Amidst all the conference realignment hoopla tonight, I figured I would shoot Athletic Director Debbie Yow another e-mail on the topic. I expected little new information, as Yow told me just a few weeks ago that the discussion was “a waste of time.”
Yow didn’t change her stance on the issue. In fact, she strengthened it.
“No change as far as I know, ” Yow said. Just lots of rumors”
“I guess I could be surprised,” Yow said, “but, really, how does a founding member of the ACC leave it? Better to just be ready with our own choices if someone should leave for more money elsewhere.”
If schools were to abscond from the ACC for any reason, Yow says the ACC does “not yet” have any schools in mind to replace them.
Maryland hasn’t been mentioned as heavily in the conference expansion discussion as Notre Dame, Nebraska or Missouri, but ESPN’s Joe Schad tweeted tonight that Maryland is a possible target for the Big Ten:
I’m told Big Ten likes: 1) Notre Dame, 2) Nebraska then 3) Rutgers and/or Maryland
The Big Ten might like Maryland. Maryland, at least according to Yow, likes the ACC too much to leave.
Jeremy Schneider is The Diamondback’s administration beat writer. He can be reached at schneider@umdbk.com.