Is Pitt joining the Big Ten?

Over the weekend, rumors swirled that the University of Pittsburgh was going to be the 12th team in the Big Ten. It even went as far as student athletes at Pitt posting on their facebook and twitter.

Though, there hasn’t been any corroboration, the rumors have been strong enough for sportscaster Ben Maller to post this on his website:

University of Pittsburgh athletics are moving to the Big 10 conference, according to sources close to the school.

Some athletes were informed of the move over the weekend, a little birdie tells me. This move sets up the natural rivalry with Penn State who joined the conference in 1990. It also gives the Big 10 another east coast presence.

Pitt will become the 12th school in the Big 10, with an official announcement expected by Thursday.

We don’t know Maller’s sources but we were emailed something similar on Saturday night (That an announcement would be made on February 4th).

All rumors aside, its an interesting addition for the Big Ten. Many, including myself believed they would try to grab Missouri or even a team from the New York market (Syracuse, Rutgers) for Tv revenue purposes.

Academically, Pitt makes sense for a conference that has 11 schools in the top 75 according to US News and World Report. Athletically, Pitt is a natural rival to in-state school Penn State and the basketball team has done well under Jamie Dixon.

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