The NCAA’s version of musical chairs may have claimed another Big East member, as both Louisville and West Virginia are reportedly in contention for a spot in the Big 12.
Initial reports Tuesday suggested that West Virginia’s move was imminent; however, the AP reported Wednesday that the Big 12 has not made a decision yet and that Louisville is also very much in the picture.
The Mountaineers, who joined the Big East in football in 1991 before joining in other sports in 1995, have been one of the top football programs in the league over the last two decades. Under Head Coach Bob Huggins, they have also been among the best basketball programs in the Big East in recent years, winning the Big East tournament and reaching the Final Four in 2010.
The Cardinals joined the conference in 2005 and have been a regular contender in men’s basketball under Head Coach Rick Pitino. The football program has also shown signs of improvement over the last decade — though it has struggled somewhat in recent years — and expanded Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in 2010 to sit 55,000 people.
The news comes on the heels of the departures of Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the Atlantic Coast Conference last month. Texas Christian, which had committed to become the league’s 17th member, has also backed out of the Big East. The Mountaineers or Cardinals would join the Horned Frogs in the Big 12.
If both WVU and Louisville both depart, the Big East with only four Football Bowl Subdivision teams: Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and Rutgers. League commissioner John Marinatto will now have to scramble to try to add more BCS football programs to the conference.
The New York Times reported that Air Force, Navy and Boise State were among the candidates to join the Big East as football-only members. Additionally, Houston, Southern Methodist and Central Florida are under consideration to join the Big East in all sports. The Atlantic 10’s Temple and Conference USA’s East Carolina and Memphis are also in the mix.
Implications for Georgetown, which does not have an FBS football program, are still not entirely clear. It would likely remain part of the core of the Big East in all sports but football, alongside other Football Championship Subdivision schools like Villanova and schools without football programs, including DePaul, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s and Seton Hall.
One concern with Villanova is that the school has been rumored to be considering making the jump fromFCS to FBS in football for years, and there’s no guarantee that the Wildcats would remain in the Big East should they elevate their football program to the next level.
An earlier version of this story was originally published Tuesday afternoon.
