I'm starting to warm to the addition of Maryland and Rutgers. It's still an odd pairing, though, adding two traditional eastern schools with the bread basket Big Ten. But while the Terps and Knights haven't accomplished much on the field lately, they bring some interesting history of their own.
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Maryland & Rutgers
Maryland started playing games in 1892 and had dominant seasons early on. They were a member of the Southern Conference - the parent conference of both the modern SEC and ACC. After a slump of losing through the 1930s and 1940s, Maryland gave a young buck named Paul Bryant his first head coaching gig. Kentucky got jealous and stole the "Bear" after a single season, but his success led to the Terrapins stealing coach Jim Tatum away from Oklahoma and brought about the most victorious run in school history.
While the Terps have been up and down during the years that followed, they have been anything but quiet in other sports. Their basketball success is well-documented and Maryland also boasts one of the best lacrosse teams in the nation. Furthermore, Maryland wrestling has been outstanding with UMD winning 24 ACC titles and being ranked in the Top 20 every single year except 2010.
A well-known piece of football lore, Rutgers played the very first football game against Princeton in 1869. And while the Scarlet Knights haven't had the dominance of some Big Ten teams, they are currently the in the Top 40 for all-time wins. Rutgers also boasts six bowl appearances in the last seven years. What's more -- they've won the last five bowls, which is the longest streak in the nation.
Like typical upper-east coast schools, Rutgers has a long history with rowing and water sports. Additionally, the school has several NCAA tournament appearances, both in March Madness and the NIT. Arguably, women's hoops is more successful than the men's squad. Like Maryland, the Knights also bring lacrosse to the table with 2 national titles.
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Why It's Better to Be a Legend
Many fans and media have cried foul with the Big Ten's latest expansion endeavor. They claim, and maybe rightfully so, that a bigger footprint means more games like Minnesota-Rutgers and fewer games like Nebraska-Ohio State. They worry about the league "losing their identity" as a midwestern league filled with farm towns and salt of the earth people who flock to their respective cathedrals on frigid Saturdays in the fall. They are fearful that extra teams will chip away at the very ideals of the Big Ten.
Which is why it's better to be a Legend.
The Legends division is expected to absorb Illinois. And for those seven teams, the Legends division remains a midwestern-first division. Actually, it's almost like a mini-conference unto itself. Heck, expand to 16 teams and you effectively have two conferences of 8. Dare I say a Big 8? With expansion unfolding to the east, Nebraska has a unique opportunity. We'll still get the annual farmaggedons against Iowa and Minnesota. We'll still venture to the arctic wastelands of Ann Arbor and East Lansing. And we'll still get the urban/rural mix of playing Northwestern -- and now Illinois, too.
Make no mistake, the Legends division is a farmland division. It's true to the Big Ten roots. And should the league expand to a 9-game schedule we will likely preserve our Penn State game plus 2 other Leaders. The Leaders division will certainly have an odd mix of Indiana farmland and Beltway Metro, but the Legends still feels like home.
Imagine this: Nebraska plays a perfect blend of agricultural football and gets to travel to Chicago, New York and Washington DC on a semi-regular basis. It's a win-win for the Huskers. A chance to stay true to our past, yet travel to veritable beehives of recruiting. And don't think that football alone will reap the benefits. The mid-Atlantic is a treasure trove of basketball talent and the Huskers will now be making multiple appearances every year. We already recruit nationally for the gridiron, but this arrangement opens up new opportunities for our hoops teams as well.
Give Delaney credit for staying proactive. Maryland and Rutgers may not be the highest-profile teams on the football field, but from what I can see they more than make up for it in terms of their footprint and access to the east coast markets. Yes, college sports follows the almighty dollar, but that was the case even before Nebraska left the Big 12. Delaney made a move that should fill the Big Ten coffers for years to come. Perhaps a move that will make him a Legend in sports history?
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Maryland & Rutgers
Maryland started playing games in 1892 and had dominant seasons early on. They were a member of the Southern Conference - the parent conference of both the modern SEC and ACC. After a slump of losing through the 1930s and 1940s, Maryland gave a young buck named Paul Bryant his first head coaching gig. Kentucky got jealous and stole the "Bear" after a single season, but his success led to the Terrapins stealing coach Jim Tatum away from Oklahoma and brought about the most victorious run in school history.
While the Terps have been up and down during the years that followed, they have been anything but quiet in other sports. Their basketball success is well-documented and Maryland also boasts one of the best lacrosse teams in the nation. Furthermore, Maryland wrestling has been outstanding with UMD winning 24 ACC titles and being ranked in the Top 20 every single year except 2010.
A well-known piece of football lore, Rutgers played the very first football game against Princeton in 1869. And while the Scarlet Knights haven't had the dominance of some Big Ten teams, they are currently the in the Top 40 for all-time wins. Rutgers also boasts six bowl appearances in the last seven years. What's more -- they've won the last five bowls, which is the longest streak in the nation.
Like typical upper-east coast schools, Rutgers has a long history with rowing and water sports. Additionally, the school has several NCAA tournament appearances, both in March Madness and the NIT. Arguably, women's hoops is more successful than the men's squad. Like Maryland, the Knights also bring lacrosse to the table with 2 national titles.
---------------------
Why It's Better to Be a Legend
Many fans and media have cried foul with the Big Ten's latest expansion endeavor. They claim, and maybe rightfully so, that a bigger footprint means more games like Minnesota-Rutgers and fewer games like Nebraska-Ohio State. They worry about the league "losing their identity" as a midwestern league filled with farm towns and salt of the earth people who flock to their respective cathedrals on frigid Saturdays in the fall. They are fearful that extra teams will chip away at the very ideals of the Big Ten.
Which is why it's better to be a Legend.
The Legends division is expected to absorb Illinois. And for those seven teams, the Legends division remains a midwestern-first division. Actually, it's almost like a mini-conference unto itself. Heck, expand to 16 teams and you effectively have two conferences of 8. Dare I say a Big 8? With expansion unfolding to the east, Nebraska has a unique opportunity. We'll still get the annual farmaggedons against Iowa and Minnesota. We'll still venture to the arctic wastelands of Ann Arbor and East Lansing. And we'll still get the urban/rural mix of playing Northwestern -- and now Illinois, too.
Make no mistake, the Legends division is a farmland division. It's true to the Big Ten roots. And should the league expand to a 9-game schedule we will likely preserve our Penn State game plus 2 other Leaders. The Leaders division will certainly have an odd mix of Indiana farmland and Beltway Metro, but the Legends still feels like home.
Imagine this: Nebraska plays a perfect blend of agricultural football and gets to travel to Chicago, New York and Washington DC on a semi-regular basis. It's a win-win for the Huskers. A chance to stay true to our past, yet travel to veritable beehives of recruiting. And don't think that football alone will reap the benefits. The mid-Atlantic is a treasure trove of basketball talent and the Huskers will now be making multiple appearances every year. We already recruit nationally for the gridiron, but this arrangement opens up new opportunities for our hoops teams as well.
Give Delaney credit for staying proactive. Maryland and Rutgers may not be the highest-profile teams on the football field, but from what I can see they more than make up for it in terms of their footprint and access to the east coast markets. Yes, college sports follows the almighty dollar, but that was the case even before Nebraska left the Big 12. Delaney made a move that should fill the Big Ten coffers for years to come. Perhaps a move that will make him a Legend in sports history?
