Notre Dame to join ACC in July

After last week's big news about the "Catholic 7" leaving the Big East, it was only a matter of time before we heard more big news from the Big East. Notre Dame will join Pitt and Syracuse for new teams to the ACC from the Big East. All of them have also been able to reach agreements to join early. They will officially be an ACC team on July 1st. Further details have not yet been announce, but regardless this is exciting news!

Notre Dame made its ACC announcement last September. This will include all sports except for football and hockey, where football has a "five ACC games per season" deal. Now, losing Maryland and gaining three Big East teams, the ACC will increase their total to 14 teams.

While this is quite unfortunate for the Big East, who has seen a slew of teams leaving over the past while, the ACC happily greets Notre Dame with open arms. Their strong football and basketball presence will be very exciting for ACC fans.

In my opinion, it will only be a matter of time before players want to play in an ACC Championship that they could be very competitive in every year. I see them joining the ACC for football soon. While their addition will add a tough game for many football teams each season, the addition of all three will increase the rigor of the basketball schedule for all teams. Now you are looking at arguably 8 or 9 teams that deserve to dance in March.

What do y'all think? How likely is Notre Dame to join for football soon? What does the addition of Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Pitt mean for the ACC basketball season? Can our team compete with traditionally strong teams such as these?

EDIT- ADDITION:

- Comment from ACC Commissioner John Swofford:

“Our conference, schools and fans are delighted that Notre Dame will join the ACC on July 1, 2013. The addition of Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse, followed by Louisville in 2014, positions us extremely well with an outstanding collection of 15 member institutions.”

“As was previously announced, our annual five games against Notre Dame in football will begin with the 2014 season. This not only will enhance our league’s already ambitious football schedules but also will provide terrific fan excitement.”

“From a basketball perspective, the level of competition will be second to none. As we look towards the future, there’s no denying that ACC Basketball will continue to set even higher standards of excitement and excellence. The competition will be brutal, which is a great thing for our league and fans.”

- Comment from Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame Vice President and Director of Athletics:

“Notre Dame now looks forward with great anticipation to becoming a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. We are thrilled to join a great group of institutions who share our commitment to the integration of athletics into the academic mission of the university. Our coaches and student-athletes across our athletic programs are truly excited about the new challenges ahead.”