I haven't seen anyone talk about this so I thought I'd inform you. The ACC's TV contract ends in 2004 and in looking to boost that new contract, they have been looking to add 3 teams to the ACC so they can have a split football conference with a conference championship game. First on their list is Miami, second is Syracuse, and third is Boston College... yup, that's right, all Big East teams.


Now here's the deal :

Syracuse and Boston College probably won't budge unless Miami goes. If Miami doesn't go, Syracuse & BC don't have any reason to compete in a mostly southern league. So everything depends on Miami moving.

Pro :
Miami would play a lot of games closer to home. They'd be in a more lucrative football conference (in some peoples opinion). They'd get more money since the new TV contract would be HUGE.

Con :
Miami is well established in the Big East and them leaving would destroy the Big East. Miami's basketball program would do absolutely NOTHING in the ACC with pretty much having no chance of an NCAA bid. Also, the way divisions would setup, they'd play Florida State each year with the loser most likely be out of the championship game.

If Miami leaves, then so does Syracuse and BC because if they don't, then ACC will turn to Virginia Tech... and neither BC nor Syracuse will let VT go and stay in a dying Big East.

I've grown up a HUGE Big East fan because that's all I've known. If Miami, Syracuse, and BC leave the Big East, most likely Pitt would then become the 12th team in the Big 10. That would be cool and all to play the likes of Penn State and Ohio State every year and would put is un a more lucrative basketball conference (although I don't agree with that either).

Anyone have any opinions on the matter or anything else to add?

Here's an ESPN.com article on it now :

http://espn.go.com/ncf/news/2003/0504/1549269.html

Whoa,

Thanks Ig, I hadn't seen this yet. I personallly don't want to see any moves. It would be a huge hit on the Big East.

BGray

I haven't heard anything about it until I saw this post, I don't think it would be a good move for Miami, and it would definitely be a huge blow to the big east conference....

Yes, if Miami goes so does the Big East because Syracuse and BC won't be left out in the dark in a dying conference. I just wish Miami would say what the hell they want to do and get this all over with. I have heard that Pitt is talking currently with the Big 10 though... talk about making Pitt a HUGE sports school then!

Pitt has a collegiate sports program??? LOL

I think Penn State should be in the Big East, why they're in the Big Ten is dumb. Ohio State should be a Big East team (if others leave), too. Long live Seton Hall.

Tim

Well, the seas have parted. The ACC officially voted yesterday to expand by 3 teams so Miami and the Big East could be gone very soon.

Well Miami, BC, and Syracuse have got the official invite now from the ACC. This weekend the Big East is meeting for their annual meetings so hopefully something can be worked out to give the ACC the Big East Middle Finger!

It looks like to me though that this is a done deal on Miami's move though. The thing I like though is Pitt seems to understand this and are taking steps for the future. They officially hired a new AD yesterday in Jeff Long. His last stint was with Oklahoma as senior assistant AD but most importantly IMO has a 10+ year tie with the Big 10 as a member of Michigan's administration. I great centerpiece if Pitt were to try to make a run in becoming the Big 10's 12th team!

I just saw in the paper this morning where the Big East will begin negotiations with Miami to keep them in the conference, first issue will be money big suprise huh!!!

As an ACC alum (Wake Forest) with Big East roots (NJ native), I'd HATE to see this addition to the ACC. I know that getting Miami football would be a huge financial boost to the ACC, but PUH-LEASE can somebody make a decision that is just plain right, and not based on cash? Nobody in the south (excusing Maryland's location) gives a damn about those northeastern schools, and the ACC is a hoops league, not a football league. Even when Georgia Tech is doing well in football, all the talk is UGA. When UNC was a top-10 team, they didn't sell out games. And my beloved Deacons just gave their football coach a 10 year contract for winning 13 games ... in 2 years! So keep the Big East intact, and if the ACC wants to poach teams, go after schools that would make sense to the region, and wouldn't add ridiculous travel time/costs to mandatory games (wednesday night basketball game from FSU up to BC, for example). Could we at least TRY to pretend the concept of the student-athlete exists?

See as much as I hate to see Miami go, they can leave if they want. They really don't matter in the whole scheme of things and they'll only be hurting themselves for a few extra bucks. In football they'll have to play FSU every year with the loser pretty much out of the BCS Championship hunt. Their basketball team will never survive an ACC schedule (even though I thought this was an off year for the ACC in hoops). I guess what really hurts is the charter members of BC and Syracuse leaving if Miami goes. The Big East can survive without Miami, but can't survive losing all 3. The Big East has established itself as one of the 6 major conferences and the only conference I've ever known in my lifetime... I'd hate to see it all end because of a greedy Miami team!

it is all about the money, they will have the whole east coast locked up from the NE all the way down to cuba...LOL

The sad thing is, geographically it makes no sense whatsoever. It's all about the money as Ryan says.

Tim

I hope it doesn't happen I am a huge Pitt Fan

Originally posted by Arastis
I hope it doesn't happen I am a huge Pitt Fan

Okay, who's pulling my chain... there can't be another Pitt fan on the forums now can there?

THis would ruin some great Big East rivalries. Syracuse has a rivalry with just about every big east team. BUt this would make the ACC much stronger come football season. Hard to decide which way I lean.

