The ACC made a move Sunday that will alter its geography, divisions, scheduling and culture. Well, the Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers aren't all that great at football, so the culture will mostly stay the same. When the SEC added Texas A&M, we heard cautious approval from the conference's coaches and ADs. The ACC, however, is pretty pumped.
Here's North Carolina Tar Heels athletic director Dick Baddour on the move:
It's obvious that the world is turning upside down and we want the ACC to be in a position where we are strong. It's absolutely the right thing to do.
Duke Blue Devils basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was perhaps the most complimentary:
I'm proud of the leadership of our conference to be ahead of things. We're in a period of change. Whether everyone agrees with it or doesn't agree with it -- change is happening. It's not a revolution, it's evolution. These things are happening.
In that same ESPN.com story, N.C. State Wolfpack chancellor Randy Woodson is quoted as expressing his approval:
The great thing is that the conference is strong and committed to a unanimous commitment to staying together. And to the extent that this is kind of a dramatic shift in conferences, we're trying to be proactive and stay strong.
As for fans, Big East supporters are freaking out, but fans of football-first ACC schools are largely unimpressed.
For more, head to Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and Pitt blog Cardiac Hill, which will soon be ACC blogs.