Two of the flagship members of the Big East are now jumping ship.
According to Heather Dinich of ESPN.com, Syracuse and Pitt will head to the Atlantic Coast Conference extending the conferences membership to 14 members.
It’s still unclear when the move will take place however there will be a $5 million dollar fee put in place for schools leaving the conference. ACC commissioner John Swofford said the league “fully respects” the bylaws of the Big East.
“I would think that in the weeks ahead everyone will be looking at the transition period and trying to determine whether the 27-month notice period really serves everyone’s best interest or whether there should be some modification to it,” Nordenberg said. “It was important to us that commissioner Swofford made clear right from the start the ACC would be comfortable with waiting for that period of time if that is the way that things unfold.”
With Pitt and Syracuse moving, what happens with UConn.
According to sources UConn is actively pursuing potential membership in the ACC to become the conferences 15th or 16th team. If the ACC were to get UConn you could possibly see the ACC go after another member of the Big East such as Louisville or Rutgers.
Now with the departure of these Syracuse, Pitt and possibly UConn the Big East may be able to survive at the Big 12’s expense. Look for the Big East to go after the likes of Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri if and when the Big 12 were to fall apart.
Re: ESPN