Pitt and Syracuse received an invitation to join the the Atlantic Coast Conference after both… Pitt and Syracuse received an invitation to join the the Atlantic Coast Conference after both schools submitted letters of recommendation, a news release from the ACC said this morning.

The two teams were among the first to join the Big East conference, Syracuse was a founding member and Pitt joined in 1982, three years after the conference formed.

Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said Pitt already has a history of collaborating with members of the ACC and that University respects the schools both academically and athletically.

“I’m looking to our own future, we could not envision a better conference home for Pitt and we are grateful to the Council of Presidents for extending an invitation to join the ACC community,” he said.

Athletic Director Steve Pederson echoed his statements.

“The strength and quality of the ACC is highly regarded by everyone at Pitt,” he said. “When we set high expectations for our student-athletes in their academic, athletic and personal goals, it is important to provide every opportunity and resource to enable that success. Joining the ACC and the outstanding institutions in this conference will give every Pitt student athlete the chance to achieve their highest aspirations.”

The announcement follows 24-hours of speculation which saw reports of the move spread through several media outlets, including the New York Times, ESPN and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.