In September of last year, Villanova’s president acknowledged in a letter to alumni that “the Big East officially informed us that its football schools were interested in adding Villanova as a football member of the Conference.” In another letter three months letter, the president wrote that the formal evaluation process of moving from the Div. 1-AA (FCS) level to Div. 1-A (FBS) was ongoing, and that the board of trustees would make a final decision on a move in April of 2011.
Based on at least one report, the school may be fast tracking their original timeline a bit. And another school could be out of luck in their quest to move to a BcS conference.
Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, citing a Big East source, writes that “Villanova is closing in on a decision to move its football program to the Football Bowl Subdivision level and join the Big East.” One apparent snag is Villanova coming up with the revenue stream to fund upwards of $30 million in startup costs to move up a level in football, although donors are reportedly stepping up to the plate in the form of pledges.
While commissioner John Marinatto said back in late January that the conference would not wait for Villanova -- and that “if the right situation developed in between, we would move on it” -- TSN reports that Villanova is still the “clear leader” for what would presumably be the final spot in a 10-team Big East football conference.
In November, Big East presidents gave Marinatto the authority to expand the conference from its current eight schools to 10. Four weeks after that announcement, TCU announced that they would move to the Big East in 2012.
While the move to the Big East could potentially be a significant boon to Villanova’s program, such a development would be a staggering blow to UCF in the short-term. The current Conference USA school has been pushing hard for inclusion in an expanded Big East, but the conference is expected, at least for now, to cap the league at 10 football schools.
If Villanova is the 10th school, UCF would be left on the outside of the process looking in. Again, at least for now.