B1G Maryland Presser open thread
BTN & BTN2Go will have live coverage at 2:30 PM ET of the Maryland press conference announcing it's joining the Big Ten.
Guests joining BTN after 2:30 PM ET MD presser include Penn State's Dave Joyner and Michigan State's Mark Hollis
Other confirmed guests following MD presser on BTN: Gary Williams, Mike DeCourcy, U-M AD Dave Brandon
November 19th, 2012 at 2:24 PM ^
I wish it wasn't called a presser
I wish it was called a smasher
and I wish Jim Delaney was getting smashed ( not in the fun, having drinks way )
November 19th, 2012 at 2:26 PM ^
So when do we cease being the "Big 10"?
November 19th, 2012 at 2:34 PM ^
Never, its branding
November 19th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
Hate week now has a double meaning.
November 19th, 2012 at 2:30 PM ^
Presser is canceled because it's dumb ... and dumb things should be canceled. Actually, dumb things shouldn't be done at all, but when they are done, they should be canceled quickly thereafter.
November 19th, 2012 at 2:37 PM ^
November 19th, 2012 at 2:56 PM ^
Pissed away 9 points on missed kicks. Oh well still won though. I just don't understand how this move helps our conference at all. These schools except for maybe Rugters are going to be another Indiana in our conference.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:17 PM ^
I may not even be alive in 2014 to see this come to fruition. Maryland? More like fairyland
November 19th, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^
BEAT OHIO!
November 19th, 2012 at 2:45 PM ^
For you conspiracy theorists out there: Gary Williams was hired by BTN to do color a year ago. Did he know something was in the works even then?
November 19th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
He coached OSU before he went to Maryland.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:18 PM ^
So he knew way back then too?!?!
November 19th, 2012 at 5:15 PM ^
You gave me the best laugh of my day. +1 to you sir.
November 19th, 2012 at 2:47 PM ^
B1G Network doing some mighty spin right now. Saying this was a "coup", Jim Delaney is a genius who is forward-thinking, and that the B1G continues to print it's own money.
November 19th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
B1G Network acting like they have no idea about Rutgers. "The B1G probably won't stop at 13, they'll probably look to add a 14th school in the near future."
November 19th, 2012 at 2:53 PM ^
and now they are talking about not playing cross over games on the last week of the season. WORST THING EVER.
November 19th, 2012 at 2:56 PM ^
I agree, but I so do not want to see Michigan vs OSU two weeks in a row. That is just complete lunacy. This would ensure that didn't happen. UGHHHHH!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!
November 19th, 2012 at 2:56 PM ^
The good thing is that with 7-team divisions, you either have to give 1 team in each division a bye on the last week, which I assume would be completely unacceptable, or you have to have 1 crossover game.
So if they don't have crossover games on the last week, then 2 teams (1 in each division) would either play non-conference games or have byes. I think M-OSU is at least safe until they expand to 16.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:02 PM ^
I would assume that the OSU game will always be safe.
Although, I also brush my teeth in a non-circular motion, squirt lighter fluid on the grill while there is an open flame, cross without looking both ways, and have never met a condom that I couldn't forget about. I'm not a great judge of safety.
November 19th, 2012 at 5:07 PM ^
When they went to divisions it was floated//leaked that the OSU-UM was not going to be the last game of the regular season. The huge outcry from OSU and UM fans I'm guessed axed that idea. However, I'm guessing once OSU-UM play back to back games a time or two the game will be moved to October.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^
Hearing rumors of Illinois-Indiana, Northwestern-Rutgers and MSU-Maryland as the B1G crossover matchups. #Mess
November 19th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
Think of the ratings of a NW-Rutgers matchup! Oh the history and tradition of these two midwestern academic powerhouses battling it out!
November 19th, 2012 at 3:07 PM ^
...that will be date of official entrance.
Maryland started out with the financial angle, so they are being rather forthright about their condition and why the elected to join the conference. They are even going so far as to make plans to bring back the teams that they terminated.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:10 PM ^
Their president has made it very clear that Maryland needs the Big 10 a lot more than the Big 10 needs Maryland.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:09 PM ^
Going to Ocean City again? Hells yeah!
