Power Ranking the 'New' Big East with Boise State, Navy and Other Invites

The New York Post is reporting that the Big East will now explore inviting up to six new schools to join the conference for football, including Non-AQ powerhouse Boise State.

Read the article here: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/big_east_to_invite_six_VYHt8ArQpLKGN5Cz8tZSlM

This news comes after a report that conference officials intend to have school presidents vote on a plan to raise the exit fee from $5 million to $10 million.

It remains to be seen if the Big East will expand and survive, or whether it will ultimately crumble, but the idea of adding six new schools is certainly intriguing.

Here’s a look at how I think the teams would stack up in a possible 'new' Big East.

1. West Virginia Mountaineers

Say what you will about how AD Oliver Luck handled West Virginia’s coaching transition, but the fact is, bringing in Dana Holgorsen was a great move for the future of this program.

Holgorsen is one of the brightest young head coaches in college football, and he looks like he’s going to bring this program back to the same dominant level that Rich Rodriguez brought it to a few years ago.

West Virginia has set up some great recruiting pipelines throughout the Mid-Atlantic region and down in Florida, and now that Holgorsen’s at the helm, the Mountaineers are likely going to start bringing in some talent from Texas as well.

The future is certainly bright for the gold and blue.

2. Boise State Broncos

During the Chris Petersen era, the Boise State Broncos have an astonishing 67-5 record, and Petersen has now turned the team into an annual contender for a BCS bowl invite.

Petersen took over a program that was on the brink of doing something special and added that extra needed oomph to help the Broncos take the next step.

This myth that Boise State is doing more with less is becoming tired, because if you’ve seen the type of recruits they’ve been getting and the type of pro prospects they’ve been churning out lately, you know that this team has some serious talent.

We’ve always wondered how Boise State would handle playing in a big boy conference, and even though it’s the weakest of the six BCS leagues, it would certainly be interesting to see how the Broncos would fare if they made the move to the Big East.

3. South Florida Bulls

Jim Leavitt, the original architect of the program, did a terrific job of establishing a winning culture at South Florida, and now it looks like Skip Holtz is ready to take the Bulls to the next level.

This is a team that’s annually one of the fastest and most athletic teams in the Big East, and now they’ve got the coach in place who knows how to get the most out of all that talent.

Holtz is ready to do big things at South Florida and this is really going to be a team to watch out for over the next few years.

4. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

After an 11-2 season in 2006, it looked like Rutgers was on the verge of finally making that long-awaited breakthrough, but the team has taken a step back since, and the Knights hit bottom last year with a poor 4-8 performance.

Still, you have to respect what coach Greg Schiano has done in New Brunswick and he’s got this team in position to really make some noise in the coming years.

Schiano is bringing in the right kind of recruits and he’s got the program moving in the right direction.

Don’t be surprised if you see Rutgers in a BCS bowl game soon.

5. Cincinnati Bearcats

Brian Kelly did a remarkable job of elevating Cincinnati in the three short years he coached there.

During Kelly’s tenure, the Bearcats won 33 games and made it to two BCS bowls.

Admittedly, it was a rough transition year when Butch Jones took over last season, and Cincinnati struggled to a 4-8 record. But now that Jones has his feet under him, it looks like Cincinnati is once again ready to start contending for conference championships.

Cincinnati is 4-1 this year and the team is headed back in the right direction.

I know Cincinnati fans like to hate on Kelly for the way he left, but at least be grateful of what he helped do for your program.

I'm not saying you have to rename the stadium after him, but at least thank him for making it bigger.

6. Louisville Cardinals

Bobby Petrino turned Louisville into a national power back in the mid-2000’s, but it all came crashing down during the Steve Kragthorpe era.

Charlie Strong has been the coach assigned to resurrect the Cardinals and he looks like just the man for the job.

Strong led Louisville to a surprising 7-6 season last year and guided the team to its first bowl game since 2006.

After losing so much offensive talent, a down year was to be expected this season, but Strong is working wonders on the recruiting trail. He’s been bringing in the type of difference-making talent that would lead you to believe that this team is going to be in great shape for the next few years.

7. Houston Cougars

Houston has a reputation for always having one of the strongest offenses in the country and this year is no exception.

In recent years, the Cougars have had one of the top passing offenses in college football and that’s led to them being a consistent winner for the past five years, racking up two double-digit win seasons during that time.

This year, coach Kevin Sumlin has guided his team to a 6-0 record and a Top 25 ranking and he’s got the program in great shape for the future.

In Texas, there are a ton of great recruits, and while Houston may not be getting the elite blue-chippers like the Longhorns, the Cougars are doing a great job of finding under-the-radar talent.

8. Connecticut Huskies

Randy Edsall was building Connecticut into a contender and he even managed to get the team to its first BCS bowl game last year. But once Edsall left for Maryland, it seems the team lost its spark.

The Huskies look lackluster and unmotivated and they’ve stumbled out to a 2-4 start this season.

I questioned the hiring of Paul Pasqualoni when it was first announced, and I have even stronger doubts after seeing the job he's done early on.

9. Central Florida Knights

It took George O’Leary a few years but he finally has Central Florida on the rise.

O’Leary led the Knights to an 11-win season a year ago and judging from the type of recruits he’s bringing in, this is going to be a team to be reckoned with in the near future.

Central Florida has a beautiful, brand new stadium and they’ve got fertile recruiting grounds in the surrounding areas.

It would be fun to watch a Central Florida/South Florida rivalry blossom in the Big East over the next few years.

10. Navy Midshipmen

Navy has been the most consistent team out of the three service academies in recent years, racking up eight or more wins in every season since 2003.

Ken Niumatalolo has kept the train rolling after Paul Johnson left for Georgia Tech.

What the Midshipmen lack in talent, they make up for with a strong offensive system that always causes fits for opponents.

You have to wonder if Navy can handle the transition from independence to a major conference, but this team has the type of solid foundation in place to survive.

11. Air Force Falcons

Because it’s a service academy, it’s difficult for Air Force to recruit top-level players, but like Navy, the Falcons have the type of offense that’s just a flat out pain in the butt to deal with.

Troy Calhoun is a solid coach and he’s proven himself in the Mountain West, racking up eight or more wins in all four of his seasons. It will be interesting to see how the Falcons fare in the Big East.

12. Temple Owls

The Big East booted Temple from the conference back in 2004, but the Owls have since recovered after Al Golden came to town and built the program back up again.

Now it’s Steve Addazio who is in charge and he’s got a great pedigree to keep the Owls flying for the foreseeable future.

It’s true, Temple can’t draw flies to Lincoln Financial Field, but that could change if the program gains some more credibility by joining the Big East.

It’s going to take some time for Temple to compete in the Big East, and the Owls would likely be cellar dwellers for the first few years, but Addazio is the kind of coach who looks like he can make things happen–if you give him the right amount of time and resources.