots, the coaches. It's a link to my youth. It's a link to my dad, who was a Terp, who I grew up sitting next to in Cole and Byrd who died when I was a student at Maryland. And like I've often said on this show, I am an ACC guy. I am admittedly nostalgic about the ACC. And I admittedly feel genuine sorrow today about this. And that's the right word - it's sorrow. And I'm not trying to be melodramatic, but I feel sorrow.</p>
<p>But I realize that what I feel nostalgic about is something that was lost a long time ago. I'm old enough to remember when the ACC added Georgia Tech and then Florida State. It was strange, but things change. Then there was the big one. You add Virginia Tech and Boston College and Miami, all in the name of football and it was gonna make everything better. But did it? A more cumbersome number of teams meant that home-and-homes in basketball - which is what this league was always about ... the home-and-home was a casualty.</p>
<p>Now Syracuse and Pitt are coming to the league and that means that going forward, Maryland was guaranteed in basketball two home-and-homes: with Pitt and Virginia. Now I don't mean any disrespect to Pittsburgh but they don't mean any more to Maryland than Maryland means to them. And that was supposed to be our rival, going forward.</p>
<p>And speaking of rivals - or, not our rival - so many Maryland folks now are lamenting the loss of what we would call the Duke game. And let's remember, folks, that's a school that doesn't see Maryland the way Maryland sees them. But besides that larger point, in the immediate future, there'd be far more years in basketball that you would not have a home game against Duke than years that you would.</p>
<p>So what it feels like is today, people are having a funeral for something that in many ways died a long time ago.</p>
<p>None of which is reason to walk away from the ACC, but it's at least context to consider what the Big Ten provides my school. They famously talked about 27 teams - they had 27 programs. As was well-documented, that was too many. They ran into some issues on the money front. And this provides an infusion of money. A huge infusion of money. The numbers the Big Ten was throwing around, I don't think that anyone imagined, I don't think that the real numbers will ever be known to the public [ed's note: <a href="http://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3668158/si-terps-project-100m-in-extra-revenue-by-2020-in-big-ten" target="_blank">they are now</a>], and for an athletic department that was largely living check-to-check, this had to happen.</p>
<p>Now it's easy for people to diminish Maryland. Why would the Big Ten want them? I'll hit you with this: they really wanted 'em. They wanted the Baltimore/Washington TV markets, they wanted to be in the shadow of the nation's capital, it's an institution that's ranked in the top 60 that's in line with many of their member institutions. Their athletic history - which, folks, is longer than the last two years that you like to talk about: Maryland's got more bowl wins than Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, and the 2002 men's basketball title would be the most recent for anybody in their league.</p>
<p>But it's silly for me to sit here and try to validate my university. The Big Ten already did that with their intense pursuit. They made it impossible for Maryland to say no, in spite of ACC roots that run deep. And those roots run deep in a lot of us, myself included.</p>
<p>It's really strange to emotionally think about transitioning to something else, but I see the positives. As I told our athletic director Kevin Anderson: look, I love the ACC, but I love Maryland more, and if this is good for Maryland then I'm on board. And I'm assured that that's the case.</p>
<p>So that tempers the sorrow that I feel. And as Lefty Driesell used to famously say, [channels best Lefty impersonation] "I'm not gonna get caught lookin' in the rearview. I'm lookin' out the windshield." And as I look out the windshield, I see very different terrain ahead. But with the terrain in college athletics that are shifting, it's like sand beneath a lot of people's feet. I feel like the Big Ten and commissioner Delany, who seems to be playing chess to some others' checkers, I feel like there's a bedrock beneath Maryland.</p>
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https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3668410/scott-van-pelt-makes-his-big-ten-sales-pitchBen Broman2012-11-19T17:41:56-05:002012-11-19T17:41:56-05:00SI: Terps project $100m extra revenue
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<figcaption>Moneybags Wally, doin' work. | Patrick McDermott</figcaption>
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<p>Sports Illustrated obtains Maryland's financial projections from their Big Ten move, and the figures are substantial.</p> <p>Bonnie Bernstein tweeted the other day that, even though she was upset about Maryland leaving the ACC, she understood that it was difficult to turn down, largely due to a "redonkulous" financial package.</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/19/maryland-big-ten-money/index.html">Redonkulous indeed</a> (emphasis mine):</p>
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<p>The University of Maryland stands to make nearly $100 million more in conference revenue by 2020 with its switch from the ACC to the Big Ten, according to projected revenue information presented to the school by Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany. SI.com obtained the information from a Maryland official on the condition of anonymity.</p>
