Syracuse, Big East agree on exit date: July 2013

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The Big East has reached an agreement with Syracuse University, allowing the Orange to leave the league a year early for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Syracuse announced last year its intention to join the ACC, but under Big East bylaws, the school needed to serve a 27-month exit period. Instead, the Orange will now be allowed to leave on July 1, 2013, and also pay a fee of $7.5 million to depart.

“This closes a chapter and opens a new one filled with exciting possibilities for the Big East’s future,” interim commissioner Joe Bailey said. “With the recent addition of eight schools to the Big East, the future for the conference has never been brighter.”

Pitt will also leave the Big East for the ACC, but its departure date is uncertain.

“We look forward to the new academic and athletic partnerships and the extraordinary competitive opportunities that membership in the ACC offers,” Syracuse athletic director Daryl Gross said. “We are excited about both our final season in the Big East and our long-term future with the ACC.”