Temple Offically Invited Back to the Big East

Published: 7^th Mar 12 11:35 am

by Chris Hengst
College Football and MLB Blogger

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Temple Offically Invited Back to the Big East

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

Temple officially re-joins the Big East in 2012 in football with Olympic sports slated to do the same in 2013 according to Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports. This comes less than a decade after the conference dismissed the Owls for failing to keep a steady cash flow and frustration with their bad, bad athletic teams.

As most of the larger conferences slow their expansion outlook, the Big East needed someone, anyone to take West Virginia’s gridiron place in 2012.

The Mountaineers settled on a $20 million exit fee and left two years before Big East requirements allowed them, which meant the remaining football schools were scrambling for an opponent seven months ahead of the season.

Presumably, Temple plays the 2012 schedule West Virginia leaves behind.

The Owls know Big East television revenue dwarfs what they’re earning now and that’s why they had no problem paying $6 million to the MAC (football) and will pay $1 million to the Atlantic-10 (all other sports) next year.

Here’s a look at the reconstructed Big East in 2012:

With Temple on board in 2012, the Big East’s football membership this fall will consist of Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse and Temple. The 15-team basketball membership in 2012-13 will consist of: Cincinnati, UConn, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Villanova.

Then in 2013, all hell breaks loose and teams from Texas and California invade the conference. They’ll have their fun until the military shows up as Navy has targeted 2015 as their inaugural Big East season.