Coach: Syracuse Should Be Part of UConn's Decision

Coach Paul Pasqualoni said it should be a "big factor."

It appears that UConn’s new football coach wants to be in the Atlantic Coast Conference after Syracuse has been accepted in the powerhouse conference.

Paul Pasqualoni told the Associated Press that maintaining the school's rivalry, Syracuse, should be a "big factor" in UConn's decision on whether to try and join the Orange in leaving the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

By now, it’s well known that the ACC voted over the weekend to add Syracuse and Pittsburgh.

Pasqualoni said he has not talked to UConn President Susan Herbst or other administration officials about the conference shakeup since Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they are leaving.

"UConn is a proud charter member of the BIG EAST and we have taken a lead role in the league’s success over the years. However, it is my responsibility as President that we stay in constant communication and be actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university’s athletic program,” Herbst said in a statement released over the weekend. “ The truth is that our teams will play competitive athletics at the highest level of excellence, wherever things land, and our central goals will be academic success and compliance, always.”

He said the remaining Big East teams, with the addition of TCU, and perhaps some other Midwestern schools would still make "a heck of a conference."

UConn's new athletic director, Paul Pendergast, is scheduled to start work on Oct. 1. But Pasqualoni says the speed things are moving, he doesn't believe UConn can wait that long to move on the issue.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us