The Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers will stay in the Big East Conference for the 2012-13 football and basketball season, while the West Virgina Mountaineers are headed to the Big 12 next year, CBSSports.com's Brett McMurphy is reporting.
Sources told CBSSports.com that Pittsburgh and Syracuse won’t try to leave this summer, but will attempt to negotiate deals to allow them to join the ACC a year early in 2013.
According to McMurphy, Syracuse and Pittsburgh are not wishing to leave the league any earlier because, "both schools don’t want to be 'any more disruptive to the Big East' for the coming season."
Another reason for the delay in departure, says McMurphy, is because Syracuse and Pittsburgh could trim down the settlement fee needed to leave early from $20 million, which was payed by WVU, to just the new-exit fee of $10 million.
West Virginia's membership in the Big East will be terminated effective June 30, 2012.
In 2013, the Big East is adding six more football programs, as Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF will all be annexed .
For a complete recap of the Big East's expansion plans, check out the SB Nation New York StoryStream. For more on Syracuse University spots check out the SB Nation blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician, while the Big East Coast Bias has everything on the Big East.