When the University of Maryland announced its plans to secede from the Atlantic Coast Conference in favor of the greener pastures of the Big 10, the immediate reaction from most was anything but receptive. How could the University – a charter member of the ACC – abandon its “traditional” rivals for this Midwestern league?
The answer was simple, obvious, and clear: money. For a school that fell off the fiscal cliff long ago, the lure of the Big 10’s revenue-sharing program and a chance to become solvent again meant more than not playing Duke in basketball.