<p>When <b>Maryland joins the Big Ten in 2014, it projects to make more than $12 million more than it would have in the ACC.</b> That projected difference <b>jumps to $19 million annually in 2017</b> after the Big Ten renegotiates its television contract.<span style="line-height: 9px;"> </span>According to the official, Maryland projects to make $32 million when it joins the league for the 2014-15 season, well beyond the ACC's projected payout of $20 million.</p>
<p>The real jump in projected revenue comes in 2017, after the Big Ten negotiates its new television contract. The Big Ten payout that year <b>projects to $43 million, dwarfing the $24 million the ACC projects</b> to pay out that year.</p>
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<p>The big word here: "projected." It's coming from Delany and the Big Ten, so there's probably some inflation going on in here. That's important to note.</p>
<p>But even with it, that's some serious dough. Maybe it ends up being, say, $80mil, a rather pessimistic figure - that's still enough to solve many of Maryland's desperate financial problems. It should drastically accelerate their timeline for paying off their debt, and grant them flexibility in other sports while they're doing so.</p>
<p>Maryland will get this sort of payout immediately <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel/status/270637943813722116">due to essentially what is a loan from the Big Ten</a>. Usually, a new member isn't granted full revenue-sharing rights immediately, and technically Maryland isn't either. But the Big Ten is more or less "loaning" the money to Maryland interest-free, and will allow the Terps to pay it back once they pay off their debt and begin running a surplus. Basically, they're giving Maryland a quick way out of their troubles now, letting them make the department sustainable and viable without major shackles, and then they'll collect when the capability to pay has returned.</p>
<p>It's a pretty sweet deal if you're Wallace Loh, Brit Kirwan, and Kevin Anderson. And it's another reason why turning the Big Ten down would've been a very big ask.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3668158/si-terps-project-100m-in-extra-revenue-by-2020-in-big-tenBen Broman2012-11-19T17:00:12-05:002012-11-19T17:00:12-05:00Maryland's B10 presser: "A watershed moment"
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<figcaption>Patrick McDermott</figcaption>
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<p>Maryland officially announced its move to the Big Ten at a press conference in College Park earlier today, attended by University President Wallace Loh, Chancellor Brit Kirwan, AD Kevin Anderson, and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany, as well as every program's coach. Each gave a quick speech on the topic, before turning to a question-and-answer session - both segments included some very interesting soundbites.</p>
<p>A quick roundup of quotes and reactions, if you missed it:</p>
<p>- Loh started things off by talking about the financial impact, making it clear that money was the bottom line here. He often talked about the bonus the university itself would achieve by earmarking some of that money for academics or by associating with the CIC, but how he started the presser was telling: "Membership in the Big Ten enables us to truly guarantee the financial stability of Maryland athletics for a long, long time."</p>
<p>- Both Loh and Anderson expressed great regret at needing to cut sports last season, and claimed that avoiding that in the future was one of their primary drivers. It was also revealed that they're in the process of reinstating some of the sports that were cut; the Commission on ICA will be brought back together to make the final call on which. But that's a big move that is both the right thing to do and will help with PR, winning over some detractors.</p>
<p>- Another big point from Loh was increasing student-athlete quality of life. He cited that Maryland was last in the ACC in per-athlete spending before he arrived, and claimed that the revenue from the Big Ten will help alleviate that and give student-athletes more and higher-quality resources. Again, this is a very important factor that many people probably overlooked but, when presented with it, may understand the motivation.</p>
<p>- Delany came off as calm and competent, and took pains to make Maryland feel welcome. He refused to answer questions about speculation over Rutgers, claiming this to be "Maryland's day." In an effort to alleviate concerns about geography and culture, he revealed that the Big Ten will open East Coast offices, with a money quote that stands in contrast to John Swofford's ACC culture: "You're not joining a Midwestern conference. We're moving here. We're opening up offices on the East Coast. We're not asking you to become us - we're asking you to allow us to partner with you."</p>
<p> Oh, and this: "Some people fear the turtle. Well, we're embracing the turtle." Cute, Jim. Have you hugged a turtle today?</p>
<p>- This was very much the Loh show, though, and he impressed when he pressed on certain issues about alumni dissatisfaction and money-grabbing. On the former matter, he replied: "Leadership is not exercised in the public limelight, putting your finger in the air and judging the wind. It's about doing what's best for the University. ... We need to be <i>ahead</i> of change, rather than have <i>change</i> to overwhelm <i>us</i>." And on the latter, he made a compelling case that many fans needed to hear: "It's never just about the money, but somebody has to pay the bills. And the issue at hand is the long-term viability of Maryland athletics." He earlier mentioned that the athletic department is presently living "paycheck-to-paycheck."</p>
