The Big East has a 27-month exit plan for schools that decide to leave for a new conference, meaning that any team that decides to leave them for a new home has to wait for two years to join their new digs after deciding to leave. The idea behind it is that it gives the Big East plenty of time to find new members to replace those who are about to leave. But it doesn't make a lot of sense in this current climate where conference realignment is a lightning fast climate.
As a result, it turns out that Pittsburgh and Syracuse might not have to wait out the full sentence before leaving for the ACC. According to Jack Lambert of The Business Journal, Pittsburgh and Syracuse may be allowed to join the ACC before 2014, when their 27-month mandate would be lifted.
(Maryland AD Kevin) Anderson said on Wednesday that he does not envision the process taking the full 27 months. He said the Big East has asked both Pittsburgh and Syracuse to stop coming to conference meetings and that the conference has signaled to their partners that “the transition could be sooner.”
Like I said it makes very little sense that the Big East would hold Pitt and 'Cuse hostage for so long, especially if the relationship is already this frosty. An early move would benefit every party involved. Pitt and Syracuse get to make the moves they want to make, The ACC gets their two new teams and the Big East can get moving on their future faster. This seems like a no-brainer to me.