Many snickered when the Big Ten added Maryland and Rutgers in 2014. The expansion was seen by some as merely a play for greater TV viewership from East Coast fans generated by the conference’s enlarged geographic footprint.
The addition of the schools has paid benefits for the Big Ten in football recruiting, as well. Led by Michigan, the conference now dominates recruiting in Maryland, Washington, D.C., New York and New Jersey.
Historically, ACC ruled the region
From 2006 to 2013, there were a total of 63 ESPN 300 prospects from New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Washington, D.