sudden rumors of ACC expansion

All the talk of conference expansion lately has been the SEC, the Big 12, and "What are Texas and Oklahoma going to do?"

Apparently under the radar the ACC has been doing some work.  Rumors have heated up over the last couple days of Pitt and Syracuse being interested in the ACC and vice-versa.

CBSSportsline is reporting that sources say that both teams have submitted applications to join the ACC.

It would be a perfect match for the athletics of the conference.  Both teams have strong basketball teams.  Syracuse is a big time basketball program obviously and brings another legendary coach  to the ACC in Jim Boeheim.  I doubt that Coach K, Roy Williams, and Jim Boeheim would be forming a Big 3 of coaches for very long.  At their ages I'd say the end has to be visible on the horizon for Boeheim especially and for Coach K.

Jamie Dixon is another hot coaching commodity right now for Pitt and he has them as a national force for the last several years.  They've achieved 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, though they haven't broken through to cut down the nets.

In football, Syracuse has struggled the last few years but they're rebuilding.  Both they and Pitt bring in 7-8 win programs that can be frequent participants in non-BCS bowls.  The ACC has had more teams in bowls  than any other conference a couple times the last few years.  They're not a BCS power player like the SEC but they have to be popular with non-BCS bowls because they put together a bunch of second tier football teams every year.  That may not be the reputation that the ACC dreams of as they look down south at the SEC, but the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, Meineke Bowl, Papa Johns.com Bowl, etc. have to love it.  The ACC will live with it too as long as the basketball is elite.

This addition certainly furthers that.  If there is any truth that the ACC has been a Duke and UNC then nothing conference over the last couple years this would help.  I agree that's true over the last couple years but it's more of a natural ebb and flow than anything long term.  Duke and UNC don't rebuild.  They re-load.  But Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Wake have taken major losses to their rosters and coaching staffs the last few years.  NC State has put talent together but underachieved.  Maybe a coaching change can be an infusion there.

We'll see if this happens, but it seems like the kind of match the ACC is looking for.