“Nothing’s changed on our end,” athletic director R.C. Johnson told the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The newspaper also claimed that the Big East’s interest could be for basketball-only, which would likely be an unfavorable situation for Memphis. The Tiger’s football program might have a difficult time finding a new home if it were not invited to come along.

Things became less clear when Jon Wilner of the Mercury News reported that his sources have suggested that Air Force is now likely to join Navy in the Big East. If the Big East plans to halt this round of expansion with a 12-team league, these rumors would certainly conflict. Then again, the Big East could be talking to multiple schools about becoming the 12th football member.

Memphis does provide benefits to the Big East, however. As an all-sports member, they would bring one of the best basketball brands from outside the power conferences and a program that runs and is funded just like the top programs of the Big East. They’d also provide an all-sports buffer to soften the blow of any potential future departures. Memphis also happens to be an easy sell to the basketball interests in the conference and a great ticket to bring into town for everyone.

The Air Force Academy would bring a notable national brand in football-only, they’d bring their long-time rivalry with the Naval Academy into conference play (and ease up Navy’s non-conference scheduling). They’d also add another football team in the west to help fill out that division geographically.

Didn’t Air Force already decline?

It was previously reported that Air Force had decided not to join the Big East conference and to remain in the Mountain West and/or its amalgamation with Conference-USA. Things have changed since then, however, and the Conference-USA talk went from a football-only combination to a potential all-sports merger.

Furthermore, Navy finally pulled the trigger on joining the Big East (as of the 2015 football season). When they did, it created a tough situation for their non-conference scheduling — Navy would have 8 conference games, Notre Dame, Army and Air Force on their schedule every season, leaving just one slot. Navy head coach Ken Niumtalolo suggested that if push game to shove, they might be willing to drop their rivalry with Air Force.

Changing scenarios might leave Air Force more bullish on the Big East or bearish on staying put.

Which rumor is wrong?

It’s tough to guess at this point. Both reporters have some level of credibility, but neither has named their sources. Either option would make some degree of sense, however.

It is also possible that both schools could be on their way to joining the league. The Big East isn’t afraid of adding basketball schools and was set to have 17 members in that sport when they invited TCU (now joining the Big XII). Plus, with Navy putting off membership until 2015, the Big East might not be able to host a potentially-lucrative football championship game in 2013 or 2014 unless they add two more members (than currently expected) in 2013.

The Big East hadn’t ruled out a 14-member football conference, and may even be likely to go to that configuration (or bigger) in the future. If both Memphis and Air Force joined, expect that both would play football in a “west” division while Memphis would participate with the rest of the league in other sports. One additional school would have to be added, but Memphis’ location would allow some flexibility in the selection. A 14th member could theoretically come from anywhere in the country, and the Big East would have plenty of time to choose, since they wouldn’t need that member to join until 2015.

2015… that sounds familiar…

Of course, 2015 is also the football season that has been pegged by Villanova administrators as the soonest that they would or could join the Big East conference after a transition to FBS. That is based on a three-year transition period that is preferred by Villanova over the minimum two-year period that the NCAA has set as a minimum.

The longer Villanova waits, however, the further that period will have to be pushed back. Though, if invited soon, it still seems plausible that Villanova could plan to be ready for Big East football in 2015 and they could plausibly join alongside Navy at that time.

The Big East kind of left Villanova hanging when the expansion drama heated up this fall. There hasn’t been much action on that end, as the football schools and Big East office scramble to realign at lightning speed. Villanova has internally been working on some plans related to the football program and would still like to sit down with the Big East and hammer out a plan for football.

As of the writing of this post, VUhoops is not aware of any news regarding Villanova and Big East football.

Can Boise State be West Virginia?

The other cog to this story is that there are now reports, coming from the same reporter who suggested that Air Force might be close to joining the Big East, that the Big East is “pressuring” Boise State to join in the fall. Having Boise come in for the 2012 football season would allow the Big East to avoid the scheduling horrors of trying to fill an extra open date on every school’s schedule when WVU ultimately joins the Big 12.

It does appear that WVU will not be a part of the Big East in fall at this point, and the major matter of contention will be over what the school will owe to the conference for their trouble.

It is believed that Boise State can withdraw from the Mountain West on short notice under their bylaws by paying a significantly-larger fee to the conference. The Big East would likely ask that West Virginia or the Big 12 would pay that amount in addition to any other damages, so the lawsuit seems to make an early exit for Boise State more feasible.

It is also rumored that the Conference USA bylaws have special provisions for the withdrawal of founding members. Houston is considered a founding member, but may or may not be able to take advantage of the bylaws protection now that their withdrawal papers have already been submitted. One such consideration in those bylaws is that founding members have a decreased exit penalty when giving a year’s notice to the conference.

Another (and this is completely unconfirmed) is that they may be able to withdraw with less than a year’s notice, for an increased, but still manageable, fee. If that provision exists and Houston isn’t able to take advantage to join in the fall under that provision due to some technicality, all hope would not be lost, however.

Another founding member of Conference-USA? Memphis.

To make matters worse for the Big East, the report noted that Louisville would be the “slam dunk” choice to be the 11th team invited. Louisville was passed over by the conference in favor of West Virginia a few months ago when they needed to add a 10th member to replace Missouri. The Big 12 would also give consideration to Brigham Young university as part of any expansion.

That conference has had difficulty deciding on a final number of teams, with some interest groups preferring a 12 team model and others (Texas) preferring to hold steady with 10 members.

The 10-team model appears to be winning the day, despite the conference office leaving the door open to expand again in the future.

“I don’t anticipate there’s going to be a movement off 10,” interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas told Lubbock radio station Double-T 104.3 FM. “It could happen down the road, but we definitely won’t be beyond 10 for 2012-2013 and there is strong feeling within the membership that 10 provides the opportunity for round-robin in football and you play everyone in basketball twice …

“That seems to be appealing to the conference members. To go beyond that will take a lot of research and hard thinking.”

A potential crisis, seemingly averted.

