Rumors of Pitt to the Big Ten are premature

Well, that was quick. There was speculation earlier today that the Pittsburgh Panthers would bolt the Big East in order to join the Big Ten conference. In only a few hours those rumors have been called premature.

Pitt officials are denying these reports and Pitt spokesman Mike Gladysz told SNY.TV that “[t]here is no announcement to make because there is nothing happening.”

Thas also popped up on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

"I’ve spoken with countless people at Pitt about this situation — and mostly because I am getting bombarded with e-mails, voicemails, text messages and every other form of communication about it not because I believe any of it — over the last few days and this is the message I’ve gotten loud and clear — There is no announcement planned (the phrases “total fabrication” and “absolutely 100 percent false” and “there is absolutely nothing to these rumors, nothing at all” have been used on more than one occassion[sic]) because there is nothing to this whole ‘Pitt to the Big Ten’ stuff. At least not right now and not in the near future. And to take it one step further, there have been no formal discussions (and I’ve been told there haven’t even been any informal discussions between Pitt and the Big Ten, in other words, there have been no discussions at all) between Pitt and the Big Ten and all of these rumors are just that. In other words, it isn’t going to happen any time soon, if ever, because the process hasn’t even begun. And it may never begin, though at some point it could."

So while it looks like the move could be happening, it won’t be anytime soon.