Now that the ACC expansion is official, various high-level administrators provided commentary on the addition of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the conference. Kevin Anderson, the Maryland AD, delivered a statement on the conference's move to 14 teams.
"We already compete against Pitt and Syracuse in a number of our sports and have appreciated the quality and sportsmanship of those teams," Anderson said. "These two institutions are a great fit for the league based on the quality of the athletics programs and based on the quality of their academic reputations."
Anderson went on to mention the financial advantages of adding the Pittsburgh and Syracuse markets and fan bases. In perhaps his most telling line, Anderson said the ACC "would encourage a future expansion." Rumors continue to swirl as to who that future expansion could include.
Since Anderson took over as AD from the departed Debbie Yow, he has been thrust into many significant decisions. Beyond the expansion, Anderson also engineered the removal of former football coach Ralph Friedgen and hired Mark Turgeon as mens basketball coach after the retirement of Gary Williams.
University of Maryland President Dr. Wallace Loh issued a news release supporting the move as well.
Today, we welcome two distinguished universities - Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh - that are a very good fit with our conference.
ACC Commissioner John Swofford offered insight to the business side of the decision in a press release.
"Pittsburgh and Syracuse also serve to enhance the ACC's reach into the states of New York and Pennsylvania and geographically bridges our footprint between Maryland and Massachusetts," Swofford said. " With the addition of Pitt and Syracuse, the ACC will cover virtually the entire Eastern Seaboard of the United States."