The power of litigation

The Big 12 may be unwilling to rock the boat in hopes that the Big East and West Virginia will reach a settlement agreement that has been rumored to be in discussion. They have plans to announce their 2012 football schedule on February 1, in order to meet requirements to their television partners. They also need to have a 10th member to comply with those agreements.

There are rumors that have been mentioned by media sources that the Big East and WVU may be near a settlement agreement.

If the Big 12 were to further raid the Big East membership it could jeopardize any willingness that the conference may have to settle it’s legal dispute with West Virginia. In fact, there is still a chance that the Big East could amend it’s pleadings to make the Big 12 a defendant in that case as well.

If West Virginia’s exit costs are greater than what the Mountaineer administration is capable of expending, the Big 12 may be willing to assist them in covering the difference.

The blame game

Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas, who also serves as a consultant to C-USA and the Mountain West Conference on their merger plans, blamed the current mess on Missouri being “selfish” and demanding to leave immediately. According to the Charleston (WV) Gazette:

“The one thing that gets lost is we’re in this predicament because the SEC invited Missouri,” Neinas said. “But the SEC was willing to play with 13 [rather than 14] next season. We made an offer to Missouri that was financially beneficial to stay for another year. Missouri made the decision not to accept.

“We had a teleconference call with those in the SEC, Big East, ACC, Mountain West and Conference USA. We all agreed we could save money and avoid litigation if all held serve for 2012-13. All agreed. But Missouri made a very selfish decision. It’s been very disruptive. Missouri gave us notice in November [of 2011] and it’s pretty difficult to move forward then.”

He wasn’t very sympathetic over how these moves have affected the Big East though.

“The Big East gets on planes and flies all over the country inviting other schools,”  Neinas [told the Charleston (WV) Gazette]. “But they raise hell when West Virginia wants to come to the Big 12?

“We didn’t solicit West Virginia; West Virginia solicited us — as did other Big East schools. It seems to me the Big East has a double standard. And the Big East was talking about [automatic qualifying status to the BCS]. There’s not going to be AQs in the near future.”

To date, no conference has asked a potential new member to join sooner than their current conference’s exit notice period other than the Big 12. The Big East may have flown on airplanes to line up its expansion schools, but all of them have given notice to current conference partners and will withdraw according to the bylaws and provisions they are currently bound to.

Neinas has had discussions with Big East commissioner John Marinatto, specifically noting that they spoke at the BCS Championship Game in New Orleans this year, but would not divulge the substance of those discussions. He also declined to speak about potential solutions to the fact that at least one of the Big East or Big 12 will be without a 12th scheduled football game for next season.

Though the Midshipmen won’t join the conference until 2015, as soon as the ink is dry on their agreement to join, the exit fee for football members will increase to $10 million. The current exit fee for Big East members is just $5 million and will remain at that point for any non-football member institution like Villanova, Georgetown or Notre Dame that might choose to withdraw.

Navy had spent more than 130 years as a football independent, but will make the move in light of the changing landscape in college football. They would be the 11th team in the Big East football conference for the 2015 season, meaning that the conference is still one team short of it’s short-term goal of 12 members.

Sources told CBS that a 12th football member could be added in time for the 2013 season. It does not appear that Army or Air Force are interested in joining the Midshipmen.

The move has no effect on Big East basketball. The league will consist of 16 members in 2012-13, and from 2014-on, barring any additional new members. In 2013-14, the Big East is currently planning on having up to 19 basketball members, though that number will depend greatly upon the outcome of the Big East’s lawsuits with West Virginia.

Longer-term, expansion beyond 12 members in football is still possible, but further expansion also hasn’t been approved or decided upon.

“We have talked about the idea of going beyond 12 and creating a model that includes additional members, we haven’t executed that,” Commissioner John Marinatto said during a conference call last month. “Our board basically has told us to execute the plan that they approved at our annual meeting on November 1st, and at the appropriate time, whenever that is, we can certainly engage in discussions in regard to expanding beyond that.

“I think once we get our footing established, we can visit the question of expansion beyond that and also revisit the conversation to Villanova’s potential of becoming a football member of the conference as well.”

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Press Release:

NAVY TO MAKE BIG EAST ITS FIRST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE HOME

Midshipmen Will Begin Competing In 2015

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference formally announced the addition of the Naval Academy, one of the nation’s elite and most respected institutions, as a member in the sport of football. The Midshipmen will begin competing in the 2015 season.

The addition of Navy brings the BIG EAST’s football membership to 11 schools. In December, the BIG EAST announced the additions of the University of Central Florida, University of Houston and Southern Methodist University as full members and Boise State University and San Diego State University as football members. The BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors, by a unanimous vote of its Presidents, extended the invitation for membership to Navy.

The addition of Navy, along with the schools announced in December, will boost the BIG EAST’s television reach to more than 31 million homes. Ten conference members will be located among the top 20 television markets and 16 will be in the top 50.

Navy has played as a football independent since the program began in 1879. The BIG EAST will be Navy’s first conference affiliation. The academy, located in Annapolis, Md., is one of only four schools to produce a U.S. President and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. Navy has produced two Heisman trophy winners, Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach, and one national championship team.

Navy has annually ranked near the top of both the NCAA’s APR and Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes. This past year, Navy’s Graduation Success Rate of 96 percent placed the academy in the top four of all FBS institutions.

“When people look back, they will mark this as a truly historic day for the BIG EAST Conference,” said Commissioner John Marinatto. “America’s first national football conference is adding a program with true national appeal. Navy’s decision to make the BIG EAST its first football conference home after over 100 years of independence demonstrates the value of our new expansion model and the long-term viability of our football product. The BIG EAST is truly proud to be associated with one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country and one of the most storied programs in college football.”

“I am honored to welcome the United States Naval Academy and its football program to the BIG EAST Conference,” said Judy Genshaft, University of South Florida President and Chair of the BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors. “The Naval Academy’s steadfast commitment to the educational, moral and physical development of our future leaders echoes the ongoing missions of our current and future members to achieve success at the highest levels of intercollegiate athletics. We are indeed proud to include the Academy under the auspices of the BIG EAST Conference.”

