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Conference Realignment

Notre Dame to join ACC next season

Notre Dame will leave the Big East a year earlier than originally planned to join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East commissioner Mike Aresco announced in a press release Tuesday morning.

The Fighting Irish will join the ACC in all sports but football and hockey.

“From the time of our decision to join the ACC we have stressed our commitment to ensuring that our departure was achieved in a collegial manner,” UND vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said in the release.  “This agreement realizes that intention.”

Notre Dame joins Syracuse and Pittsburgh as Big East schools leaving for the ACC after the season, as well as DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova, who are all leaving on July 1 to form a new conference that will keep the Big East name.

The move leaves the current Big East, that is still without a name for the upcoming season, with a 10-team league made up of current full members Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, current partial member Temple and new members Central Florida, Houston, Memphis and Southern Methodist. Louisville will leave for the ACC after the upcoming season and Rutgers will leave for the Big Ten at the same time.



“This decision makes sense for the BIG EAST,” Aresco in the release.  “In view of Notre Dame’s expressed desire to join the ACC on an earlier timetable, the BIG EAST and Notre Dame were able to arrive at an acceptable resolution. The BIG EAST can now focus fully on its future alignment and rebranding efforts.”





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