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Bigger Big Ten will be a stronger league BEHIND THE DESK BARRY ALVAREZ • UW DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS I feel good about the additions of Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten. Both are excellent academic institutions and are broad-based athletically. They fit the Big Ten profile. You have to look at expansion over the long term. The population shift in the coun- try is moving to the south and the eastern corridor. Our commissioner, Jim Delany, felt that we had to have a presence in the Northeast. By expanding our footprint in these heavily-populated areas, it makes us stronger. I know the Maryland people are looking to the future the same way the commissioner is. It's not so much what is best right now. Or what it's going to cost to leave the ACC. But it's about what is best for the University of Maryland — academi- cally and athletically. Their president mentioned "fi- nancial sustainability,'' which they will now have in the Big Ten. They were in a very difficult situ- ation and they had to make a move like we did in 1991. They had to cut sports, and no- body likes to do that. The move to the Big Ten will al- low them to give back to the cam- pus and be more self-sufficient. Many of the same things hold true for Rutgers. From our perspective, the ex- pansion should help our football 18 » VARSITY NOVEMBER 22, 2012 recruiting on the East Coast. It will automatically give us more exposure and a bigger pool of play- ers to choose from. Since I've been here, we've got- ten a lot of mileage out of the East, and it's not just in Jersey. Tarek Saleh, Bobby Myers, Matt Shaughnessy and John Moffitt were all from Connecticut. We're talking about really good players. I think it's easier to recruit in the East — especially New Jersey — than it is to recruit in the South. Weather is not a factor, and the kids don't mind traveling some- place to go to school. I realize all of this has happened rather quickly. But that's good, too. I was impressed how quickly Maryland was able to rally their troops. I saw where some of their alums voiced concerns — showing their loyalty to the ACC. But Maryland's Board of Regents was very strong in its vote to move to the Big Ten. I've been asked by a lot of people if there will be further expansion. I don't have an answer. I don't know when it will end. But I know our commissioner has kept us abreast on what his thinking has been. I also know that all of the athletic directors have supported him 100 percent. I don't know how they did it before in the Big Ten, but we have a commissioner that we trust. We are really a congenial group — a group that works really well together. You have no one in our meetings who's trying to flex their muscles. Everyone listens, but they're not afraid to express themselves, either. We agree to disagree at times. People are encouraged to say what they think. But we're all on the same page. We've got a pretty good team. And our team just got stronger with Maryland and Rutgers.