When the Nebraska Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2012, the move made sense to many in the conference and around the country. Nebraska is a large land-grant university with a football-centric fanbase, and the state shares a border with Iowa. The addition seemed to be, and largely was, a natural fit from athletic, academic and cultural perspectives.
Then came the unexpected additions of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and Maryland Terrapins in 2014. Maryland and New Jersey share a border with Pennsylvania, technically making them contiguous additions to the Big Ten footprint.