Temple Joins The Big East

The Big East has continued its remodeling effort, officially landing Temple University Football for the 2012 season. Temple Athletics will come aboard in all other sports starting in 2013. The Owl’s football program had been a member of the MAC since 2007, while the rest of their programs played in the A-10.

The big news for the Big East here is that they will have Temple’s football program for the start of next season. With West Virginia buying out of the conference early for $20 million, the Big East needed an 8^th football program to retain its BCS status. Reports say it is likely that Temple will simply slide into West Virginia’s place in the upcoming schedule, which would alleviate the hassle of rescheduling all of the 2012 conference match-ups.

Although Temple has a solid football program, their biggest addition to the conference will be their basketball team. The Owl’s historic program should help soften the blow that will come when Syracuse and Pittsburgh eventually depart for the ACC. Adding Temple to a conference that still includes the likes of UConn, Louisville and Villanova will ensure that the Big East maintains its status as one of the premier College Basketball conferences in the nation.