Big East Expansion: Boise State Will Still Join Big East In 2013

The Boise State Broncos will still join the Big East as a football only member in 2013. After a temporary consideration on whether it would be best to remain in the Mountain West Conference, the Broncos have reportedly told the conference that they remain committed to joining the Big East (via CBS Sports).

Boise State was considering staying with the Mountain West as it has had trouble finding a new home for its Olympic sports. In addition, the Broncos were not sure what the Big East membership might look like in the future. The makeup of the conference will be crucial to its next TV contract. The Broncos were expecting a great windfall from that contract but there have been rumors floating that the Big East would receive half of what it turned down during their last negotiations.

If Boise State were to withdraw from the Big East before officially joining the conference, they would pay an exit fee of $5 million.

For more on the Big East, visit SB Nation's Big East Coast Bias.

John Marinatto Resigns As Big East Commissioner: 'I've Been Running A Marathon'

John Marinatto resigned as commissioner of the Big East Conference on Monday. In his three years on the job he oversaw seismic changes in the makeup of the conference, earning plenty of praise and criticism along the way. Though the departures of Syracuse and Pittsburgh threatened to sink the conference late last summer, Marinatto also presided over the addition of six schools for the 2013 season to help keep the league afloat.

However his legacy is ultimately judged, it is clear that the constant pressures of the job wore Marinatto down. He admitted as much to the Associated Press when asked about his decision to step down.

"I've been running a marathon not only for the last eight months but for the last 2 1/2 years," he said. "As fulfilling as it can be, it is equally draining. All the assets are in place right now (in the Big East). It's probably time for a commercialized kind of perspective. Clearly the collegiate model is dead."

Marinatto said that he began conferring with conference presidents in April about retiring. He was the conference's third commissioner. Former Miami Dolphins CEO Joseph Bailey III will take over as the interim commissioner while Cincinnati president Gregory Williams chairs the search for a permanent replacement.

For more on the Big East, visit SB Nation's Big East Coast Bias.

Big East Expansion: Temple Football To Play In West Division, According To Report

The Temple football program will officially join the Big East Conference this upcoming season, however, the future of the Owls in the Big East after that is still a big unclear. Things got a bit less hazy Monday, when the Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote an article, saying Temple will play in the Big East's West Division come the 2013-14 season, when the league official adds five new football-playing members.

The Owls could be lumped into the same division with distant rivals Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, Southern Methodist, and Memphis.

Pompey said things could change for Temple in '15, when Navy officially joins the conference. But for now, it seems as if the Owls could be traveling to Texas, Idaho and California for road games

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple's Steve Addazio Excited For Big East Challenge

Temple head football coach Steve Addazio was among those in attendance at Madison Square Garden to announce Temple's inclusion in the Big East. Addazio's football program will be the first sport to make the jump to the Big East, with all other sports following in 2013.

"I've been in the BIG EAST Conference before as a football coach in the late '90s, and I'm looking forward to coming into the conference again," Addazio said. "There's great rivalries, geographic rivalries, and now with the national scope of the conference, it's really exciting right now what's going on in the BIG EAST."

"For us as a football program and as a University, as an all‑sports athletic program, we know how well respected the BIG EAST is and how powerful the BIG EAST is and what the BIG EAST value and name and brand is throughout the whole country, and now the whole country really gets to experience it. I can't wait to have an opportunity to fly and go play the teams across like Boise and play San Diego and Houston. It's exciting. It's a whole‑‑ college football is expanding in a whole new way right now, and there's a lot of great times and a lot of great new rivalries to be forged as we move forward here."

