Syracuse to join ACC next July

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PROVIDENCE, R.I., July 16 (UPI) -- Syracuse officials said they have worked out a deal with the Big East that allows the school to join the Atlantic Coast Conference next July.

Big East members are to give 27 months notification before leaving the conference but last September Syracuse and Pittsburgh said they were moving to the ACC.

The announcements were among a series of changes in major college athletic conferences. The Big East also lost West Virginia to the Big 12 in the shifts.

Syracuse said Monday it reached an agreement with the Big East that will allow it to officially join the ACC as of July 1, 2013. The deal includes a payment of $7.5 million to the Big East.

"We look forward to the new academic and athletic partnerships and the extraordinary competitive opportunities that membership in the ACC offers," said Syracuse Athletic Director Daryl Gross. "We are excited about both our final season in the Big East and our long-term future with the ACC."

Syracuse was a founding member of the Big East, which began play in 1979 as a basketball league.