Following up on months of curiosity (to some), the Big East announced its two new divisions for the soon-to-be 12-member conference.
The announcement is mostly anti-climactic -- meaning the divisions aren’t named something like “Legends” and “Leaders” -- but, yes, we are fully aware that the new “East” and “West” divisions mean there’s a Big East East and Big East West hurrrrrrrrr.
“This new alignment gives the Conference and its fans the best of both worlds – national exposure that is a result of the BIG EAST being in six of the top 10 U.S. media markets – with a schedule that focuses on spirited regional rivalries,” said Big East commissioner Mike Aresco.
“This unique combination of nationwide scope and regional flavor reflects our commitment to innovation in response to the changing landscape in college football while honoring a tradition of success on the field and in the classroom.”
Without any more delay, here are the divisions for the 2013 and ’14 seasons. The only oddity? Temple, as a member of the West division.
East Division
UCF
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Louisville
Rutgers
USF
West Division
Boise State
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
Temple
The Big East is still anticipating the addition of Navy and one other to-be-determined program to make a 14-team football conference. It’s possible that divisional alignment could be adjusted accordingly after the 2014 season, but exactly how obviously isn’t known yet.
In the new alignment, each team will play eight conference games per season, five of which will be against divisional opponents.