Big East in a big state of flux

THE 14 Big East presidents and chancellors conducted a conference call last night, and, as expected, voted to raise the exit fee for football schools from $5 million to $10 million.

That would appear to clear the way for the conference to start offering invitations to put together its desired 12-team football expansion model.

Commissioner John Marinatto has scheduled cheap jerseys a teleconference for this afternoon to discuss the situation.

But the developing story has taken another turn. Missouri is strongly considering leaving the Big 12 for the SEC. That has led nfl jerseys cheapmany to speculate that Louisville, one of the six remaining Big East football schools, could be headed to the Big 12. Some have even suggested that if the Big 12 looks to go back to a dozen teams instead of 10, West Virginia could also be in the mix.

That, of course, wouldn't be good news fonhl jerseys cheapr the future of the Big East. Since the end of the summer, the conference has lost Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the Atlantic Coast Conference and TCU to the Big 12 before it ever played a Big East game.

Sources have said the conference wants to add Central Florida, Houston and SMU for all sports, and Boise State, Air Force and Navy cheap jerseys from china for football only. Boise is obviously the key, at least as far as possible BCS ramifications are concerned.

Some candidates, such as Navy, have expressed concerns about joining anything until they know exactly what it is they're buying into. One of the issues they fear is the possibility of more defections. Connecticut already said it wouldn't mind being in the ACC, as well.

Temple was seeking to join for all sports, but sources said Villanova voiced its opposition to protect its Big East presence in Philadelphia. Apparently, that position gained enough support from the other basketball schools to block it. Sources indicated that Villanova was willing to accept Temple coming in for football only.

Villanova, which has competed in the conference for most sports for three decades, was left at the altar in April when it wasn't allowed to vote to move up from the FCS level for football. And it wasn't included in this projected football model because the conference was more interested in programs already up and running at FBS.

Now, who knows what will happen? If possibilities keep dropping out of the equation, Temple figures to eventually fit in because there are only so many viable options. If indeed there's actually a viable football conference left to fit into.

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