Why Maryland Should Ditch the ACC for the Big Ten in 2011
College football has been engulfed with power conferences expanding in efforts to hold a conference championship game. The Big Ten has coveted a conference game for years and after prying Nebraska way from the Big 12.
It can only be assumed that the conference realignment speculation will trickle over into the 2011 off-season as well. With that said these are the five reasons why the Maryland Terrapins need to leave the ACC and why the Big Ten would be a great fit for the Terps.
5. Big Ten Network
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The Big Ten Network has become one of the best investments the conference has made. Not only do schools gain revenue from bowl games, schools are also given revenue from the Big Ten Network as well.
The Big Ten Network would help the Terps from a financial stand point, however Maryland will benefit equally from television exposure. Maryland’s games would be featured on the Big Ten Network as well as any team affiliated show about the Terps.
4. Recruiting
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One of the major benefits Maryland would benefit from would be recruiting. High School athletes would more than likely desire the opportunity to play against the likes of Ohio State and Penn State instead of going against Wake Forrest and NC State.
Since the expansion of the ACC, head coach Ralph Friedgen has struggled recruiting. The Terps have not compiled a good recruiting class in years.
One of Maryland’s biggest problems in recruiting has been at the quarterback position. Maryland has not had an established quarterback since Sam Hollenbech.
The Terps have not had a shortage of players in the NFL in recent years but as a whole, they have not been able to put together a solid core of players.
The grace period has run short on head coach Ralph Friedgen and without a solid recruiting class in years, Friedgen would benefit greatly from coaching in the Big Ten.
3. Money
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This could have been easily number one for many reasons, however I tend to hate it when a team makes a move primarily for money, because of that I ranked it fifth.
One of the immediate benefits for Maryland if they joined the Big Ten would be the money. The Big Ten is represented in BCS games and other major bowl games. The Terps would be able to grab claim to the money generated by the bowl games that any of the Big Ten schools play in.
The extra money would also help Maryland’s bolster Maryland’s recruiting budget amongst other aspects such as their payroll for coaches.
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3. Money
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This could have been easily number one for many reasons, however I tend to hate it when a team makes a move primarily for money, because of that I ranked it fifth.
One of the immediate benefits for Maryland if they joined the Big Ten would be the money. The Big Ten is represented in BCS games and other major bowl games. The Terps would be able to grab claim to the money generated by the bowl games that any of the Big Ten schools play in.
The extra money would also help Maryland’s bolster Maryland’s recruiting budget amongst other aspects such as their payroll for coaches.
1. Potential Match Ups
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The Big Ten would offer better match ups for the University of Maryland. The potential move would offer superior match ups compared to that of the ACC.
When the ACC expanded to 12 teams by adding Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami it was supposed to turn the ACC into a football power house that would rival the SEC. The move essentially washed out the ACC and crippled teams such as Maryland, NC State, Wake Forrest, and Virginia.
The opportunity for the Terps to play host to Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, and others would draw significantly larger crowds to College Park.
Games against Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State would most certainly sell out, while others such as Iowa and Wisconsin in my opinion would still draw larger crowds than current ACC games and would help build upon a diminishing Maryland football fan base.
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