Maryland and Rutgers set to join Big Ten

The University of Maryland and Rutgers University will join the Big Ten Conference this summer. This will create new rivalries for Penn State athletics.

The Big Ten Conference – which Penn State competes in – is set to expand this summer. The University of Maryland and Rutgers University will officially join the conference on July 31, which will bring the number of schools in the Big Ten to 14. Penn State joined the conference in 1991 as the 11th member while Nebraska joined in 2012. The conference has kept the name “Big Ten” because it is a traditional brand that has existed since 1896 despite the fact that there are 14 members.

The Big Ten Conference will be split up into two divisions for athletic competitions: East and West

The Big Ten Conference will be split up into two divisions for athletic competitions: East and West

The decisions of these two schools to join the conference was based on one thing: money. With the help of their own television network (Big Ten Network), the Big Ten Conference generates the largest profits out of the all the conferences in the country.  The University of Maryland had previously been in the Atlantic Coast Conference and had to cut numerous athletic programs because of low revenue within the conference and low attendance. Rutgers University had previously been in the now extinct Big East Conference. Sitting in a state of limbo, Rutgers was thrilled to receive the invitation to join the Big Ten.

The admission of these two schools into the conference will finally give Penn State true conference rivals. Before now, Ohio State was considered Penn State’s largest rival in the Big Ten. That rivalry, however, is one sided. Ohio State’s largest rival is Michigan. That rivalry in football is considered one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports along with Yankees/Red Sox and Packers/Bears. This season, Penn State football will travel to Rutgers on September 13 and will host Maryland on November 1 for their first in-conference games with their new rivals.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8651934/maryland-terrapins-join-big-ten-rutgers-scarlet-knights-join-well-sources-say

 

 

 

 

2 thoughts on “Maryland and Rutgers set to join Big Ten

  1. Pingback: College Football Realignment - A New Day for the Big Ten & ACC | Sportige

  2. rjm5527

    With the current landscape in college sports it’s tough to remember exactly what schools are in each conference. The one thing that remains constant in all of these conference realignments is money. There is money to be made from having a big super conference. Another example of this was Pitt and Syracuse leaving the Big East and moving to the ACC. The Big East was once of the best men’s basketball conferences just years ago but Pitt and Syracuse saw the chance to increase their revenues and took it. Louisville is scheduled to make the switch this year, which leaves the Big East a shell of what it used to be. College sports creates huge revenues and the more competitive a conference is, the better TV deal they will get. Rutgers and Maryland are two schools who are becoming successful, especially with their football programs. Moving the Big Ten is a win for them and a win for the schools already involved.

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