ACC Snags the Orange and the Panthers

In the ever-changing environment of college athletics, Syracuse and Pitt make the biggest move of all. By Ron Schiltz
   

(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

     It was a quiet Saturday night in the Big East when the first reports broke: Syracuse and Pittsburgh were packing up their bags and moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
     The move seemed unexpected and oddly coincided with the death of Big East founder Dave Gavitt. But in reality, it marked the latest shift of an increasingly volatile landscape in college athletics.
     Gone will be the days of annual matchups like SU-Georgetown and Pitt-West Virginia, both of which were fixtures on primetime basketball schedules. Instead, SU and Pitt will be joining the ranks of Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Florida State.
     And while many will look towards the added competitiveness that Syracuse and Pitt bring to ACC basketball, these schools also offer tradition in football. The Pitt Panthers will bring a history of hard-nosed running to a conference more commonly known for a more finesse version of the game. Under third-year head coach Doug Marrone, the Syracuse Orange hope to restore the glamour of their proud rushing history, which includes Hall-of-Famers such as Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little.
     The losses of Pitt and Syracuse strike a huge blow to the future of the Big East, leaving the conference with only six football schools – seven if you include Texas Christian – and a group of schools that don’t field a FCS team.
     But the ACC may not be finished with its demolition of the Big East, as reports have also linked Connecticut, Rutgers, and West Virginia to the conference. If two of those teams do decide to make the switch, it would make the ACC the first 16-team mega conference. A sign of things to come? Perhaps.