Washington, DC (Sports Network) - The University of Maryland and Rutgers University will reportedly become the newest members of the expanding Big Ten Conference.
According to the Washington Post and InsideMDsports.com, Maryland's Board of Regents has approved a motion to apply for Big Ten membership and end the long-standing affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Maryland has been a charter member of the ACC since the league's inception 1953.
Multiple reports over the weekend indicated that once Maryland decided to make the move, Rutgers would be next. Rutgers has been part of the Big East in football since 1991 and all sports since 1995.
The new additions would give the Big Ten a total of 14 members. The league expanded just two years ago when Nebraska entered from the Big 12.
Maryland and Rutgers will also expand the Big Ten's footprint to the East Coast, giving the league a presence in Washington, DC and New York City.
The ACC had just announced expansion plans of its own recently with the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh from the Big East. Both schools are set to join the ACC for the 2013-14 academic year. In September, Notre Dame also decided to leave the Big East for the ACC.
When the ACC revealed its expansion, it also raised its exit fee to $50 million.
Reports have indicated that the Big Ten may help Maryland pay the exorbitant amount.
A move to the Big Ten for Maryland, however, would likely help financially. The Terrapins recently cut seven of their 27 varsity sports and the revenues per school are reportedly larger in the Big Ten thanks, in part to the creation of the Big Ten Network.
The Big East, of course, has undergone monumental changes. It was created in 1979 with Syracuse, Providence, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall, Boston College and Connecticut as original members and has since expanded numerous times to its current 16 members.
Prior to the departures of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, the ACC had lured Miami-Florida, Virginia Tech and Boston College away from the Big East at different times. West Virginia also moved from the Big East to the Big 12 this year.
In a move to fortify the conference, the Big East added Boise State, San Diego State and Navy as football-only members, while Central Florida, Houston, SMU, Temple and Memphis will be added for all other sports.
