Maryland And Rutgers Are Joining The Big Ten Because They Have To

As expected, the Big Ten will now be 14. Maryland and Rutgers have let it be known they plan to abandon the ACC and the Big East, respectively, beginning in 2014. The motivation for all involved is plain: The Big Ten gets more of an East Coast footprint, and one that kinda-sorta touches the D.C. and New York markets (though not really). And Maryland and Rutgers—whose athletic departments have been hemorrhaging money in recent years—get themselves additional financial security, the ...