It's been out there since Pitt was brought in over UConn. Covered it in most of the ACC/Big East article on the site. ND and the ACC had discussions and the ACC opted to wait on doing anything until ND gave a firm decision. Plan was 16 with ND and Uconn. But if ND passed, the ACC still saw benefit in 16 with Uconn and Rutgers. The holdup has been a million factors (TV, politics, image of greed, etc) but the top issue is simply giving ND time to make a choice: in or out.


As for today, Jon Wilner brought it to the surface again today in his reporting that the ACC plans are giving Boise St. cold feet now too...since it's a waste to leave only to have to replace Uconn and Rutgers with say, Temple and Memphis for all-sports just to get back to 8.

Not pretty: Temple, Cincy, Louisville, Memphis, USF, UCF, Houston, SMU, *Boise St., *SDSU

_________________


@ncaasports csi.com/facebook


Like the new CSI Userbar? Feel free to use it here and any other forums.
You can save and host it yourself or link from here.

Jon Wilner's twitter, no time frame, could still just be part of a last second push to get ND, that ACC would be great, ND Pitt VA Tech in the North and FL St Clemson Miami in the South, it would rival the PAC12 and Big 12 in terms of fb strength...Rutgers just doesn't do anything for me, all they have is a claim to the NY/NJ market and a LAX team, I get why those are helpful but they aren't reasons to expand on their own, they are very lucky ESPN and the ACC want UConn.

_________________
Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

If leaked by the ACC, it's a genius move. Scare off Boise. Without UConn and Rutgers possibly scares Houston off too. ACC football takes out possilby challenger to conference status.

The Raleigh News & Observer reported what is expected; that Pitt & 'Cuse are not likely to be involved in the 2012 ACC football season. Full schedules shall be released in early February. Close attention is being paid to the BE lawsuit with WVU and results could impact for 2013.

The ACC vs. SEC has scheduled a doubleheader for Sept. 1 in the Georgia Dome; NCSU plays Tenn., followed by Clemson playing Auburn.

The pattern of last games of the regular season between the ACC & SEC will continue: So. Car. at Clemson, UF at FSU, GT at UGA, and Vandy at WF.

I don't think Houston would be scared off of joining the Big East. I think that once all the dust settles on conference realignment that the Big East will likely be the preeminent mid-major conference for football. Or I could be off-base in that thought.

In order to keep Boise the Big East will probably have to scramble to invite some of the best mid-major programs out there in football (all-sports).

Doubtful that the ACC (or anyone else) wants Rutgers - even with departed coach.

Rutgers itself isn't wanted, the media market they reside in is what's coveted. Gotta imagine that with the basketball crazed fans in the Northeast that the idea of having UNC, Duke, Pitt, and Cuse play in MSG or anywhere else close to NYC that it would draw huge ratings, even moreso if the ACC has their conference tournament there.

Syracuse to the Atlantic Division and Pitt will join the Coastal when they offically join be it 2013 or 2014, ACC will move to 9 conference fb games, 6 in division, 1 rivalry (Pitt v Syracuse will be a rivalry), and 2 rotating...sorry no link on phone

_________________
Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

I don't know where that comes from. Most speculation here in ACC country is that Pitt will join the Atlantic with Maryland while Syracuse goes into the Coastal.
Syracuse-BC and Pitt-Va Tech will be the crossovers. 8 games initially, maybe 9 later.

ESPN article discussing upcoming ACC schedule plans at http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... eam-league

Mine wasn't speculation, it was from ESPN...see above

_________________
Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

Ok. Thanks for setting us straight. Nine games is good. BC-Syracuse and Pitt-Va-Tech will play annually, just intra-division rather than cross-division.

SBJ article (previously posted in another thread)discussing the future renegotiation of the ACC tv deals that will kick in once that league finally has 14 members.Link at http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour ... CC-TV.aspx

I'm actually surprised. I always figured that Rutgers and Connecticut would join the ACC (shoring up the Eastern Seaboard, preventing for a time the expansion of the Big-10 by eating up their potential eastern expansion oppertunites, and eliminating their biggest eastern competition in Football in the Big East and severely hurting them in Basketball) and aligning into a North-South alignment (north-south border being between North Carolina and Virginia). However, without adding UConn and Rutgers, the best alignment is the current zipper-split like they have now.

This was always my alignment (with Rutgers and Connecticut)...

2-Division Alignment:
North - Boston College, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech
South - Miami, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Clemson, North Carolina, North Carolina St., Duke, Wake Forest

4-Pod Alignment
New England - Boston College, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse
Atlantic - Rutgers, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Carolina - North Carolina, North Carolina St., Duke, Wake Forest
Coastal - Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida St., Miami.

8-Rivalries (for Thanksgiving Weekend)
Boston College vs. Connecticut
Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse
Rutgers vs. Maryland
Virginia vs. Virginia Tech
North Carolina vs. North Carolina St.
Duke vs. Wake Forest
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech
Florida St. vs. Miami