Today, the Big East has unanimously agreed to expand the number of football-playing schools to 10. The conference made the announcement after today's Board of Directors meeting in Philadelphia. Just yesterday, sources told the New York Post that the conference could be targeting one of just a few different expansion candidates:
"Several sources confirmed a Post report last month that TCU is a strong candidate. Houston, Central Florida, Temple and/or Villanova, which is in the midst of evaluating a move up from FCS, are other lead candidates."
The Big East has to do something to shore up the football side of the conference, lest they jeopardize their BCS bowl automatic qualifying status. The Big East is on track to place this year's lone unranked program in one of the five big money, BCS bowls. This year's Big East champ is all but assured to land in this year's Fiesta Bowl, which has last pick of the BCS at-large teams. With non-AQ programs like Boise State, TCU and Utah having so much success this year, it only amplifies the spotlight that has been placed on a thoroughly mediocre football conference with a BCS auto bid.
Of course, this move sparked a spirited debate on Twitter about whether BC would ever entertain a return to the Big East. Despite what fans of the current Big East football schools would have you believe, the conference would probably welcome the Eagles back with open arms.
But would you ever want to see BC back in the Big East? Is there any set of circumstances (expansion candidates, etc.) that you'd be OK with the Eagles going back to the Big East? It won't ever happen (over the current administration's dead body, and all that jazz). Just curious to see if there are any scenarios where you'd be OK with BC going back.