(Image Source: Sports Illustrated)

BY KAVEH KAGHAZI

The dominoes in college sports continue to fall, and the nation’s first super-conference could be here sooner than we thought.

According to a report from ESPN’s Andy Katz, UConn is aggressively seeking entry into the ACC. Talks have accelerated in the past 48 hours, and Katz thinks the move would create a seismic shift in the college basketball landscape.


“But imagine that. If you have Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, and UConn in the ACC, there is no question it would be the best basketball conference in the country.”


Already at 14 teams, the ACC would be open to adding two more schools, according to conference commissioner John Swofford (Swah-ferd). A writer from the Atlanta Journal Constitution argues the ACC had no choice but to protect its teams while looking to the future.


“With this move, the ACC cannot be viewed as prey. It’s a predator. If that sounds unseemly, so be it. To suggest that any conference should sit politely while every other league is grabbing hand over fist is to deny reality. The SEC and Big Ten and Big East would surely have made runs at ACC schools.”


The potential addition of UConn comes days after the ACC landed former Big East hoops powers Pitt and Syracuse. The SEC and Pac-12 have also looked into expansion. The SEC is considering adding Missouri and West Virginia. But a rivals.com writer says the creation of super-conferences could lead college sports down a dangerous path.

“…the move to four 16-team "super conferences" will kill college sports as we know it. You would think someone would step up and say, "Wait a minute. Have we really thought this through?" But because they think there is one more buck out there to be made, the commissioners are in a sort of feeding frenzy.”


If UConn leaves, it could spell big trouble for the Big East. Sports economist Patrick Rishe (Rish) tells Sporting News once the ACC has finished pillaging its programs, the Big East will flounder in competitive college football.

“In terms of a BCS football conference, I think when this deal gets re-done at the end of the 2014 season, I don’t think the Big East is gonna be part of any kind of BCS formula. If there happens to be a playoff system with superconferences, the Big East will not be part of it.”