Boston College to Join A.C.C.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

Boston College will agree to leave the Big East Conference to become the 12th member of the Atlantic Coast Conference when an official invitation is offered tomorrow, an A.C.C. university official said yesterday.

The presidents of the 11 A.C.C. universities will hold a conference call tomorrow to vote, and Boston College is expected to be overwhelmingly approved. Boston College will immediately accept, the university official said.

In June, Miami and Virginia Tech announced that they would leave the Big East for the A.C.C. starting next season. With the addition of Boston College, the A.C.C. will be in position to hold a football championship game worth an additional $10 million.

Spokesmen for Boston College and the Big East declined to comment. A.C.C. officials could not be reached for comment.

The defection of Boston College would leave the Big East severely weakened and set the stage for more conference jumping. The Big East is pursuing four colleges from Conference USA, university officials from both conferences said.

Louisville and Cincinnati have improving football programs to go with established basketball programs. They would join Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, Connecticut and Rutgers in a Big East football division (Temple has been voted out after 2004). Conference USA's Marquette and DePaul, which do not play football but have excellent basketball reputations, are being courted to join the Big East's nonfootball sports.

 

ACC presidents to discuss BC
Sunday's conference call comes after the ACC is dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit brought by four Big East schools.
By ROB DANIELS LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The presidents of the ACC's nine current institutions will conduct a conference call Sunday morning to discuss Boston College's possible admission as the league's 12th member, sources at two schools said Friday.

The sources declined to speculate on whether BC would receive the seven votes currently necessary for an invitation or if a vote would be taken. They described the situation as unsettled.

One potential roadblock in the ACC's ongoing expansion process was removed - at least for now - when the league was dropped as a defendant Friday in a lawsuit by Big East Conference members Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The schools were suing over the ACC's addition of Big East members Miami and Virginia Tech, effective July1, 2004.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Samuel Sferrazza leaves Miami as the lone defendant in the suit accusing it of conspiring with the ACC to weaken the Big East.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford would only say, "We are pleased with what we understand the opinion to be." The judge ruled the ACC did not have enough business dealings in Connecticut to warrant being sued in the state. He found that Miami, as a member of the Big East, is eligible to be sued under the state's "long-arm" statute.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the Big East schools will pursue their case against the ACC in another court or through appeals.

The ACC's urgency to expand to a dozen schools - the magic number for a revenue-generating championship football game - has apparently increased in recent weeks and may gain momentum with Friday's ruling. BC's current home, the Big East, reportedly has considered increasing its exit fee from $1 million or $2 million to $10 million.

Furthermore, a preliminary recommendation from an NCAA committee last month snubbed the ACC's motion to change current rules and permit a title game with 10 members or more. The proposed legislation still could be approved, but not before April.

Boston College apparently was set to join the ACC along with fellow Big East members Miami and Syracuse during the summer, but after Virginia Tech got into the mix, a last-minute vote switch kept the Eagles out.

The financial numbers with 11 members are troubling for the ACC, the national standard-bearer in per-member revenue distribution. In the fiscal year ending June30, 2002, the nine schools received an average of roughly $9.7 million apiece from pooled league resources. Without a championship football game, the league's revenues are not likely to expand substantially in 2004-05 or 2005-06, the final two seasons of the existing football television contracts. In those years, however, Miami and Virginia Tech are scheduled to receive a flat-rate payment of $6.25 million from the ACC pot.

If their presence doesn't produce considerable new money, their take would reduce the nine current members' shares by as much as $1.38 million in each of those years.

That's a small percentage of an overall athletics budget, which runs around $40 million at North Carolina and approaches $30 million at North Carolina State, for example. But it could be the difference between operating in the red and the black for several schools.

A football championship game would help with the bottom line, which brings the league back to BC. But it was unclear Friday whether a formal vote would be taken Sunday. The ACC's bylaws suggest that BC could get in with as few as six votes from the current membership. While the current expansion clause requires seven votes, the bylaws may be amended by a vote of six of the nine. In theory, a bloc of six could first amend the expansion clause, then vote to admit BC.

