Big East Expansion: With BYU Out, Here Are 5 Teams the League Must Get

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The Big East has been a conference under fire all season long.  After the league lost Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC and West Virginia to the Big 12, it has been constantly brought up that the Big East and the Big 12 would merge to form their own superconference.

The Big East is not immune to realignment, as they lost Miami (FL), Virginia Tech and Boston College to the ACC in 2004. They added Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul as replacements.

The round of realignment that struck the country in September saw the above members left for the ACC and Big 12 and it has put the status of the conference in doubt.

The conference has extended invitations to Villanova and approached Boise State and Air Force about the possibilities of joining.

Here are five teams that the Big East should pursue about joining the league.

1. Boise State Broncos

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One of the most dominant non-BCS teams in the country for the past few years, Boise State would make an attractive option for the Big East.

Kellen Moore has been dominant in leading the Broncos at quarterback, having won BCS bowl games against Oklahoma and TCU.  He will be a top pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

Boise State would give the Big East the dominant team it has lacked since Miami and Virginia Tech left the conference for the ACC in 2004, and they would immediately compete for the conference championship and eventually make their way forward as one of the conference's premier teams.

The league should invite the Broncos, as they have already approached the team about possibly joining.

2. Air Force Falcons

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Air Force has also been rumored to have been approached by the Big East to join the league as replacements for the teams that are bolting.

The league has possibly been exploring adding all of the service academies to have all of them under one roof.

Air Force has dominated the other academies and they have the talent to be able to immediately compete in the Big East. They would make a solid addition to a league that is trying to keep its head above water.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

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Notre Dame would make another solid addition to the league as a football member in the Big East, as they would become a member of an automatic-qualifier to the BCS and the road to the more lucrative bowl games would become a lot easier.

Notre Dame is also a school that has been rumored to allegedly have been approached by the conference.

If Notre Dame were to accept an invitation along with SMU, Air Force and Boise State, it would give the conference enough members to have its own conference championship game for the first time.

4. Houston Cougars

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A surprise undefeated team that's left in Division 1 this season, Houston has not gotten very much respect as the bowl season has drawn closer.

They have beaten everyone on their schedule and they are looking to get past Tulsa to become a perfect 12-0 and possibly fight for an at-large berth to the BCS.

If the Big East were to add Houston, it would give the conference another team that would be competitive right away and be a factor in conference championship races.

Houston would need a lot of help to get into a BCS bowl game, as the BCS has not been very kind to non-BCS schools who do as well as the Cougars have.

5. Navy Midshipmen

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Another service academy team that would be a good addition to the conference, the Midshipmen are a program that is in need of some retooling.

Navy is looking up at Air Force as far as having a competitive program, as the Falcons have won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy recently and they don't show any signs of slowing down.

If Navy is added by the Big East, other service academy teams would most likely follow.