Big East Expansion Plan Announced: Now Who Should They Add?

ESPN is reporting that Tuesday afternoon, Big East presidents agreed in a meeting that in would be in the conference’s best interests to increase the football membership from its current eight teams to ten teams.

This is great news for Big East fans only if the right teams are added to the conference. This year the Big East is experiencing tremendous parity as 9 weeks into the season; there is not a clear favorite or “best team.”  Due to this parity, the Big East does not have any teams ranked in anybody’s Top 25 and many are calling for the Big East’s BCS bid to be given to the Mountain West Conference (which is ridiculous).

In order to correct this image problem that is troubling the Big East on a yearly basis (regardless of on-field results), the conference will need to add TCU and Houston to the conference.

TCU is perennial top 10 team for the last three years now and would provide added credibility to the conference instantly. If your top 3 teams are TCU, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh on a yearly basis with a great second tier of teams such as Rutgers, USF, Louisville, Houston, Cincinnati, and Syracuse then you’re in great shape. In addition TCU would add the Dallas/Fort Worth TV market as well as provide all Big East teams the opportunity to recruit in Texas.

For TCU, this is a very smart move as it would be essentially the same travel mileage as they currently experience in the expansive Mountain West Conference (Dallas aint close to Wyoming, Boise, or San Diego) and it provides TCU something they don’t currently have: membership to a conference that has a guaranteed BCS bowl invite.

Along with TCU, the Big East needs to add Houston. Houston is a pretty good college football program along with a, over the years, respectable basketball program. I addition, Houston provides the Big East the Houston television market and another opportunity for Big East teams to recruit in the state of Texas. Adding Houston also might sweeten the deal for TCU to join as it would provide a natural travel partner and in-state rival.

If neither of these teams can join, then the next best five teams are as follows:

1. Villanova: They are already in the Big East for sports, which would allow for an easy transition. In addition, they are a great FCS team (currently ranked 3^rd in the FCS Top 15) and could potentially do well in the Big East with the added revenue. Also, Villanova will allow the Big East to regain the Philadelphia college football market.
2. Memphis: I know their football team is horrible; possibly one of the worst in all of FBS, but Memphis increases the quality of the Big East basketball (like the conference needs it). In addition, the Tigers brings a large TV market and would be centrally located if TCU and/or Houston join.
3. East Carolina: adds a great football program that has a rabid fanbase which the Big East could use (other than West Virginia fans, Big East teams aren’t exactly known for being crazy football fans). While their basketball team sucks, it could improve with the extra money coming in and with membership to a premier basketball conference.
4. UCF: Provides Big East teams another chance to recruit in Florida and provides USF with a natural in-state rivalry. In addition, they have brand new facilities, one of the largest student body populations in the nation, and bring the Orlando TV market.
5. Temple: Yeah, the Big East kicked them out already, so why should they bring them back in? Well, they are a much more competitive football team now and they have a great basketball tradition. Also, it would give the Big East the Philadelphia market and a competitive football program much quicker than Villanova would.