Boston College will become league's 12th team

[jayC]

Saturday, October 11


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ESPN.com news services


Boston College will leave the Big East Conference to become the 12th member of the Atlantic Coast Conference when an official invitation is offered Sunday, an ACC university official told the New York Times for Saturday's editions.

According to that official, Boston College is expected to be overwhelmingly approved when the ACC universities hold a conference call Sunday. Boston College will then immediately accept the invitation, according to the report.

In June, Miami and Virginia Tech announced that they would leave the Big East for the ACC starting in the 2004-05 academic year.

Adding a 12th team became much more critical for the ACC after the NCAA Championship Cabinet and Football Issues committee recently failed to recommend that the NCAA management council allow a championship football game for leagues with fewer than 12 teams. Boston College's addition would put the ACC in position to hold a championship game worth an additional $10 million.

Spokesmen for Boston College and the Big East declined to comment to the Times. ACC officials could not be reached for comment.

ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported Friday that the exit fee from the Big East could range from $1 million to $5 million.

The defection of Boston College, along with Miami and Virginia Tech, weakens the Big East, which is pursuing four colleges from Conference USA.

Louisville and Cincinnati could join Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, Connecticut and Rutgers in a Big East football division (Temple has been voted out after 2004). Conference USA's Marquette and DePaul, which do not play football, are being courted to join the Big East's non-football sports.



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