Big East may let defectors leave in 2013
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says his league “might be open to a discussion” about allowing Syracuse and Pittsburgh to join the Atlantic Coast Conference for the 2013 football season.
The Big East reached a settlement with West Virginia on Monday that allows the school to become a member of the Big 12 in 2012.
The agreement upholds the Big East’s bylaws, which require a departing school to give notification 27 months before leaving. West Virginia challenged that in a lawsuit.
Syracuse, Pitt and the ACC have said they would not challenge the Big East’s rules, but would like the transition to happen as soon as possible. Marinatto had previously said that the Big East intends to hold all three schools in the conference until 2014.
“But given the strength and speed of our expansion efforts, I think our board might be open to a discussion about 2013,” Marinatto said in a telephone interview.
Even without Syracuse and Pitt, the Big East could have 11 football teams in 2013.
Memphis, UCF, SMU and Houston from Conference USA are set to join the Big East in 2013 for all sports. Boise State and San Diego State from the Mountain West are slated to join as football- only members in 2013. Navy is scheduled to join in 2015 for just football.
The Big East currently has seven members for next season: Pitt, Syracuse, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida and Rutgers.
Marinatto said it’s possible one of the schools pledged to join in 2013 could enter the league early to replace West Virginia, though he declined to say which one.
Freeze completes Ole Miss staff
Ole Miss head football coach Hugh Freeze has completed his first full-time staff with the Rebels with the addition of Cory Batoon as assistant athletics director for player development and Tyler Siskey as coordinator of recruiting development.
Batoon arrives in Oxford after three seasons as an assistant coach at Arkansas State, where he coached cornerbacks, safeties and special teams during his tenure and worked with Freeze in 2010 and 2011.
Another former ASU staff member with Freeze, Siskey spent the past four seasons as the Red Wolves’ wide receivers coach.