And on the seventh day, the Atlantic Coast Conference's powers that be did not rest. Instead, they expanded their loop, making Pittsburgh and Syracuse the league's 13th and 14th members. This move is effective with the 2012-13 academic year, so Big East road trips for the Panthers and Orange this season will be interesting, to put it nicely.
As a fan of the Orange(men) for most of my life, this was a day I knew would eventually come, dating back to the 2005 conference realignment, when the Virginia Legislature all but vetoed Syracuse's entry by forcing Virgina Tech's admission as the ACC's 12th team. For a long time I was vehemently against it, but now that things are about to get crazy, I've come to accept it, particularly since this means a few more convenient road trips during the basketball, football, and lacrosse seasons.
I've updated the Conference Changes For 2012-13 page with the new alignments for the ACC and Big East, as well as those for the Big 12 and SEC, as it appears Texas A&M's move is inevitable. But don't get comfortable, as further changes will likely be appearing after the Texas Board of Regents meets Monday and Oklahoma's gathers nearly simultaneously.
They're about to push Play for the biggest game of musical chairs ever staged in the United States. It's anyone's guess as to who will be sitting where when it stops, and who will be left standing, completely forlorn.
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