Big East officials are denying an Orlando TV report indicating that the conference will invite Central Florida and Memphis to join the league “as soon as next week.”
“We are denying the Orlando report,” Big East spokesman John Paquette said by text.
A second league source said “That would be news to me,” when asked about the expansion report.
The Big East currently features 8 football teams and 16 basketball schools.
The league has long talked about adding a single football program to make nine teams and balance out the schedule, which now features some teams having four home games and others three.
Adding Memphis and Central Florida from Conference USA would expand the already bloated basketball conference to 18 teams.
Talk of Memphis on the move heightened when it appeared that the Pac-10 might expand to 16 teams and that the Big Ten and Big East would have to respond in kind.
Nebraska has departed the Big 12 for the Big Ten and Colorado left the Big 12 for the Pac-10.
League expansion nationwide has stabilized since Texas opted to remain in the Big 12 instead of departing for the Pac-10. Utah appears headed to the Pac-10, which now has 12 teams.
The “Big 12” now has 10 teams and Kansas AD Lew Perkins recently told Fanhouse.com the league will remain intact for at least “10 years.”
***Maybe these leagues should rename themselves?
Big Ten – 12 teams
Big 12 – 10 teams
Pac-10 – 12 teams
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