But that complicated process probably couldn't happen in one meeting. The ACC manual seems to compel any dissidents to give at least 15 days formal notice of their intention to change major bylaws.
 

Miami remains a defendant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference was dropped as a defendant Friday in a lawsuit by Big East schools over ACC expansion, but the legal battle appears far from over.

The ruling by Superior Court Samuel Sferrazza leaves the University of Miami as the lone defendant in a suit filed by four Big East schools accusing it of conspiring with the ACC to weaken the Big East.

"This lawsuit should never have been in court in the first place, in Connecticut or in any other state," ACC attorney D. Erik Albright said in a statement. "Conference expansion and institutional realignment is not a new concept, is not a creation of the ACC, and is not a one-sided proposition as implied by the plaintiffs in this case."

Miami and Virginia Tech, which are perennial powerhouses in football, are leaving the Big East after this academic year to join the ACC. The suit was filed by four football schools -- Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

Originally, Big East members Boston College and Syracuse were under consideration by the ACC, but the league chose Miami and Virginia Tech to expand the league to 11 schools. ACC school officials recently disputed rumors that Boston College could still be a possible 12th member, the number required to hold a conference football title game. A title game would bring in millions of dollars in extra television revenue.

The expansion has prompted the Big East to look elsewhere to rebuild its ranks. While Big East officials won't confirm their intention, earlier reports indicate the conference is in talks with Conference USA members, including Cincinnati and Louisville.

The judge ruled the North Carolina-based ACC did not have enough business dealings in Connecticut to warrant being sued in the state. The plaintiffs had used the ACC's relationship with Bristol-based ESPN as part of their argument to sue the conference. But the judge ruled that connection was "so tenuous and so peripheral to the activity of the ACC that the court holds that the plaintiffs have failed to prove that the ACC is or has been `doing business' in Connecticut."

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the Big East schools will pursue their case against the ACC in another court, through appeals or by suing individual ACC schools.

"The ACC is by no means absolved," Blumenthal said. "If all else fails, the ACC can be sued, and we believe successfully sued in North Carolina. They can't deny jurisdiction there. The ACC can run but it's cannot hide."

The suing Big East schools contend they have spent millions on their football programs based on presumed loyalty from schools they had been aligned with. UConn, for example, recently built a $90 million football stadium in anticipation of joining the Big East next year. The schools are seeking unspecified monetary damages. Blumenthal said the schools have no intention of dropping the fight.

"There is rock, solid unity behind continuing this action, even more vigorous than before," Blumenthal said. "Our determination should send a very powerful message to any school that may be lured away -- including BC."

The judge did determine that Miami, as a member of the Big East, shares in revenues from games and other events that take place at Connecticut and is eligible to be sued under the state's "long-arm" statute.

"We are not surprised that the Connecticut court chose not to grant our motion to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction," said a statement issued by the University of Miami. "We continue to believe the case is without merit."

Last month, Sferrazza heard arguments from both the ACC and Miami, which claimed the Connecticut court did have jurisdiction to hear the lawsuit.

Albright, the ACC's attorney, said all parties should move on and put the matter behind them.

"Competition between the ACC and Big East schools should be on the playing field rather than in the courtroom," Albright said.



 

Sources: ACC to discuss expansion again
Boston College would be specific topic of talks
RON GREEN JR.
Staff Writer

ACC presidents and chancellors are expected to hold a conference call possibly as early as next week to continue discussions about adding a 12th school to the league.

Sources said presidents and chancellors are expected to talk specifically about inviting Boston College, though it's uncertain if there is enough support among the leaders to move forward.

Boston College was a primary target last summer but was left out when presidents voted to add Virginia Tech and Miami. Boston College is likely to accept an invitation if it is offered, according to various reports.

