Sports

Faceoff: Should Pitt and Syracuse join the ACC?

In a few years, college sports fans will begin to notice new rivalries being formed as more and more schools look to change conferences.

The most recent being the addition of Big East teams Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Once Pitt and Syracuse make their move, the ACC will have 14 teams making them the largest football conference in the BCS.

This move is beneficial for Pitt and Syracuse and will stabilize the ACC.

How much these two teams are going to help the conference is questionable but it may be what they need to start building back up their programs that once
flourished.

Syracuse won its last National Championship 52 years ago in 1959 when running back Ernie Davis led the Orange past Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

Tony Dorsett led the Panthers to their last title in 1976.

Since then Pitt has had some big name players such as Dan Marino and Larry Fitzgerald but could never get back to being the top team in the nation.

Syracuse has produced current NFL players defensive end Dwight Freeney and quarterback Donovan McNabb.

In recent years both programs have been a disappointment in football.

The move could help both schools and the ACC, whose teams have also struggled.

I believe the move will be good for college football and will help strengthen a conference that can’t compete with powerhouse football conferences like the SEC
and Big 12.

The move may make for a good shake up and hopefully we won’t be seeing the same teams at the top of the rankings year after year.

I know Pitt fans would love to see them make a run for a National Title.

Change can be a good thing, and I think college football will be more exciting getting to watch different teams playing each other who normally didn’t have the
opportunity to play before.

Pitt and Syracuse will have no trouble fitting in the ACC when it comes to basketball.

The Big East and ACC always seem to produce the top teams in the country.

I will be interested to see how Pitt and Syracuse match up against the likes of Duke and North Carolina.

Even with the loss of two top basketball programs, the Big East still will have fourteen teams in the conference.

The Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden will be different without Pitt and Syracuse, as both teams have created so many memorable moments.

Fans will always remember the Syracuse vs. Connecticut game that went into six overtimes and all the Big East titles Pitt has claimed.

This isn’t the first time teams left the Big East to go to the ACC. Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College all left and the Big East is still together.

Even though the move will weaken the conference even more in football, they should be able to get by.

Texas Christian University will be a good and necessary addition to the conference.

I will be looking forward to see how Pitt and Syracuse perform in football in the ACC, and if they will fair better than Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College
have.

Pitt and Syracuse did what’s best for their schools, and I think the move will benefit them and the ACC in the future.