After new rumors surfaced of more conference realignment, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday afternoon that the University of Maryland has been admitted to the league, becoming the 13th member.
According to a press release sent out by the Big Ten, Maryland applied for admission into the conference Monday morning. After all 12 league presidents and chancellors discussed the application over a conference call, a unanimous vote was cast in favor of admitting the Terrapins.
A part of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) since 1953, Maryland has an extensive athletic history, however has recently struggled in maintaining its athletics programs. Only one year ago, the school cut eight sports in order to save money.
Its move to the Big Ten will improve the university’s financial situation, UMD president Wallace Loh said, allowing the athletic department to potentially reinstate those teams.
Maryland will become a full-time member of the Big Ten on July 1, 2014 and plans to participate in all sports starting in the 2014-15 season.
Rumors surrounding the situation suggest the Big Ten will also add Rutgers University to the conference on Tuesday, making it a 14-team league. It is expected that both schools will enter the Leaders Division and that Illinois will move to the Legends Division.
As of Monday morning, IU’s administration did not have any official comment on UMD’s admittance or the possibility of Rutgers joining as well, but it's expected that Rutgers will have a press conference tomorrow to discuss the school's future with the Big Ten.
This story will be updated.
-Jordan Littman
