Pitt, Syracuse applications to ACC.

[wvjohn]

The Atlantic Coast Conference has received application letters from Pittsburgh and Syracuse to join the league, a move that would leave the Big East scrambling to replace two of its longest tenured members.

Florida State President Eric Barron told The Associated Press on Saturday before the Seminoles played No. 1 Oklahoma that the ACC was excited about adding to its "northern tier."

"Pittsburgh and Syracuse, who have applied, these are solid academic schools, and the ACC is a truly academic conference," Barron said. "Certainly great basketball teams, a good history of football.

"I'm sure consideration will be very fast. I'll be surprised if it's not tomorrow (Sunday)."

He confirmed that 11 of 12 ACC presidents attended a meeting in Greensboro, N.C., on Tuesday — the other participated by phone — and unanimously approved raising the exit fee to $20 million — up from $12 million to $14 million — for any member leaving the conference.

"The great thing is that the conference is strong and committed to a unanimous commitment to staying together," North Carolina State Chancellor Randy Woodson said. "And to the extent that this is kind of a dramatic shift in conferences, we're trying to be proactive and stay strong."

The Big East's exit fee is $5 million, though schools wanting to leave must provide 27 months' notice.

A jump by Pittsburgh and Syracuse could lead to another dramatic shuffle in college athletics. Texas A&M already has announced its intention to join the Southeastern Conference, leaving the future of the Big 12 in doubt. The board of regents at Oklahoma and Texas are meeting Monday to discuss the possibility of the universities leaving that conference.

Big East spokesman John Paquette declined to comment on the possible defections. Pittsburgh spokesman E.J. Borghetti said athletic director Steve Pederson also wouldn't comment. Syracuse AD Daryl Gross also declined comment.

If the move goes forward, Pittsburgh and Syracuse would become the fourth and fifth schools to leave the Big East for the ACC in the past decade. Virginia Tech and Miami joined in 2004, and Boston College followed a year later as the ACC's 12th member.

Syracuse is a founding member of the Big East, and Pittsburgh joined the league in 1982.

News of a possible Big East upheaval came on the heels of the death of its founder, Dave Gavitt, who died Friday night after a long illness.

North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour said the ACC created a committee last year of athletic directors, university presidents and faculty athletic representatives to examine possible scenarios of both expansion and defections. Baddour, one of the four athletic directors on the committee, wouldn't reveal specifics of those discussions nor comment specifically on Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

"If you think about this nationally, it's obvious that the world is turning upside down and you want the ACC ... to be in a position where we are strong in all areas, that all of our sports are strong, that our television packages are strong as well," Baddour said shortly before kickoff of the Virginia-North Carolina game.

Speaking on a pregame radio show, Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said: "We want to move forward and be the best we can be, and that's what we're going to do."

The New York Times first reported news of the talks involving the ACC on Friday, and CBSSports.com first reported Saturday the schools had filed applications with the ACC.

Until now, the focus of this most recent round of conference realignment had been on the Big 12, with the board of regents at Oklahoma and Texas meeting Monday to discuss their conference futures. Oklahoma could be heading to the Pac-12 and taking Oklahoma State with it. Texas has stated its desire to keep the Big 12 together, but the Pac-12 could be an option as well as football independence, a la Notre Dame, which competes in the Big East in all other sports.

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott attended 23rd-ranked Texas' meeting with UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, but said he had no plans to meet with Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds or President Bill Powers.

Scott talked with Texas, Oklahoma and several other Big 12 teams last year while his conference added Utah and Colorado, signing a massive television contract along the way.

Scott reiterated the Pac-12's stance on expansion: The conference is "not being proactive," but has been approached by universities and is willing to consider growing again. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have been linked with a Pac-12 move for several weeks, and Scott has confirmed several unidentified schools recently approached him for preliminary discussions.

"I'm surprised there's been so much activity so quickly," Scott said, alluding to the upheaval in conference alignment talks the past few weeks. "There's been a lot of transition in a short time."

Scott said no school has applied for admission to the Pac-12, but also said the conference has no formal application policy.

There also have been reports linking Texas to the ACC, a move that likely would include Texas Tech.

When the Big Ten was looking to expand last summer, there was plenty of speculation about Big East schools on the Big Ten's target list.

But the Big Ten added only Nebraska (from the Big 12). A few months later the Big East announced TCU from the Mountain West Conference was joining the league in 2012 as its ninth football member and 17th overall.

"Nothing ... surprises me because it's been happening, the rumors have been going on for weeks now of who's going to where," TCU AD Chris Del Conte said.

