As soon as it looked like the Big East might have been spared, a report out of Florida is now indicating that the conference is considering extending invites to Memphis and UCF. Fools.
Okay, first things first, the usual expansion rules apply -- this is just a singular report, so do not simply assume this is true, but if it is, well, damnit. I mean, really Big East? Look, I understand the conference is not perfect, and probably won't last anyway, but adding Memphis and UCF is not the answer. I can see the logic -- by having two other teams in the fold, the conference has insurance should the Big 10 come calling for Rutgers, Pitt, Syracuse or whoever. But it is not like Memphis and UCF will get better offers between now and the time the Big East starts to collapse. Plus, what if no one leaves? It means the conference will have two more incredibly mediocre football teams (bringing the total to 10, which is one more than everyone agrees the Big East needs), and the 16-team basketball league will become incredibly bloated without adding anything particularly compelling. Again, this is just a singular report, so I would not freak out too much yet, but really, as bad as Big East management has been, this would be a new low.