Houston Football: If The Big East Offers Invite, Coogs Must Accept

The rumors of Big East expansion have been spinning around for so long it's difficult to distinguish conjecture from fact. The schizophrenic Big East is the smallest BCS conference, but the largest major college basketball conference.

In September the New York Post broke the the news that Big East representatives met with Texas Christian AD Chris Del Conte to discuss expansion. Del Conte just happened to be in New York City at the time with TCU president discussing Mountain West business.

Although the Big East never officially confirmed those meetings, John Paquette, Big East spokesman, reaffirmed the conference's goal of pursuing whatever options it can to survive. He echoed Big East Commissioner John Marinatto when he stated that a 20-team Big East basketball conference was not off the table.

The Dallas News quickly confirmed Del Conte's meeting with Big East officials. The message was loud and clear in the Horned Frogs' blogs: TCU had to receive a full-membership, not just an associate membership for football.

So could these events affect the University of Houston athletic programs?  

The New York Post had a leading edge story this morning about a regularly scheduled meeting of Big East presidents and athletic directors in Philadelphia tomorrow, which has now become pivotal to the conference's future. Emotions are running high. Contention fills the air. 

Is the Big East adding members now or at the end of the 2010 football season?

In addition to TCU, should Central Florida and Houston also be considered?

Supposing the vote is pro-expansion, what will the new basketball configuration look like?

Today is the first time UH has been officially included in the discussion. Coupling the Coogs with the Horned Frogs gives UH a travel partner, and lassos the two biggest media markets in Texas. 

Why should the Big East want UH?

UH is an urban institution. The Big East is the most urban of all college conferences.

The Cougars are on the move up with new softball and baseball fields and plans in the works to upgrade Hoffeinz Pavilion and Robertson Stadium.

UH President Renu Khator has the energy and vision needed by the 16 Big East presidents who, at times, suffer from myopia, looking backwards at the conference in its basketball heyday of the 1980s.

The city of Houston, fourth largest in the U.S. and growing, could provide the league with a significant increase in television viewership. With Fort Worth and Orlando also in the mix, Marinatto would have a winning hand to maximize funding opportunities from ESPN and regional networks.

If the Big East leaders learned any lessons from the debacle of Temple and Virginia Tech, they will offer the Cougars, Horned Frogs and Knights full conference memberships.

To those UH fans who want no part of the Big East because it's too far away, the football league is bad, or the conference is too removed from the Texas Southwest culture, I ask what other BCS conferences are interested in the Cougars?

How does the Champs Sports Bowl compare to the Armed Forces Bowl?

How will a guaranteed influx of several million dollars every year help UH reach its goals?

What effect would playing in Madison Square Garden and having the New York Times regularly following your football and basketball teams have on recruiting and fund-raising?

Football in any league is cyclical. In 2005 through 2007 the quality of football was better. Does it really matter, though, when the conference champ is guaranteed a spot in a BCS bowl?

Right now expansion is still conjecture. St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence have to be convinced expansion is the only way the entire conference and individual members can survive. It appears Georgetown is already pro-expansion and Villanova has been invited to upgrade its football program.

Notre Dame is the pride and joy of the Catholic schools in the league. Where do the Irish stand on the issue?

Notre Dame's guiding principle is always do what's best for Notre Dame. Notre Dame does not want to join the Big Ten. As long as the Irish have a home in the nation's best basketball conference, they won't need to.

When the FBS schools in the conference threaten to leave if the expansion vote is "No," Notre Dame should assure them it will vote pro expansion and give the conference expansionists a 9-8 edge.