The Big East saga regarding their future changes every five minutes. First up the Big East is expected to vote on raising the exit fee to around $15 - $17 million on Friday, but Louisville might be sitting out the vote. Then there is news that the Big East is expected to keep their BCS bid through the 2015 season, before I go into my opinion about this here is the details from Mark Blaudschun from Boston.com:
While the future configuration of the Big East football conference had been an ongoing debate since the announcement last month that Syracuse and Pittsburgh were leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big East's spot as a conference with an automatic bid is secure through at least the 2013 season and probably through the 2015 season.
"There's been a lot of talk about the Big East losing its bid,'' said one highly placed college official with knowledge of the BCS requirements."But as long as the conference exists in football the contract is iron clad for two years and there is also a two-year grace period (an NCAA rule) which extends it through the 2015 season.
The BCS will soon begin discussions of a new contract which would start in the 2014 season.
First off, it is true that the Big East has a berth to the BCS for the next two seasons through 2013. However, I think this writer is getting information mixed up, because the BCS system has not even been renewed beyond 2012. Even though we can all agree that it is over 99 percent certainty the BCS will be around, however how can a league be guaranteed to something that is not even in existence.
The NCAA rule that Blaudschun is referring to is that a league has a two-year grace period to be a FBS conference if under the minimum eight teams and allow them to get back to eight teams. This is the reason why the WAC starting in 2012 can still send their champion to a bowl game while being under eight teams. Also, the NCAA has nothing to do with the BCS outside of making the requirements in being a conference which is a requirement for FBS.
I lean to the side that if the Big East is around it will keep their bid, but if they eventually lose Wes Virginia, Louisville and Cincinnati then I have a very hard time seeing the league keep its bid. However, this writer is making the assumption that the Big East will keep their BCS bid through 2015 is not accurate and no there is truth to this claim at this time. It could happen, but the BCS does not what their requirements will be come the 2014 season and could make it easier to keep a current BCS bid or make it difficult and drop the Big East out of the BCS future. If Big East is dropped down that could open up the BCS to allowing three teams per league in a BCS bowl game.
However, if it is true that the Big East will retain their BCS bid beyond the 2013 season then it could make the decision easier for Boise State and Air Force to make the jump.
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