<p>Reading in-between the lines, that "pay the bills" line is pretty damning: clearly the ACC wasn't doing it, and nor was attendance at football games or donations. So a different tactic had to be taken.</p>
<p>All in all, he did very well, much more in command, assertive, and genuine than he has been in the past. It really did give off the vibe that, for right or for wrong, he genuinely believes this to be the right path for the University to take.</p>
<p>- Brit Kirwan mentioned that the Board of Regents vote was "like 90%" in favor of the move. The math says that's one dissenter (maybe two, depending on rounding). MCMILLLLLLLLLLEEENNNNNNNNN!</p>
<p>- Much ado was made about the $50 million "exit sum" from the ACC, with Loh reasserting that he believed it wouldn't hold up in court. They refused to go into details, only saying that it's a matter to be worked out between the conference and the University, but that they could certainly pay the full exit fee if it came to that. (Not that I would expect them to.)</p>
<p>When a link to the video goes up, I'll update and include it.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3667858/recapping-marylands-big-ten-press-conference-a-watershed-momentBen Broman2012-11-19T11:32:57-05:002012-11-19T11:32:57-05:00Official: Maryland is heading to the Big Ten
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<figcaption>Mitchell Layton</figcaption>
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<p>A whirlwind of rumor and news culminated today with the University of Maryland officially joining the Big Ten.</p> <p>Like it or lump it, it's now happening: the University of Maryland's Board of Regents voted earlier today to authorize the University to move from the ACC to the Big Ten, a move that was shortly followed by an approved application for Big Ten membership. The University is now the newest Big Ten school.</p>
<p>Rutgers is expected to follow in short order as the conference's 14th member. The switch appears to be lined up to occur in the 2014-15 season, giving the Terrapins one more full year in the ACC before they up sticks.</p>
<p>The move has come rapidly and largely without warning, with major news sources only picking up on the movement days ago. That's left the fanbase reeling while they try to come to grips situation, with mixed results. Reaction among fans has varied, with the loss of ACC tradition - Maryland was a founding member back in 1953 - a major sticking point among many detractors. But the bonus to the academic side of the University, the added stability afforded by the Big Ten, and a substantially larger annual payout - a particularly big factor for Maryland's destitute and indebted athletic department - were all too much to turn down.</p>
<p>Initial reports that the Board of Regents votes was unanimous were inaccurate - Tom McMillen was a high-profile dissenter - but it appears that the measure did pass relatively comfortably. Maryland immediately applied for Big Ten membership afterwards, and was accepted within a matter of minutes.</p>
<p>The press conference is scheduled at 3:00, and there will be live coverage on the Big Ten Network.</p>
<p>We've already talked at length about the motivating factors behind the move, so we won't rehash them here. We'll update as more information rolls in.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3665040/university-maryland-terrapins-big-ten-expansion-acc-realignmentBen Broman2012-11-19T06:00:45-05:002012-11-19T06:00:45-05:00The Maryland-Big Ten Day of Reckoning is Upon Us
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<figcaption>Rob Carr</figcaption>
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<p>It has come.</p> <p>Today could be the biggest, most decisive day in Maryland athletics in years. Decades, maybe. Whatever happens in the coming hours will in many ways decide - at the very least substantially alter - the future of the entire department, for better or for worse.</p>
<p>I don't know about you, but I have butterflies.</p>
<p>The scenario: the Board of Regents is meeting in Baltimore early this morning. I imagine Wallace Loh and Brit Kirwan are (or have been) furiously canvassing their votes, trying to round up the nine yays they need to make this official. With the ridiculous amount of attention this has received, I expect we'll hear something today one way or the other. It could come as early as 10:00, or as late as 4:00. But it'll probably come.</p>
<p>An interesting twist, though, from Jeff Barker: <a href="http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/tracking-the-terps/bal-maryland-to-big-ten-proposal-creates-a-debate-within-a-debate-20121118,0,4669770.story" target="_blank">some apparently believe that Kirwan can actually circumvent the BoR on this point and just authorize the move himself</a>. For obvious reasons, that's probably inadvisable and far from ideal. All hell would break loose at that point, and things would get <i>seriously</i> ugly. There was a shot at it working had they just skirted past the BoR to begin with; asking them, having them shoot it down, then doing it anyway? Let's just say the optics ain't great. Then again, that option was probably a non-starter to begin with: they really, really needed BoR approval to show off the public. They had to be aware this would go over not-too-smoothly, and being able to point to nine high-ranking officials agreeing with it will strengthen their credibility. Kirwan, after all, isn't exactly a cult hero when it comes to Maryland sports; him going solo on a move like this would be adventurous to say the least.</p>
<p>Let this serve as your open thread.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/19/3664972/university-maryland-terrapins-big-ten-accBen Broman2012-11-18T12:10:35-05:002012-11-18T12:10:35-05:00Maryland. The Big Ten. It's happening. But why?
