Conference Expansion Comments of the day: Terrapins to the Big East??

[madinmaryland]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/terrapins-insider/2010/04/conference_expansion_speculati.html

Reporting from the Bowl Championship Series meetings in Arizona, the Boston Globe's Mark Blaudschun writes that the Big East may try to be proactive in the looming Great War of Expansion. For one, the conference hired former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue as a consultant yesterday.

And then Blaudschun wrote this: "There has been speculation that the Big East is going after Maryland."

Now let's not start planning trips to Syracuse just yet. Oftentimes, "speculation" means "we were tossing around ideas at the bar the other night," or "someone asked me to float this idea, to gauge the reaction."

Plus, this isn't the first time the Maryland-to-the-Big East meme has popped up. In August, the New York Post reported on the same "speculation," which Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow described as "a waste of everybody's time."

The Big East, frankly, may have to make some unorthodox moves if it is to survive the Big Ten's looming power grab, which very well could result in three Big East teams leaving. But the thought of the Big East poaching the ACC just seems far-fetched, at least at the moment. The ACC seems to be on relatively safe ground as the Great War of Expansion inches closer, and if anything, the ACC would seem to be in better position to take teams from the Big East, should the dominoes fall right.

..snip