Big 10 or Bust
– via SB Nation –
Rutgers University Tuesday announced its move from the Big East Conference to the Big 10. SB Nation New York’s Jared Smith offered his assessment on Tuesday. Here is some of the other reaction to the announcement.
Delany: Rutgers a ‘potential national player’ – Big Ten Blog – ESPN
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany was in Maryland on Monday to welcome the school as the league’s 13th member. Tuesday, he got to go home.
“I think they’re a real potential national player in athletics,” he said. “Why? They have the demographic footprint a lot of great athletics here and academics. The possibility of our institutions coming into this region and their institutions coming into Midwest region … will introduce a new element into the mix.”
Big Ten: Rutgers, Maryland lack football pedigree | Buckeye Xtra Sports
What has the Big Ten immediately given its fans, especially in football, with the additions of Rutgers and Maryland — schools Ohio State has never played in football?
What already is known is that Rutgers and Maryland aren’t exactly providing the pigskin pedigree that Nebraska brought to the Big Ten two years ago and Penn State added to the league in 1993.
Politi: Big Ten is hoping Rutgers will deliver more than just TV sets | NJ.com
So in every possible way, this was always a no brainer for Rutgers. The reasons for the Big Ten, meanwhile, are less clear. Its commissioner, Jim Delany, is one of the most powerful men in college athletics, building his conference into one of the most stable in the sport.
Here he is, near the end of his career, staking that reputation and legacy … on Rutgers?
Even the most ardent booster will have to admit to being caught off guard when rumor became reality. So the most intriguing moment yesterday came when Delany, who grew up in Newark and attended St. Benedict’s Prep in the city, explained why his home state makes sense for a Midwestern conference.
That last part, he said, was the key. The Big Ten doesn’t just want to be a Midwestern conference any more.
This is Delany’s great gamble: That he can use Penn State as a bridge to the East Coast, and in that adding the flagship universities in New Jersey and Maryland (combined population: 14.6 million), he can extend the footprint of his league far beyond its roots.
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