Big East To Target Navy & Air Force, Pitt Staying Till 2014
Pittsburgh (KDKA) The Big East football schools met last night and decided that they're going to try to stay alive.
Brett McMurphy of CBSSports.com is reporting that the league "will be aggressive" in replacing Pitt and Syracuse and will try to replace them with Navy and Air Force as football-only members.
On Tuesday, McMurphy reported that the Big East was close to adding Navy before Pitt and Syracuse announced they were leaving for the ACC.
A source at the meeting last night says that the league's members made a commitment to work and stay together.
Big East commissioner John Marinatto officially announced that the conference will not let Pitt and Syracuse leave for the ACC early.
"They are with us until June 30, 2014," Marinatto said. "I think our membership is firm on that. There is no intention of granting [an early] release."
Following last night's meeting, the Big East released a statement:
"Our membership met this evening and we are committed as a conference to recruit top-level BCS caliber institutions with strong athletic and academic histories and traditions. We have been approached by a number of such institutions and will pursue all of our options to make the Big East Conference stronger than it has ever been in both basketball and football."
