It looks like the speculation about Cincinnati’s place in the ACC pecking order has been confirmed. Per a source working with ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, UC along with UConn are the schools sitting on the cusp of an invitation:
"Sources said the clause was put in to protect NBC Sports Network because Connecticut and Cincinnati are “next in line,” sources said, to move to the ACC if it loses any more members to the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12."
It’s been pretty obvious to anyone with a pulse that Cincinnati and Connecticut were the most likely schools to receive ACC invitations should the conference lose any more teams. But that was merely heresay with a coating of logic. We’ve never had any semblance of hard evidence to support that claim. Until now. That quote above essentially proves our theories to be true and it’s exciting to read.
Now we can rest assured that the Bearcats will have a soft landing spot if and when the conference realignment engine starts up again. As I’ve been yammering about for months, keep an eye on Maryland and how they handle the $50 million ACC exit fee. When they figure out a means of paying for it, look for the Big Ten, Big XII, and probably SEC to inquire about Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia, and North Carolina among others. As always, Bearcat fans, continue to play the waiting game. Cincinnati will win it in the end.