Report: Maryland, Rutgers may be considering move to Big Ten

Just when confererence realignment talk seemed to be settling down, now it appears to be heating up again.

The Big Ten is talking with Maryland about joining the conference and Rutgers also may be considering a move to the Big Ten should Maryland decide to change leagues, ESPN reported Saturday.

There was no official word on when an announcement might be made, but it could come as early as Monday.

Maryland, which would be leaving the ACC, and Rutgers, which would depart from the Big East, would boost the Big Ten's membership to 14.

An ESPN source said Maryland president Wallace Loh, who worked at Iowa, is heading the communications with Big Ten officials.

Both schools would have to pay their conferences hefty exit fees. Leaving the ACC would cost Maryland $50 million. Rutgers would have to pay the Big East $10 million to bolt.

ESPN reported that the Big Ten has stepped up expansion efforts after Notre Dame shunned the conference earlier this year to move to the ACC. The addition of Maryland and Rutgers would help the Big Ten tap into the East Coast market.

Big Ten officials declined ESPN's request for comment.

Rutgers (1991) and Maryland (1953) are both charter members of their current conferences.