Now we hear from the Bearcats on realignment. The athletic department sent out an email with information on realignment. Cincinnati president Dr. Gregory Williams said in part:
I am optimistic the University of Cincinnati will not only remain relevant in the major college football landscape but will also be a strong and committed partner to whatever grouping of schools with which we align. While these are indeed challenging times as several major conferences experience shifts, the University of Cincinnati has a strong athletics program as well as highly respected academic programs, and both are tremendous assets that will serve UC very well as the changing landscape is negotiated.
Our preference as an institution is to remain with the Big East Conference. I believe that the Big East is the conference best suited to our student-athletes' needs and our university's future goals and aspirations. We are not seeking to jump to another conference. At the same time, I do want to assure our Bearcat fans and our university community that UC is not sitting on the sidelines but is and has been working on this proactively to find the best scenario to fit our needs.