"We're excited. Bill mentioned, Lewis mentioned, obviously Philadelphia is the greatest sports city in the country, and with Villanova and Temple in the same city, it's just really a tremendous place. What a place to go watch college basketball, college football, and Philadelphia has changed. Like Temple has evolved, Philadelphia has evolved. Our facilities right now at our University, I just want to make this point, where we are right now, we're not trying to fumble around and see if we can find our way into major college football. This is a plan that's been going on for quite some time. With our non‑conference schedule that we've played, we've played several non‑BIG EAST opponents with our facilities ongoing and our basketball facility is a brand new multimillion dollar facility, our football facility will be finished on July 1st. I mean, it's unbelievable what's happening. It's a new state‑of‑the‑art dormitory on Broad Street. I could go on and on and on. But I know this: It's an exciting time for Temple. It's an exciting time for the BIG EAST. John, we're so happy to be a part of this BIG EAST family. It's a special, special day. It's a landmark day. And we'll make you proud, I promise you that. And we're going to run a classy, first‑class program, everything done the right way, and exciting times ahead. So thank you so much for coming, and we really appreciate it, and looking forward to the future."

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on Villanova, visit our team page or our blog The Nova Blog. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Conference Releases Statement On Temple Addition, Villanova Football Future

The Big East officially announced the addition of the Temple Owls in a Monday press conference at Madison Square Garden.

In a statement, the Big East talked about the addition of Temple as a full member and also referenced the FBS future of the Villanova Wildcats.

NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference has formally announced the addition of Temple University, a comprehensive research and academic institution that has impressive athletic achievements, as a full conference member. The Owls will begin competing in the BIG EAST in football in the 2012-13 academic year and in all sports for 2013-14.

The BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors, by a unanimous vote of its Presidents, extended the invitation for membership to Temple. "The addition of Temple University further strengthens the BIG EAST Conference, providing the solid foundation it requires to move forward confidently and boldly," stated John Marinatto, Commissioner of the BIG EAST Conference."

"We are proud to add Temple University as a member of The BIG EAST Conference," said Judy Genshaft, President of the University of South Florida and Chair of the BIG EAST CEO Executive Committee. "Temple will add to the overall strength of the BIG EAST with its competitive athletics programs and its prestigious academic reputation."

"This is arguably the greatest day in the history of Temple Athletics," said Temple University Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw. "For the first time we will have all of our athletic programs playing in one conference, and there is no other conference that is a better fit for Temple than the BIG EAST. This move will benefit not just Temple University, its student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans, but also the city of Philadelphia. We look forward to being a great partner in this great conference, to renewing old rivalries and forging new ones."

Founded in 1884 in Philadelphia, Pa., Temple has 39,000 students on nine campuses and 333 academic degree programs. Its athletic teams compete and succeed at the highest levels. The Owls sponsor 24 sports and have approximately 600 student-athletes.

In football, Temple is coming off a 9-4 season that ended with a victory in the New Mexico Bowl. In the last four years, the Owls, who play at Lincoln Financial Field, have won 31 games. Temple competed as a football member in the BIG EAST from 1991-2004.

The Temple men's basketball program has a long tradition of success. They have participated in the last four NCAA Championships and have made 29 NCAA appearances overall and twice have advanced to the Final Four. The women's basketball program is on a streak of eight straight NCAA invitations. Temple is one of only six schools nationally to have its men's and women's basketball programs compete in each of the last four NCAA Championships.

Temple's student-athletes are also successful in the classroom. Last year, 343 student-athletes were honored for earning cumulative grade point averages above 3.0 for a semester. Eleven Owl teams compiled grade point averages of above 3.0 for a semester. In the 2011 fall semester, 80 student-athletes made the conference honor roll.

The addition of Temple increases the BIG EAST's football membership to 13 schools. When the other new members begin competing in the BIG EAST, the league will have 18 full members. 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. In 2012, the Naval Academy has been added as a football member and the University of Memphis became a member in all sports.

With the BIG EAST's new membership group, the BIG EAST's television reach will be more than 31 million homes, which is nearly 28 percent of all U.S. television households. Fourteen conference members will be located among the top 30 television markets and 18 will be in the top 50.

