Tuesday, November 20
Just when you thought conference realignment had been slowed ...
The University of Maryland, a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, announced on Monday that it was leaving the ACC for the Big Ten Conference, effective in the 2014-15 school year.
Maryland, according to various reports, is likely to be followed by Rutgers in joining the Big Ten.
Without getting into too much of the details to all this, I just want to ask two questions ...
Is nothing sacred?
... and ...
What will define the future of big-time collegiate sports?
The answer, in both cases, appears to be money.
Maryland will make a lot more of it in the Big Ten than the ACC.
With this being the motivation, some have taken to calling this latest conference move a watershed moment, paving the inevitable path toward super conferences in the future.
What's lost, of course, is tradition. Maryland had nearly six decades in the ACC.
But as its chancellor William Kirwan told the Washington Post ...
“Most people, when they first hear about it, think, ‘Why would you do it? It doesn’t make sense?’” Kirwan told the Post. “But the more you think about it and understand the advantages and think about the way the world’s changing, and the ACC isn’t the ACC any more.”
============================
ON THE AGENDA
The campus may be deserted, but Tuesday's weekly media day events for UGA are on as planned. Mark Richt will hold his weekly press conference at noon followed by practice later in the afternoon and interviews throughout the day. As usual, the live thread will be running on Dawgs247.
=============================
LINK(S) OF THE DAY
The winningest coach in all of college football history has announced his retirement after 489 victories.
=============================
TWEET(S) OF THE DAY
gotta stay focus on my future, when the present hurts so bad #preoptweet
LB Chase Vasser
----------------
Maryland to the Big Ten come on now what's happening to all the conferences?
That's almost like taking the Duke vs UNC rivalry away
RB Todd Gurley
----------------
The Big Ten keeps adding teams, and the name stays the same. Academia weeps. #LearnToCount
Wes Rucker of 247Sports' Tennessee site
----------------
At today's presser, (Jim) Delany, etc., will say this is about academic and cultural fit, blah, blah, blah. He should just print a cable bill.
Stewart Mandel of SI.com
----------------
Remember that a pat on the back can always turn into a stab in the back.
WR Justin Scott-Wesley
----------------
S/O to all 11 people in Athens #ghosttown
OL Watts Dantzler
----------------
Livin in ghost town this week #teambonding
PK Marshall Morgan
----------------
Dixon dominated the dog park
OL Kolton Houston
----------------
This man @Money_Mitch26 (Malcolm Mitchell) snoring so loud we can't sleep smh
LB Amarlo Herrera
- Gentry Estes
- Georgia Insider - Dawgs247