For a 12th team to be added, seven of the nine current members must vote in favor of the expansion. When Boston College was originally discussed, N.C. State President Mary Anne Fox, Duke President Nan Keohane and North Carolina Chancellor James Moeser voted against the Eagles.

One of those schools would have to change its vote for a 12th team to be added.

Complicating the issue is uncertainty over the Big East Conference's plans. The league reportedly will increase the buyout fee for members wishing to change conferences from $1 million to -- some reports have said -- $5 million.

Big East presidents are scheduled to meet in early November, when expansion and buyout options will likely be discussed.

The ACC might be more willing now to add a 12th team to assure a conference football championship game. The league has been given no assurances from the NCAA that a title game will be allowed with only 11 members.

A title game, which would likely be played in Orlando, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla.; or Charlotte, could be worth about $10 million annually to the league.
 

Kelly back in Clemson's backfield
PETE IACOBELLI
Associated Press

CLEMSON, S.C. - Yusef Kelly never expected the journey back to Clemson's lineup would have so many twists or take so long.

"Sometimes, you really can't explain why people do things," said Kelly, the team's top rusher a year ago.

The last time Tiger fans saw Kelly in action, he was pounding South Carolina for 48 tough yards during a game-clinching drive that covered the final 6:32 of the Tigers 27-20 victory. And when coach Tommy Bowden concentrated on toughening up Clemson's running game during spring drills, Kelly - and many others - figured he would get a chance to shine.

Instead, Kelly has dealt with coaches' charges that he came to August camp overweight, and injuries to his groin and ribs that have limited him to one carry in five games. Off the field, Kelly spent time at home in Walterboro this summer to deal with personal issues he didn't want to discuss.

And then came the event that Kelly says matured him and convinced him to remain patient - the birth of his son, Aalijah Keshon Kelly on Sept. 19 in Atlanta. The next day against Georgia Tech, Kelly fumbled away his only carry and did not play again.

"That was a pretty big distraction," offensive coordinator Brad Scott said. "I wasn't worth a hoot the day after my sons were born, I can tell you that."

Still, Bowden and Kelly don't agree on why it has taken so long. Bowden said Tuesday the runner came in out of shape. "That's an indication of their commitment," Bowden said.

But Kelly says he was never given a specific target weight. Despite coming in 16 pounds over his playing weight of 226 from last year, Kelly said he was still strong, fast and effective. "I'm the type of person, no matter how much I weigh, I can run," he said.

The injuries, though, slowed his progress. As Clemson's running game sputtered, there was speculation Kelly was parked in Bowden's doghouse. Not so, the coach said. Kelly's injuries were legitimate and painful.

"Sometimes, if it's not a compound fracture of a bone sticking out with blood, the media has a hard time believing it," Bowden said.

Kelly likely won't start against No. 25 Virginia on Saturday, but should see plenty of carries at Death Valley. The Tigers are next-to-last in ACC rushing at 98 yards a game. If that stands, it would be Clemson's lowest average since 1938.

Kelly hopes to blend in well with backs Duane Coleman, Kyle Browning and Reggie Merriweather. "I don't think I'm going to come in and try and save the world," Kelly said. "But I'm definitely going to come in and try and do my part. Whatever it takes to win."

Kelly had several distractions to work through since last season. Offensive coordinator Scott said he talked often with Kelly. Scott says he was impressed with how Kelly handled himself.

Kelly knows where he got himself in trouble - missing "about half" the team's 20 voluntary summer workouts allowed by the NCAA. Now, Kelly is at 229 pounds, 13 fewer than August.

Everything, though, came into perspective when his child was born. "It made me realize there are more important things than football, so I just tuned it out," Kelly said. "And I've always been a team player. I wasn't selfish about it, so I didn't have to worry about anything."

An agile, powerful back like Kelly would surely help Clemson's attack, quarterback Charlie Whitehurst says.

"He's got the body for it," Whitehurst said. "He's an extremely powerful guy, fast guy, and he's great when he's got the ball in his hands."