The BIG EAST already had the largest media footprint in college football and the addition of Navy makes that footprint even larger. BIG EAST football will span from coast to coast and will be the first truly national college football conference.

“The Naval Academy is pleased to accept the invitation for our football team to join The BIG EAST Conference,” said Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Michael Miller, USN. “After careful consideration, we believe this affiliation to be in the best interests of the Naval Academy, our athletic programs and the Brigade of Midshipmen. While our independent status has served Navy football well to date, BIG EAST conference affiliation will help ensure our future scholar-athletes and athletic programs remain competitive at the highest levels for the foreseeable future.”

“The BIG EAST will provide an expanded stage for the American public to see our nation’s future leaders,” said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. “Expanded media opportunities and coverage by the BIG EAST will elevate the national visibility of Navy football to the highest levels. This new affiliation will brand Navy football as a member of a BCS conference whose competitive aspirations include the opportunity to compete for a championship. The BIG EAST plays a prominent role in the NCAA governance structure and affiliation will ensure that the Naval Academy solidifies its position as an important contributor to leadership decisions on the national level.”

Navy has played in eight bowl games in the last nine seasons and has made a total of 17 bowl appearances. The Midshipmen rank in the top 20 nationally with 75 wins in the last nine seasons. Navy will continue to compete against Army and Air Force for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy. They have finished in the top 10 in rushing yards every year since 2003.

In 2015, the BIG EAST football membership will consist of Boise State, UCF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Houston, Louisville, Navy, Rutgers, San Diego State, USF and SMU.

The parties will next appear in the Rhode Island courthouse on February 9th, for a status conference.

The Big East conference was also ordered to file an answer to the WVU lawsuit brought in West Virginia no later than Wednesday, January 18th — a nod to the principals of comity that were otherwise discarded in the Rhode Island court’s decision to deny the dismissal. This means that the Big East will have to follow through with the case in both courts for the time-being.

It is unlikely that a mediation will accomplish much, but many courts have standing rules in favor of ordering mediation in most cases. When the parties are as far apart as the Big East and WVU, however, it would take a very skilled mediator to help them reach an settlement.

Court-ordered mediation has a success rate of about 20%.

What is said and discussed in a mediation is normally confidential — meaning it will not enter the public record and will not be brought into a trial.

The Big East won’t (and maybe can’t) budge on letting WVU join the Big 12 for the 2012 season. West Virginia, on the other hand, is looking for an exit this summer and may not accept any delay. If money can’t satisfy the Big East in this lawsuit, then there is no likely resolution prior to trial.

—————————–

If I were mediating the case, I would speak to each party independently about the merits of their argument.

To the Big East, I would remind them that the likelihood of getting any injunction, temporary or otherwise, is low. That while they may get money damages at trial, they will also spend considerable amounts and will end up displeased with the result.

To West Virginia, I would pull out a calculator and begin to tally the dollar amount that could be levied against them for leaving the conference without proper notice.

In a perfect world, the Big East and WVU would compromise and the school would remain a conference member in the 2012 season, allowing the Big East to field an 8-team football conference. WVU would pay damages for not providing the full 27 month notice, but those damages would be reduced under the settlement because of the agreement to play an additional season.

The whole thing would have to be predicated, however, on the agreement of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to remain a part of the Big East, at least through the 2012 season and preferably for the full 27-months. The Big East could create a settlement agreement that was contingent upon separate agreements being signed with the other departing schools before becoming effective.

Without agreements in place with Pitt and Syracuse, the conference risks a situation where those schools could demand a similar exit to the one being allowed to WVU under a settlement agreement. In which case, the Big East is better off going to trial and establishing a big award of damages to deter the early exit of other schools.

Going forward, the Big East should amend its bylaws with a larger “early-exit” penalty that will give the 27-month notice requirement much more “bite” than the current (likely unenforceable) injunction clause. An obscene number to be paid for an immediate exit would be an effective deterrent against schools using that option.

The Rhode Island court opted not to stay their proceedings either, a judicial procedure that allows a court to put a case “on hold” for a period of time. Normally state courts will do this out of deference to another state’s court where an earlier suit was filed, exercising a principal called “comity.” Comity is not mandatory for courts, however, and the Rhode Island court found that the WVU filed case was an anticipatory lawsuit that was not subject to comity under the first-to-file rule:

This Court is not required to defer based on principles of comity to a case filed four days prior. WVU, aware that the Big East may bring legal action,brought its own anticipatory action in West Virginia just days prior to the Big East‟s. This Court in its discretion denies WVU‟s motion to dismiss based on the first-to-file rule. [Citations omitted]

In fact, the Rhode Island court declined the WVU motion on all grounds:

After due consideration, this Court denies Defendant’s motion to dismiss on all grounds. This Court finds personal jurisdiction over WVU and sufficient service of process. Further, this Court declines to dismiss the Plaintiff’s Complaint on the basis of comity or the doctrine of forum non conveniens. Prevailing counsel may present an Order consistent herewith which shall be settled after due notice to counsel of record.

This does not mean, however, that the case will follow through in both courts simultaneously, however. The West Virginia judge, while denying the Big East’s motion to dismiss the suit there, reserved judgement on whether to stay the proceedings and has yet to rule on that matter. A ruling could come down soon now that it is clear that the Rhode Island court will go forward. A stay there would be an interesting shift in the conference’s favor, but is no guarantee.

Perhaps most interesting is that while the West Virginia court recognized some level of sovereign immunity flowing to WVU as an arm of the state government, the Rhode Island court declined to recognize it as such. Instead, Rhode Island classified WVU as a “public corporation,” which would not have all of the privileges and immunities of a state government.

This currently controlling interpretation of sovereign immunity “supports the conclusion that no sovereign may be sued in its own courts without its consent, but it affords no support for a claim of immunity in another sovereign’s courts.” Nevada[ v. Hall], 440 U.S. [410 (1979)].

A sovereign state will only have immunity in the courts of another sovereign state if there is an agreement between the two states providing for such immunity, or if the forum state voluntarily decides to respect that immunity as a matter of comity. Id. at 416.

