Internet reports that Pittsburgh is moving to the Big 10 from the Big East are “100 percent’ false, according to multiple sources within the Pittsburgh athletic department.
E.J. Borghetti, Pitt’s associate AD for media relations, said this on his Twitter feed: “Now hear this: rumors on Internet message boards should be read for amusement purposes only, and not consumed as responsible journalism.”
Another Pitt spokesman added: “It’s a total rumor. There is no truth to it. I am 100 percent sure.”
A spokesman for the Big 10 Conference said the league had no additional comment.
One Internet report had Pitt going to the Big 10 with a press conference on Thursday.
The Big 10 is seeking to add a 12th team and some Pittsburgh writers have argued that Pitt would be a natural geographic fit and would form a natural rivalry with Penn State.
Rutgers has also been mentioned as a possible 12th team for the Big 10.
With a 12th team, the conference could host a football championship game early in December, something it is now lacking.
“Everybody else is playing playoffs on television,” Penn State football coach Joe Paterno told ESPN.com last May. “You never see a Big Ten team mentioned. So I think that’s a handicap.
“I’ve tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, ‘Let’s get a 12th team — Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt — we could have a little bit of a playoff.'”
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter.
psuglenn / April 19, 2010
I think you can get those rumors going again. Penn State and Pitt could be in the Big 10 and a lot of Penn State fans would like it.
/