That is the rumor floating around.
http://www.testudotimes.com/2012/11/16/3656634/as-the-conferences-turn-m...
Testudo Times did a nice job summarizing where all the information is coming from (three different places).
It just seems unlikely to me that Maryland will be able to afford the ACC's $50 million buyout (only Maryland and FSU voted against the increase). However, if it's true, we should all know something soon.
What do you guys think?
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Can we just trade Maryland for Penn State straight up?
Can they take BC with them?
Let em go
Addition by subtraction.
meh, this has been going around for a few years now. maryland's athletic dept is in debt as is and would have trouble coming up with 50 mil.
Maybe
Kevin plank is footing the bill bc Maryland sure as hell isn't
Under Armour
Is he that guy?
Yes
He supposedly cashed out a lot of stock recently no way Maryland can justify the move financially after cutting half their sports programs because their cheap ass alumni base wouldn't donate to the school
UMD Alumni
I know several alumns who stopped donating because of the way the Ralph Friedgen firing was handled. Randy Edsall coming across as an ass, or going 2-10) didn't help. Why should they donate to a program that is pissing on tradition and loyalty?
Story on ESPN
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8644587/maryland-terrapin...
So this is a real thing.
via http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bal-maryland-considering-a-move...
The perception was the ACC was stable. Together, the new Orange Bowl contract, a place at the table in college football's new postseason, playoff access, ND joining the league, and the 50 million dollar buyout all seemed like a tall enough wall around the league's 14.5 teams to keep other conferences out. If this deal happens, that wall crumbles, and if other leagues might come calling.
The part of all of this that makes zero sense to me, as well as my mother (UMD alumni), is that UMD is a basketball school and has always prided itself on being a basketball school. They had some brief periods in the past where football has prospered but overall that is few and far between compared to the success of the basketball program. This was the case when my mother graduated, this was the case when I was growing up, and this is pretty much the case now. A move to the Big 10 would undercut their pride and the possibility that UMD would allow that to happen is beyond the realm of anything I'm willing to accept.
Combine that with the simple fact that the UMD market (washington/baltimore) has too much competition compared to the relative size of the terp fan base. The combination of the redskins and, most notably, the ravens wouldn't bring that much more revenue to the big 10 market. My optimistic guess is it would be marginal when you compare the size of the metro dc alumni base to that of Penn State, when considering overall dedication to football.
I realize that the Big 10 does bring some quality opponents to UMD's basketball schedule, such as the Michigan State Izzos and Indiana and (at some point) Illinois, but that isn't anywhere close to the level of opponent maryland continually faces from tobacco road. Ask any UMD alumni: the UMD/Duke rivalry is second to that of UNC/Duke in the ACC, and this has been the case since the 90s.
I understand the UMD has a serious financial problem and needs a solution, but they have way too much to lose in terms of image and possible alumni repercussions from switching to one of the best, if not THE best, basketball conferences to a mighty football conference. I don't think this gives the Big 10 that much more other than a marginal increase in tv revenue and the possibility of penn state finally shutting up about not having a regional rival. All this being said, until I see the press conference that proves me wrong, I think all of this is sabre rattling by UMD administration to get something. I'm not sure if that something comes from Swofford or from Annapolis but I think, at its core, very few in UMD society want UMD to leave and someone will step in and do something to prevent this bluff from being called.
I think you underestimating B1G hoops
And overestimating Duke/UNC. Indiana, MSU, Wisky, Ill, Mich, Minn, Purdue and Ohio St are all excellent programs. Compare that list to UVA, FSU, BCSU, Wake ....adv B1G. Why shouldn't UND leave? More money. UnderArmor to cover exit fee. History of ACC diluted by expansion. It's a no-brainer.
I'm pretty sure most of the UMD alumni base would disagree with that statement.
There's more prestige in ACC basketball. Maryland is a basketball school. Kevin Plank is trying to make it a football school but it won't happen. The only hope UMD has is grabbing all of the PA recruits that can't get into PSU because of sanctions. However even if it happens, this "surge" will only last the span of time that PSU is under scholarship restrictions. The year PSU gets full scholarship allowance UMD will be back to where they started at best.
Plus, the only school sin the Big10 that has any prestige close to that of tobacco road is MSU and Indiana. Illinois is off the map and I'm not convinced the dirt that has plagued OSU football hasn't spread to OSU basketball. The rest are too inconsistent to be concluded upon.
This isn't about Maryland; this is about Kevin Plank trying to push UA's exposure into the Big10. Why do you think the UMD board of regents has been kept in the dark about this? He's making an incredibly speculative investment in the idea that his company plus Big10 network will equal the east coast version of Oregon. The only problem is that if he's wrong, his company goes under, and UMD loses all of the alumni that basically stop donating because of this move.
I don't like this idea and still think someone will stop it at the 11th hour. I won't be at all shocked if the Board of Regents votes this down by a considerable margin.
You're saying "Tobacco Road" like it's some magical place.
It was....in 1982.
Today, it's Duke and UNC. And Duke and UNC aren't any further along than MSU or Indiana right now. Even Wisconsin is in that mix. FSU is the third best ACC basketball program. FSU. Does UMD hold their rivalry with FSU with any great esteem? I doubt it.
I love(d) ACC basketball, I grew up in the Ralph Sampson era in the Commonwealth. I stayed home from school on every ACC-T Friday. But it's gone. Just look at the ACC/Big Ten challenge, the ACC won the first 9, have lost the last 3 and are favored again this year. The Big East surpassed the ACC years ago as the premiere conference, maybe SU/Pitt will change that. But if you're UMD, staying for some 30+ year old image of what ACC hoops used to be would be beyond foolish.
it's a business decision. the B1G makes more money. Period. If someone pays your exit fee, so be it. Move on. It is about football, it's always about football. Duke and UNC aren't leaving the ACC to form a hoops conference with Memphis, Kentucky, Louisville, Georgetown and Villanova, are they?
I hope MD turns it down, because their fate as an after-thought in the ACC is sealed for the foreseeable future. Poorly run athletic department, skittish fanbase, no control over their own market, mediocre hoops and football program. Please stay, MD. Because you are what you are in the ACC and we like it. If you leave, you may actually get out of debt and capture a market with B1G sports with new energy. We have seen it at VT, new energy can renew a fanbase.
VT4SEC
We might see more seasons like this one for the forseeable future if we make that move, but it's the right move to make.
Amen to that
I think we could be competitive in the SEC East (Logical Fit For Us)...Not every season but a majority of them
I would love to be in the SEC East... We would get to play the Gators, and hopefull beat the living crap out of them about 60% of the time. EVERYBODY in Jacksonville has been on the Gator Wagon since Timmy T's glory days, and I would love to see their faces if we disrupted an undefeated run to a national title or something down the road.
Can you put together a season recap video
So we can all remember this season, and be humbled. #humblepie #thanksgiving
They may go
From what I read B1G Network pays each 24.6 million. They will get their money back in 2+ years. That is why a PSU fan friend of mine said PSU would never leave. Also, not sure about the SEC thing as our Football team is not as attractive as it once was after this season. We shall see how this plays out though.
Hey, they took Texas A&M after a 6-6 season and look at them now. I don't want to go to the SEC at all, but it's not like we're less attractive after one season. Still have a great fan base and bring the DC/NOVA market.
Hokies market value...?
DC/NOVA/Richmond market has always been a big question mark to me. How powerful is it, really?
We've managed to swindle our way into 1/2 nationally televised games, but the vast majority of our schedule can barely be found on tv in the DC market.
I just don't see what value we bring the the SEC, at all. Strong alumni base who travels to games? Basketball?
Can someone fill in the pieces here?
I grew up in Maryland and was almost always able to watch the VT games. I'm not saying that the SEC wants us right now, but of all the schools that would fit into their conference, we're definitely up there. Clemson, FSU and VT have to be their top 3 right now. Our fan base doesn't travel anymore because we're getting bored with having the same thing every year, an Orange Bowl appearance gets old after a while. At least that's what I think. If we were in the SEC and playing top 10 teams every week then I could see our fan base traveling a lot more again.
And I just want to be on the record as anti-SEC. I don't think it would be a smart move for us because our fan base is on par with South Carolina, a good football team that the rest of the SEC schools don't care about.
Wait, someone wants MD?
Everyone act sad about this, otherwise the B1G might change their minds and we'll be stuck with the Terps.
My Reaction to this
hahaha was gonna post this exact thing but couldnt find the gif of the scene i was looking for.
That athletic department already has no money. Good luck finding $50 million sitting around. UMD is one school in the ACC with absolutely no rivals, I don't know anyone that will miss them.
well, at least somebody in college park is for the move
"Terps in the Rose Bowl"
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *gasp* HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Dont Laugh Too Hard
Indiana at one point controlled there own Football Destiny in the Big Ten
Just cause OSU is ineligible right?
And PSU
But who those are just details....
And Duke controlled their destiny until they lost to GT. Point?
I think I have an almost saying for this
"Even a blind squirrel can find a nut once."
Good riddance
Twitter is blowing up
with "insider reports" on the potential move (one Annapolis Sports reporter stated his "inside source" told him the BOT vote was a formality and that the president of the university already won enough support for the move in the administration. I think the move is great financially because of the Big Ten Network and immediate revenue gain for a school/athletics department with major financial issues. Also UMD should ultimately challenge the legality of the $50 million buyout, which both UMD and Florida State voted against. That will be the loophole: I could see the ACC settling out of court to avoid potentially messy litigation. That is the only way I could see them not having to pay the full $50 mil, unless the Under Armor booster decided to pony up serious cash or the B1G helped soften the financial blow.
