Just reflexively, the idea of the ACC joining with the Big East to make a powerhouse league organized around football seems repulsive, and putting the ACC and Big East together in basketball just seems like a dumb idea, not least of all because the cultures are so markedly different. And why should the ACC bail out Big East football? But who knows - stranger things have happened.
There is an important note in this article though, that we hadn't seen before: apparently the current Big East schools signed a deal to stay together for five years after the ACC raid, which means that anyone could leave after this year. So again, if the long-term effect of the ACC raid would be to help the Big East implode, why not just let them do it? Why make a deal with a conference which may be in a weaker position than just about anyone realized?