The BIG EAST already had the largest media footprint in college athletics and the addition of Temple makes that footprint even larger. Temple will join Villanova University as a Big East member in the Philadelphia market - the nation's fourth largest market with over three million television homes. Villanova, Temple and the BIG EAST have worked closely together throughout this process to ensure all three organizations will succeed in the Philadelphia market.

The BIG EAST Conference Board of Directors also unanimously voted to continue working closely with Villanova University regarding its FBS football future and, in doing so, take into account its longstanding relationship and many contributions to the Conference over the past three decades to give all due consideration to a football membership application.

The Conference also fully supports the extensive, thoughtful and thorough process that Villanova is utilizing to evaluate its football program. To validate the BIG EAST Conference's support of Villanova and its potential admission as a football program, the Conference has committed to offer financial assistance to cover future costs incurred by Villanova to exploring BIG EAST football membership.

In addition and to further demonstrate its support and consideration, the Conference will pledge to waive the football entry fee if Villanova is admitted within the next three years into the Conference as a football playing member, provided that it satisfies the Conference's requirements for membership and the NCAA's requirements for membership. We are confident that Villanova's process will result in an outcome that's in the best interest of the University and its accomplished athletics program.

In 2012, the BIG EAST football membership will consist of Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, Temple and the University of South Florida. In 2013, Boise State, UCF, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State and SMU will be added and in 2015, the U.S. Naval Academy will join the league.

In 2014, the BIG EAST basketball membership will include UCF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John's, Seton Hall, SMU, Temple, USF and Villanova.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on Villanova, visit our team page or our blog The Nova Blog. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple Officially Added, Villanova Concerns Dominate Press Conference

The Big East officially announced the addition of the Temple Owls as an all sport member on Wednesday.

The Big East highlighted Villanova's role in bringing Temple aboard. In addition, Villanova's president Fr. Peter Donahue said that the "Big East positions itself to back Villanova's potential move to FBS football."

What did that mean exactly? Not much for now as it turns out. Questions related to Villanova moving up to FBS were answered to the effect that the Wildcats have not yet received an invitation to the Big East nor is there a commitment to inviting Villanova if membership changes in the future.

Oddly enough, most of the initial statements and early questions dealt with Villanova instead of Temple. Temple's Board of Trustees Chairman Lewis Katz did say that if the time comes to invite Villanova in for football, Temple's vote will be yes.

About the rumors of the Big East paying the Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 Conference exit fees for Temple, Big East commissioner John Marinatto said

John Marinatto says Big East conference is "assisting" Temple with its exit fees to MAC and A-10, but declines to elaborate.

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 7, 2012

As for as the delay in bringing in Temple basketball until 2013, Marinatto said that the conference is using the next year as a transition year. There was an earlier report that the $1 million difference in the exit fee from the Atlantic 10 Conference with notice vs. without notice was the holdup on the addition of Temple's Olympic sports.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on Villanova, visit our team page or our blog The Nova Blog. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple Expected To Be Added During Wednesday Press Conference

The Big East Conference will hold a press conference Wednesday night, with the expectation being that the conference will announce the addition of new member Temple.

Reports say that Temple will be presented as the league's latest member at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Big East announced that a press conference will be held at that time "to address conference membership."

According to CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy, the Owls are expected to join the conference for football in 2012, with all other sports following suit in 2013. The impending departure of the West Virginia Mountaineers left a hole in the Big East's football schedule, which is why Temple will join for football prior to joining for other sports.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple's Verbal Agreement To Join In 2012 Disputed By School Official

Temple University has given the Big East Conference a verbal agreement on joining in 2012, according to a report by CBS Sports.

An official announcement of the move will be held off because the Owls need to settle their move from the Mid-American Conference, according to the report. CBS Sports also said that Temple's Olympic sports might have to wait until 2013 to join the conference because of the $1 million difference in the exit fee between an advanced notice and quick departure from the Atlantic 10 Conference.

MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher and Big East commissioner John Marinatto did not comment on the report.

However, Temple did respond to the report and denied it.

"There is no verbal commitment, no written commitment and no oral commitment," said Patrick J. O'Connor, Chairman of Temple's Board of Trustees. "We are still evaluating. That is a fact." (via CSN Philly)

Temple was previously a football-only member of the Big East from 1991-2004.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple Meeting Cancelled, Joining Big East On Hold

A meeting of Temple's board of trustees that reportedly might have resulted in the acceptance of the school's invitation to the Big East has been cancelled, according to the Temple News, and a meeting to "discuss contracts" has been scheduled in its place. It is unknown why the athletic meeting was cancelled, but now no decision on Temple's athletic future is expected Wednesday.

Temple's board of trustees was supposed to meet Wednesday via conference call to discuss the athletic program, with topics reportedly including whether the school would join the Big East Conference. The school, which participated in the Big East previously before being kicked out of the conference in 2004 for underachieving athletics, has been rumored to be rejoining the conference for the 2012-13 academic calendar as a late replacement for soon-to-be-departing West Virginia.

The school would still have to clear numerous contractual hurdles before accepting the Big East's invitation.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Temple Likely To Accept Big East Invitation On Wednesday, According To Report

The Temple Owls could be accepting the call of the Big East to return as early as Wednesday, according to a report.

Temple University's Board of Trustees will meet via conference call Wednesday afternoon to discuss the fate of the school's athletic program and perhaps accept an invitation to become a member of the Big East Conference in all sports. (via CSN Philly)

Temple was booted from the Big East eight years ago for poor performance and attendance in football. This time around, the Owls would be a full-member of the Big East participating in all sports.

Temple has been talking to the Big East conference for weeks about a replacement for former full-member West Virginia, which departed for the Big 12. The move left the Big East with just 7 football members for the 2012 season.

For more on Temple, visit our team pages for football and basketball. For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Temple, Big East Talking, According to MAC Commissioner

Temple is in discussions with the Big East about rejoining the conference as early as next season, as confirmed by MAC Commissioner Jon A. Steinbrecher.

The football team had previously competed in the Big East from 1991-2004, but due to poor results on the field was ousted from the conference and eventually joined the MAC. The program has resurged in recent seasons, and won nine games in 2011 under head coach Steve Addazio.

The remainder of Temple's athletic programs have competed as members of the Atlantic 10 conference, and the move back to the Big East would include the entirety of the Temple athletic department.

The Big East has seen major conference changes recently, including the departure of West Virginia, which will join the Big 12. As a result of the realignments, the Big East has added seven schools to its conference, but most are planning to join in 2013.

For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple 'Close' To Joining Conference, According To Report

Once garbage the Big East carried out to the curb, the Temple Owls now look more and more like the solution to the conference's problems.

Eight years after being kicked out of the Big East for an underachieving athletics program, Temple is reportedly in discussions to return to the conference in time for the 2012-13 academic calendar. The New York Times originally reported the discussions, and CBS Sports' Brett McMurphy adds that Temple is indeed close to rejoining the conference.

One source even told McMurphy that Temple to the Big East "is done."

The Big East has been searching diligently for a university that could join the conference by 2012-13 to fill the void left by the departing West Virginia Mountaineers. Without a replacement, the Big East's football schedule would be a mess and schools would be left scrambling to fill their schedules.

If the discussions continue to progress into a done deal, Temple is expected to join the conference in all sports.

For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple In Discussions To Join For All Sports

The Temple Owls are in discussions with the Big East officials to join the conference for all sports, according to a New York Times report.

A source with knowledge of the situation told the New York Times that Temple's decision is expected to be made within the next month. The Owls have been invited to join the new league formed by the merger of Mountain West and Conference USA, and are on a one-month timeline with the merged conference to let their intentions be known. There are also legal ramifications of leaving the Mid-American Conference and Atlantic 10 Conference that still need to be resolved.

