The affiliation will begin with the 1995-96 academic year. Joining the Hokies to form a new 12-team alignment will be Dayton and LaSalle. Holdover schools in the Atlantic 10 are Duquesne, George Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, St. Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, and Temple. Xavier of Ohio and Fordham recently joined the conference. Rutgers and West Virginia, two of Virginia Tech's football rivals, are withdrawing from the Atlantic 10 after this season for full membership in the Big East Conference.
Tech is a member of the Big East for football only.
The Atlantic 10 sponsors 18 varsity sports. In addition to men's and women's basketball, Tech will participate in men's baseball, women's volleyball, men's golf, and men's and women's cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis, and indoor track. The new Atlantic 10 will be divided into two six-team divisions. In men's and women's basketball, Tech will play a 16-game conference schedule, facing each school in its division twice and each school in the other division once. Tech thus will be able to schedule 10 non-conference games in the two sports.