November 19th, 2012 at 7:03 PM ^
November 19th, 2012 at 3:09 PM ^
Reason 1: Money
Reason 2: Academics
Reason 3: Join the CIC (research)
November 19th, 2012 at 4:10 PM ^
Reason 1: Money
Reason 2: Money
Reason 3: Money
November 19th, 2012 at 3:13 PM ^
what bad move for the B10
November 19th, 2012 at 3:18 PM ^
I love how Maryland is basically saying their move to the Big Ten was a gold digging move.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:19 PM ^
I'm hearing from someone who is very "in the know" that the last week of the season will NOT have any inter-divisional play, as the Big Ten wants to avoid a back-to-back week of the same match-up before the Championship game. With ohio and Michigan in different divisions, this means that The Game WILL be moved to a different weekend. Apparently another reason is that ratings are hurt by other "big" games the last weekend of the year (other rivalries/games that impact Bowl selection) so the Big Ten wants to use UM-ohio as a ratings booster sometime in the early/mid-season when everyone is playing cupcakes.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:21 PM ^
Your point total makes you seem very credible
November 19th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
Here's the problem...
Let's say the last week is Illinois v Northwestern, Iowa v Nebraska, Michigan State v Minnesota, Indiana v Purdue, Wisconsin v Penn State and Maryland v Rutgers (all in-division games). What are Michigan and Ohio State supposed to do with themselves? Do they get a week off before the championship game? That seems like a pretty significant advantage. Are they supposed to play Western Carolina and Georgia Southern? They're busy playing SEC teams.
Since there are an odd number of teams in each division, the only way to work it is to have 2 teams not playing each other that week. That would mean one of 3 things:
(1) Those 2 teams play non-conference games
(2) Those 2 teams have byes
(3) Those 2 teams play each other
I'm sure option (3) is much better for the conference than options (1) or (2).
The problem, of course, is that there is a lot of politics involved in the conference, and a lot of the conference politics revolve around hatred for Michigan. MSU has been lobbying to play Michigan the last week of the season at least since the '80s (it was a common theme for Perles to harp on), if not earlier. They have resented not having a more prominent place on Michigan's schedule since the '40s. I am sure there is a lot of lobbying to move that M-OSU game.
In this case, the good news is that Delaney seems to care very much about money, and he seems to know that he has something of value in that game. I'm hoping he can be counted on to keep it that last week.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:20 PM ^
Have any of these Maryland people had prior public speaking experience? This has been brutal so far.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:27 PM ^
November 19th, 2012 at 3:26 PM ^
Uh oh, Dr. Loh is getting hot!
November 19th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
you better believe there were smirks in the room on that one hahaha wow.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
November 19th, 2012 at 3:28 PM ^
November 19th, 2012 at 3:32 PM ^
Pretty testy news conference.
Did anyone else notice the Terps Hockey jacket one of the coaches is wearing? I didn't think they had a hockey team..
November 19th, 2012 at 3:36 PM ^
Noticed that also, according the their website they do not have a hockey team. Also hockey was not one of the 7 sports that they were forced to cut. Intersting nontheless.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^
an ACHA womens team, though.
November 19th, 2012 at 5:08 PM ^
They do have a Hockey team, it's just club
November 19th, 2012 at 3:34 PM ^
if the financials for Maryland were this bad re: money from the ACC, what are Duke, UNC and GT statuses? or are they the Texas of the ACC?
November 19th, 2012 at 3:51 PM ^
Let's get one thing clear: the ACC is not the reason Maryland is in dire financial straits. Maryland is the reason Maryland is in dire financial straits. Debbie Yow had a huge hand in destroying their balance sheet, and if I were NC State I'd be awfully nervous about having her around. The rest of the ACC is doing fine. Certain southern teams may potentially be casting a jealous eye toward their southern neighbors, but Maryland alone is struggling. This is why I don't think this move is anything more than a Band-Aid.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:37 PM ^
In case you didn't already know this, the college football world is collectively laughing at the Big "Ten".
November 19th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^
To illustrate your point of the broader college football world laughing at us you choose...an interview with mgoblog's Brian Cook. Good work man.
November 19th, 2012 at 3:43 PM ^
How come Jim Delany and Wallace D. Lon. Seem so pissed off?
November 19th, 2012 at 3:45 PM ^
"This a fantastic day for the Big Ten!" Internally "this sucks." It's his fault though for settling for less than they could of gotten with Mizzou and WVU.