After West Virginia left the Big East to join the Big 12, the conference has been scrambling to find a replacement that could join the league in time for 2012, thus saving the conference from hectic, last-minute schedule replacements. Temple, whose location and successful athletics program are convenient for the Big East, is viewed as a viable solution.

Speculation has centered around whether Villanova would object to inviting Temple to the Big East due to the impact having another Philadelphia team would have on its own athletic programs.

Temple was previously a football member of the Big East, but was thrown out in 2004 after years of under-performance.

For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple Could Still Make Sense For Big East

More than a decade after being kicked out of the Big East, the Temple Owls could be an alternative the conference considers adding in order to maintain its normal football schedule after West Virginia bolts.

Faced with uncertainty and reportedly contemplating a schedule that pits Rutgers and Syracuse against each other twice in the upcoming season, the Big East is trying to encourage Boise St. to leave the Mountain West a year earlier than planned. But Boise St. is hesitant to join the conference in 2012, and rightfully so: the Newark Star-Ledger reports leaving the Mountain West early could cost the school $13-14 million.

Which could leave Temple as a natural option. Allow the National Football Post's Dave Miller to explain:

It's amazing that the Owls have managed to generate a buzz in conference expansion talks considering they were the laughingstock of the nation at one point for being kicked out of the Big East. But Al Golden did a fantastic job of rebuilding the Owls before leaving for Miami, and former Florida offensive coordinator Steve Addazio put together a marvelous first season in Philadelphia last fall.

Temple, currently a member of the MAC, likely would be part of a C-USA/Mountain West merger if it did not get an invite and ultimately jump to the Big East. School president Ann Weaver Hart and athletic director Bill Bradshaw met with C-USA and Mountain West officials Sunday in Dallas, according to Philly.com, but there's no question the Owls would prefer to land in a BCS conference even if automatic qualifiers aren't awarded in the next BCS cycle.

Villanova is thought to be against Temple joining the Big East due to the impact it would have on Villanova's own athletic programs. But if the Wildcats' dissent can be overcome and the Big East offers Temple a spot, the Owls would almost certainly jump at the chance.

For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Five Teams To Be Added Wednesday, Join Conference In 2013, According To Report

The Big East will add Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, Central Florida and SMU on Wednesday, according to a CBS Sports report. The five teams will reportedly join the conference in 2013. 

According to a Newark Star-Ledger report, Air Force and Navy are expected to join the conference at a later date.

Boise State and San Diego State are reportedly expected to join the conference for football only, while Houston, Central Florida and SMU would join for all sports. After a number of high-profile defects from the conference, including Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia, the Big East is aiming to salvage its reputation as a major conference and maintain its automatic qualifier status in the BCS.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto has said the conference would like to feature 12 teams divided into two six-team divisions. The proposed changes would form a West Division and East Division, according to the Star-Ledger.

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.

Big East Expansion: Temple Not Invited By Big East, According To Report

Temple will not be one of the teams invited to join the Big East Conference, according to an Associated Press report.

The Big East Conference will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports, a source told The Associated Press.

Boise State and Air Force would join the Big East from the Mountain West, and Navy would join the conference after being an independent school. SMU, Central Florida and Houston would all relocate from Conference USA.

Temple and was reportedly one of three finalists for the last two Big East spots, alongside Houston and SMU. Some reports said Villanova did not want to share the Philadelphia market with another Big East team and blocked Temple's inclusion.

Reports say Big East commissioner John Marinatto has had face-to-face meetings with officials at Boise State, Air Force and UCF.

"We have not received an invitation from the Big East. However, we understand that things are moving in that direction," UCF spokesman Grant Heston told ESPN's Joe Schad on Tuesday.

-- For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Commissioner John Marinatto Will Soon Extend Invitations To Join Conference

Big East commissioner John Marinatto announced Tuesday that the Big East will soon extend invitations asking specific institutions to join the conference.