In fact, that recognition of Sovereign immunity by the West Virginia courts was one of the reasons that the Rhode Island court based it’s decision on, noting that a suit against a state entity in West Virginia cannot provide “adequate relief” because an injunction is limited in scope as relates to the state and counterclaims cannot adequately compensate the conference.

The next decisions expected to come along are the decision of the West Virginia court on whether or not to stay its proceedings and a decision in Rhode Island over whether or not to grant the Big East’s request for a preliminary (temporary) injunction. The Big XII, which is hoping to release a 2012 football schedule next month, will be watching closely for that second decision. If the preliminary injunction is granted, West Virginia could be held in the Big East for at least one more season until the lawsuit in Rhode Island is resolved.

See also: Read the Rhode Island court’s opinion.

David J. Miller Photo

On November 11th, expectations were high for Villanova’s season. Prior to and immediately after that opening game, a 106-70 walloping  of Monmouth University, fans and pundits alike were discussing what seed Villanova would receive in the NCAA tournament, or how high they could climb in the Big East standings. Since then, the Wildcats have fallen from grace.

After starting 3-0 with wins over Monmouth, La Salle and Delaware, Villanova won just one of three games at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, California. After returning from that tournament, they  lost three of six non-conference games, including two Big 5 games and a big-ticket contest against a ranked Missouri team in New York.

Early on, the Wildcats have struggled on the perimeter, both offensively and defensively.

Dominic Cheek has taken more 3-point shots than any other Wildcat, but has made just 29.7% of those. Maalik Wayns is not far behind in attempts but has connected on just 27.1%. JayVaughn Pinkston has connected on 41.7% from deep, but took just 12 of those shots. Darrun Hilliard is shooting 37% from beyond the arc, but has just 17% of the team’s attempts. Offensively, these trends cannot continue. There is no Allan Ray or Corey Stokes to make a high percentage of attempts from deep on this team and while shooting from outside shouldn’t be banned, it should be relegated to a secondary option.

Defensively, the Wildcat’s opponents have tended to light them up from the 3-point arc in losses and wins alike. The ‘Cats have struggled to control good perimeter shooters, often giving up excellent looks during switches and in transition.

That said, the ‘Cats have shown some signs of hope. Excellent defense helped the ‘Cats beat Boston University, but that defensive improvement didn’t last against St. Joseph’s University a few days later. Defense was again the story of the game against American University in their non-conference finale, holding the AU backcourt below its season average for outside shooting and building a 21-point lead.

Consider the opponents, however. Villanova has struggled with athletic teams with strong outside shooting and there remain many questions about their ability to do so going forward.

It will help to get players healthy. Almost all of the Villanova big men have had one ailment or another early this season, the most recent being a sprained ankle that has affected Mouphtaou Yarou (just 3 points against American).

It will be more important to learn from the earlier mistakes and to work to improve the offensive and defensive execution and preparation going forward.

Villanova was picked to finish 8th in the conference in the Big East’s preseason poll. Now, Ken Pomeroy’s website lists Villanova as the 10th-best team in the conference, based on a statistical analysis. None of these rankings or projections are infallible, however, but they present an interesting glimpse into where things stand at any one moment in time. Villanova is 10th out of 16 Big East schools right now, the question that Jay Wright and his program needs to be concerned with is, “Can they do better.”

Pomeroy thinks that Villanova will go .500 in conference play, which would leave them with a 16-14 record going into the Big East tournament, a record that could leave the ‘Cats in need of a tournament title in order to make their way to the NCAA tournament. For that to even be likely, Villanova will need to show improvement as the Big East schedule progresses.

The Big East schedule starts tomorrow, with Villanova opening its slate at West Virginia on Wednesday. What are the Wildcats capable of in the next 18 games? What do you expect?

See also: 2011-12 Season Schedule.

See also: Big Apple Buckets simulated the Big East season 10,000 times… Villanova’s best finish was 15 wins and worst was 2 wins.

See also: CBSsports.com lists Villanova among the Big East schools “capable of making the NCAA’s.”

The Big East also requested that the court put its proceedings on hold while the Rhode Island case plays out, but the judge told attorneys that he wouldn’t rule on that alternate motion until later, hopefully by January 1. If that fails, the next step for the conference will be to file an answer in the West Virginia court. They will have to respond to each of the departing school’s allegations and set forth any counterclaims they might have.

The Rhode Island court hasn’t ruled on West Virginia’s motion to dismiss yet, but the fact that the case is likely to move forward in West Virginia makes it more likely that that court will stay its proceedings until the first case is resolved in some manner. The judge has indicated that a ruling could come later this week or next week. If the Rhode Island court were to go ahead with the case in parallel with the other court, it would raise some serious questions about the enforceability of either court’s judgement if they reached different results.

While the Big East is awaiting word from the Rhode Island court, they have filed a Motion there requesting a preliminary injunction. That motion seeks to have the court grant an order preventing WVU from leaving the Big East or taking any other affirmative actions contrary to conference bylaws until the case is resolved.

A preliminary injunction is slightly easier to get approved than a temporary one, but it is by no means a certainty. Among other things, the Big East needs to show to the court that it has a strong likelihood of success (in obtaining a permanent injunction) on the merits in order to succeed.

Requesting a preliminary injunction in the Rhode Island court may also make it a moot point, as the Rhode Island court may punt on the issue now that it is known that it will go forward on the West Virginia state court. A preliminary injection won’t likely be granted by a court that doesn’t intend to hear the case.

The West Virginia judge wasn’t entirely in WVU’s favor, noting that he “might be inclined to agree with the defendants’ arguments on whether there’s merit to these allegations.” There just wasn’t enough evidence on the record to find in favor of the Big East at this time.

The Big East bylaws do not contain a provision regarding venue, so the determination of where this case will be heard is left to the mercy of state procedural law.

Some New Jersey and New York papers reported that Villanova blocked or opposed a proposed bid for Temple University to join the Big East conference. One report even described the opposition as insulting the Owls programs. Many Temple fans believe that their program had a right to be included in Big East expansion — that they should have been included.

