`Maryland is leaving for the Big 10 and that’s inevitable. Louisville is joining the ACC, and that’s obviously inevitable too. College athletics will go on, and everybody will adjust. As I was watching Georgia Tech and Maryland play today, one thought came to mind seeing the Maryland fans in attendance. Greensboro, NC is a whole lot closer to College Park, MD than Omaha, Nebraska where the Big 10 baseball tournament was being held.
This is the cost of conference realignment…. the fan. While college leaders and administrators played a giant game of RISK with university athletic programs that last few years, the fans by and large were an after thought. I’m glad this past era of realignment is over, and should another ever arise again, I would hope geographical sense is not thrown out the window as it was this last round.
Take a look at the below table. Maryland fans this year and next would have logged 2,170 Miles or an average of 338.8 miles per trip to the most popular conference championships in the ACC.
In the Big 10 a Maryland fan attending all 8 events would travel 5,981 Miles 747.6 miles per trip. Now the average Maryland wouldn’t be attending the conference championship in football if the Terps aren’t in the game, and mostly likely you aren’t going to all of the 6 other events.
That said, there are many fans that would easily jump in a car for a 0-6 hr drive. You starting getting more than 8, and that becomes a real hassle. 16 hrs or 17 hrs, and you’re booking a flight. Good luck if you are student and you want to see your team play if they make a championship final.
No conference is immune to it. Boston College’s trips to Greensboro, NC are nearly 750 Miles. College Station, Texas is over 800 miles from Atlanta, GA. It’s 1120 miles from Morgantown, WV to Oklahoma City, OK.
It is what it is, but for Terrapin fans that follow their school to Conference Champion events, it still won’t be as easy as it was in the past.
| ACC Location | Time\Distance to ACC 10 Event | Big 10 Location | Time\Distance to Big 10 Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Tournament 2014 | Greensboro, NC | 5 Hrs \ 323 Miles | Omaha, NE | 17 Hrs 13 Min \ 1155 Miles |
| Baseball Tournament 2015 | Durham, NC | 4 Hrs 14 Min \ 271 Miles | Minneapolis, MN | 16 Hrs 54 Min \ 1105 Miles |
| Football Championship Game 2014 | Charlotte, NC | 6 Hrs 19 Min \ 412 Miles | Indianapolis, IN | 8 Hrs 57 Min \ 574 Miles |
| Football Championship Game 2015 | Charlotte, NC | 6 Hrs 19 Min \ 412 Miles | Indianapolis, IN | 8 Hrs 57 Min \ 574 Miles |
| Men's Basketball Tournament 2014 | Greensboro, NC | 5 Hrs \ 323 Miles | Indianapolis, IN | 8 Hrs 57 Min \ 574 Miles |
| Men's Basketball Tournament 2015 | Greensboro, NC | 5 Hrs \ 323 Miles | Chicago, ILL | 10 Hrs 35 Min \ 698 Miles |
| Women's Basketball Tournament 2014 | Greensboro, NC | 5 Hrs \ 323 Miles | Indianapolis, IN | 8 Hrs 57 Min \ 574 Miles |
| Women's Basketball Tournament 2015 | Greensboro, NC | 5 Hrs \ 323 Miles | Hoffman Estates, ILL | 11 Hrs 13 Min \ 727 Miles |