Marinatto previously revealed the Big East's plan to expand to a 12-school football model.

Reports conflict whether non-football schools will be included among the invitations. The schools expected to be among the invitees are Boise State, UCF, Navy, Air Force, SMU, Houston and maybe Temple.

Marinatto said Big East presidents "voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the Big East conference."

"We had a very productive meeting and were able to discuss the great progress we have made in the last few weeks regarding conference realignment," said Marinatto.

"Our Presidents voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the BIG EAST Conference.  I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the BIG EAST.

"The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS, and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our Conference is known for. 

"In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia yesterday, the Presidents also discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the Conference's 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave. The Conference believes these claims to be wholly without merit and will explore all its legal options to protect its interests and to ensure that West Virginia lives up to its obligations."

-- For more on the Big East, visit Big East Coast Bias, or visit our page for conference realignment news.

Big East Expansion: Temple, Villanova's Status Murky In Latest Proposals

The Big East is contemplating major changes, and Temple and Villanova's roles in the developments are currently murky.  West Virginia could be jumping to the Big 12 to replace Missouri, leaving the Big East with more big shoes to fill after previous departure plans from Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The Big East is down to five FBS teams and will have to scramble to maintain automatic qualification (AQ) status in the BCS.

That leaves Temple, which would like to be admitted to the conference for both football and basketball, in a tenuous position. The Big East is contemplating a merger of three existing conferences into a 28- or 32-team league. Temple was listed in the plans for a 32-team league, but would not be included during the latest 28-team proposal.

If the Big East does form a mega-conference, the Philadelphia Inquirer wonders whether Temple's athletic future could hinge on its inclusion.

If it comes to that, Temple needs to be in that league, if the action breaks toward the three-league football merger. It's crucial for the school's long-term athletic survival, especially in football. We'd also guess that the larger league, with different voting blocs, would realize Temple has too strong a hoops program, has come too far in football, is in too large a market, to be left in the cold.

Villanova has reportedly tried to block Temple's admittance into the league, but the Inquirer reported Wednesday that Villanova would allow Temple into the league if it was pivotal to the league's existence.

The Inquirer also reports that Villanova would like to join the Big East for football "if if there is enough value in the future Big East television contract," but the leaked conference proposals do not include Villanova football.

-- For more on Big East expansion check out our full storystream and get reaction from the Villanova side at The Nova Blog.

Big East Expansion: Big East Considering 32-Team League With Mountain West, Conference USA, According To Report

The Big East is being asked to consider a plan that would form a nation-wide football conference featuring between 28 or 32 teams from the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA and the Big East, according to a document obtained by the Boston Globe. 

The suggested plan would retain the Big East's automatic berth to a BCS bowl, while allowing the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA to gain similar AQ (automatic qualification) status. 

Two different versions of the mega-conference were outlined in the proposal. One includes 32 teams, and the proposed divisional format would be as follows:

West	Mountain	Central	Big East
Boise State	Air Force	Marshall	Louisville
Hawaii	Colorado State	Memphis	UConn
UNLV	Wyoming	Southern Miss	Rutgers
Nevada	New Mexico	Tulane	Cincinnati
Fresno State	UTEP	UAB	South Florida
San Diego State	SMU	Rice	Central Florida
Utah State	Tulsa	Temple	East Carolina
San Jose State	Houston	Louisiana Tech	Navy

In the 28-team proposal, Temple and Lousiana Tech would be eliminated from the Central, San Jose State from the West, and Navy from the Big East division, and Houston would move to the Central division.

With the impending defection of some of its most important member schools, including Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the Big East is looking to maintain its AQ status in the BCS.

-- For more Temple coverage, visit our team page.

Big East Expansion: Villanova Blocked Temple's Inclusion According To Report

The Big East sent out four invites today and are likely to invite an addition two schools as early as next week. According CBS Sports’ Brett McMurphy, Temple is not among those schools.