The Big East was close to signing a contract extension for its television rights with ESPN this year, walking away from a nine-year deal that reportedly was worth about $1 billion.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said in August that the Big East felt it was in a position of strength as the last major football conference to negotiate a deal because there would be more bidders on the market with NBC expanding its cable presence and Fox becoming more involved in college football.

The Big East's situation is tricky because of seven nonfootball members — such as Georgetown and Villanova — that help make it one of the nation's strongest basketball conferences. The basketball schools and football schools often have different agendas. But losing Pitt and Syracuse would be a huge blow to Big East basketball as well as football.

The other football-playing members of the Big East are Rutgers, Connecticut, Louisville, South Florida and Cincinnati.

There already has been speculation that West Virginia would be a target for the SEC to balance out that conference and grow to 14 members if and when Texas A&M finally joins.

The ACC would end up with 14 members if it adds Syracuse and Pitt, but 16 might make more sense. Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has said his league is set with 12, but could reconsider if other conferences make additions.

It seems likely that the latest news about conference realignment won't be the last.

"I think some things will take shape in the near future," Weaver said

[Eric]

I have no idea what is going to happen. My guess is that Missouri and Kansas will wind up in the Big 10 with Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor to the "Big East." I think, if the "Big East" is going westward for the sake of it, they may as well add SMU, Houston, or Tulsa. If they plan on keeping it mostly an eastern conference, they still have the option of adding UCF and ECU and Memphis.

[Brian Roastbeef]

I have mixed feelings about this, with my ingrown belief fostered over the past six years or so in the ACC as the evil empire. If this goes through though, this is the end of the Big East. WV and USF still keep them interesting as far as football, but are lost without Pitt, and start looking to jump elsewhere. G'town, Nova, and UConn meanwhile keep the Big East as a BB power, but lose a perennial player in 'Cuse and a strong newer basketball power in Pitt's program... I don't know what will happen on that end. Duke and Maryland didn't want 'Cuse in their conference in '04. I can't see them agreeing to any way that would wedge 4-6 basketball powers into a hoops superconference, just to keep rivalries strong. Local news is discussing how this move would "have appeal for basketball fans," but I'm not entirely buying it. Yeah, playing UNC would rock, but there is nothing more crazy in the regular-season basketball world than the Dome when the Huskies or Hoyas are here.

Meanwhile as far as football, this could end UConn's time in I-A and kills what was strong potential for Villanova to make the jump. USF could join them in the ACC. Rutgers and maybe Cinci to the Big Ten-teen. WV to either of those two. Louisville has managed to go to crap at an unlucky time, and likely gets punted back to a non-BCS conference. Then who knows what happens to TCU. Like Boise, they found a new conference just in time for it to die. Possibly they find a way into a new Big 12 that looks more like the MWC + Baylor and Texas Tech.

[Cane from the Bend]

The Kansas schools have made it clear that they are a package deal. And they both made declaration notice to the Big East of interest in joining as replacements for Pitt & Syracuse, should the Oklahoma schools defect to the pac (what would be 14).

Just before the turn of the month, the Commissioners of the Big East, ACC & Big XII had a meeting.

With individual schools now being a little more transparent with their intentions, the conference alignment picture is becoming clearer.

The media is pushing the idea of the 16 team super conferences; however, their has been talks of apprehension by AD directors across the board. (literally, their were talks saying, no athletic director says that 16 is a good fit)

Seems as though most conference officials are saying there is interest in expansion, but nobody wants to expand to, too many, members (16 maybe too many).

What does the landscape look like . . ? --- Let's see:

If the Oklahoma schools go west, the pac 14 forms.

Pitt & Syracuse join the ACC, become 14.

The Big 12 continues to state they want to exist, and with the notion of Texas making potentiality of joining an eastern conference, with their acknowledgment of talks with the ACC, the remnants of the Big East & Big Twelve could merge into a larger component; which would look something like:

--- East --- / --- West ---
Cincinnati..../... Baylor
Iowa State .../... Kansas
Louisville..../ ...Kansas St
Rutgers ...../ ..Missouri
UConn ....../ ....TCU
USF ........../ ...Texas
West Va .../ ...Texas Tech

Now I could be wrong with regards to Iowa St & TCU, because the Big 12 schools may want to stay grouped together, and could say, "Well hey, TCU, you guys had already joined the Big East. So you're stuck with the travel schedule."

This move would likely force Notre Dame into the Big 10, who would either pick up BYU, or attempt to make a move on another eastern school.

A growing Temple program would make a fine Penn State conference rival. And with the complacency of the MAC to expand one more team during all of this, Temple could be plucked. The Big Ten would be halting another conference from moving into the Pennsylvania TV market with that move. Blocking the SEC from that draw.

