Pittsburgh And Syracuse Applied For Membership In ACC

by Akula Wolf on Sep 17, 2011 1:20 PM EDT

CBS's Brett McMurphy broke the news this morning that both Pittsburgh and Syracuse likely are on the move to the ACC:

Pittsburgh and Syracuse independently submitted letters of application to the ACC, a league source told CBSSports.com.

"There is no scenario where a president applies to a league and isn't admitted," a Big East official told CBSSports.com.

So, uh, welcome aboard I guess? If the report is accurate, it's good news for the ACC's long term viability, though it doesn't do a hell of a lot for the league's football reputation right away. Basketball, on the other hand, is enhanced big time with the addition of Jim Boeheim and Jamie Dixon and their respective programs.

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Better than the alternative

While I would have preferred to not have made any changes, this is a eat or be eaten scenario. If the ACC is to survive, then a preemptive move like this one (and raising the buyout to $20 million) is the only way that happens. This prevents anyone from leaving for the SEC IMO and thus makes WVU the most likely SEC candidate for #14. Send the Oklahoma schools to the Pac-12 and then see what the Big Ten does.

Pitt has been somewhat good over the past decade, but not great, the Cuse appears to be rising with their new coach and a 8-4 season last year. Basketball gets a huge boost. I would expect you will see the Cuse added to the Coastal and Pitt added to the Atlantic.

by leewolf on Sep 17, 2011 1:55 PM EDT reply actions

Unless I have it reversed,

I’d expect the opposite, with BC-Cuse and Md-Pitt rivalry pairings.

by PeeDub on Sep 17, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions

BC and Umd are both in the Atlantic

Cuse in the Coastal means rivalries with VT, Miami, Unc and duke

Pitt in the Atlantic means rivalries with BC, Maryland, and I think they are just a better fit there

by leewolf on Sep 18, 2011 12:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

The crossover game would thus be Pitt-Cuse

That way no other cross-divisional games are changed

by leewolf on Sep 18, 2011 12:46 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

i like this news much better

than schools, even State, leaving the ACC. let’s add Uconn and WVa to move to 16 teams. divide into two divisions, North and South, with the South containing all of the N.C. schools. the basketball schedule would best have 15 conference games and in the ACC tournament, all teams playing four games.

by sbas2 on Sep 17, 2011 1:57 PM EDT reply actions

If we add two more BE schools it will be UConn and Rutgers

You won’t see WVU in the ACC except as a last resort. Their academic standing and profile are more akin to ECU than any current ACC school, the league presidents will not go for that unless forced.

I think this leaves the door open for a few things:

1) The possibility of adding Rutgers and UConn down the road to go to 16 schools and a true North-South division setup

2) The possibility of adding Texas and Notre Dame as part-time members in football, full-time in everything else. I’m not a huge fan of this and only having partial schedules for those two, but it is still a possibility.

3) Adding Texas and someone else (Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas, Missouri…one of those) full-time and setting up some sort of pod system, though I’m not sure how that works with only two western schools).

by leewolf on Sep 17, 2011 2:03 PM EDT up reply actions

adding Rutgers over WVa works for me. just

looking for another East Coast northern school.

by sbas2 on Sep 17, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Louisville over Rutgers please

by PeeDub on Sep 17, 2011 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

agreed

Backing The Pack

by Akula Wolf on Sep 17, 2011 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions

ever been to Rutgers?

the campus reminded me quite a bit of ours, actually.

by TVP on Sep 17, 2011 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Louisville is ECU academically

They are in the same realm as WVU, only as a last resort. Rutgers is a land-grant university just like State, VT, Clemson, Maryland, and would fit in well in that respect. I know their athletics haven’t been great, but they are a big school with a huge alumni base and their addition would boost the tv sets for NY/NJ

by leewolf on Sep 18, 2011 12:44 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

i am not so big on Texas or any western school.

i believe that travel costs is going to rear its ugly head in the near future. keep the schools close-not that B.C. or Syracuse is that close. however, a north/south break down could help that.

by sbas2 on Sep 17, 2011 2:07 PM EDT reply actions

Add in TX and TT and we go to 16.

Death knell for the big 12 as Baylor and ISU have already been in contact with the big east if the Texas schools leave. big east loses 2, then picks up 2, big 12 loses 4, possibly 6 with the oklahoma schools going to the PAC leaving the Kansas schools scrambling to find a new home.

by riddickfield on Sep 17, 2011 2:38 PM EDT reply actions

Texas schools

We’re not getting any Texas schools or Notre Dame. Presidents and ADs will veto any travel that takes us that far on a regular basis. Texas is a lot more likely to go independent than come to the ACC, and Texas Tech’s academic standing and profile is closer to WVU/ECU than anyone in the ACC.

Wouldn’t mind UCONN, but would prefer USF over Rutgers so we can avoid Jersey at all costs, and their athletic program is better. Happy to have Pitt and Syracuse, our bball needed a jilt to it and I think that does it.

by chip24spb on Sep 17, 2011 9:48 PM EDT reply actions