Houston, SMU and Temple are being considered for the final two spots. However, one source said Houston and SMU are expected to get the final two spots because of Villanova’s concerns about adding Temple into the league.

The Wildcats reportedly do not want to share the Philadelphia market with another Big East team. There had been some speculation that Villanova’s concerns about adding Temple as a basketball school would lead the conference to extend the Owls a football only invite. However, at least according to McMurphy’s source, that will not be the case.

Of course, this also means that Villanova will not be getting an invite to move their football program up to the FBS and join the Big East. That had been speculated earlier in this process, but those rumors seem to have faded.

Chris Lane, who runs The Nova Blog, has advocated that the school block Temple’s inclusion as a full member of the Big East.

Temple fans will cry foul about an uneven playing field – but if you want the basketball playing field to be even, football needs to be too. And if the Big East isn’t willing to extend that olive branch, Villanova should be opposed to sharing their dominance in the Philadelphia market, a known hoops haven. So no, Villanova isn’t scared of Temple. They’re just being savvy and not giving up a territory that they dominate with nothing in return.

For more on Big East expansion check out our full storystream and get reaction from the Villanova side at The Nova Blog.

Conference Realignment: Big East To Invite Boise State, UCF, Air Force and Navy

Not 24 hours after news broke that the league's BCS bid was safe until at least 2015, the AP is now reporting the Big East will invite Boise State, Air Force and Navy as football-only members, and the University of Central Florida to join the conference in all sports.

Big East Expansion: Temple May Receive 'Football-Only' Invite

According to the New York Post the Big East plans to invite six teams to the conference, but before any schools are officially invited, the conference plans to raise the exit fee for FBS members.

The first order of business is for the Big East to agree to raise the exit fee from $5 million to $10 million for the FBS members. The exit fee for non-FBS members, such as St. John's and Seton Hall, would remain at $5 million. There could, however, be some shortening of the 27-month exit window, the source said.

Air Force, Navy, Boise State and Central Florida appear to be locks to receive invites, with the remaining two spots "up for grabs" between Houston, SMU and the Temple Owls.

Despite a "strong objection" from Big East member and Philadelphia brethren Villanova University, it's possible the Owls will receive a 'football-only' invite from the conference.

Sources told The Post that Villanova expressed strong objection to sharing the Philadelphia market with Temple. Philadelphia, however, is home to Comcast, which logically favors more Philadelphia-based institutions.

If Temple does not receive an invite, it's likely that both SMU and Houston will.

Big East Expansion: Temple Conference Realignment 'Imminent' According To Report

Goodbye Atlantic 10, hello Big East?

Just a few short years ago it would have been a mere fantasy to expect Temple to join the ranks of the Big East, yet here we are on the verge of watching it become a reality.

That’s because an invitation for the “Owls” down in Philadelphia is “imminent,” as the conference looks to plug the gaping holes left by Syracuse and Pitt.

The NY Post has more:

In order to try to maintain its automatic BCS berth — the league’s No. 1 priority, said two sources — the Big East is poised to invite two programs that were barely on their radar at the start of the year — Boise State and Temple, The Post has learned.

Boise State has become a recognized brand due to the success of its program, and Temple, which is based in Philadelphia, also the home of Comcast (which recently merged with NBC), suddenly looks very good. The invitations to those two are imminent.

Temple, which has a proven track record in basketball, managed to bring its gridiron gang to a respectable level under former coach Al Golden.

But will they be able to make some noise in the new-look Big East?

Time will tell.

For more on Temple and the conference realignment click here.

Pitino: Admit Temple To The Big East "Immediately"

Louisville coach Rick Pitino threw his support behind admitting Temple to the Big East as the conference scrambles to replace the departing Syracuse, Pitt and likely West Virginia. Pitino claims that there are factions within the conference that were threatened by how powerful basketball had gotten and that has been part of the impetus for the departures. He also lays out a few solutions for the Big East, one of which is to admit Temple in basketball and football.