IF they move, Maryland will be solid in Basketball but, as people on other boards pointed out, they will lose some recruits who want to play ACC basketball.
Heard on Siruis this morning that Maryland has the 50 mil, that it isn't a money issue and this thing is pretty much done. It's quite astonishing considering they had to cut various athletic programs due to financial reasons.
It's different money.
Exit fees are paid by donors, generally financed through an extended giving process. UMD has one donor ready to cover it all.
Cutting teams is due to revenue issues internally, which will be alleviated by B1G money being greater than ACC's.
Donors can fund the athletic teams, but it's not a sustainable model. The athletic department must support itself on its revenues. Donors pay for facilities. Ticket holders pay a little bit of revenues, but butts in the seats is gravy. Real revenue comes from the conference, and real conference revenue comes from TV and real TV revenue comes from cable subscriptions. That's what MD and Rutgers offer.
So much for Geography
Maybe its because I was a Geography major at VT, but I think one of the cool things about college football conferences is their geography. When schools like west va, san diego st, and now maryland maybe want to join these far away conferences its just kinda lame.
done deal
So with UMD out, it looks like we are aiming at UConn, or do you think Swofford has some magic planned?
I think UConn is a favorite, but Georgetown shouldn't be overlooked. I also have been thinking about Vanderbilt. I know it sounds crazy, why would any school ever want to leave the SEC for the ACC. But think about it, they're a great academic school, one of the best, and the SEC is one of the worst conferences for academics. I don't think it would be crazy for Swofford to at least give them a call.
I wouldn't be surprised if no one comes in right away as Swofford tries to talk ND into full membership...by the way is there a worse name for divisions than Legends and Leaders?
LOL at the thought of any team leaving the SEC (which has no exit fee) for the ACC (which has a $50 million exit fee) ... and decreasing football revenues by 3-fold??
never gonna happen .. wouldn't even waste the time to call
VT should go ahead and get the fuck outta dodge before everything that's been built over the last 20 years is gone.
What?
No.
Research funding
I think the long term investment for Maryland will be greater then the short term loss of the exit fees.
Not only will they make more monies in the future with the sweet TV deals, but they also will get to join the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) which gives Billions a year to the conference schools in research funding (which makes tv contracts and bowl monies look like chump change). Research funding is a variable that everyone overlooks. This is why i believe Tech hasnt bolted for the SEC. The CIC funding is significantly more then what the ACC's consortium gives, to my knowledge (and the ACCs gets WAY more then what the SECs consortium gives). No brainer for Maryland.
MD to B1G....meh
Doesn't concern me too much one way or another, but for Hokies wanting the Fridge as OC, does this dim our chances because Ralph won't have the opportunity to rub it in the terps face? Does it make it more appealing because he wouldn't coach against MD? Just curious.
Also, what are everyone's thoughts on how Louisville might fit in ACC-land? Don't know too much about them academically, but good basketball background (I remember playing them at Cassell when we were Metro conference foes)...football is decent...ACC would be a step up from the Big East....and the trip would be a lot more pleasant than having to hump it up the east coast for every ACC team not named Boston College.
The main problem I have with adding more and more Big East teams is the argument that it'd be a step up kinda disappears when half our conference is former Big East teams. But I do think that Louisville and UConn are the most likely teams to be added just because they fit into the conference geographically. The ACC is pretty stuck if ND doesn't join full time because the Big East, Big 10 and SEC are the 3 conferences we would steal from. Doesn't look like anyone from the Big 10 or SEC would leave for us and the Big East blows.
ACC Favorites
I don't think the ACC brass will realize they can just vote Boston College out and be back at 12 teams, the perfect number for a conference. These are the current schools rumored to replace Maryland.
Louisville is easily the best football fit, UConn makes the most sense if the most important criteria are basketball, academics, and location.
South Florida ...
Uh, no - that ain't gonna happen.
As the daughter of two USF alums, I have to think it would be FUN, though :P
one less cupcake
looks like it's a done deal
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/19/maryland...
a lot of big 10 fans are against this, they dont see what umd and rutgers bring to the table. frankly i dont either.
Those two schools bring television sets not already in the B1G
which is turn allows B1G to hit up whichever network wins their next television rights for that much more in revenue. Current speculation is that with these two schools added, their next tv deal in 2016 will provide each school compensation in the $30-$33 million per season range, while retaining the third tier game rights in basketball and football, which could mean an additional $2-$3 million per year per school if handled correctly. (This is something the ACC just signed over for little to no compensation to ESPN) Maryland gives the B1G ready access to their alumni base in the DC market and Rutgers somewhat gives them access to their NY/NJ alumni. Dont be surprised to see alot of Maryland "home" games played at FedEx field to account for the alumni of the other school.
