Just one day after Maryland became the 13th team in the Big Ten Conference, Rutgers is set to announce they will become the 14th member beginning in 2014, according to USA Today.
The school will have to negotiate with the Big East Conference to join in 2014, because the Big East must be notified 27 months in advance of a member’s departure. They also will have to pay a $10 million exit fee. USA Today reports that the fee will increase to $20 million if Rutgers decides to leave before that period is over.
By bringing Rugers, located in Piscataway, N.J., just 45 minutes southwest of New York City, into the Big Ten, the Big Ten Network and other media outlets, will be broadcast to one of the largest viewerships in the country.
“I always felt that the academic institutions of the Big Ten, which are land-grant research and AAU universities, are a perfect fit with Rutgers,’‘ former Rutgers athletics director Bob Mulcahy told USA Today. “It’s going to bring prominence to the entire university.’‘
Rutgers is 3-2 against MSU in football, with the most recent game being a 19-14 win for the Scarlet Knights in 2004.
Men’s basketball is a different story. MSU hasn’t played Rutgers dating back to 2000. The Scarlet Knights haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1991, and haven’t had a winning record since the 2005-06 season, when they went 19-14.
Rutgers President Robert Brachi, Director of Athletics Tim Pernetti and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany will hold a press conference at 2 p.m., with coverage beginning on the Big Ten Network at 1:45 p.m.
Keep checking statenews.com and tomorrow’s print edition of The State News for more information on this story.
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