A question from a Mountaineer fan...

by MountaineerAirman on Jul 11, 2025 9:03 AM EDT

A lot of times we get Mountaineers fans stumbling in here on occasion to merely cause a ruckus. However, here's an intelligent Fanpost asking a question about a Pitt/WVU move to the ACC.

People have been debating and discussing conference realignment for some time now and, specifically, I've been seeing renewed interest in the argument of a WVU/Pitt move to the ACC. I know many Mounties support the idea and I know many ACC'ers do as well but I've yet to get the opinions of Pitt fans.

I've seen more support for a WVU-only switch than WVU-Pitt mostly due to Pitt's tendency to not travel and the fact that we share the same TV market, etc.

I don't know that I would feel comfortable going without Pitt myself... our rivalry is one of the best in the country. I don't think an OOC series would be the same. I'm in love with the idea of renewing the WVU-VT series but it just doesn't capture the same hatred at WVU-Pitt. Am I alone in this?

Tweet Comment 7 comments | Add comment | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

To be fair, I don’t follow the expansion stuff probably as well as I should, so my thoughts are probably, at best, shortsighted. That said, here they are anyway.

I think the move could make sense for both schools. One of Jamie Dixon’s big beefs when the Pitt to Big Ten rumors popped up last year was he was hesitant to leave the Big East, which he thought was the best basketball conference. The ACC in many years has been the better conference it would essentially be a lateral move IMO. Same for football - the Big East and ACC are pretty even, but with a Pitt/WVU move to the ACC, I’d give that conference the edge (hinging, of course, on what the Big East did to replace them).

Regarding the ‘security’ you mention, I think WVU would be fine if they went it alone, but would be better off with Pitt as a rival. WVU would also have the VT rivalry, as you mention, and Maryland could be another.

Pitt, on the other hand, would be a tough fit by themselves. Sure, there could be the old Big East rivals with BC/Miami/Virginia Tech stuff, but other than maybe Miami who is a lightning rod for hatred, those would take a few years to get going again. Pitt’s basketball program would be nice to add, but while WVU hasn’t been as steady as Pitt from year to year, they’ve reached greater heights than Pitt has in the past ten years.

I think the move could work, but I’d expect to see either WVU and Pitt or only WVU.

by CardiacHill on Jul 11, 2025 9:21 AM EDT reply actions

What could the Big East possibly do

to replace Pitt AND WVU?

the replacement programs just don’t exist. Memphis? Houston? hardly. there’s no way Notre Dame starts playing Big East football without us.

by SlingStone on Jul 11, 2025 12:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Die

The Big East (at least as a football conference) would be done if both Pitt and WVU left. I talked about it a little over a year ago and came to the conclusion that if other teams left, the Big East could replace them, but losing a Pitt or West Virginia could be a death blow because the football quality just isn’t there. Losing both would force the conference to give up its BCS deal at the next negotiating period.

by CardiacHill on Jul 11, 2025 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions

I would support a Pitt move to the ACC

Any move to another AQ conference will be a step up for either school. Yes, basketball may suffer depending on where the school goes (because the only other conference that would consider the Panthers is the Big Ten), but with the ACC you still have marquee programs with Duke and UNC. In football there’s Virginia Tech and Florida State and although the conferences are the two weakest of the AQs, the ACC (for some odd reason that clearly isn’t based on number of BCS bowl wins) is viewed as better than the Big East.

I agree that a Backyard Brawl that doesn’t have conference title aspirations in football just feels wrong. The basketball version would be viewed differently as well, but not in the same sense that the football version would be. I can’t speak for WVU fans on how they would view a revival of WVU/Virginia Tech rivalry that had conference title hopes on the line, but I know they would be open to it, but as you said, it would be lacking the hatred and intensity the Brawl has.

I would find it odd if the ACC were to only just invite one school. The magic number is 12 in college football, so it would be weird for the ACC to have 13 members like the MAC did prior to inviting UMass. I think that if WVU were to join the ACC, they would be joined by either Pitt or Syracuse. Both have similar academic rankings and in the revenue sports they have both been successful in the past decade, with Pitt being more successful in football and Syracuse being arguably more successful in basketball (how does one view a National Title mixed in with NIT berths as compared with the highest winning percentage in the past 10 years in the Big East?)

The real question is would the ACC want to expand past 12? Again, the magic number is 12 and going past that could potentially begin the era of super-conferences. Which is fine because if the AQ conferences were to split from the NCAA (something that is rumored and unlikely, but possible), I know both WVU and Pitt would be fine because of their successes on and off the field/court. But I don’t think the ACC will be the first conference to make a move. I imagine the PAC-12 or the SEC, if super-conferences are going to be formed, will be the first to do so.

Cardiac Hill contributor

by oaklandzoo12 on Jul 11, 2025 9:23 AM EDT reply actions

I appreciate...

…the lack of flaming going on here in my direction for being a Mountaineer. Having a conversation with Pitt fans isn’t as hard as I thought it would be! (kidding, guys, kidding.)

IMO the ACC would be smart to make the first move towards a super conference. It IS going to happen sooner or later, I don’t doubt that for a second. We’ll see how TCU affects the Big East in the long run but once the super conferences start forming EVERYTHING will change and I think the Big East might be left out to dry. Pitt and WVU deserve to be in a major conference. By being the first to make a move the ACC could really strengthen its position for the future. A lot of programs in the ACC are on the verge of something bigger (UNC’s football, aside from their legal troubles, has been doing exceptionally well recruiting and they have a great coach.), and if Al Golden can make Miami prominent again. Jimbo Fisher already has Florida State back in title conversations, the ACC is in a great position to really take some power away from a future super conference formed by the Big 10 or Pac 12. That’s just the way I see it, and adding a Pitt or WVU could do nothing but help. Even a Syracuse would, in my eyes, be a strengthening and welcome addition.

by MountaineerAirman on Jul 11, 2025 1:30 PM EDT reply actions

I seriously doubt the 16pocolypse happens

I just don’t see how you can make more money by doing that without doing something on the order of what the Pac 10 was going to do (bringing in two elite football powers, one of which is the most profitable athletic department in the country — and also adding the only major ‘western’ city that wasn’t already in the Pac 10 in Denver). And that can’t happen now, because there aren’t enough spots open in the Pac 12 anymore.

And I strongly suspect if it does happen, it will not last long.

by drothgery on Jul 11, 2025 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Intelligent discussion is always welcomed...

Even from the enemy.

In all seriousness, I’ve long said the Big East needed to add several more teams to help stave off elimination. I think the league could withstand the loss of a basketball-heavy/football-light school such as Louisville, UConn, or even Syracuse (I realize those schools have had football seasons where they’ve been better than Pitt, but bear with me) but if they lost a few of those teams, they’d be in scramble mode.

Lots of people don’t like to hear this, I’m sure, but the Big East needs to try to add at least another two teams - even if it’s the likes of an East Carolina, Temple, etc. I don’t think the conference should be hasty and make a poor decision, but they should be proactive in finding good fits.

The good thing is that with some of the recent moves (TCU to the Big East and Nebraska to the Big Ten), location is becoming less of a factor. The Big East isn’t as restrained to the east coast as was originally thought in the past.

by CardiacHill on Jul 11, 2025 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions