This past weekend Syracuse University decided to make a surprising yet expected move from the Big East conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Starting in 2014, Syracuse along with Pittsburgh and other potential programs will officially jettison the Big East for what is promised to be the future of college athletics.

In this new wave of ‘mega’ sports conferences, there is guaranteed to be more money and more exposure, but what exactly does that mean for us students?

I really want to write a sentimental piece about how Syracuse and the Big East conference should have never parted ways. I want to write about how emotionally charged our rivalries were. I want to write about how mad I am that we will no longer be playing in the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden. I want to write about how our athletics will never be the same. But for some reason my usual pessimism has been replaced by optimism — I am ecstatic by SU’s decision to join the ACC.

SU has effectively kicked off what will likely be known as the downfall of the Big East. Due to uncertainty about restructuring conferences around college athletics, Syracuse took what some will call a pre-emptive strike by joining the ACC.

Without Syracuse, the Big East does not have a chance to exist. For more than 30 years, SU has been the Big East’s premiere program, and picturing the Big East without SU is like picturing spaghetti without meatballs. Unfortunately, most relationships come to an end, and Syracuse has been the one who decided to drop the, ‘It’s not you, it’s me’ routine on the Big East.

Leaving the Big East does mean that we are also leaving all of our rivals. No more Georgetown, no more Villanova and no more University of Connecticut (for now). Sure we will be losing our old rivalries, but there are plenty of new rivalries to make. I still cannot get over the fact that Syracuse will now play University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Duke University, two basketball powerhouses, every year. If you thought the Carrier Dome was packed for Villanova, just wait until Duke and North Carolina roll in. We will need to put extra seats in the Quad to house everyone who wants to watch those games.

Not only will this make our basketball program more exciting, we will also finally be exposed to decent football teams that could hopefully spell the resurgence for our own program. With the increased exposure and better competition, Syracuse’s coach Doug Marrone will have an easier time landing top prospects, which our program has struggled with in recent history. It is hoped the ACC will improve our football program enough that we will no longer have to look forward to just the basketball season.

Sure there are plenty of reasons for me to be upset about this move to the ACC, but as of now the positives overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives. Syracuse has provided the program with certainty in an uncertain college athletic landscape. Instead of standing idle while the rest of colleges jumped from conference to conference, SU found greener pastures and made the best possible decision for its athletic programs and university as a whole.

David Stolz is a junior political science major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at djstolz@syr.edu or on Twitter at @Davestolz.

Published on September 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm