Big East looks to expand

[Mama_Bull]

Big East looks to expand

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/football/big_east_looks_to_expand_bVIhWzOrP6cZkQQWeyjmWM

[South_Florida_Flip]

I'd be interested to see how many teams the league would want to add.

Reading between the lines of that article would lead me to believe that Villanova and TCU would be the top 2 targets.

[Jihme]

i wonder if the BE makes any moves then will we see some non-football schools go another direction?

[Danm1983]

There was a NY Post article that said the possibility of the football members splitting off was a possibility, but it was only one sentence.

I say there is a 98% chance nothing conclusive comes out of this "meeting". Adding Villanova would surely weaken the Big East, but it would at least give the football schools a swing vote and make it 9-7 and able to start adding 3 more teams. The fact that the hoops schools don't want more than 16 - and also don't want to boot any of their own out - is a testament that methinks the football schools really will break off.

Oh, and IB five page debate on who else to add

[South_Florida_Flip]

Adding Villanova would surely weaken the Big East

You cannot say that with any certainty. They'll be given the chance to acclimate themselves to Division 1 A football the same way UConn did.

[smazza]

please no villanova

and no ftu.ou.oc unless usf gets a brand new on campus stadium

they would have a distinct recruiting advantage over usf

[Danm1983]

Adding Villanova would surely weaken the Big East

You cannot say that with any certainty. They'll be given the chance to acclimate themselves to Division 1 A football the same way UConn did.

I'm actually on board with them coming, but the timing of them coming now is not great unless we are adding other teams. The good part about adding VU is that if they accept, they won't be added until 2014 probably, and they'll also surely have an "independent" year where they may play 4 or 5 BE teams and some other teams in order to ramp up recruiting and exposure on the FBS level. I only hope that by then the rest of the BE has has a few more good years in order to keep the rampant skepticism away. Luckily, even if VU comes in 2013 or 2014, the BE (barring horrible 2011 and 2012 seasons and OOC/bowl records) will maintain it's automatic BCS status for the next go around.

[NewEnglandBull]

Please no UCif. East Carolina, Nova, and TCU should be in.

[813knight]

Please no UCif. East Carolina, Nova, and TCU should be in.

ECU wasn't mentioned, they don't have the market or academics

[Costa]

I think the first two offers that they give out should be to tcu and houston as well. I think that is a strong market and expands the conference viewership, while adding teams with some history and tradition that can compete.