Their anger is directed, predictably, at Villanova, a fact that was more than made clear by the roll-out signs created by the student section at Saturday’s game.

Commentators seeking to stir the pot have suggested, and many fans believe, that Temple fans are right to be angry with Villanova. That regardless of what actually occurred, the fact that Villanova didn’t support Temple’s bid is a crime against the sport, or at least against the Big 5 and the City of Philadelphia. What would it take for things to be right? Would Villanova have to loudly and publicly campaign for their neighbors to show the proper respects.

What EXACTLY did Villanova do?

To start at the top, Villanova administrators haven’t ever denied that they were against Temple joining the Big East in basketball. Jay Wright may not have directly addressed the issue, but his comments at Big East basketball media day made it pretty clear: Villanova has to take care of Villanova. Wright also suggested that Villanova would be much more amenable to the idea of sharing Philadelphia if the football program were given the green light to move into the Big East as part of the deal.

The flames of Temple’s current angst were lit by a mid-October piece in the New York Post by Lenn Robins, claiming that a phone call during the early phases of the Big East rebuilding, “deteriorated into ‘Nova bashing Temple rather than making a strong case for the league to consider the Wildcats’ potential in football.”

Villanova sources later denied that report and John Marinatto, who was supposedly the recipient of that phone call, placed an unsolicited call to the Philadelphia Inquirer to make clear that the Wildcat administrators had said nothing disparaging about their Big 5 rivals. Temple fans, preferring to believe the earlier report have chosen to disregard the Big East commissioner’s words as lies or public relations.

What would Marinatto’s motivation be for making that call? Would helping Nova look nicer really help the Big East? And how credible is Lenn Robbins to begin with? Isn’t he the same reporter who claimed that Missouri would prefer the Big East to the SEC? Who is Lenn Robbins’ source, and what would their motive be in sharing a story about Villanova?

The internal politics of the Big East are a mystery. For every story you might hear saying one thing, there is a second story telling the opposite.

A Newark Star-Ledger report claimed that Villanova blocked Temple’s membership through a voting bloc of the non-football members of the conference. It is unlikely that any discussion of Temple got so far as a vote or even serious consideration, however. In fact, according to a more recent story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, it would seem that there is significant support for Temple’s all-sports bid to join the conference among the non-football members.

Those same non-football members have also reportedly presented some opposition to Villanova’s own hopes of becoming a Big East football school.

Would Villanova even have enough votes among the basketball schools to block anyone?

So Why Oppose Temple?

Villanova has to oppose Temple for multiple reasons.

First and foremost, Villanova has to be concerned about the bottom line when it comes to athletics. Basketball has been a profitable program in recent years and that profit helps fund the athletics programs that don’t generate as much revenue.

Television money is part of the equation, but not all of it. Villanova gets around $2 million per year from the Big East’s television deal. The rest of the $7-8 million dollars in revenue come from local sources, including a very good amount from ticket sales. Those tickets are sold to Villanova alums, to fans, and to people who are just interested in seeing some of the major opponents that the Wildcats bring to the Wells Fargo Center every season.

At all times, but especially in a rough economy, Villanova competes with the professional sports franchises in Philadelphia, as well as the other colleges, for fan dollars. A casual fan may only have $X to spend on sporting events in any given year, so they are forced to choose between Villanova’s product and the other city sports offerings. Villanova has done rather well going up against the NBA and NHL franchises, and can likely thank the Big East affiliation and ESPN marketing for that position.

What would happen, however, if another school in the city were able to offer high-major college basketball games to local fans? If another school in the city were able to offer Georgetown, St. Johns and Louisville as visitors in their arena? Villanova would lose its biggest advantage in the marketplace, and in trying to sell tickets in the cavernous Wells Fargo Center, may even have to slash prices to compete.

Others might argue that Villanova can and should be able to succeed in that scenario. In fact, they might, but it is less than success while operating with an advantage. Villanova isn’t a state school that can get more money from the legislature if they make a poor decision, or a school with a $5 billion endowment to soften the blow.

Even though Duke and UNC manage to coexist in close proximity, that situation doesn’t necessarily apply to Villanova. The Tobacco Road schools joined the ACC when it formed in 1953, well before television money and luxury suites changed the face of college sports. Both of those schools are blue blood programs with multiple national championships and a nationwide fan base — which neither Philadelphia school has. More importantly, there really isn’t any major professional sports team on Tobacco Road providing competition for fan dollars for either school. Villanova and Temple have local or regional fan bases, they compete with 5 major sports franchises and 5 other Division 1 universities and they haven’t had 58 years to figure out how to co-exist in the same conference.

Villanova would be irresponsible to take such a risk without receiving something of value in return.

That, exactly, is the second point: Villanova has to oppose Temple because that opposition gives them some leverage with the Big East. If the conference desperately wants to add Temple, doing so over Villanova’s legitimate financial concerns could present some difficulties.

With the potential that a move would harm a current conference member financially, the conference would likely want to sway that member into approving of the deal. That means that Villanova could potentially use the situation to ensure that the football program would be able to join the Big East conference as well.

Villanova also has to hope that the conference maintains some level of football status (to stabilize that portion of the membership) and increases the amount of money generated for basketball. Villanova would clearly be against any additions that failed to do that.

For football, there is no expansion scenario where Temple added more value on the gridiron than Boise State, a perennial top-10 program. UCF, Houston and SMU are arguably equal to or greater than Temple in football brand name, and all have had success on the field in a conference considered tougher than the MAC.

Most important, however, was (and still is) building a western football division to accommodate travel and make the addition of Boise State more logistically and financially sound. San Diego State is comparable to Temple in football success (and really has had less success over the past few years), but their addition allowed the football schools to bring Boise State’s credibility into the fold.

With Air Force declining to join, the Big East will continue to search for additional western schools to add.

Does Villanova even have a say in this?

There is no Big East bylaw or rule that would allow Villanova’s singular objections to hold the conference back from inviting anyone. The only rule is that 75% of full members present at a meeting have to vote in favor of the addition for an invitation to be issued — that means 10 of the current 13 members are needed.

