There’s a report out that Pitt, Syracuse and Rutgers are “set” to join the Big 10, along with Missouri and Nebraska. Take it with a grain of salt, it’s just the latest in a string of rumors, but, if this was the case, the Big East as a football conference would effectively immediately cease to exist.
Some have speculated that WVU would end up in the SEC, but I wouldn’t call WVU a slam dunk for the SEC…the ACC makes more sense, as it does for UConn. Rivalries. WVU/MD, UConn/BC. Also, former series would resume with Miami, Va Tech, and BC. West Virginia started playing Maryland in 1919, the Mountaineers lead the series 23-21-2. There has been talk that WVU’s academic standards might not be up to ACC standards. I dont know anything about that, if it’s true, then so be it, but from an athletic department standpoint, they make plenty of sense.
On the football side, UConn has played Wake three times, Georgia Tech three times, BC, Miami, Va Tech, North Carolina, Duke, NC State, Virginia…bad blood or not, the UConn athletic department has a relationship with most ACC schools.
Of course, in basketball, a UConn move to the ACC would set up some great games…UConn/Duke, UConn/UNC, UConn/MD…all of which teams we have played late in NCAA tourneys. UConn and WVU are both perennial top 25 programs and immediately raise the level of play in the ACC.
I’ve been hoping all along that UConn would end up in the ACC…and I hope it’s WVU that comes with us…I like that program, and their fans, and that was only solidified with their handling of Jasper Howard’s murder. Class act.
Rather than looking at the ACC as raiding the Big East (which they did), we could finally call it a merger of sorts (Virginia Tech, Miami, BC, UConn, WVU).
We need the ACC to expand to 14 though…the time is right for them as well, their football conference has been a bit stagnant, and Georgia Tech and Clemson both losing to their in state rivals the week before they squared off for the ACC Championship was a bit of an embarrassment. Adding some new blood and some new rivalries would create some buzz.
UConn has been mentioned in Big 10 expansion plenty as well, and if that happens, certainly I won’t be disappointed. Colin Cowherd heard from a source that UConn will be invited, and Kevin Harlan tweeted that UConn had already been offered. More rumors? Where there’s smoke there’s fire? We’ll find out soon enough…
If Rutgers, Pitt and Syracuse do indeed end up in the Big 10, I wish them well, and nothing but the best of luck, but from where I’m sitting, I think the best fit for UConn is the ACC.
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Care to elaborate Oliver? Where would you like to see UConn land?
Interesting article. Had not thought about the ACC.
I really hope the Big East stays together but that simply is not going to happen I suppose.
In that event, I would much rather see us in the ACC then the Big Ten. I'm still a hoops fan foremost and the ACC is much better for hoops.
Look, I'll be happy as long as we end up in one of the two…I'm just saying if it were up to me, I'd go to the ACC…but the Big 10 dollars would be too big to turn down…Let's just hope Mr. Hathaway is on the ball with this stuff, and for the record, I believe he is.
UCONN to the ACC makes great sense. WVU, God I hope not! I think that would be a doomsday scenario. It would take a lot for the ACC elites to stoop down low enough to bring in WVU. I'm not saying it's a horrible school because it's not but it does have a reputation.
I've heard others say the same thing Bryan, but in my opinion, athletics and dollar bills will drive what shakes out over the next year or so…not academics…I could be wrong, but in my experience $$$ is always driving the bus…and WVU football can drive interest up in ACC football…WVU/Va Tech, WVU/MD. If the ACC thinks WVU can make it more money, it will get a look.
i think that wvu will not get an invite to the acc just because their academic standards are very very low, and the acc presidents will not be happy with wvu diluting their academic makeup
Personally, I would prefer that WVU join the SEC if forced to leave the Big East as I fear the football program would suffer the same demise as the recent Big East joinee's like Miami and BC. The ACC is a bb conference, not a football conference, at least the SEC can show National Titles in both sports, they didn't have to "acquire" them by having a team join the conference that already had a national title, only to fail to deliver one once it joined the conference (Miami). Love the bb in the ACC, but can't change the channel fasst enough when an ACC football game is on……….nuf said
Miami has taken a tumble, although I believe they are on the way back. Va Tech has been very successful in their new digs. WVU vs Va Tech would be a great game to watch every year…
this just an fyi, please thank Karl, he deserves credit, i am just copying/pasting his data!
Just to respond also to “not understanding the culture of the ACC”, in regards to acdemics and his knock of WVU, “WVU is a Tier 3 academic school per USNews (they’d be the only public school in the conference not ranked in the Top Public National Universities list)” That concept needs to be blown out of the water also. I will start by saying that my son is a graduate from the school of architecture at VA Tech so I am not bashing VT. HOWEVER, WVU is an excellent academic university.
To respond to WVU being a tier 3 university, does the poster know what that means? I didn’t think so. Tier 3 has nothing to do with the quality of academics or programs, only with the amount of funding the university gets. WVU gets less research dollars and that is it!
Did you know that WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars (VT 2) in the top 5% of public universities. WVU has 21 Truman Scholars (VT 3). WVU has 6 Boren Scholars (VT 0),. WVU has 33 Marshall Scholars (VT 33 also). WVU has produced 6 first team All Academic All Americans and 11 honorees (VT 5 and 0 honorees).
That WVU was recently recognized as having one of the top ten Medical Schools in the country in rural healthcare. They were recently recognized as having one of the top ten safest campuses in the United States (despite all of the couch burning!). Were recently recognized as being in the top 10% of schools that graduate their athletes. I could go on and on about the engineering and ather programs, but my point is that it is an excellent academic university. It’s just when you hear “it’s a tier 3 university,” and you really need to look at the US News reports with a jaundiced eye …unless you know what tier 3 refers to (money alone) you get the wrong perspective on academics. There is so much innacurate information about WVU that is constantly perpetuated by folks that just don’t know it becomes very difficult to put up with at times.
Texas, T Tech, TA&M, Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State to Pacific Coast U Conn, West Virginia to ACC[looking for 2 more] Kansas, Kansas State to SEC[ also looking for two more …Louisvlle and Cincinnati? Nebraska, Missouri, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pittsburgh to Big 10 Named Big North Iowa State and Baylor to Mountain West?
Hey anything's possible at this point Richard.
As an ACC alum, and currently living in the heart of ACC country with a friend who works for the ACC, I can say without a doubt, that UConn WILL become a member of the ACC. Closed-door discussions have already started.