Report: Big East expansion announcement Wednesday

[Bcatswin]

According to multiple media sources including the New Jersey Star-Ledger and Boston Globe, the Big East will add Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, Central Florida and SMU on Wednesday.

Tom Luicci of the Star Ledger says the goal is to get those schools added in time for the 2013 season, with Air Force and Navy expected to join later.

Luicci says Big East commissioner John Marinatto has stated that league plans are to get to 12 teams with two six-team divisions for football.

Under those plans, Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, SMU, Air Force and, possibly, Louisville would form the West Division. Rutgers, Connecticut, Cincinnati, South Florida, UCF and Navy would comprise the East.

Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe says the move to join the Big East by Boise State and Houston accelerated this weekend when both schools (combined record of 22-2) were not chosen as at-large teams because they did not come from a conference which had automatic qualifying status.

[letsgo]

LOL, this is becoming a joke. Are they all in for basketball as well?

[Dkid]

LOL, this is becoming a joke. Are they all in for basketball as well?

i believe its strictly football.

[Emily_Haines]

stupid having teams that far west in a big east conference

those basketball teams are really going to like those 3000 mile trips on short rest

[Bcatswin]

[Bcatswin]

Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, SMU and UCF will join the Big East Conference in 2013, sources told CBSSports.com.

The announcement is expected to be made on Wednesday. Realignment map: The new Big East

Boise State and San Diego State will join the Big East as football-only members, while Houston, SMU and UCF will join as all-sport members.

With the addition of those five schools - minus the departures of West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse - the Big East will have 10 football members.

With those five schools on board, Navy is expected to join as a football-only member - possibly as soon as next week - to boost the football membership to 11 schools.

The Big East hopes to add Air Force as its 12th football school - as a football-only member - but the Falcons still remain undecided.

If the Big East can not get Air Force, Temple would be a likely candidate to become the Big East's 12th member.

Even with the new schools, sources also told CBSSports.com that the Big East still plans to make West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh honor the league's 27-month exit requirement and stay in the league until June 30, 2014. Big East commissioner John Marinatto has said previously the league could have more than 12 football members and 16 basketball members during the 2013 season.

However, West Virginia AD Oliver Luck told CBSSports.com two weeks ago the Mountaineers are planning to join the Big 12 next season.

"We're planning on all sports spending the 2012-13 academic year in the Big 12," Luck said. "The Big 12 folks haven't given us a [deadline] date. We're 100 percent focused on competing in the Big 12 and with this season closing, have time to prepare for next year.
"Our coaches are starting to think about Kansas State, Oklahoma and Texas and all the other schools we'll be facing in the Big 12 next year."

Both West Virginia and the Big East have filed lawsuits. West Virginia claims it should not have to honor the 27-month commitment, while the Big East contends West Virginia may not leave before 2014.

Syracuse and Pittsburgh have not filed a lawsuit to join the ACC early, but are monitoring the West Virginia situation. If WVU leaves before 2014, Syracuse and Pittsburgh would do the same, sources said.

[milwaukee mike]

boise st and san diego st will be football only

houston smu ucf will be hoops also

[milwaukee mike]

well bcats, marquette and cincinnati's life just got easier in basketball

[gshock1]

They need to rename the conference

[Bcatswin]

Yes it did Mike, although can't really see ESPN having Big Monday in the Big East anymore

[letsgo]

Coast to Coast Conference.

[Bcatswin]

Coast to Coast Conference.

They said they will keep the same name Weird Big East will now cover 4 time zones.

[milwaukee mike]

Yes it did Mike, although can't really see ESPN having Big Monday in the Big East anymore

espn is the reason for alignment, they got mad when big east rejected their tv deal and got syr/pitt to move. Espn won't have big east from what I know

[Wrecktangle]

They need to rename the conference

Big Sea-to-Shining-Sea Conf.

[suicidekings]

Great move by Boise, stepping into an AQ conference.

The Big East might be a mess right now, but give it 3-4 years and it will stabilize.

[texhooper]

Great move by Boise, stepping into an AQ conference.

The Big East might be a mess right now, but give it 3-4 years and it will stabilize.

the big east is a rotten shithole of a football conference. they expanded 6 or 7 years ago and they're still a mess. i think they will keep trying to shuffle things around for the remainder of our lifetimes. houston will step back when summerlin leaves, in the instance that jones can get smu to prominence he'll probably take a better job, san diego state isn't that good as it is, boise is a good addition but they will still cry like babies all the time because even though they're in the big east, it's still the f***ing big east, and who really gives a shit if you beat uconn or south florida, etc etc.

the big east is the only conference that has actively recruited shitty programs throughout the last 10 years. it's like joining lambda lambda lambda.

[Louisvillekid1]

WTF dude, we gotta get out of this mess....

I don't understand why were not already in the BIG 12 with all the money we bring in....

Traveling alone can ruin a season....

[BriGuy]

Nice to see that great east coast city, San Diego, finally getting recognized! :rofl:

[UNCGQ]

Luicci says Big East commissioner John Marinatto has stated that the league will continue to be a conference with honest-to-God football teams. The teams in question may eventually stretch across three continents, seven time zones and include some Texas Pop Warner football leagues, but it WILL retain it's BCS Automatic Qualifier status until the conference's last dying breath.

Mark Blaudschun of the Boston Globe says the move to join the Big East by Boise State and Houston is yet another act of desperation by teams who simply can't close the door on perfect seasons and are left out of the big dance like the chubby awkward kid at your senior prom.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto denies rumors that the Big East is considering a name change to "Conference Lazarus:Back from the Dead".

...

[seaborneq]

New name. The Big East to West Conference.

[McBa1n]

Big East should just give up on football and pull in the hoop-only schools like Nova, Providence, St Johns, Marquette and maybe pull in some schools like Xavier.
With 3 bigtime programs leaving, UConn is going to have to move, same with Rutgers and Cinci, amongst others. Damn it sucks. College foots f's everything up.

Big East tourney, the #1 tourney every year, is not going to be nearly as good.