As Expected, Big Ten Announces Rutgers to Join with Maryland as New Members

A day after Maryland announced its move, it's time to welcome New Jersey to the Big Ten family of states.

The Big Ten Conference announced the move this afternoon via press release.

The Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors (COP/C) announced unanimous approval today for Rutgers University to join the Big Ten Conference, with competition to begin in all sports at a date to be determined. Rutgers University also looks forward to joining the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC), a consortium of world-class research institutions dedicated to advancing their academic missions.

"The Big Ten includes America's most highly regarded academic institutions, known for both their athletic success and academic achievement," said Rutgers President Robert Barchi. "This is exactly the right conference for Rutgers. Our university is one of the nation's leading research universities and our student-athletes excel in the classroom and on the playing field."

"On behalf of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors, I am pleased to welcome Rutgers University to the Big Ten Conference," said COP/C Chair and University of Iowa President Sally Mason. "When considering the full spectrum of academic, athletic and research prowess, Rutgers clearly makes for a perfect fit as one of the premier public land-grant institutions on the East Coast. We are excited to welcome them within our ranks, and look forward to collaboration and competition with yet another great Big Ten university."

Rutgers became the latest defector from the constantly shifting Big East conference and a new member of the Big No-Longer-But-Still-For-Branding-Purposes-Ten. For football they will likely join Maryland in the eastern Leaders division.

Observers have noted that the addition of Rutgers and Maryland will open up the Washington D.C. and New York/New Jersey media markets for the Big Ten cable network. This will allow the Big Ten to renogotiate for a more lucrative television contract worth millions of dollars per year in additional revenue for each school's athletic program.