ACC poaches Louisville; Big East left pondering its future
The high stakes college football game of musical chairs continued Wednesday, with Louisville defecting from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Cardinals are the sixth school to leave the Big East, further depleting the conference UCF is set to join next year.
With the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Southeastern Conference all weighing further expansion options, it’s unclear whether the Big East will survive under its current name. The historically strong basketball programs that do not compete in football reportedly are considering breaking away from the Big East to seek out better options on their own.
If basketball power Connecticut joins hoops juggernaut Louisville in defecting from the league, the other basketball-centric schools may not see much incentive to stay.
Big East commissioner Mike Aresco continued to trumpet the virtues of the Big East in the face of adversity, arguing his conference was set on expansion and crafting a national conference football fans would be eager to watch.
The revamped league’s future likely hinges on its ability to land a multimillion- dollar television and media rights deal that justifies a lineup stretching from San Diego to Connecticut.
Aresco issued a statement after Louisville formally announced it was joining the ACC that read, “We enjoyed having Louisville in the Big East Conference and we wish them well.
“The Big East has anticipated the continuing realignment that is reshaping college athletics and has already made important additions as part of our vision for the future. We will continue moving forward to fulfill that vision, which includes a strong national football conference and a strong and storied basketball conference. Big East teams will continue to compete and succeed at the highest level and, as always, will combine athletic and academic excellence. With schools stretching from coast to coast and in many of the top U.S. media markets, the Big East has become a truly national conference with outstanding young men and women competing across a full range of sports.
“We are committed to a vibrant and dynamic future for the Big East Conference.”
The Cardinals’ departure means the Big East will likely have the following 12 football- playing members in 2014: UCF, USF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Memphis, Houston, SMU, Tulane, Boise State, San Diego State and Temple. Navy is slated to join the confer- ence in 2015, but other conferences are reportedly courting the Midshipmen.
Eight of the 12 members slated to play in the revamped Big East in 2014 have previously competed in Conference USA.
UCF athletics director Todd Stansbury said during a radio appearance Monday the Knights are committed to the Big East.
UCF football coaches and players have largely ignored the conference realignment news, focusing with a much bigger prize up for grabs this Saturday.
The Knights will play at Tulsa for the Conference USA championship.
“We leave it up to the coaches,” UCF receiver J.J. Worton said. “As players we just go out and play whoever is next on the schedule. We’re excited about going to the Big East, it’s definitely an opportunity for us, we’re going to [get more exposure], but right now we’re focused on going to Tulsa and getting done what we need to get done.”
Conference USA also was in rebuilding mode Wednesday.
One day after losing East Carolina and Tulane to the Big East, the league added FAU and Middle Tennessee State. The conference is also rumored to be considering extending offers to New Mexico State and Western Kentucky.