Report: ACC Rejects Expansion Candidates

The Pitt Panthers will not have Cal, Stanford or SMU as conference opponents anytime soon.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pac-12 is being raided, with eight schools having been recruited to leave the conference and two more working with the ACC on a move to join them. But after meetings between school and league officials, it looks like the Pitt Panthers will not add new conference opponents. 

According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, the ACC's talks to add Cal and Stanford hit "significant roadblocks," as the additions don't figure to provide a significant enough increase to the value of the conference. Larry Williams of Rivals and Tigers Illustrated, which covers Clemson athletics, also reported that talks had stalled. 

Notre Dame, who is a part-time member of the conference as a participant in all non-football sports and plays five football games per year against ACC opponents, was one of the primary proponents of westward expansion. They strongly favored adding Cal and Stanford to the league, according to a report from Jason Scheer of Wildcat Authority. 

“The notion that two of the very best academic institutions in the world who also play D1 sports could be abandoned in this latest chapter of realignment is an indictment of college athletics," Notre Dame president Jack Swarbrick told ESPN's Heather Dinich.  

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