The University of Maryland will announce this afternoon that it is joining the Big Ten conference. Maryland, a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, would become the 13th member of the Big Ten, while Rutgers University is being expected to become the 14th member tomorrow.

The University System of Maryland Board of Regents voted in favor of the move earlier today.

The move is startling, though the ACC will swell next year with the additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and the University of Notre Dame, which are leaving the Big East. (Notre Dame will continue to play football as an independent and ice hockey as a member of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.)

News of Maryland’s move only started to bubble up late last week. University President Wallace Loh, a former provost at the University of Iowa, spearheaded the campaign. He was also one of two ACC college presidents who voted against creating a $50 million exit fee. Florida State University, which has been rumored to be flirting with a move to the Big 12, also opposed the fee.

Maryland’s move to the Big Ten signals an end to the school 59-year rich history with the ACC, but the university has been embroiled in financial turmoil the past several years following former athletic director Debbie Yow’s departure from the athletic department. The school recently eliminated seven varsity sports in order to reduce its budget deficit.

The jump to the Big Ten would result in a substantial increase of revenue for the school with a share of the conference’s national cable network. Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney reported that the conference distributed $284 million to the 12 schools, or roughly $24 million per school. Comparatively, the ACC’s latest deal with ESPN distributes about $17 million to each member institution.

Maryland and Big Ten officials will formally announce the move at a 3 p.m. press conference.