Big East To Add Five Schools
Added on Dec 07, 2011 by Scott in
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The rapidly dissolving Big East has reportedly recruited five additional schools to replenish its diminishing football ranks. Boise State, Houston, San Diego State, SMU and UCF are set to be formally introduced into the league sometime this week. The additional schools would raise the conference’s football members from five to ten, thus saving them for at least the foreseeable future.
Boise State and San Diego State will play football only, while the other three intend to participate in all sports. There are also rumors that both Navy and Air Force could be added as football members, although according to ESPN, their entrance will be delayed for up to three years.
The Big East faced a cloudy future in regards to football after watching Syracuse, Pitt, West Virginia and TCU jump ship in recent months. The addition of Houston and Boise State will definitely boost the conference’s pigskin profile; both finished in the Top 20 in the final BCS standings.
The hope is by bringing aboard a couple of football powerhouses, the conference can maintain its automatic bid into the BCS. The Broncos hope this is the case as well, considering they have been denied entrance into the BCS in four of the last six years, despite totaling only six losses. In their two BCS appearances, they notched victories over Oklahoma and TCU.
The Aztecs are no slouches in football either, having qualified for bowl games in 2010 and 2011. SMU will play in a third straight bowl game when they face Pitt in the BBVA Compass Bowl on January 7. UCF failed to receive a bowl invite this season, but did defeat Georgia in the 2010 Liberty Bowl.
The future of the Big East as a viable football conference is still in doubt. UConn, Rutgers and Louisville have hinted at moving elsewhere and with the current college landscape in a state of flux, it’s reasonable to assume one or all three schools could relocate down the road. But as of today, the conference looks stable.
Source: ESPN.com
