Pittsburgh and Syracuse, once flagship programs of the Big East, have been accepted as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, extending the league's current membership to 14 schools, the ACC announced on Sunday morning.

The exact date for the move remains uncertain, as Big East bylaws require schools to pay a $5 million exit fee and give 27 months notice before leaving. ACC commissioner John Swofford said the league "fully respects" the bylaws of the Big East, but Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg said the Big East provides options for withdrawal.

"I would think that in the weeks ahead everyone will be looking at the transition period and trying to determine whether the 27-month notice period really serves everyone's best interest or whether there should be some modification to it," Nordenberg said. "It was important to us that commissioner Swofford made clear right from the start the ACC would be comfortable with waiting for that period of time if that is the way that things unfold."

The ACC's preemptive move comes in the wake of uncertainty across the collegiate landscape, as Texas and Oklahoma are expected to meet on Monday to discuss their futures in the Big 12, and Texas A&M is still trying to work its way into the SEC.

And Connecticut is aggressively pursuing membership in the ACC to become its 15th or 16th member, a source with direct knowledge of UConn's situation told ESPN on Sunday.

There also have been reports linking Texas to the ACC, a move that could include Texas Tech. Other reports indicated another Big East team -- Rutgers -- could be under consideration by the ACC.

"UConn is a proud charter member of the Big East and we have taken a lead role in the league's success over the years," Connecticut president Susan Herbst said in a statement. "However, it is my responsibility as president that we stay in constant communication and be actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program."

Considering the questions that still remain throughout the rest of the BCS conferences, Swofford said the ACC has not ruled out increasing membership to 16 teams. Swofford declined to elaborate on what other schools have approached the conference about potential membership, but that he would likely continue talking to them, "probably, to some degree."

"We're very comfortable with this 14," Swofford said. "The only thing I would add to that is we are not philosophically opposed to 16. But for now we're very pleased with this 14. We think it's an excellent group."

It's the second time the ACC has gone through expansion, but this time around was much smoother and agreeable for the teams involved. Virginia Tech and Miami joined the ACC in July 2004, and Boston College joined a year later.

"I think it has to do with the fact that simply put, everybody was on the same page as to what's best for our conference going forward and everybody was on the same page in terms of these two institutions and what terrific additions they would be to the ACC in multiple ways," Swofford said, "and the fact that quite frankly, we've got a much better process right now than we had before. From an internal standpoint, it worked absolutely beautifully and that's a credit to the people around the table."