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<figcaption>We are the Vandals at the gates of Greensboro, sacking the Carolinian Empire and kickstarting its slow, decadent demise. | Reid Compton-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>It's not official, but Maryland's move to the Big Ten has gained serious traction in the last few days, leading many fans to question the move. We explain the motivation.</p> <p>A mere 48 hours ago, you and I and everyone else was happy and safe in our comfortable little ACC cocoon. Now the world has been turned upside down. And in just another 48 hours or so, the University of Maryland very well may be the newest Big Ten school.</p>
<p>It's a move that has a lot of fans scratching their heads. Some are downright indignant at the thought. And a few are flabbergasted when they meet a fellow fan who actually supports the move, as my Twitter mentions could tell you. Yes, I <i>am</i> one of those proponents, and have been for years now. Allow me to explain myself, and potentially why Maryland's administrators view this move as an attractive one.</p>
<p>Before that, though, two notes that deserve mentioning. First: I'm not saying this is the only proper way to view the move. Whether or not the move is "worth it" will depend on how much you value certain things, which itself depends on your perspective. I'm not claiming moral superiority here; I understand, in large part, those who disagree with me (and the University), and I begrudge no one their opinion. But the benefits of the move deserve more publicity.</p>
<p>Second: for full disclosure, I live in the Midwest. It's not so bad, honest, but I was in favor of a move before moving out this way.</p>
<p>Right then. With that out of the way: there are three big, <i>big</i> reasons this makes sense (and is actually a good thing) for Maryland.</p>
<p><b>Reason #1: finances.</b></p>
<p>Maryland is broke. Everyone knows this by now. The financial straits are dire. The debt is towering. The athletic department <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/maryland-accepts-recommendation-will-cut-eight-varsity-sports-programs/2011/11/21/gIQAyn1NjN_story.html">had to cut eight sports in 2011</a> simply to return the department to viability <a target="_blank" href="http://www.umterps.com/genrel/112111aaa.html">by 20<i>19</i></a>(!), and even <i>that</i> was <a target="_blank" href="http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/11/15/2563066/breaking-down-the-rest-of-marylands-athletics-commissions-report">only seen as viable if the basketball and football programs came to life and started generating some attendance</a>. Basketball? Check. Football? Uh ... not so much. That being the case, there is legitimate concern over the long-term fiscal health of Maryland athletics.</p>
<p>The Big Ten, by contrast, is the collegiate equivalent of Scrooge McDuck's money bath. <a target="_blank" href="http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/51064/big-ten-to-distribute-284-million-to-teams">They paid out about $24 million to each of their teams last season</a>, first in the country, comfortably above the ACC's paltry $16 million generated from their new TV deal. The new conference will not turn Maryland into a football powerhouse or lead to a huge increase in attendance, but it <i>will</i> pay out a lot more money than the ACC did. And once the TV sets in the Maryland and Rutgers areas are factored in, that number should leap even higher - some have speculated it could push $30mil.</p>
<p>Given Maryland's financial problems, this amount of money is not chump change. Maryland's overall budget last year was only $57mil itself, after all; adding another $7-to-$10mil in revenue would be a foundational, radical change to the department. Cynics say this would go toward ego: bigger weight rooms, redeveloped A.D. offices, things that don't really matter. But with Maryland, a department well and truly on the brink, trying to pay off massive debt, shedding programs just to retain long-term viability, I doubt it. Given their situation, this is the type of money that means improving facilities instead of cutting sports, hiring elite coaches instead of settling, cutting coaches loose instead of holding on due to an inability to pay their buyouts. It means hiring better academic support for student-athletes and giving them facilities on par with the nation's elite, instead of cutting back even further on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.testudotimes.com/2011/11/15/2563066/breaking-down-the-rest-of-marylands-athletics-commissions-report">Maryland's last-in-the-ACC per-student spending and 79th nationally per-student support staff</a>.</p>
<p>It means programs with a much better probability of success and it means a higher quality-of-life for student-athletes. It means flexibility instead of uncertainty.</p>
<p>I won't make out like there isn't an alternative. Should Maryland find success in football and basketball simultaneously, while continuing to get their house in order, they could be just fine in the ACC. But the road back is a lot quicker, less risky, easier, and more comfortable in the Big Ten.</p>
