Football: Villanova offered a spot in Big East

The Big East just couldn’t stay away from the expansion party.

The conference has invited… The Big East just couldn’t stay away from the expansion party.

The conference has invited perennial Division 1- AA power Villanova to join the conference in football, according to reports from the Associated Press and the Philadelphia Daily News. The Wildcats are already a member of the Big East for basketball and most other sports.

In a letter to university alumni, Villanova President Peter Donohue wrote, “This is a complicated issue with numerous, multi-dimensional factors that come into play, and it is important that we investigate scenarios related to making—or not making—such a move,” according to the Associated Press.

The Big East has yet to comment to major media outlets on the issue. But it appears that Villanova is exploring all its option.

“We have decided to embark on an in-depth evaluation of this opportunity,” Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro told the Philadelphia Daily News yesterday.

The NCAA mandates that all Football Bowl Subdivision schools – which include the 11 football conferences eligible for BCS bowls – have a per-game attendance average of 15,000 people. This is one of the biggest problems facing Villanova since its stadium only seats 12,000. The school will also need to add 22 more football scholarships.

In 1997, the Big East offered football spots to Connecticut and Villanova. Villanova declined while Connecticut accepted and upgraded its football program to Division 1-A. The venture has been considered a success, since the Huskies have made appearances in four bowl games – winning three of them – since officially joining the conference in 2004. And the Huskies are in the hunt for a Big East championship this season.

Nicastro told the Philadelphia paper that the university is in a different position than when it was offered a spot in 1997.

“The reasoning, then, I think was financial and stadium issues, and I don’t know if there’s a difference now,” Nicastro said. “I do think the changing landscape that we’ve all witnessed is certainly a factor that has accelerated our fact-finding on this.”