Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh are in talks to move from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the New York Times reported on Friday.
Syracuse is one of the founding members of the Big East, while Pittsburgh joined three years later in 1982. The two schools have nearly 60 years of membership between them.
Should the move happen, it would deal a devastating blow to the Big East, which nearly disbanded following the 2004 football season after Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College left for the ACC.
Syracuse had been among the schools that had been rumored to head to the ACC during that time, but ultimately stayed put. Since then, Syracuse has also been linked to the Big 10 conference as a possible destination.
The rumors come as the latest story in a trend of college athletics’ march toward four major “super conferences” of 16 team leagues.
