Pitt fans can get ready for a basketball rivalry with Maryland and a renewal of the old Big East Conference football rivalries with Virginia Tech and Miami. Those are two of the highlights of the future scheduling formats the Atlantic Coast Conference approved Friday at its annual winter meetings. (Today)

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced scheduling formats which will be used when Pitt and Syracuse join the conference. (Yesterday)

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon had been fond of saying the past few years that the Big East Conference was the best conference in college basketball. He had even gone as far to say on a few occasions that it was the best conference in college basketball history. The Big East is not getting such high praise this season, from Dixon or anyone else. The conference that produced three No. (Yesterday)

His first game is still seven months away, but Pitt coach Paul Chryst cleared his first major hurdle Wednesday when 16 high school seniors signed national letters of intent to play for the Panthers next season. For the second season in a row, Pitt had to hold a recruiting class together through a postseason coaching change. Chryst was hired Dec. (02/02/2012)

Alabama's recruiting is going the same way as the team's fortunes on the field. The Crimson Tide keeps ending up No. 1. Coach Nick Saban put together another stellar recruiting class that is ranked No. 1 in the country by most scouting services and recruiting gurus. Rivals.com ranked Alabama's class of 27 players No. 1 for the fourth time in five years. (02/02/2012)