The basketball schools are reportedly not supporting Villanova’s desire to keep Temple out of the conference. In fact, if Mike Jensen’s report is correct, those non-football members are in favor of Temple joining.

Expansion, however, is football-driven. Certainly for the moment, and likely for the rest of the existence of major college sports. In the Big East, that means that the football members and their interests take precedence over almost everything else. Some concessions will obviously be made to basketball, but nobody can deny that the additions of Houston, SMU and UCF in all-sports were made for the benefit of football.

Does Villanova wield some influence? Maybe, but football and the almighty dollar had to come first, and the football schools concocted a rebuilding plan designed to create what they hope is the most favorable conference structure for football. If Villanova’s opposition to Temple were going to cost the league in revenue or football prestige, it would have been dealt with.

Entitlement

What it boils down to is a sense of entitlement. Temple has had a strong basketball program for about as long as most people can remember. The Owls, unlike other programs outside the major conferences, have few issues getting big-brand programs to come to Philadelphia in home-and-home arrangements.

Temple football is having winning seasons for the first time in a long time too. Things have rarely been this good for the North Philly university.

It is only natural for a fan to be invested in the idea of joining a bigger, more prestigious league, when their name began being mentioned as a potential Big East addition. Was it ever real though?

The media has pushed the idea of both Temple and Memphis as Big East additions because both schools offer traditionally-strong basketball programs that seem like a natural fit in a conference known for it’s basketball power. The Big East has seemed significantly less interested in both options — though there has been notably more smoke about Temple as a back-up option (but how far back on the list are they, really?).

That smoke has given the Temple fan base a sense of entitlement. They feel like they were robbed of a Big East bid that they were owed. The facts, however, remain unchanged — as a full member of the Big East since 1980, Villanova has a right to be in the conference (members are essentially the “owners” of the conference), Temple does not.

So what of the Big 5?

Temple fans calling for the end of the Big 5 and a policy of dropping Villanova from future schedules are short-sighted. The Big 5 rivalry benefits both universities, but Temple is slightly better off because of it.

The benefit of the game is that it is a tough opponent for both schools and usually one that will add to the RPI rating of both at the end of a season. It is also a television game that is regularly picked up by ESPN or ESPN2, showcasing the schools to a national audience (and causing an extra check to be cut in the process). All of that comes with minimal travel, less than 20 miles separate the schools, and minimal expense.

For Villanova, it would be inconvenient to lose that game, but another marquee non-conference game could likely be arranged to achieve the same benefits. Temple could schedule another opponent as well, but unless Drexel becomes a national powerhouse, they will have to travel to do so.

Unlike Villanova, Temple doesn’t generate as much revenue from basketball, and doesn’t generate a profit from the sport. While additional travel would cost both schools, it won’t likely put Villanova’s program into the red. For Temple, it will only increase the deficit. It is a lot more cost-effective in an era of tightening government budgets for Temple to play a cross-town opponent than to have to travel a thousand miles or more for a game.

Is Temple REALLY blocked? Is there a point to this?

Based on what we know, there is nothing actually blocking Temple from joining the conference. Villanova would prefer that not happen, but the Nova administration can be overruled on the issue and almost certainly could be convinced.

The Inquirer, CBS, ESPN and other outlets continue to report that the Big East might consider Temple again in the future. They also might consider Villanova. Eastern expansion was not a priority and won’t be a possibility until western expansion is complete.

There are more than a few schools that could become options in the future and more than a few that were discussed and then discarded. UCF was discussed by Big East officials as a candidate to replace Miami, but ultimately was tossed out in favor of USF. Now both schools will be Big East members.

Temple was pushed aside because in a world where the Belk Bowl draws bigger television ratings than even the most desirable regular-season college basketball games, the need to add major football clout took the Big East westward.

Villanova officials have repeatedly talked about the current round of Big East expansion as, “things above us settling.” Those words don’t inspire visions of Fr. Donohue and Vince Nicastro as puppet masters pulling the strings.

Temple fans believe they are entitled to a spot in the Big East. They don’t care what impact that could have on the long-term financial health of the Villanova programs. It is a purely selfish desire on the part of Temple fans, which is fine, because Villanova (like everyone else) is looking out for themselves these days.

Image via SportsGrid.com

All of the speculation and rumors have finally come to a head this evening, when the Big East held a 5pm conference call to announce that five schools will join the conference for football in 2013, and three of them will join in all sports.  It is the first step of an expansion plan that will end with a 12-member football league. That conference call featured commissioner John Marinatto and chairwoman Dr. Judy Genshaft, as well as the presidents of the five new additions, Dr. Robert Kustra (Boise State University),  Dr. John C. Hitt (University of Central Florida),  Dr. Renu Khator (University of Houston),  Dr. Elliot Hirshman (San Diego State University), and  Dr. R. Gerald Turner (Southern Methodist University).

The new conference will have a presence on both coasts in football, and the league boasts that it can now feature four football games on one day that will not overlap. The additions have produced four BCS top-25 finishes in the last 2 years and, in Boise State, a school that has been a consistently solid program that has been able to get into the BCS picture often in recent years without the benefit of an automatic qualifier conference. This year, Boise State was passed over by the BCS as an at-large school in favor of the lower-ranked Virginia Tech.

“We’ve made the commitment to the Big East,” Boise State president Bob Kustra said. “I particularly like the idea of introducing Boise State University’s brand of football east of the Mississippi and across this nation. I think John Marinatto made an excellent point when he talked about the fact that this is indeed a conference, the only conference in America, in four time zones and a coast‑to‑coast conference. That is appealing to us.”

The Big East will now have a presence in all of the top-three states for football recruiting.

The Conference adds some large television markets. Dallas, Houston and Orlando are the 5th, 10th and 19th largest markets respectively and will have schools joining in all sports. San Diego is the 28th-largest television market and will have a school joining in football-only. Boise has the smallest new market at 112th.

On the conference call, commissioner Marinatto touted that his conference would have, “the singe largest media footprint in college sports.” The number of television households has increased by 6% from the previous footprint and now comprises about 28 million homes.

