Thoughts about Pitt's move to the ACC

I know it's been a few days since the major announcement that Pitt and Syracuse were bolting the Big East conference and will move to the ACC.

A lot of pundits are saying this could be the spark that sets off a lot of realignment in college football.  I hope this is true.

My biggest hope in all of this is that several super conferences are formed and we'll finally get rid of the godforsaken BCS setup and move to a playoff system.

Football wise, this move is huge for Pitt.  You add Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, all of whom are usually national players on a yearly basis.  Of course time will tell how bad Miami will be penalized for their recruiting shenanigans. 

Sorry but the prospect of facing teams like Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinatti, and South Florida don't exactly scream "Must See" TV.  Oh wait, you don't get many Pitt games on TV around here.  That's another added benefit to this move as the ACC has a contract with ESPN to televise their games. 

More exposure, tougher competition, it all adds up to move revenue for Pitt. 

Basketball wise you could have argued it was a slight step down, except Syracuse is coming along and UConn is also rumored to be a potential member in the new ACC as well.  Take those three schools from the Big East and the balance of power will clearly be to the ACC now in college basketball.

You add nationally important games against Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland which also strongly boosts the national image of Pitt basketball. 

Pitt was smart to jump at this chance when it was there.  Look at WVU's predicament.  Both the ACC and SEC conferences rejected them.  Talk about a slap to the face!

The only question that remains for the ACC is who the next two teams might be that get them to 16 teams.  I already mentioned UConn, but another article I read mentioned Penn State and Notre Dame. 

While I doubt Penn State would leave the Big Ten, it would honor Joe Paterno's vision of an Eastern Conference from decades ago.  I think from a football perspective it would make sense for Penn State, even if they would get crushed in basketball in the ACC.

Notre Dame also needs to get with the program.  The days of being able to remain independent are over.   Pick a conference and get on board if you want to continue chasing the national championship. 

Wrapping up though, Pitt made the right choice, even if it angered the remaining Big East schools.  The Big East sealed its fate when it chose to cater to the basketball only schools and ignore the wishes of the football schools to keep the conference BCS worthy.  

You can't blame Pitt and Syracuse for this.  It's like playing chess.  You have to strike when the time is right to strike.  Even if it does put the Big East in "Checkmate"