Exactly one month ago today, a report surfaced that Vanderbilt, Maryland and Georgia Tech were possibilities for an expanded Big Ten.
We openly scoffed at the Vanderbilt portion of the rumor, but paid little attention to the other schools mentioned. Apparently, at least as far as one of those two were concerned, our ears should’ve perked up a little bit.
According to Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune, not only is Rutgers -- long-rumored to be on the radar, if for nothing more than the potential of bringing the New York/New Jersey market into the league’s television footprint -- still of interest to the conference, but Maryland should be considered part of the expansion equation as well. Greenstein laid out the case for the current ACC member.
Maryland is a large public research institution in a Big Ten border state with two substantial TV markets (Washington and Baltimore) and a decent athletic history.
Maryland is an AAU member and ranks 53rd nationally among public universities (tied with Ohio State and ahead of Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan State, Iowa and Nebraska) but has struggled to graduate its football and men’s basketball players, producing weak Academic Progress Rate numbers.
