On Wednesday, September 12, 2012 the University of Notre Dame officially became a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. All of Notre Dame’s athletic programs, except for football, will fully compete in the ACC. Starting in 2013, all other ACC football programs will play 9 conference games each year, while Notre Dame’s football program will compete in only 5. This special arrangement allows the Fighting Irish to keep their football independence, while initiating a severely impactful culture change in the ACC. A culture of concessions and special treatment for Notre Dame will negatively impact many future situations the conference will encounter. This type of culture will weaken the ACC in the long run.
According to ESPN the ACC has officially accepted Syracuse and Pitt as the 13th and 14th members of the ACC.
Pittsburgh and Syracuse, once flagship programs of the Big East, have been accepted as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, extending the league's current membership to 14 schools, the ACC announced Sunday morning.
Hall of Fame Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that adding Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC would be 'a coup' for the conference.
The ACC Council of Presidents unanimously voted upon the decision. The invitation followed the submission of letters of application from both universities.
"The ACC is a strong, united conference that is only going to get better with the addition of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University," Duke president Richard Broadhead, chair of the ACC Council of Presidents, said in a prepared statement. "Both schools are committed to competing at the highest level of academics and athletics. We welcome them as full partners in the ACC."
Not sure how everyone else feels about this but just like with a few other ACC teams hiring new head coaches, this doesn't seem to be the "slam dunk" teams that the ACC should have been looking for. Somewhat disappointed.
