If you think that Terp fans have an inferiority complex in the ACC, and whining about its NC-centric views, just wait to they get into the Big10 and start hearing the views of a league headquartered 700mi away (!!), vs the current 250mi.!!! How will that inferiority complex look the first time they play OSU or Mich and come away losing by 50?? They WILL regret this move, if it does go down, and it won't be a short-term fight.
I've heard this assertion from MD fans supporting the move too, that the Big10 is just as good or better than the ACC academically. So I went to the US News rankings of National Universities to actually use facts in this discussion. The answer is that the two leagues aren't even close - though I suppose you could argue that MD, being in the lower half of the ACC academically, might fit right into the middle of the Big10...
US News Rankings of Natl universities:
(am including the incoming members for comparison purposes)
ACC School - Natl Rank Big10 School - Natl Rank
Duke-8....................... ......NW-12
Notre Dame-17...................... Mich-29
UVA-24 ........................ ....Wisc-41
Wake-27...................... .....PSU-46
NC at ch-30...................... ...IL-46
BC-31...................... .......OSU-56
Ga Tech-36 ........................ ...Purdue-65
Syr-58...................... ......Minn-68
MD-58 (have seen MD as low as 100 elsewhere)...MSU-72
Pitt-58 ........................ ......Iowa-72
Clemson-68...................... ....IN-83
VPI-72...................... ......Neb.-101
FSU-97
NCSU-106
Just no way to look at those figures and conclude that the Big10 is as good or better than the ACC.
But I think the real crux of this decision is contrasting a short-term money grab -$7-$10M more per year in revenue - with a serious amount of harm to their fanbase and alumni support. I just don't see them competing well in Big10 FB for a looooong time. And how many years of 2-10 type records, with numerous 30+ point blowouts at the hands of Neb., OSU, PSU, Mich, MSU, and Wisc., will the fans put up with. After a year or two of "novelty" I'd predict drops in FB attendance in College Park, and the corresponding merchandising purchases and TV ratings, etc. As alums, how do you get engaged with rivals generally in a different time zone and over 8 hours away by car?? And BTW, for those Big10 championships and BB tournaments in Chicago, it is about 420 miles and 7+ hours... how many Terp fans (who heavily settle on the Mid-Atlantic seaboard) will make that effort?
BTW, Gary Williams coached at OSU prior to MD, so I'm not shocked to hear him support such a move. But I think you'll hear other prominent Terps arguing against it, beyond just the Len Elmore types.