Kelly says he's ready to put everything behind him. "Part of me feels like I did let the team down by coming into camp the way I did," Kelly said. "But the reality is, I wasn't able to work out and run this summer like I was supposed to."

Clemson hopes Kelly now runs like everyone knows he can.
 

Report says Boston College will join ACC
JOURNAL STAFF AND WIRE REPORT

The New York Times news service, citing an ACC university official that it did not name, reported last night that Boston College will agree to leave the Big East to become the 12th member of ACC when an official invitation is offered Sunday.

The presidents of the 11 ACC universities will hold a conference call Sunday to vote, the Times story said, and Boston College is expected to be overwhelmingly approved. Boston College will immediately accept, the university official said.

In June, Miami and Virginia Tech announced that they would leave the Big East for the ACC starting next season. With the addition of Boston College, the ACC will be in position to hold a football championship game worth an additional $10 million.

Spokesmen for Boston College and the Big East declined to comment. ACC officials could not be reached for comment.

The defection of Boston College would leave the Big East severely weakened and set the stage for more conference jumping. The Big East is pursuing four colleges from Conference USA, university officials from both conferences said.

Also yesterday, the ACC was dropped as a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Big East schools over ACC expansion yesterday in Hartford, Conn.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Samuel Sferrazza leaves only the University of Miami as the lone defendant in a suit filed by four Big East schools accusing it of conspiring with the ACC to weaken the Big East.

Miami and Virginia Tech are leaving the Big East after this academic year to join the ACC. The suit was filed by four schools - Connecticut, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

The judge ruled the ACC did not have enough business dealings in Connecticut to warrant being sued in the state. He found that Miami, as a member of the Big East, shares in revenues from games and other events that take place at Connecticut and is eligible to be sued under the state's 'long-arm' statute.

'We are not surprised that the Connecticut court chose not to grant our motion to dismiss the case for lack of jurisdiction,' said a statement issued by the University of Miami. 'We continue to believe the case is without merit.'

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the lawsuit will move forward. He said the Big East schools will pursue their case against the ACC in another court or through appeals.

'We have great confidence that, when all the facts are known, we will prevail and the court will act to help repair the great damage done to the Big East,' he said.
 

Cavs grew under Groh at Clemson
Win in'01 gave U.Va. confidence
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 11, 2003

The Al Groh era at the University of Virginia did not start auspiciously. In the Cavaliers' first game under their new coach, they lost 26-17 at Wisconsin on Aug. 25, 2001.

A week later, they edged Division I-AA Richmond 17-16 at Scott Stadium, "but I don't know if that really showed the players anything," Groh recalled this week.

The Sept. 11 attacks resulted in the postponement of Virginia's game with Penn State, but Groh's team traveled to Clemson on Sept. 22 for its first ACC team. The Tigers, ranked No. 19, were expected to win easily, but the unheralded Wahoos rallied for a stunning 26-24 victory on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Bryson Spinner to wideout Billy McMullen with 1 second remaining.

"It was a big win down there," said U.Va. offensive guard Elton Brown, who made his college debut that night. "I know they're still thinking about it."

Before that game, U.Va. had won only twice at Clemson. The Cavaliers rallied to beat the Tigers at Scott Stadium last season and today can post a third straight win for the first time in a series that began in 1955.

The 2001 victory over the Tigers "basically started what we're trying to build around here - a winning program," Brown said. "It did a lot for this program's confidence."

That win, Groh said, might have helped convince the players that their coaches "do have a plan after all."

There weren't many other highlights in Groh's first season, as Virginia finished 5-7. But the Cavaliers went 9-5 in 2002 - a season capped by a rout of West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl - and they're ranked 25th heading into today's game with Clemson (1-1, 3-2) at Memorial Stadium. The Cavaliers (3-0, 4-1) will take on a team with a hobbled quarterback - sophomore Charlie Whitehurst hurt his left foot at Maryland last weekend - and an ailing running game. But the Tigers have an athletic defense and perhaps the ACC's finest corps of receivers, led by senior Kevin Youngblood and juniors Airese Currie and Derrick Hamilton.

