WVU AD: 'ACC expansion doubtful'

[Corso]

From sportingnews.com:

W. Va. AD: ACC expansion doubtful
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia Athletic Director Ed Pastilong said he does not believe the Atlantic Coast Conference presidents will approve the annexation of three Big East schools.

"I've said that my personal feeling was that we had a 50-50 chance" of preserving the Big East, Pastilong said Thursday. "But I'm now thinking of moving that to 60-40."

West Virginia and four other Big East schools filed a lawsuit June 6 against the ACC, Miami and Boston College in Connecticut Superior Court.

It seeks millions of dollars and an injunction to stop the two schools from moving to the ACC. Syracuse is also a candidate to jump to the ACC.

The ACC presidents' vote on the expansion proposal was delayed until next week after lengthy conference calls on Tuesday and Wednesday. The proposal must be approved by seven of nine ACC presidents.

"It's clear that those presidents are doing a thorough study of what is involved," Pastilong said. "And this is important because of the seriousness of the situation. . . . I am not surprised they haven't made a decision."

West Virginia University President David Hardesty said he hopes to resolve the situation without going to court, and said he would support a merger of the two leagues.

"It is certainly viable to talk about an East Coast league," Hardesty said. "There are lots of options out there. That is not a frivolous one.

"If you look at the big picture . . . you will see what they're doing has to do with their view of the world, and that is you have to have 12 teams and play a conference championship game," he said. "You don't have to have 12 teams. It isn't the number of teams you have but the money you get that determines how profitable you are."

Hardesty said a lack of communication forced the presidents of the remaining five Big East schools to request a meeting with representatives of the ACC, Miami, Boston College and Syracuse.

"Even after the suit hit, we were still not talking," Hardesty said. "There's lots of things to discuss, big money items for all of us."

Copyright 2003 Associated Press.

[Southland]

I certainly hope the Big East's main sponsor is Kool-Aid, because they drink enough of it.

[PonyTales]

Uh huh
Sounds like wishful thinking on Pastilong's part.

[FloridaMustang]

Well give em a break... they have to buy into their own bull****.. they're trying to win a PR war, and they're doing a pretty good job of it, I think.