Once Maryland announced they were leaving the ACC, the conference seemed destined to follow a familiar path in adding a Big East school. That trend continued, as Louisville was selected over other options such as UConn and Cincinnati. Uconn was considered the top option after Louisville, but with the all-sports success at Louisville and their longer legacy as an FBS football program, the school was selected over Uconn and Cincinnati. Should the ACC lose any schools in the future to the Big Ten, SEC or even Big 12, both schools will likely be reconsidered as replacements.
We’re at a time when nearly all ACC schools are considered potential options for other conferences. The Big Ten could look further south by adding a pair from the pool of Virginia, Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech, or to the north with Syracuse or Boston College. The SEC could always revisit expansion into new areas with schools such as Virginia Tech and NC State. The Big 12 could push further east with schools such as Florida St., Georgia Tech, Clemson and Virginia Tech.