San Diego State will also receive a guarantee of a number of non-conference basketball games against Big East schools every year, which will make their solid basketball program an asset to Big East basketball without burdening the conference with the travel requirements of playing a full schedule in San Diego. It will also help soften the blow to a program that will be moving from the Mountain West Conference to either the WAC, or more-likely, the Big West (Boise State will return its non-football sports to the WAC).

In basketball the new conference will feature two teams in each of Florida and Texas, making a trip to those states an annual occurrence for conference members. UCF and Houston have both shown strong flashes of basketball talent and potential, but all three programs being added have room to grow. The Big East hopes that access to the northeastern markets for recruiting and basketball exposure will help those programs to grow.

“The three new schools we’re bringing in to play basketball have strong commitments to the sport [of basketball]. They have accomplished head coaches, good facilities, located in major media markets,” commissioner John Marinatto told reporters.

“As you know in following the league over the years, our schools, as we’ve expanded throughout time, have not necessarily come with great basketball programs . . . We’ve had a history of elevating the levels of the programs that left the league because of the assets that we offer and provide.”

These moves would leave the Big East with 10 football schools once the dust settles and Pittsburgh, Syracuse and West Virginia all leave for new homes. Both Navy and Air Force are both also considering moves to the conference, but Air Force remains on the fence and the Naval Academy has issues unwinding the numerous contracts it has signed as an independent. Including a television deal with CBS — who have the rights to the Army/Navy game through 2018.

Marinatto confirmed that the Big East will continue discussions with “select additional schools.” Those schools include Navy, but Air Force has decided to remain in the Mountain West Conference in all sports. Navy is still expected by many to join the conference, but the time line for doing so is currently unknown. If they are unable to join, the Big East, which is already searching for another western partner, will need an additional eastern school as well. CBS’s Brett McMurphy suggested that Temple could re-emerge as an eastern option as the 12th school, but it wouldn’t be without some opposition.

The list of schools under consideration for inclusion in the 12-team model does not include Villanova. That doesn’t mean that the Wildcats program is shut out of the Big East forever.

Expansion beyond 12 is not something that the Big East has agreed on just yet, though once the expansion to 12 football members is completed, the conference may begin discussions on further additions. The Big East members have talked about going beyond 12 members and creating a model with additional football-playing members, but at the moment the league’s presidents have asked the commissioner to complete this phase of expansion before the issue of further additions will be decided.

Villanova’s football hopes rest in that decision to move to 14 or 16 football-playing members.

“We have talked about the idea of going beyond 12 and creating a model that includes additional members, we haven’t executed that,” Marinatto said. “Our board basically has told us to execute the plan that they approved at our annual meeting on November 1st, and at the appropriate time, whenever that is, we can certainly engage in discussions in regard to expanding beyond that.

“I think once we get our footing established, we can visit the question of expansion beyond that and also revisit the conversation to Villanova’s potential of becoming a football member of the conference as well.”

The goal in any expansion is to increase television dollars, exposure and access to prestigious bowl games, and the Big East hopes that this expansion will accomplish all of those things. Television negotiations open again in the fall with an exclusive negotiating window with both ESPN and CBS.

Update 5:57p: Air Force has reportedly decided to decline the Big East’s overtures and remain in the Mountain West, which means that another Western football school will be needed.

Update 6:39p: Villanova released a statement welcoming the new members (including Boise State and SDSU) to the conference and closing with, “Villanova will continue to work to ensure a successful future for the University, our athletic programs and our student-athletes.”

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Big East Press Release:

BIG EAST CONFERENCE GOES WEST

ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF FIVE UNIVERSITIES

Central Florida, Houston, Southern Methodist Become Full Members

Boise State, San Diego State Become Football Members

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The BIG EAST Conference formally announced the addition of five prestigious universities to its ranks today, bringing its football membership to 10 and securing a strong core group of FBS schools as it expands into two divisions and works toward its goal of staging an annual conference football championship game.

The University of Central Florida, University of Houston and Southern Methodist University have accepted full membership into the BIG EAST while Boise State University and San Diego State University will compete as members in the sport of football.  The BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors, by a unanimous vote of its Presidents, extended the invitations for membership.  UCF, Houston and SMU will begin competing in all BIG EAST-sponsored sports in the 2013-14 academic year, while Boise State and San Diego State will start competing in football in the 2013 season.

“Over the last 32 years, the BIG EAST Conference has constantly evolved along with the landscape of college athletics,” said BIG EAST Commissioner John Marinatto.  “The inclusion of these five great Universities, which bring a unique blend of premier academics, top markets, strong athletics brands and outstanding competitive quality, marks the beginning of a new chapter in that evolution.  We are proud to welcome these schools to the BIG EAST family.

“Much like the conference as a whole, the BIG EAST name — though derived 32 years ago based on the geography of our founding members — has evolved into a highly respected brand that transcends borders, boundaries or regions.  It’s national.  Our membership makeup is now reflective of that.”

“Over its history, the BIG EAST has changed and adapted as needed to maintain its place and leadership in the world of college athletics. And it has always done so with great respect and reverence for its heritage and legacy,” said Judy Genshaft, University of South Florida President and Chair of the Conference Board of Directors. “And so it is today. Boise State, Houston, San Diego State, SMU and UCF are all fine schools that will enhance every aspect of the BIG EAST.

This expansion clearly moves the Conference far beyond its origins in the Northeast.  With these five new members, the Conference will continue to have the single largest media footprint in college football, spanning literally from coast to coast and all the major regions in between.   In effect, the BIG EAST will be the first truly national college football conference.

The creation of a western division is a bold and innovative step that will provide fans with two distinct divisions in football – East and West – which will produce new rivalries, accommodate further expansion flexibility and, eventually, set the stage for an annual football championship game.

The addition of these five new marketplaces boosts the number of the BIG EAST’s potential TV households by more than six percent and up to 28 million.

Four different time zones will also allow the Conference and its television partner the potential to schedule four games on a given Saturday back-to-back-to-back-to-back without any overlap.  It is a powerful model and one that will be unmatched by any other conference.