<p>Nor will I make out like there aren't caveats when it comes to the financial situation despite the switch. Maryland will have to pay out quite a lot of money - doubtfully $50mil, but still a fairly large number - to exit the ACC. (More on that in a bit.) On top of that, they wouldn't receive full TV revenues immediately - Nebraska has to wait until 2017, until which time they're receiving $14mil, still more than they received with the Big 12. (I assume Maryland would receive a similar assurance.) It may not fix everything right away, but it ensures that, even if things don't go perfectly elsewhere, there's a comfortable, sustainable future for Maryland athletics.</p>
<p>People - including Len Elmore, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/wp/2012/11/17/maryland-legend-len-elmore-speaks-out-against-potential-big-ten-move/">who has had a disappointingly simple take on the whole thing</a> - are making out like Maryland has dollar signs in its eyes and are just chasing money. That's horribly cynical. This is not Texas A&M looking to add more to their money piles, or Mizzou and Colorado satisfying their inflated opinions of self-worth. Maryland is in fiscal hell right now. Their programs <i>will</i> hurt and already <i>have</i> hurt because of it. The Big Ten is an avenue out of that hell, and there should be no shame in taking it.</p>
<p>On that note, if you really oppose the move and want a villan, your best target is probably not Brit Kirwan or Wallace Loh but instead Debbie Yow, who helped get Maryland into this mess with dodgy money mismanagement. If Maryland was standing on stronger financial ground, they have a much stronger argument to stay put.</p>
<p><b>Reason #2: academics. </b></p>
<p>Elmore says this is just a throwaway and a smokescreen for the financial side of it. Not for me, though: I'm blatantly obvious about the finances, but it's still obvious that the academics do matter. The Committee on Institutional Cooperation - more commonly known as the CIC - is the academic arm of the Big Ten, virtually the only one of its kind and a hugely prestigious, important cooperative body. Member schools pool resources, share faculty and infrastructure, cooperate in landing government research grants, and enjoy a nice little reputation bump. It's been a not insignificant factor in the rise of Penn State in the past few decades, without a shadow of a doubt.</p>
<p>Is it a <i>primary</i> motivating factor for a school like Maryland? No. Money is. Is it a very pleasant secondary motivating factor? Yes. Maryland continues to grow as an elite public institution, and something like this would only help to enhance the services they provide to current students as well as increase their reputation. It's a factor that will be very attractive to administrators like Wallace Loh and Brit Kirwan, plus those on the Board of Regents, as it well should be.</p>
<p><b>Reason #3: stability.</b></p>
<p>The ACC, despite adding Syracuse, Pitt, and half of Notre Dame, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2012/06/04/the-accs-third-tier-rights-and-why-theyre-killing-the-conference/" target="_blank">never truly stabilized</a>. With the conference securing a merely average TV deal despite giving away third-tier rights, the likes of FSU and Clemson never bought into the idea entirely, as either fanbase will tell you. FSU in particular never stopped looking longingly at the Big 12. If Maryland was willing to make a run at leaving the conference, despite the hefty exit fee, would you put it past one of those two to do the same in the future? And were either to leave - or, Juan forbid, both - the ACC's brand and financial clout would be hugely, cripplingly undercut.</p>
<p>At that point, finances <i>would</i> become a problem in the ACC. The conference would be on its way to becoming the New Big East, and that's something that Maryland, in its precarious position, could ill afford. If the Big Ten had already expanded with different members, it would be a full-on disaster scenario. Maryland is being proactive, securing its place in one of the three premier conferences in the country, one of the very few that can confidently say it'll be around in 15 years and still be a force. (Being made up of ridiculously huge schools and fanbases will do that for a conference.)</p>
<p>I'm not saying the ACC will <i>necessarily</i> fall apart - far from it, in fact, although now that Maryland's leaving there's at least a chance of it. FSU, for sure, will be watching closely to see what happens with the exit fee. But the point is that there was always a risk of it happening, something that Maryland probably couldn't afford. That risk isn't present at all in the Big Ten. They claimed their seat at the grown-up table while it was still there.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>These three points are more or less matters of record. It's nigh-inarguable that Maryland <i>will</i> make more money in the Big Ten through TV revenue over the long-term, that they <i>will</i> reap academic benefits not enjoyed in the ACC, and that they <i>will</i> find themselves in a vastly more stable situation. You can say you don't care about these things, but it's very difficult to say they aren't true. And they're probably the three most important things to any collegiate administrator, who have a duty to view any potential move with the good of the entire university in mind. That's why the move is being made, and that's why it makes sense.</p>
