<p>great article on the topic:</p>
<p>[On</a> Urban Meyer’s Ohio State, Wisconsin, and the Big Ten expanding to include Maryland and Rutgers - Grantland](<a href=“http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8654190/on-urban-meyer-ohio-state-wisconsin-big-ten-expanding-include-maryland-rutgers]On”>» The Big, Dumb, Greedy Ten)</p>
<p>Being in a powerhouse football conference might increase their ability to recruit top-end players, and get a decent coach.</p>
<p>There is hope for any school - just look at Northwestern. Wikipedia labels the years from 1972-1994 as “Years of futility”, yet even they eventually turned it around.</p>
<p>With 14 teams in the conference they will have to split into 2 divisions, and won’t get to play every team every year.</p>
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<p>We see how that’s helping Illinois ;)</p>
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Well, that is the kind of Illinois team I knew and loved when I was at the school. I also liked it when the Big 10 was the midwest’s conference. I’m still not over the fact the the Rose Bowl is no longer between the Big 10 and the PAC 10 every year.</p>
<p>When PSU joined the Big 10 there were some that thought Northwestern should drop out since they didn’t fit the mold and couldn’t win a football game. Of course, shortly thereafter they won their first Big Ten title in almost sixty years.</p>
<p>NRE–they’ve already split into two divisions (I wasn’t happy about that, nor PSU and Nebraska joining). But this is where we are in football these days. I think the recruiting could help Rutgers. There are a lot of powerhouse hs teams in NJ, and more local players might stay if they know they’ll be playing B10 football–though at this point, i’m more interested in RU being brought back to reality–see where they’d be ranked if they had to actually play competitive teams!</p>
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<p>The Pac-12 keeps the correct number (it was the Pac-8 when it had 8 teams and the Pac-10 when it had 10 teams).</p>
<p>The Big 12 also kept the correct number when it had 8 teams (as the Big 8) and 12 teams. But it did not change its number when it dropped to 10 teams, presumably due to the Big Ten. But the Big Ten had 11 teams at the time (now 12 and soon 14).</p>
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<p>The typical pattern is to play 8 conference games and 4 non-conference games. Some teams tend to load up on 3 weak teams out of their 4 non-conference games. SEC teams game the poll ranking system by scheduling some of their weakest non-conference opponents late in the season, since they know that poll voters tend to exaggerate losses late in the season compared to losses early in the season (odd why other conference teams don’t do the same).</p>
<p>The Big Ten Network (“BTN”) currently spits out about $24 million to each member school. BTN is projected in 2-3 years to send $30 million to each of 14 schools.</p>
<p>The athletic department budgets at Maryland and Rutgers just got a bit shot in the arm.</p>
<p>The unintended consequences for Maryland’s field hockey and lacrosse teams will be huge.</p>
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<p>The real problems are the asinine preseason ranking and the current concept that losses against a “highly ranked” team count for little to nothing in the SEC. </p>
<p>When one looks at the Webster for a definition of “rigged” it should merely yield SEC as the answer.</p>
<p>blueiguana- the rumor mill has Virginia getting a BIG invite if the ACC implodes. The ultimate goal is Notre Dame and the demise of the ACC is a necessary step for that to happen.
FSU and Clemson are looking to go to the SEC while NC State and VaTech might be Big 12 bound.</p>
<p>Rutgers will be helped by the Penn St sanctions and can play with most teams in the BIG. Ohio St, Michigan, Nebraska and Wisconsin are usually better the others Rutgers will be able to hold their own. the OSU is far and away the class of the conference year in and year out. Sorry garland</p>
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<p>Well, we’ll see about that on Saturday. Ohio State has squeaked out a bunch of narrow wins against mediocre teams-- 17-16 over Michigan State (5-6), 52-49 over Indiana (4-7), a 29-22 OT win against Purdue (5-6), and of course last week’s OT win against Wisconsin. Meanwhile, Michigan has found its groove with Devin Gardner at QB. Gardner’s a much better passer than Denard Robinson, but with Robinson moving around between RB, WR, and taking a few snaps as wildcat QB, they’ve still got his remarkable wheels and uncanny ability to make people miss in space in the lineup. Plus Gardner, who’s played most of the season at WR, is arguably their best deep threat at that position if Robinson’s elbow is healthy enough to throw. Could make for lots of exciting razzle-dazzle and explosive plays.</p>
<p>Michigan’s been lying in the weeds with 3 losses, but 2 of those were early in the season to what are now the #1 and #2 teams in the country, and the third came to a decent Nebraska team in Lincoln after Robinson left the game with an injury and they had to go with their third-string QB because Gardner hadn’t taken any snaps at that position in practice. They might very well be the best team in the conference right now, especially with Gardner at QB. But we’ll see on Saturday whether they make it 2 in a row against tOSU.</p>
<p>Bcclintonk, I like they way you think :)</p>
<p>Hmmm Rutgers I sort of get…they’ve been flirting with Rutgers for a decade plus it feels like a rough and tumble get revved up for football Saturdays potential kind of place. But Maryland? I didn’t even know they played football at that university. But yes, Big 10 is about universities where football is big…does Maryland have a fight song?</p>
<p>bc- I am not saying Michigan can not win but theOSU has been the conference leader for much of the last 20 years</p>
<p>Thanks, Bclintock. I see it that way too. And Tom, I think “class” is the wrong word when talking about OSU. What bowl are they going to this year? Oh, right.</p>
<p>Also, yeah, OSU has had success in very recent years, but that can turn quickly. I believe the rivalry record is something like 56-43-6 (more or less, :)), and as I recall, UM won last year. </p>
<p>So, looking forward to next week!</p>
<p>It is as good a rivalry game as there is. I also root for Michigan against the OSU.</p>
<p>So do you think ND ever ends up as a full member?</p>
<p>OMG, the local paper says “Fear the Turtles”…are they the Maryland Turtles???</p>
<p>As difficult as it is to envision a fierce Gopher…it’s even more difficult to imagine a fierce Turtle. Now Slippery Rock…that has possibilities.</p>
<p>BTW since I was a teen I hoped ND would join the Big 10, so no, I don’t think ND will ever join the Big 10 unfortunately.</p>
<p>Terps- as in Terrapin</p>
<p>They are the Maryland Terrapins. Holy cow, it’s not like UMD is an obscure college. I would say basketball and lacrosse are their best sports. Does the Big 10 even play lacrosse?</p>
<p>When the amount of football money ND can get from the Big 10 exceeds what they can get by having their own TV contract, then ND might join. They could conceivably join for everything but football. That’s what they did in the ACC.</p>