An official who attended a meeting of conference presidents and ADs in N.Y. yesterday said that the "league 'will be aggressive' in replacing Pittsburgh and Syracuse and will continue talks with Navy and Air Force as football-only members," according to Brett McMurphy of CBSSPORTS.com. The Big East reportedly "was in the final stages of adding Navy as a football-only member before Pitt and Syracuse abruptly left for the ACC." Air Force "also was expected to come on board." Another official at the meeting said that the league's members "made a commitment to work and stay together." The official: "Those schools that thought they were going somewhere now realize they have nowhere to go." Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said, "Part of the purpose of the meeting was getting everyone’s commitment. At some point, you have to take people at their word." He reiterated that the league "plans to make Pitt and Syracuse honor the league’s by-laws, which require 27-month notice to withdraw from the league" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/21). Sources said that the Big East schools at yesterday's meeting "did not pledge to stay together, rather to agree to recruit new membership." Marinatto said that he has been "granted the power to extend invitations to the schools he deems fit" (N.Y. POST, 9/21). A source said that the Big East's "initial expansion targets would be the service academies -- Army, Navy, and Air Force -- with Central Florida and East Carolina as second-tier possibilities." Sources said that UConn President Susan Herbst "was not in attendance at the meeting," as the school "focuses on lobbying for entry to the ACC" (ESPN.com, 9/21). Herbst's Chief of Staff Rachel Rubin and acting AD Paul McCarthy represented UConn at the Big East meeting (HARTFORD COURANT, 9/21).
NOT HIDING THE DISAPPOINTMENT: Marinatto said that he "was disappointed in the actions by Syracuse, a founding Big East member, and Pittsburgh." But he added, "We are committed to make the Big East stronger in both basketball and football in our history. We had a conference call with non-football playing members yesterday, and all of them unanimously supported their football brethren in order to move the conference forward with the same structure it's been." When asked about the conference increasing its exit fee, which is $5M, Marinatto said, "We are pursuing that" (USA TODAY, 9/21). But SU men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim said, "I don't like people criticizing this. They could have done something about this, and didn't do anything about it to help the league. Now they want to criticize Syracuse for going someplace else" (“Loud Mouths,” SportsNet N.Y., 9/20).
WHAT THE FUTURE COULD HOLD: Herbst said UConn "is very sought after" by other conferences. She said, "We're getting a lot of calls and having conversations with folks around the country. We have been very happy in the Big East. It's just the landscape has changed. We've got to look out for our students and our fans.” WFAN-AM's Joe Benigno said UConn joining the ACC "makes the most sense to them financially." Benigno: "Once Syracuse leaves the conference, to me, all bets are off” ("Daily News Live," SportsNet N.Y., 9/20). Meanwhile, CBSSPORTS.com's McMurphy noted it appears West Virginia "will remain" in the Big East, as sources said that the school "will not be accepted into either" the ACC or SEC. The school "had enquired with both leagues, but WVU officials told representatives of the Big East those overtures had been denied and they were remaining in the Big East" (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/20).