Rumor has it
GT or FSU may try to join the B1G as well
question
isnt there some rule in the BIG that they must boarder a state already obtaining a BIG member or is this false. If true that tosses them out of the mix and more likely SEC or BIG12 material. Maybe in the shear madness of conference expansion this rule is waved.
states touching
Pennsylvania (PSU) takes care of Maryland and New Jersey to satisfy that rule, if it indeed is an issue.
Delaney says this move is all about demographics...translation: this move is all about the $$$ because of the boatload of people living in the DC to NYC corridor who will potentially be tapped into via the Big Ten Network and by the next TV contract that the league negotiates. Demographics is just a slick way to say that the B1G is trolling for more paying customers and is not afraid to offer 2 wallflower programs tickets to the prom in order to capitalize on their "demographics." Does the words "prostitution of an institution" mean anything here?
Welcome to the B1G, UMD and Rutgers, you are about to become the eastern football versions of Indiana and Illinois in the conference. Let the perennial beat-downs by OSU, Michigan, Whisky, PSU and Nebraska commence. There's always basketball to look forward to, where your teams have a shot of breaking .500 once or twice a decade.
More schools leaving the big east
"Boise State, San Diego State and BYU have had conversations with Mountain West membership about the possibility of returning to the league, sources told ESPN."
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8653727/boise-state-bronc...
FSU
isn't in the conversation re: the B1G. If they leave, it'll be going to the Big 12 with a remote shot at going to the SEC. GT is a major player in this and as far as having to be adjacent to an existing B1G state ... whatever ... the Prez's will just cross that out of the bylaws (if it's even there)
Kansas may end up in the B1G according to some .. but who knows?
As I see it, the remaining B1G targets will come from one of the following schools:
Syracuse, Pitt, Kansas, Missouri, UNC, UVA, VT being a remote possibility
SEC: VT and NC State (but they'd rather have UNC .. UVA remote possibility)
Big 12: picking off the ACC (FSU, Clemson, GT possibly, maybe BYU??)
I think the Big 10 is playing chess while the rest of us are playing checkers. They get access to a couple huge TV markets- I'm sure they've already had talks with cable providers and know that this will be a profitable move for the Big 10 network. They also destabilize the ACC, potentially forcing Notre Dame's hand. I expect their 15th team will be Boston College, and Notre Dame will have no choice but to ditch their ACC partnership and join the Big 10 or lose too many traditional rivalry games and lose access to a new postseason that's controlled by the superconferences.
VT needs to look a couple steps ahead here and make sure they get out before the ACC totally crumbles. The Big 10 is attacking us to get Notre Dame. The Big 12 is obviously going to 12 and it's well known that there is mutual interest with Florida State. 14 is an awkward number for scheduling and if the SEC can snag a couple more brand name programs they will. If we wait until we have no other options, even if there is a spot left for us in the SEC, Big 10 or Big 12, if we're forced to leave a conference that's in shambles we may have to accept some kind of reduced membership because of our limited negotiating leverage. We are in a bank run situation here and if we are the last ones to the counter we're going to lose everything.
This move for Maryland not only solidifies them, but improves them as an athletic department and as a university. I give them props for doing what is best for their university, regardless of what some people think. There were seven sports teams cut because they could not be afforded. Those teams will now be reinstated per the university president. Between now and 2020, Maryland stands to make nearly 100 million more in the Big than the ACC. And that's before all of the research money they will now have access to. The big ten is better at basketball than the acc and worse in football. Maybe equal. That's a great fit for maryland.
When it comes to VT and the ACC... Yea sure we wanted to be in the ACC for a really long time. But the ACC we always wanted to be in is far from the ACC that we have now. It is an unstable conference, that does not pay well, does not reward us for our success, has a bias towards a sport we put in an extremely distant second, and puts a sport that built or university on the back burner. Idk if we have an offer from the SEC, but I do know this... Two things took our school from some random, redneck, regional school to a name that everyone in America knows. Football and football money. And that's in athletics and academics. If we stray from that because of some profound loyalty to a conference that never really wanted us, and has done anything but look out for us since joining, and others will pay us a lot more money than what the ACC is giving us, why on earth would we ever stay here? It would be a great and tragic disservice to what we were built upon. This is our time. We came from football independence and national irrelevance to the doorstep of the pinnacle. We can't let this opportunity slip through our fingers. It will secure our upward mobility throughout the ranks of academic reputation, as well as the opportunity for all sports to flourish. The ACC was a good pass-through. Lets make the jump to the SEC and never look back.