Youngblood is 6-5, and Hamilton is 6-4. Currie is one of the ACC's fastest players. They've combined to catch 83 passes for 1,122 yards and seven touchdowns this season in Clemson's spread offense.

"The three wide receivers are quite a trio," Groh said.

Since upsetting No. 9 Georgia Tech in overtime Sept. 29, 2001, Clemson has lost eight straight to teams ranked in The Associated Press poll at game time. As if that's not motivation enough for the Tigers, they've dropped six of their past nine meetings with U.Va. after winning the first 29 games in the series.

"No one likes to lose to anybody," Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub said, "but especially when a team dominates a series for so long and then the tide turns a little bit. . . . They're definitely going to be out to get us this year."

Virginia comes in as the ACC's top rushing team, averaging 184.2 yards on the ground. Sophomore tailback Wali Lundy (102.4) is the only ACC player averaging more than 79 yards rushing.

Clemson, which under former coach Danny Ford was renowned for its powerful running game, ranks eighth (98.0), ahead of only winless North Carolina (97.2). In the Tigers' loss at Maryland, they netted a mere 10 yards on the ground.

"We would like more running yardage, no doubt about it," said Tommy Bowden, Clemson's embattled coach.

The Cavaliers return home next weekend to meet fifth-ranked Florida State (4-0, 5-0). That game could be for first place in the ACC, but only if Virginia wins today.

"We're going to have to play better than we did last week [against North Carolina]," Groh said, "simply because the level of competition is stepping up."
 

ACC's interest seems focused on Eagles
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 11, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The ACC's Council of Presidents reportedly is scheduled to meet by teleconference, perhaps as early as this weekend, to discuss the possibility of adding Boston College as a 12th member.

That may well be true, but Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said he hadn't heard anything to that effect from his boss at the University of Virginia, President John Casteen, as of late yesterday morning.

Littlepage said he hasn't discussed Boston College - or other candidates to become the ACC's 12 member - with Casteen recently.

"We have had maybe two or three brief conversations," Littlepage said, "but we never did talk about Boston College specifically or the move to 12. It was just in the most general of terms related to last week's meeting and scheduling. We have not taken that next step at all."

Virginia Tech and Miami (Fla.) will join the ACC in July, giving it 11 members. Officials from each of those 11, including the athletic directors, met Sept.30 and Oct.1 at U.Va. to discuss scheduling for the 2004-05 and 2005-06 school years.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the ACC's Council of Presidents spoke by teleconference last weekend to discuss Boston College and would do so again tomorrow. The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., however, reported yesterday that the offices of the chancellors at N.C. State and North Carolina - Marye Anne Fox and James Moeser, respectively - said Thursday that no ACC teleconferences were scheduled.

Sources said Boston College would accept if an invitation from the ACC were forthcoming in the near future. Officials from Big East schools are scheduled to meet Nov. 4 to discuss the future of that conference, and an increase in its exit fee is likely. Miami and Virginia Tech will pay the Big East $1 million apiece when they leave next year.

During the ACC's first round of expansion, Duke, UNC and N.C. State voted against inviting Boston College. Seven affirmative votes are needed for a school to be offered membership. Miami and Virginia Tech do not become voting members of the ACC until next summer.

Littlepage said he believes BC would "offer a great deal" to the ACC, as would, he added, other schools. U.Va.'s president has declined to speak publicly about his position on further expansion, but Littlepage said that, generally speaking, "John Casteen has been supportive of the idea of expansion and also supportive of the concept of the championship game [for football] and what it might take for us to get to a championship game, whether by the legislative route or consideration of a 12th member at the appropriate time."

Under NCAA rules, to stage a championship game in football, a conference must have 12 members. The ACC has asked to NCAA to lower the requirement to 10 members, but Littlepage and others believe that request is likely to be denied.