Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

Colleges

Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

Nov 28, 2012

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Atlantic Coast Conference presidents and chancellors voted Wednesday to invite Louisville to the league as a replacement for Maryland, ESPN is reporting.

Since Maryland announced that it would leave the ACC for the Big Ten, there has been strong speculation that Connecticut or Louisville would be the league's replacement for the Terrapins.

Other schools that have lobbied for ACC invitations are Cincinnati, Connecticut, Navy and South Florida, according to {{a href="external_link-1'}}David Glenn of the ACC Sports Journal{{/a}}.

The ACC on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Maryland seeking full payment of the approximately $53 million exit fee for the school's move to the Big Ten.

According to the 10-page lawsuit, the ACC said the school must pay $52,266,342, which is three times the league's annual operating budget for the 2012-13 season.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the lawsuit filed Monday in Guilford County Superior Court, home to the league headquarters in Greensboro.

The lawsuit also states that Maryland President Wallace D. Loh has "refused to provide assurance" that the school will pay the exit fee and "has made it clear that defendant Maryland does not intend to pay the amount."

In a statement, Commissioner John Swofford says the ACC's council of presidents unanimously decided "to file legal action to ensure enforcement of this obligation."

"We continue to extend our best wishes to the University of Maryland; however, there is the expectation that Maryland will fulfill its exit fee obligation," Swofford said.

The league raised its exit fee to roughly $50 million in September after adding Notre Dame in all sports except football, though it's still unclear exactly when the Fighting Irish will begin play in the ACC. The exit fee is three times the league's annual operating budget so it could fluctuate from year to year.

Web Editor: Derek Medlin

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RE: Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

Super news. Gotta love this addition.

RE: Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

Maryland who? We will miss you , but not for long) NandO sprtswriter, Luke maybe?

RE: Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

I think the ACC should stop beating around the bush and go ahead and grab UCONN and mabye Cincy and get to 16 teams. Essentially, the ACC has merged with the Big East and that is okay if the trend is towards a superconference. The new ACC will be on top of the basketball world again, and the 16 teams will be powerful enough in football to get a spot at the table for future playoff system that may involve conference champions.

RE: Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

The TV money for the new Big East will dry up once the smoke clears from everyone leaving the Big East. ECU joining the Big East will not be the windfall they had hoped for. The Big East is just an old name for what is essentially the new Conference USA. Who is left in football now, Cincy and South Florida? Those were the original members of Conference USA.

RE: Sources: Louisville to leave Big East for ACC

It is finally time to rename the ACC.
- Posted by eddybal

How about the "BIG ACC"?

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