How do you win a war like the one the Syracuse Orange just won? You kill your opponent with kindness. Or at least not object, public disdain. While West Virginia bullied their way out and Pitt tried to strong-arm their way out as well, DOC Gross and Syracuse played it cool and have now come to an agreement with the Big East to move to the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2012-13 athletic season.
The Big East announced today that it is terminating the Orange's membership July 1, 2013, so that Syracuse can move forward and join the ACC for the 2013-14 season. The league announced Syracuse will make a total cash payment to the Big East of $7.5 million as part of its exit.
Dr. Daryl Gross, Director of Athletics for Syracuse University, said: "We look forward to the new academic and athletic partnerships and the extraordinary competitive opportunities that membership in the ACC offers. We are excited about both our final season in the Big East and our long-term future with the ACC."
The cost for leaving a year before schedule turns out to be $2.5 million, a far cry from the $87 billion (approx.) that West Virginia paid. The other $5 million is the expected fee for leaving the conference.
And so, Syracuse fans, we got what we wanted and we got it without burning too much of a hole in our pocket. SOUND THE FEASTING HORN!
The final season of Big East football. The final season of playing Georgetown twice a year. The final season of playing the Big East Tournament in Madison Square Garden (until the ACC Tournament moves there in 2015).It's bittersweet. But when you make business decisions, they often are.
So what about Pitt? That's a little awkward that we've been granted our release and they haven't. We're kinda a package deal as far as the ACC is concerned.
Pitt said "will not be commenting on the news out of Syracuse, or on any developments in Pitt's status in the Big East at this time," which basically translates into, "We f**ked up with the whole suing thing." I'm guessing that the school and the conference will find a way to work it out but they might not get so sweet a deal as we did.
As for SU, it's a relief to know this is settled. The idea of playing another season in the Big East beyond this one was just too weird, too uncomfortable. Both parties need to move forward and it's great to see that cooler heads prevailed. Good work, DOC Gross.