Admit Temple immediately. They have a highly competitive football program with outstanding basketball tradition.  They are a past BIG EAST member and an excellent school academically. And as all my friends say in Philadelphia, they are located in BIG EAST territory.

Temple's football program has been on an upswing in recent years and hasn't seemed to take a step back now that Al Golden is gone. They not only played Penn State very tight, but they went down to Maryland and destroyed the Terps last weekend. Being in the Big East would only further help their recruiting efforts.

The basketball program would no doubt find it a lot tougher to get into the NCAA tournament in the Big East than they do in the Atlantic 10, but again recruiting would be helped by the bigger conference affiliation.

Pitino also mentioned Villanova among the possible solutions to save the conference saying, "Sit down with Villanova and ask them to make a major commitment to football."

h/t Nova Blog

Temple Football Joining The Big East In 2012?

Most of the speculation about a local college football team headed to the Big East has centered around Villanova this year. However, according to four different Temple recruits, it appears as though the Owls are talking like they will be joining the BCS conference in 2012.

Two stories were published yesterday about recruits Temple landed for the 2012 season and both kids spoke of the expected move to the Big East. First was Trinity Prep linebacker Michael Kalaman, who had this to say.

"I am really excited about being coached under new head coach Steve Addazio, as well as the other coaches he brought along," Kalaman said of the former Florida offensive coordinator. "Temple will hopefully be moving back to the Big East by the time I get there in 2012. I believe they are on the verge of excellent things with their football program."

Then, three-star tight end Jameson McShea committed to the Owls and had something incredibly similar to say.

"They told me they're going to use two tight ends and Coach Addazio, from his history at Florida, I know he'll be passing the ball a lot. The program is probably going to be in the Big East and I know he's gonna get the job done there."

But wait, that's not all... Temple Football Forever picked up on this a few days ago when two other potential Temple recruits also hinted at a move to the Big East. First was cornerback Tavon Young, whose father said it.

"Tavon has committed to Temple," said Mr. Young (Tavon's father). "First and foremost is the academics and they pass with flying colors. He has always loved the staff that came up from Florida. He likes the defensive scheme. It is close to home and he will be a part of the Big East in 2012."

Then TE Tanner Kearns repeated the same thing.

"I got to meet their coach and like him. I know they play in Eagle Stadium (Lincoln Financial Field) and plan on moving to the Big East soon."

While we can't know for sure whether this move would actually happen, it would seem that there is almost no doubt that Temple is out telling recruits that they very well may be a Big East team in 2012. Unless they're flat out lying, it seems like at the very least there must have been some discussions with the league.

Temple spent 14 years as part of the Big East and were kicked out in 2004. They struggled to compete with the larger facilities and budgets of the other Big East schools. However, things are a bit different now. One of the major concerns that some Big East schools have had about Villanova football potentially moving to the conference is that they don't have a stadium capable of hosting major college football events. There has been a lot of talk that they would play their games at PPL Park, the soccer stadium owned by the Philadelphia Union, but at 18,000 seats, even that is small for Big East games.

This is not an issue for Temple, who play their home games at nearly 70,000 seat Lincoln Financial Field. They can rival the capacity of any team in the Big East. In fact, the Linc dwarfs the size of 44,000 seat Amon G Carter Stadium, home of the newest Big East team, the TCU Horned Frogs.

It would be a big move for Temple, but one that they just might be incredibly well positioned to make. They've got a stadium to fit a big college football program. they've got a coach with big program experience in former Florida man Stave Addazio and the move to the Big East would put them in a BCS conference. They even started producing real NFL talent with guys like Muhammad Wilkerson and Jaiquawn Jarrett both going in the first two rounds of the 2011 NFL draft.

They really bear no resemblance to the program that was an embarrassment for 14 years during their last Big East stint. Plus, they seem far better poised to compete than Villanova would be.