I really wanted to shoot down the decision to add Maryland and Rutgers to the Big Ten, to denounce the idea of a bigger conference and to passionately, yet informatively, rip apart Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and his decision for expansion.

I couldn’t believe it when I heard the rumors and then facts about expansion. I pride myself on attending a Big Ten university because of the conference’s rich traditions and history of academic and athletic excellence. It didn’t make sense to me that two schools from across the country would be added to a conference, jeopardizing its identity. I was only 3 when Penn State joined the conference, so I don’t remember much of that, but when Nebraska joined in 2011, it seemed like a logical decision. Adding Maryland and Rutgers, I just couldn’t grasp.

The more I researched for this column, the more I understood the need for this shift. Do I like this decision? No. It ruins the tradition of the Big Ten, something I have come to treasure over the years. Do I respect this decision? No. I’ve always believed making decisions based on money is overrated. Do I understand and agree with the need for this decision? Yes. Times are changing, conferences are growing and well-renowned traditions are being traded in out of concern for a brighter future.

Rutgers and Maryland are using the Big Ten to save the institutions from bankruptcy and irrelevance. The Big Ten is doing the same, using the schools for their location, which will hopefully bring in more fans and money. These methods seem cheap, but it’s not like they’re trying to hide behind anything. It’s not like there’s a ruse, that people are saying Maryland is in to build a football powerhouse or Rutgers is going to create giant basketball rivalries.

The reports have seemed straight forward for the most part. It’s time for expansion, and this could affect all parties positively: digging Maryland and Rutgers out of financial holes and helping the Big Ten keep pace with the other conferences. Additional revenue and funding is a necessary evil to keep these programs alive.

Credit must be given to Delany. He is no fool. He does his homework and he can be trusted. It’s Delany who devised the idea for the Big Ten Network and who brought in Nebraska, two ideas that have seemingly paid off for the conference. Delany wouldn’t have made this decision if he didn’t think it would pay off in the long run.

Yes, there’s a minimal amount of history among Maryland, Rutgers and any of the 12 current Big Ten schools. Yes, it’s going to be harder to create and maintain rivalries with so many universities. Yes, road trips have become much more difficult, for athletes, staff and fans, especially for smaller sports.

However, it must be recognized that the time of small conferences keeping to a geographic area is done. As much as it pains me to write this, the time of rich tradition and culture is behind us and now the focus is rather on money, as seen through the flood of conference realignments. The Big Ten has no choice but to keep up with the other rapidly expanding conferences, or it would get left behind in the dust. After watching the Pac-10 turn into the Pac-12, the SEC add two schools and the Big 12 and ACC prowl through the Big East, it was the Big Ten’s turn.

At first, I thought the Big Ten could be the conference that stuck to its Midwestern roots, that stayed with tradition when everyone else did otherwise. I thought that other conferences might explode with too much expansion and then look at the Big Ten as a reminder of how things used to be. The move of Notre Dame, a school the Big Ten has pursued twice, to the ACC for everything but football was proof enough that something needed to be done before the Big Ten began to slowly disintegrate.

The most obvious reason for the realignment is money. It lies in its television market and the conference’s partnership with the Big Ten Network. Each Big Ten school reportedly earns $24 million from the conference’s network. If the market expands to New York and New Jersey, there could be millions of new subscribers. This would result in millions more for the Big Ten, a business opportunity that cannot be ignored.

We must acknowledge the good that comes with this addition and realize the Big Ten is changing, just like all college conferences. Maryland and Rutgers make sense in terms of student enrollment, state population and academics. They are both in the Association of American Universities, a collection of the elite research institutions, just like the majority of Big Ten schools. Maryland and Rutgers are strong, large universities that may not have the strongest athletic background. But let’s face it, a lot of the current Big Ten schools haven’t been doing that great lately either.

Illinois might actually be able to pull off a conference win in football now, although it seems likely that the Illini will transfer to the Legends division with Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska and Northwestern. This change could be a good switch for the Illini, though it’s too early to come to conclusions there. Something Delany has also pushed for is a nine-game conference schedule, which would completely change the dynamic of the Big Ten.

This is just the beginning. There’s no stopping Delany now as he has begun to accomplish his goal and there’s no doubt in my mind that he will continue to expand the Big Ten, turning the conference into a national powerhouse with economical, athletic and academic prowess. This plan could go terribly wrong and blow up in Delany’s face, or his vision can pan out and he’ll be worshipped as the mastermind behind the Big Ten. That’s until he comes up with another bright idea.

My biggest concern right now is whether these additions will pay off. It remains unknown if combining these new schools with marquee universities like Nebraska and Ohio State will generate fan interest in New York and New Jersey.

It’s a waiting game to see if Rutgers and Maryland will make sufficient use of their new funds to further establish their programs.

If those things happen, then the sacrifices will have been worth it.

Emily is a graduate student. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @EmilyBayci.