<p>I'm not thick, though; there <i>are</i> objections to it, some completely legitimate, some less so. These are mitigating factors more than genuine counterpoints, though, so how much they actually matter depend on how much they're valued. And sorry to say, but the administrators probably value them less than you do. Let's do a quick run-through:</p>
<p><b>Objection #1: Isn't the $50mil exit fee prohibitive?</b></p>
<p>Well, no, it's clearly not <i>prohibitive</i>, given that it did little to <i>prohibit</i> Maryland from leaving the conference. It is, however, needlessly punitive, and <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/post/maryland-president-wallace-d-loh-voted-against-accs-50-million-exit-fee-says-its-not-a-good-idea/2012/09/13/683ff014-fe12-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_blog.html" target="_blank">Loh has long believed that it wouldn't hold up in court</a>. He's likely received some measure of reinforcement on that mark. The ACC would have some incentive to settle if it wasn't confident about winning in court, and the general consensus is that Maryland will pay a substantially lower figure than $50mil. Are we talking $20mil-substantially-lower or $40mil-substantially-lower? I don't know. But the people making the decision do, or at least know more than we do, and they still see it as a financially prudent move. That gives me a mark of confidence.</p>
<p><b>Objection #2: But what about A) travel and B) geographical consideration?</b></p>
<p>I put these together since they're inherently related. And yes, some of the travel is unfortunate. ACC schools, including the additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame, are an average distance of 455 miles away from College Park, averaging about an 8 hour trip by car. The Big Ten, including Rutgers, is about an extra two hundred miles, averaging 665 (and about 11 hours by car). So you're unlikely to be making road trips to every away game.</p>
<p>Thing is, how many easily road-trippable games are there right now? Virginia and Pitt are easily done; then again, so are Rutgers and Penn State in the Big Ten. Everything past that in the ACC pushes five hours, something that is doable but sufficiently long enough that, if we're being honest, not <i>that</i> many will do it. (Ohio State is a similar situation in the Big Ten.) The difference between road tripping to Clemson or Boston College and Michigan or Michigan State isn't drastic.</p>
<p>As for travel expenses for non-revenues, I would expect that the Big Ten would rejigger their divisions to see a more sensible geographical break, with the likes of Penn State, Ohio State, Maryland, and Rutgers all in the same division to cut down on unnecessary travel. And as I mentioned above, don't forget that the current seasonal trips to Miami, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Tallahassee, and Miami are hardly short travels themselves. The travel expenses will doubtfully increase to an unsustainable margin, and will largely be compensated for by the added revenue elsewhere.</p>
<p>As for geography, again, I think the difference is less than it appears at first. For an example: Maryland is less a geographical outlier in the New Big Ten than Florida State is in the New ACC. No, really. But very few were up in arms and complaining that their souls were being sold because Florida State (or Syracuse, etc.) was in the conference.</p>
<p>I suspect this is due to branding. Florida State is an Atlantic Coast school (kind of), whereas the Big Ten has, in the past, marketed itself as the Midwest's Conference. But those days are dead. The ACC has added a school in <i>Indiana</i>; the Big Ten, meanwhile, has begun to reposition itself not as the premier Midwestern conference, but as the premier <i>Northern</i> conference. It's less about the middle of the country nowadays as about the entire northern half of the east, and <i>that</i> is a category Maryland fits easily.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to convince you that these are positives. I'm trying to convince you that they're not as big of deals as you probably think at first, and probably aren't enough to outweigh the huge benefits found in the Big Ten elsewhere.</p>
<p><b>Objection #3: Maryland doesn't really fit in culturally with the other schools.</b></p>
<p>I'd actually argue that point. Maryland, back in 1960 when the ACC was created, was undoubtedly a southern school that fit in with UNC, Wake Forest, and the rest. Since then, though, the Mid-Atlantic has more and more taken claim to its culture, a culture distinctly northern and at odds with the Tobaccah Road tradition of the conference. The University itself is its state's premier institution, a large land-grant public in an urban environment with a very large enrollment. How many other ACC schools fit that profile? Literally none. (No, State is not Carolina's "premier institution.") By comparison, a host of Big Ten schools - Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio State, now Rutgers - share all of those characteristics, and virtually every school shares most of them.</p>
<p>And if you think Maryland doesn't fit in because they're a basketball school, Indiana, Michigan State, and Illinois say hi.</p>
<p><b>Objection #4: Isn't the Big Ten a weaker non-revenue conference? And won't that hurt our stronger non-revenues?</b></p>