These expansion efforts will create a very unique synergy within the Conference and allow creative football scheduling for the future given that the league will have schools in four different time zones under its auspices.

Central Florida is the second-largest university in the United States with an enrollment of 58,587.  Located in Orlando, Fla., UCF was founded in 1963.  The Orlando television market is the nation’s 19^th largest.  UCF has been named one of the “50 Best Value Public Universities” by USA Today and the Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report has ranked the school as a “Top Up-And-Coming” university for the past three years.

The Knights compete in 16 men’s and women’s sports.  The UCF football team has won two conference championships in the last five seasons and played in four bowl games over the last six years.  Last year, the Knights won the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and finished No. 25 in the final Bowl Championship Series ranking.  Going into the 2011-12 academic year, UCF athletic teams have made 86 NCAA Division I team tournament appearances and 92 NCAA Division I individual championship appearances.

Houston, a university with an enrollment of 39,825, was founded in 1927 in Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the U.S. and the 10^th largest television market.  The University’s student body is the second most ethnically diverse among major research institutions in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report.

Twenty-two Houston athletes have competed in the Olympics and have combined to win 39 medals, including 20 gold.  The men’s basketball program has made five Final Four appearances.  The football team has made 20 bowl appearances and won 10 conference championships.  This year, the Cougars have enjoyed of their best seasons in history.  They finished the regular season with a 12-1 record and a No. 19 ranking in the final BCS standings.  One of the top men’s golf programs in the nation, the Cougars have captured 16 NCAA titles.

SMU is the only Division I program in Dallas, Texas, the nation’s ninth largest city and fifth largest television market.  The school has an enrollment of 10,981 and was established in 1911.  According to U.S. News & World Report, SMU is the best overall undergraduate college in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.  SMU is one of only 77 institutions in the U.S. with an endowment of over $1 billion.

SMU sponsors 17 sports.  The Mustangs have been ranked as the top school in their conference 11 times in the past 14 years in the Director’s Cup overall athletic standings.    The men’s basketball team has won 14 conference championships and made one Final Four appearance.  The men’s soccer team has advanced to the NCAA Championship in 16 of the last 18 seasons, including two Final Four appearances.  The football team will appear in its third straight bowl game in January at the BBVA Compass Bowl in Birmingham, Ala.

Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with an enrollment of 19,664.  The campus is home of 11 Idaho Professor of the Year honorees since 1990 and the 2011 national champion debate and speech team.

The football program has been one of the nation’s best in recent years.  Since 2002, the Broncos have won eight conference titles and earned eight top 25 finishes in the national polls, including a top 10 finish in each of the last four seasons.  Boise State won the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in 2010 and 2007.  The Broncos, who play in Bronco Stadium with its distinctive blue turf, have finished in the top 10 of the BCS standings for the last three years and are ranked No. 7 this week.  Off the field, the football program won the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Academic Achievement Award.  The Bronco football team had a 100 percent graduation rate for members of its student-athlete class of 2004.

San Diego State is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region and fifth largest in California.  Founded in 1897, the university has grown to become a nationally ranked research university and has an enrollment of 32,396.  Increasingly recognized for innovative research, San Diego State has achieved the prestigious designation of “Research University” with high research activity granted by the Carnegie Foundation.  The San Diego market is the 28^th largest in the U.S.

The SDSU football program has enjoyed recent success with a 9-4 record in 2010 and a win in the Poinsettia Bowl.  This year’s team owns an 8-4 mark and will play in the New Orleans Bowl.  The Aztecs play their home games at Qualcomm Stadium, the home of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers.  San Diego State has had 134 players become NFL Draft picks, including 13 since 2004.

The five new schools join Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers and USF as the teams competing in football in the BIG EAST Conference and UCF, Houston and SMU join DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova in all other sports.   With the addition of the five new schools, the BIG EAST will have the largest footprint of any college football conference in the nation, with a coast-to-coast presence spanning eight states in five different regions of the country.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto speaks to reporters (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

According to the Newark Star-Ledger, the Big East league officials met with athletics directors from the five remaining football members in New York on Monday to work on the remaining details related to expansion of the football conference. The Star-Ledger source believes that the conference will complete the first major phase of it’s expansion by adding Central Florida, Houston and SMU in all sports and Boise State and San Diego State in football only.  An announcement of those additions would come shortly after the legal paperwork is completed, with the league targeting a Wednesday press conference in New York City.

Among the issues left to be determined are the specifics of San Diego State’s membership as well as the conference homes for the non-football sports of both SDSU and Boise State. Boise prefers to join the same conference as SDSU, but that may require both to find a new home in the WAC. The Big West Conference is also an option for SDSU, but it is more geographically-compact, with every team based in California (except for Hawaii, but they pay a travel stipend to the conference to help cover expenses for other members). The Big West is not very interested in Boise State’s basketball and non-revenue sports at the moment.

All five of those additions should be added for the 2013 football season. It might be possible for Boise State to join next year by paying a larger fee. A Mountain West member departing with less than a year’s notice is required to pay an additional penalty on top of forfeiting their final season’s revenue sharing amount — a number that could be “a lot cheaper” than initially projected.

While the first 5 additions could be announced soon for a 2013 arrival, the Big East still expects that Navy and Air Force will join the conference shortly afterward.

Boise State and Houston both finished the regular season in the top-20 of the BCS standings, though neither qualified for an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game. Boise State finished 7th while Houston finished 19th. Boise finished ahead of all teams from the Big East and ACC while Houston was 4 spots higher than the highest-ranked current Big East school.

The league’s current plans are to get to 12 members in two 6-team divisions for football. Much of the expansion to the west of the Mississippi River in order to accommodate the travel requirements of western members like Boise State. San Diego State became a target of the Big East for that purpose when talks with BYU broke down over television rights.

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In other news: The Big East conference filed a motion to dismiss WVU’s lawsuit in Monanglia County, WV on Monday. West Virginia could respond to that motion by the end of the week.

UPDATE 1:30pm – CBS Sports’ Brett McMurphy is now also reporting a Wednesday announcement, with the possibility of Navy committing to join as well, next week.