The SEC will still need a 14th team, possibly ECU or UCF. I don't know.

Unless someone gets too greedy (*eh-hem* Texas *eh-hem*), which may toss everything out the window, causing a 16 team alignment situation.

Right now, however, it seems as if we could end up with 5 conferences housing 14 members, as opposed to 4 bunching up into 16.

.

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[billybud]

I can see the basketball minds of the Carolina crowd at work here.

Syracuse adds nothing to football....just more northern schools and a further isolation of FSU, Miami, Clemson, and GT.

I would have wanted USF and Pitt as a north-south balance and for the football prowess that USF can build into. But, I guess, Boston College needs a cage mate in the northeast and Syracuse brings sme company.

[strawman]

New ACC Divisions for a 16 team conference

Mason
Syracuse
Pitt
BC
uCONn
Rutgers
MD
VT
UVA

Dixon
DUKE
unc
WF
NCSU
Clemson
GT
Fla St
Miami

[billybud]

VT would own the weaker North in that scenario.

The south would be far stronger...

[Eric]

Here's my out-of-leftfield idea: Let the "Big East" remain in existence, but have them merge with a new Midwest Conference. You can call it the "All-American League" or something. The conference champs play each other at the end of the year for a spot in a BCS bowl:

East:

USF
West Virginia
Rutgers
UConn
Cincinnati
ECU
UCF
Temple

West:

Iowa State
Kansas State
Baylor
Houston
Tulsa
SMU
TCU
Memphis

[Eric]

On a sidenote though, I wonder when push comes to shove if Kansas will insist on going wherever Kansas State goes. If the Big 10, Pac-12, or SEC comes calling and only wants Kansas for their basketball, I wonder if Kansas will keep true to their in-state rival.

[Brian Roastbeef]

Krzyzewski speaks out in support of this... differing from the views he had during the last ACC expansion. The key point for him is that the conference pick up two more northern schools, to go to the setup a couple of posts above. In that case probably looking at 18 conference games, focusing on the sub-division. As Spence said elsewhere, this isn't growth to 16 team Superconferences, it is retraction to 8 team conferences each with a sister conference. Put 'Cuse, Pitt, and UConn up in the North and the Dookies don't have to worry about flying up here quite as often.

On the football side, Virginia Tech is king of the north for a while, as old times only if Miami hadn't been there to balance them. The inclusion of Rutgers in that scenario though brings the ACC to the NY/NJ market which has been important in recruiting for Syracuse and Pitt, so that imbalance won't last too long.

[Eric]

I wonder too if this is a reaction to potentially losing Florida State to the SEC, with UConn or USF there as a fallback option in case the Noles do bolt. This is a step towards 14 team conferences which will be a step in the future to 16 team conferences.

[strawman]

Seems like Fla St and any other school thinking of leaving should have done so before they bumped up the exit fee, looks like they are staying put. I wonder how this move affects the SEC with getting a 14th team. Tx and OK meeting on Monday to figure out what they want to do. The dominos will continue to fall over the next couple of weeks.

The lines I drew were simply for geographic reasons, not so much competative balance. Plus it kept some existing rivalries in place, Fla St/Miami, DUKE/unc, NCSU/unc, VT/UVA. My wife suggested the names of the divisions, its not much worse than leaders and legends.

[billybud]

FSU isn't going anywhere...The President believes that the university is an academic institution and that athletics should support the academic mission...he is an "academics first" guy.

[WoVeU]

BB is on to the real motivation. BC needed some bunk mates and Maryland too. I think the ACC was smart, the Big East could have taken advantage of the times and try to sway both over to more Northern friendly waters. At the same time they put the ACC above the Big East in hoops and may have done enough to brake up the Big East.

As said a bit back PAC-XX should have something to say this week. Then it is the SEC's move...then the Big-10,12,14,16. I think the SEC is further along than the B1G is. Then and only then can we possibly know if there is a "constructable" conference with the remnants of the Big East and Big 12!

*I have to think that Pitt and Cuse will have to cough off some bucks in addition to the $5M to shorten the 27 months! In all of this any remnant conferences could be sitting on notable additional monies to assist in merging remnants, as other Big 12 and Big Easters are going to face money matters of some sort. "Nobody rides for free" my friends!

[billybud]

The Big East and the ACC have been like two guys eyeing ech other in the street outside tha bar. Swofford, old bar fighter that he is, hit first in the hope of knocking out the BE or at least weakening the competition.

And, who is surprised? The BE has been the walking dead for a number of years. The ACC had their targets plotted and when A&M and the SEC kicked the dominos over, the ACC left passive mode and began pinging actively. Their torpedoes were already in the water.