The Syracuse Orange are "likely gone" from the Big East Conference after submitting letters of application to the Atlantic Coast Conference, along with the Pittsburgh Panthers. Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com told CNYCentral on the phone today that an ACC official has confirmed the applications, and that a Big East official has stated "There is no scenario where a president applies to a league and isn't admitted."
"It's a matter of survival," McMurphy told CNYCentral this afternoon, "it's either wait and see how this thing plays out, or you can jump to another ship if you will. They felt there was more security in the ACC's future than the Big East's future."
The ACC voted last week to increase the conference's exit fee to 20 million dollars from 12 to 15 million dollars.
"It boils down to the ACC and the Big East are going to be the last two conferences almost competing to see which one survives. The SCC, the Pac 12 and and the Big 10 obviously are on solid footing. The ACC looked at it and said we have to be proactive, and we need to strengthen our conference.
Syracuse was a founding member of the Big East, while Pittsburgh has been in the Big East since 1982.
What do you thik of SU's efforts to leave the Big East and move to the ACC? Is it the right move?
