Big East non-football schools plan to leave conference: source

The seven Catholic, non-football playing members of the Big East have finally said enough is enough.

DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova held a teleconference with Big East commissioner Mike Aresco Thursday and are expected to announce that they are planning to leave or dissolve the conference, according to sources.

CBS.com reported Thursday afternoon that, barring an unexpected change of plans, the split has been approved but the announcement will be made at some point next week.

The presidents of the schools — which constitute a two-thirds majority of the members of the conference as is — had the right to vote to dissolve the league if they chose without the burden of exit fees — as long as they leave as a group.  Legal action by the remaining all-sports teams —Connecticut, Cincinnati, and South Florida — who will be in a sort of conference limbo could pose a problem down the road.

The teleconference took place Thursday morning and Aresco was expected to issue a statement that afternoon saying that the non-FBS programs were leaving.

It "would be an upset if they remained in the league," a source told ESPN on Wednesday.

When the breakup is finalized, the source indicated that the Big East's media rights could take a 20% hit, potentially warding off some of the schools slated to join the conference.

The Big East was originally built around basketball based in large urban markets but, since the inclusion of major FBS programs, the realignment of the conference focused primarily on the football schools reaching all over the country.

Critics have blamed football for forcing the league to bring in schools not located in the East and diluting what was once known as one of the most elite basketball conferences in college basketball.

There is speculation that the remaining seven basketball schools — who will be allowed to retain the Big East name, tournament at Madison Square Garden and automatic NCAA bid — were courting other basketball schools such as Dayton, Xavier, Butler and St. Louis  to form a super basketball conference with 21 teams.

A more realistic plan would be to form a 10 or 12 team league.

What happens to the recently added football-based schools such as Boise State, Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, San Diego State and SMU if the Big East breaks up?  Those schools will probably return to their respective leagues.

Big East basketball fans deserve better than the joke that the conference has become.