Desperate times call for desperate measures, which is why the Big East has begun the process of inviting schools to bolster its depleted football conference with the goal to get to 12 teams.
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.
The bottom line is the league, which must get to a minimum of eight members as per NCAA guidelines, must have a membership that appeals to TV and bowl power makers.
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.
“On a teleconference earlier today, our presidents and chancellors authorized the Big East Conference to engage in formal discussions with additional institutions and are considering moving to a model that includes 12 football playing schools,” Big East commissioner John Marinatto said in a statement released yesterday.
Temple, which would join in all sports giving the league another strong basketball program, was ousted from the league after the 2004 season for failing to maintain its commitment to football but enjoyed a terrific resurgence under former coach Al Golden, now the head coach at the University of Miami.
Boise State, which would join in football only, has beaten the likes of Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Georgia in recent years. The Broncos have a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in Kellen Moore, and for the third straight year are flirting with playing in the BCS National Championship game.
Whether that’s enough for the Big East to keep its automatic berth after the 2013 season remains to be seen. Without that status, the Big East is no better off than the Mountain West or Conference USA.
“It will depend on the TV people and the bowl people,” said a BCS source. “If they want that conference to be in it, they’ll be in it. I think the Big East would have an edge over those other conferences.”
As reported more than two years ago by The Post, the Big East has reached out to the three service academies. Air Force and Navy are very interested in joining in football only, but Army does not believe it can be competitive on a weekly basis and will remain independent, sources said.
The inclusion of Air Force, Navy, Boise State and Temple leave two slots remaining. Sources said Boise State would like a partner with roots in the West, opening the door for Houston and/or SMU. Central Florida, which has been blocked in the past from gaining an invitation by South Florida, would finally get its wish.
Villanova, already a member in basketball, has been debating making the move the move up from FCS to FBS. Villanova, however, is a long way behind in the big-time college football facilities race.
It appears the only obstacle standing in the way of this reconfigured league is the fate of Missouri, a Big 12 member which has thrown itself to the SEC. If the SEC opts to take Missouri, the Big 12 would likely invite Louisville.
The Big East would then have to invite SMU and Houston, although losing Louisville would hurt the league’s BCS profile. The Big East would have East and West Divisions in football.
But if Missouri remains in the Big 12, which seemed to be the way the wind was blowing, one source told The Post, the Big East might dodge the bullet one last time. It would then go to the TV negotiating table with a presence in some strong markets (New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore) with some programs that have big upsides (Central and South Florida, Cincinnati) and the tradition of Air Force and Navy.
The inclusion of Boise State, Air Force and Navy in football only would allow the league to determine how to split its TV revenue. The football only schools would likely get less than the full members.