<p>No. There are some areas they're weaker, like in men's soccer, say, or lacrosse. But they're much, much stronger in wrestling - one of Maryland's premier sports - and volleyball, among others. And let's be honest: the drop is not nearly drastic enough in those non-revs to make you seriously rethink the change. For soccer, Indiana is a historical powerhouse, and Michigan was in the semis of the College Cup just a few years ago. For lacrosse, Maryland is a big enough power to survive on its own in lacrosse, if needs be - see Hopkins - until Minnesota or Michigan State joins the civilized folk and starts a varsity lax program and gets the Big Ten to sponsor the sport. The minimal downticks in those programs are compensated for by the huge boost wrestling and other programs would receive. It is, at worst, a wash.</p>
<p><b>Objection #5: It's a worse basketball conference.</b></p>
<p>Historically, yes. But the future of Duke is in doubt after K, and the likes of Wake Forest and Georgia Tech have exited the scene as respectable hoops programs. The Big Ten, meanwhile, has been the strongest conference in basketball for the past two years, and is again right now. Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana are all top-five teams at the moment - <i>three of the top five</i>! - and Michigan State and Wisconsin are forces to be reckoned with in their own right. If you add Maryland to that mix, you have six hands-down top-25 programs, plus solid teams in Purdue, Minnesota, and Illinois. If that conference doesn't match or exceed the ACC's UNC, Duke, State, Syracuse, and Pitt power base it comes darn close. The drop in quality, if there is one at all, is quite frankly minimal.</p>
<p><b>Objection #6: Football will just become a doormat.</b></p>
<p>Northwestern has won three Big Ten titles since 1995. Illinois and Purdue have gone to Rose Bowls since the turn of the century; Michigan State and Iowa have won title shares in the past few years. And we're saying there's <i>absolutely</i> no way Maryland can conceivably compete?</p>
<p>Maryland football will be the same as it is ever was. Its future doesn't depend on which conference they're in, but instead on improving their coaching and continuing to recruit the area. If they do that, they'll be successful in the Big Ten, just like they'd be successful in the ACC. If not, they wouldn't be successful in either conference. It's hardly out of the realm of imagination for Maryland to be a respectable program in the Big Ten. In fact, the presence of Ohio State and Michigan in the conference should actually make recruiting traditional Maryland power alleys of western Maryland and Pennsylvania that much easier.</p>
<p><b>Objection #7: The style of play is so boring.</b></p>
<p>Three words for you: Tony Bennett's Virginia. Or: Mike Brey's Notre Dame. Or: Jamie Dixon's Pitt. Or Jim Boeheim's zone. The New ACC is hardly the bastion of basketball aesthetics. Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.basketballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=871">the Big Ten's tempo has increased each season</a>, to the point where the average Big Ten team ran faster than <i>Kentucky</i> last season. And through a few weeks of the season - too early for tempo stats to be genuinely meaningful, but still somewhat illustrative - the average adjusted tempo of New Big Ten schools is 65.35. Of the New ACC? 65.72.</p>
<p>For the non-math majors, that's less than half a possession a game in difference between the two conferences so far this year.</p>
<p>And in football, Ohio State has embraced the Urban Meyer spread, joining Northwestern, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, and Purdue as schools having embraced, at least to some degree, the spread concept in the Big Ten. Three yards and a cloud of dust this is not.</p>
<p><b>Objection #8: We won't have a rival there.</b></p>
<p>I'll be brutally honest: we don't have a rival <i>now</i>. Not a single school in the ACC circles Maryland on their schedule. It's unfortunate, but it's true.</p>
<p>What Maryland <i>has</i> is teams they enjoy beating: Duke, UNC, State, Virginia. And with the genesis of the ACC's new scheduling, those teams will be seen less and less. After all, don't you know that Pitt is your rival now? The New ACC is as much Notre Dame and Boston College and Clemson and Pitt as it is Duke and Virginia.</p>
<p>There will be hatable teams in the Big Ten, too, once you get to know them. It may take a few years, but I could certainly get used to going to Bloomington and beating Indiana in their pomp, or extracting yearly revenge on Michigan State for the shot that ended Greivis Vasquez's career. Again, I'm not trying to sell you on how much better the Big Ten is here - I'm not. I'm trying to point out that it's probably not a huge deal at the end of the day. Basketball will not stop simply because Duke and UNC are on the schedule.</p>
<p>And, frankly, Maryland should not define themselves on Duke and UNC. These schools don't care about Maryland. It's time for the University to start acting like a big-time program and look out for itself, instead of staying in Carolina's thrall. This problem won't be alleviated by the Big Ten, but the extra cash will make it a lot easier to swallow.</p>
<p><b>Objection #9: I just plain like the ACC and its tradition, and I don't want to leave it.</b></p>