Originally posted by dodgers03
THis would ruin some great Big East rivalries. Syracuse has a rivalry with just about every big east team. BUt this would make the ACC much stronger come football season. Hard to decide which way I lean.

Well the ACC needs 7 of 9 teams to vote YES to give out the official welcome to the 3 Big East teams. Since the lawsuit, Duke and NC have had bigtime regrets because it seems like everyone outside of the ACC really don't want to see the Big East broken up. So that leaves one more school to vote no. I still don't see why Florida State will vote yes? I mean last year they were 9-4 and played in the BCS! That won't happen with these other teams in it now.

An ESPN.com article said it's a done deal that if the 3 Big East teams defect to the ACC, Louisville will join the Big East. I for one would rather have Louisville in football and basketball more than having Syracuse or BC (even though I'd hate for that 'Cuse rivalry to end). The thing that upset me was the other 2 teams would come from East Carolina, Cincinatti, South Florida, and Central Florida for football and try to add Xavier and Marquette for basketball. I love the basketball schools and think the Big East would be an even stronger basketball conference then, but the football schools need a lot of work if the Big East wants to keep their automatic BCS bid.

As an ACC die-hard, the proposed plan is ridiculous. The ACC is on the rise in football thanks to Maryland, NCSU, and a young UVA. Though gaining Miami would be nice on paper, it hurts in the longrun. I for one think that if the ACC really wants to expand that they should go get Virginia Tech, ECU, and Charlotte. Geographically, it makes more sense...plus you nail the ACC hotbed for merchandise and so forth...

I mean one of the selling points for FSU football is the fact that they don't have much competition to play in the BCS bowl and their games are a lot closer to home than Miami's are... I just don't see why FSU is so for this?

FSU is in it for the money - look at all the talk in Tallahaassee about how they need to do an overhaul and restructure everything......even Papa Bowden's job is not safe after the Noles last two subpar seasons...

I go to FSU. We better get Miami or we will become a Big East school.

Originally posted by iversonformvp
I go to FSU. We better get Miami or we will become a Big East school.

Why would you want Miami so bad? You were 9-4 last year and STILL made it to a BCS Bowl. You do realize once Miami's in the ACC, you're not going to have any 9-4 seasons and be in a BCS game.

Good point Iggy. THe most loses they will ever have and make a BCS bowl is 1 or 2.

Well, according to ESPN.com, the ACC will vote on expansion tomorrow and is expected to only offer an invitation to Miami, leaving BC and Syracuse with the Big East. The Big East would then replace Miami with Louisville... making the Big East even more big time in hoops. The ACC would then duck the lawsuit because only taking Miami would not devistate the Big East.

Well... that works for me. *waves bye to Miami and hello to another great basketball program*

Well, an update to that article is now saying that the Big East isn't going to just sit around with a fractured league vulnerable to another raid. The atricle claims that the Big East (even if BC and Syracuse don't go to the ACC) will try and add Marquette and Xavier to the conference. So the basketball league would then consist of :

Pitt
Louisville
Syracuse
ND
West Virginia
Virginia Tech
Xavier
Marquette
UConn
Providance
Rutgers
Boston College
Georgetown
Seton Hall
St Johns
Villanova

Now that's what I call a powerhouse basketball conference! ACC WHO?

The problem with that many team in a conference is that it will dilute the parity. It has happened to the ACC for years, back when it had eight teams. The ACC was known for winning non-conference then beating each other up during the conference season which meant only 4 or 5 teams would make the dance. That's why 8-8 nowadays in the ACC is looked upon as impressive. If the Big East wants to go with that many teams, it just needs to looks at C-USA and see the problem come time for the dance. Though the Big East is a better conference top to bottom than the C-USA, it still will shoot itself in the foot with 16 teams.

The article said that there would be 2 seperate divisions with only a couple games mixing the 2 divisions. Also, not all 16 teams are going to have up years every year so I don't see anything wrong with adding a few more teams. Maybe then the Big East would get the respect it deserves. I mean all year long everyone was dogging the Big East... well guess what, all 4 teams that made it got into the sweet 16 and a Big East team won it all.

I never had anything against the Pac-10 this year or any year. A lot of great talent and basketball comes out of the Big E every year.

It remains to be seen what will happen...especially since the ACC cannot have its prized Championship FB game if it doesn't have 12 teams...which I for one hope it doesn't...

And here I am, an ACC diehard, speaking against them...lol

The article also said that the ACC will petition the NCAA to have a championship game with just 10 teams. Try it out for a year and if it doesn't work out, then try again at recruiting 2 more schools to 12.

I'm sure the NCAA won't go for it and neither should the ACC. Say Miami joins the ACC alone. The Big East is going to go through with their expansion plan. Say all teams agree to join the Big E. Then what is left for the ACC to go after. They don't dare hit the Big E again. No one from the SEC will leave. The ACC might as well admit they screwed up and let it go.

I wouldn't exactly say the ACC screwed up... they just got caught in their scheming. Someone slipped up and somehow let the Big East know that plans have been discussed since back in '99 with BC and Miami.

Regardless, I don't think the vote will go in the ACC's favor...obviously, Duke and UNC are upset and have virtually said they will vote no....I think UVA will do the same since V. Tech did not get an invite and their vote was contingent on that....