ACC expansion talk--It's Miami and Virginia Tech

[FriscoDawg]

Interesting discussion of a possible 16-team Big East, consisting of eight football schools plus eight others for basketball and other sports.

Louisville would appear to be a lock to join the five remaining Big East football schools, who would then select two more from the CUSA/MAC group to make eight. Marquette is discussed as joining the Big East basketball group. Those two defections alone would gut CUSA as we now know it. Other conferences, including the WAC, are mentioned as positioning for CUSA schools (specifically TCU and Houston).

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0611/1566706.html

[FriscoDawg]

Here's the latest espn.com story.

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/0618/1570063.html

Apparently Virginia Tech has to be included to get Virginia's yes vote. Since 13 teams will not do and to quash the main instigator of the lawsuit (Connecticut's AG), his state university may also get included.

If this plays out there won't be enough teams available for both the Big East and C-USA to be viable football entities without major wheeling and dealing.

[american]

Report: Miami reaction expected Thursday

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ESPN.com news sources


The Atlantic Coast Conference reached deep into its expansion playbook late Tuesday and pulled a shocking end run.

School presidents and chancellors voted Tuesday night to invite Miami and Virginia Tech to join the conference -- a scenario that excludes fellow would-be Big East defectors Boston College and Syracuse.

Sources also told ESPN that the vote was 7-2 in favor of inviting the two football powerhouses

This development came at the end of a 3½-hour conference call and is the latest surprising development in the saga involving the conferences.

According to the Washington Post, the expansion is expected to occur for the 2004-05 season. The Post, citing multiple sources, reported the ACC presidents will not make an official announcement until the four affected Big East schools are notified. A news conference at league headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., is expected to be held Wednesday.

However, USA Today reported Miami is not expected to respond to the new plan until Thursday at the earliest. The Post reported that a Syracuse spokesman said the school had not heard anything from the ACC as of Tuesday night.

The ACC's original plan was to invite Boston College, Syracuse and Miami. Five uninvited Big East schools filed a lawsuit aimed at preserving its alliance and its automatic BCS bowl-bid status. The ACC reportedly was considering several expansion scenarios involving Big East teams, but a two-team expansion was not known until the Tuesday vote.

[FriscoDawg]

Virginia Tech will accept ACC membership if offered.

Statement by Dr. Charles W. Steger, President
BLACKSBURG, June 25, 2003 -- Should we be offered membership, the University is prepared to accept an invitation from the Atlantic Coast Conference. We look forward to this very special opportunity.

I want to express my appreciation to University of Virginia President John Casteen, Virginia Governor Mark Warner, and Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, who have worked tirelessly on our behalf.

[FriscoDawg]

Statement From University Of Miami President Donna Shalala On Invitation From A.C.C.

UM responds to recent events.

June 25, 2003

"We are very appreciative of the invitation from the ACC to join their conference. We are disappointed that they have decided not to extend invitations to Boston College and Syracuse. Since this is a new proposal, we will evaluate it before making a decision."