<p>I don't blame you. The ACC is a good conference that has given Maryland a lot of great moments. Leaving it is not easy and isn't supposed to be easy. Everyone has their preferences. And some people, perhaps you among them, prefer the ACC, feel attached to its history. That's understandable.</p>
<p>But just as Maryland left the Southern Conference back in the day to jump to the superior ACC, so too must they look out for themselves and jump to the superior Big Ten. The biggest concern here is the wellbeing of the University of Maryland, nothing else. And the best move for the wellbeing of the University, both academically and athletically (at least financially) is the Big Ten move.</p>
<p>You don't have to like that fact. But it's very, very difficult to craft a true argument otherwise, except for citing "heritage" - an unquantifiable factor that varies wildly in its importance depending on who you ask. Len Elmore likes it a lot; plenty of fans and alums actually don't. It's asking a heck of a lot to turn down a better situation for the University and the athletic department, with a lot more money, a hefty academic benefit, and a huge amount of added stability, due to what more or less amounts to your preference.</p>
<p>***</p>
<p>Well, that's that. If you dislike the ACC, you're probably psyched about the move; if you love it, you're probably more distraught. Hopefully, though, whichever side you land on, you have a better grasp of the "why" of the situation.</p>
<p>And again, I don't blame you if you're unhappy with the move. But it's happening. And I don't blame you if you resent that Maryland has to do it. But they probably do. Hopefully, the end result will be a stronger, more competitive Maryland, and that's something I think everyone can get behind.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/18/3659926/marylands-probably-going-to-the-big-ten-but-whyBen Broman2012-11-17T23:12:44-05:002012-11-17T23:12:44-05:00MD Happy to Leave ACC? No, Just a Hacker
<figure>
<img alt="Did someone in this picture hack the Maryland social media sites?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FAkGDJlQwNULetMLTqo0qdYKfm8=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/3464899/156595546.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Did someone in this picture hack the Maryland social media sites? | Rob Carr</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a few brief moments Saturday night, it looked like what many had been speculating might be official - that the University of Maryland was officially leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference and joining the Big Ten. This simple tweet and message on Facebook appeared to hint that the University had made the decision to bolt from the conference it helped found:</p>
<blockquote data-twttr-rendered="true" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>New Road Trips!</p>
— Univ of Maryland (@UofMaryland) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofMaryland/status/269997370434002944" data-datetime="2012-11-18T02:56:04+00:00">November 18, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Makes you think "OMG, THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING!" The thought of "someone must have hacked into Maryland's social media" never popped in your head after reading that. Well, then this came along...</p>
<blockquote data-twttr-rendered="true" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Goodbye, Carolina Bias!</p>
— Univ of Maryland (@UofMaryland) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofMaryland/status/269998623134216194" data-datetime="2012-11-18T03:01:02+00:00">November 18, 2012got</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Wow. That's...crazy that Maryland would actually say that, officially. Is <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Gary Williams</a> guest tweeting tonight?</p>
<blockquote data-twttr-rendered="true" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Men's Basketball Championship will be in a real city. So long, Greensboro.</p>
— Univ of Maryland (@UofMaryland) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofMaryland/status/269999489446723586" data-datetime="2012-11-18T03:04:29+00:00">November 18, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Is Ben Broman the main behind the curtain? This can't be real...</p>
<blockquote data-twttr-rendered="true" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Terps in Rose Bowl!</p>
— Univ of Maryland (@UofMaryland) <a href="https://twitter.com/UofMaryland/status/270000377242476546" data-datetime="2012-11-18T03:08:00+00:00">November 18, 2012</a>
</blockquote>
<p>Okay, now I KNOW someone hacked the Maryland Facebook and Twitter accounts. Maryland is never going to be able to complete in the Big Ten to the point where they'll be in the Rose Bowl, unless all the other teams are on probation from recruiting violations. Silly hacker, you had us until that last one, when you got greedy.</p>
<p>Anyway, seems like nothing is official yet, but it appears that we'll soon be bowing down to our Big Ten overlords in the comings days. Exciting times around these parts.</p>
https://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/17/3660216/maryland-to-big-ten-done-deal-no-just-the-universitys-facebookDave Tucker