The Big East has finally made its move in the game of conference realignment, luring Boise State, San Diego State, Southern Methodist, Central Florida and Houston to join the conference.

Navy is also expected to join a Big East that will look very different in a few years, as West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are set to depart by 2014 and several other schools are rumored to still be weighing their options.

Boise State and SDSU will join the conference as football-only members, while the other three schools will join in all sports. Navy is also set to join the conference as a football-only member, according to ESPN’s Andy Katz.

Roping these schools to join the Big East — which was dealt a massive blow by WVU, Pitt and Syracuse’s departures and Texas Christian’s decision to join the Big 12 — gives the conference a chance at retaining a prized automatic bid to a BCS bowl. The Big East is widely considered to be the worst conference receiving an automatic BCS bid, and its champion this year, West Virginia, is ranked No. 23 by the BCS heading into bowl season. Houston and Boise State are ranked No. 19 and No. 7, respectively.

Due to its relative weakness in the past few years, the Big East stood to lose that automatic bid — and with it, a lot of money. There were real fears that the conference would cease to be a viable football entity, which would have had massive ramifications for all of its members.

Air Force is also rumored to have an offer on the table from the Big East.