On a day of good college football matchups, backroom maneuvering again threatened to steal the conversation. Politicking was as much a part of the story as rivalries. Another seismic shift in college sports seemed even closer.
Amid ongoing speculation about the potential realignment of major conferences, reports Saturday revealed Big East cornerstones Pittsburgh and Syracuse have applied for membership in the ACC. And if those schools do bolt, that’s a big problem for the Big East. Losing the Panthers and Orange could be a staggering 1-2 blow at a time when conferences are chasing bigger cuts of football-generated revenue. Potentially facing an era of even more powerful “super conferences,” the Big East would be in a bad spot because of two high-profile defections. That’s not the best way to remain relevant in these unsettling times.
Over the last 10 years, anyone who has followed the musical chairs knows that no move is done until it’s official. If it turns out, however, that Pittsburgh and Syracuse do not wind up in the ACC, some other schools most likely will.
In college sports today, it’s either raid or be raided. Poaching is all the rage. Aggression is acceptable. Even encouraged. The betterment of the student-athlete isn’t part of the agenda. None of this is geared toward providing players with better academic support or increased financial assistance. There’s little focus on enhancing the experience of the people responsible for generating the lucrative television contracts and apparel sales. The aim is to benefit those who direct the hypocrisy, enabling them to get a bigger percentage at the expense of other schools that were simply slower on the draw.
Although clearly ruthless and predatory, the ACC is rolling the right way under the circumstances. The current climate in college sports basically is to eat or be eaten, so the ACC is choosing self-preservation. Better to do it before it’s done to them. If the athletic standing of neighboring institutions is decimated in the process, so be it, because that’s how dirty business works. And exactly what positive life lessons are student-athletes supposed to take from the backstabbing?
While West Virginia raced to a 24-point lead and held off Maryland, 37-31, at Byrd Stadium, the structure of their conferences may have shifted around them. (With everything that happened on and off the field, even Maryland’s uniforms were overshadowed.) The Terrapins and the entire ACC would benefit — especially in basketball — from welcoming programs with pedigrees such as Pittsburgh and Syracuse. Undoubtedly, the Mountaineers and other remaining Big East members could have a lot to overcome if they’re on the wrong end of the expansion race.
For some time, the ACC has eagerly anticipated this week’s slate of games, with members Clemson, Miami and Florida State hosting powers Auburn, Ohio State and Oklahoma, respectively. Add on the Pittsburgh-Syracuse development, it was also a big day for the conference’s decision-makers.
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