Big East Conference
Encyclopedia
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members (16 full-time and 1 associate member) participate in 24 NCAA
sports. Eight of the seventeen conference schools are football
members and the Big East competes as a BCS
conference in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level of NCAA competition in that sport (also known by its former designation: Division I-A). Three members have football programs but are not Big East football schools: Georgetown
and Villanova
compete in the Football Championship Subdivision and Notre Dame
plays as an FBS independent. The other five schools—Seton Hall
, St. John's, DePaul
, Marquette
, and Providence
—discontinued their football programs.
The Big East has had all eight members play in bowl games since the 2005 realignment
and has had seven of eight teams ranked in the Top 25 since 2003. In that time, the Big East has seen the emergence of new national players West Virginia
rising to as high as No. 1 and was ranked in the Top 10 for three-straight years (2005, 2006, 2007) (South Florida
rising as high as #2, Cincinnati
and Louisville
both as high as #3, Rutgers
as high as #7, Pittsburgh
as high as #9, and Connecticut
as high as #13 in BCS standings). Also, Big East football has seen an increase in attendance and is enjoying a new, $250 million plus television package that lasts through 2013.
In basketball
, Big East teams have made 16 Final Four appearances and won six NCAA Championships (UConn with three, and Georgetown, Syracuse, and Villanova with one each). Of the Big East's 16 full members, all but South Florida have been to the Final Four, the most of any conference, though Louisville, Marquette, DePaul, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh made all their trips before joining the Big East. In 2011, the Big East set the record for the most teams sent to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
by a single conference with eleven out of their sixteen teams qualifying.
, St. John's
, Georgetown
, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut
, Holy Cross
, Rutgers
, and Boston College
to form a conference primarily focused on basketball, with Rutgers and Holy Cross declining to join. Villanova
joined a year later in 1980 and Pittsburgh joined in 1982.
In 1982, Penn State applied for membership, but was rejected, with only five schools in favor (Penn State needed six out of eight). It was long rumored that Syracuse cast the deciding vote against Penn State, but Mike Tranghese
confirmed that this was not the case and that Syracuse had, in fact, voted for Penn State's inclusion.
, Temple
, Virginia Tech
, and West Virginia
. The inaugural Big East football season launched in 1991.
West Virginia and Rutgers joined the Big East as full members in 1995 and Virginia Tech joined as a full member in 2000. Temple remained a football-only member until 2004, but was voted out of the Big East after failing to attract enough consistent fan support. The Big East offered Notre Dame
a non-football membership effective 1995. This led to an unusual conference structure with some schools competing in Division I basketball only.
over several Big East members. The end result was that three Big East schools—Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College—moved to the ACC, while five teams moved to the Big East from Conference USA
—Louisville
, Cincinnati
, South Florida
, Marquette
, and DePaul
.
The addition of the three football schools, along with Big East non-football member Connecticut moving up to the Big East football conference, ensured that the league would keep the minimum eight teams needed to keep its BCS bid. In addition, two traditional basketball teams, DePaul and Marquette, were added to gain the Chicago
and Milwaukee television markets and help the already solid basketball status of the conference.
Meanwhile, Loyola University Maryland (then Loyola College in Maryland) also joined the Big East as an associate member in women's lacrosse
for the 2005-06 academic year.
accepted an invitation to join the conference as an all-sports member beginning in the 2012–13 academic year. The school would have become the first Protestant
university in a heavily Catholic conference. On October 6, 2011, the Big 12 Conference
invited TCU to join. Four days later, TCU officially reversed its acceptance of the Big East invitation and accepted the Big 12 invitation beginning in the 2012–13 academic year.
On September 17, 2011, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced that they will leave the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference. As of the announcement date, the effective date of the move was July 2014 because of a 27-month notice period required by conference bylaws; however, it was considered likely that the two schools would be able to negotiate an earlier exit.
On October 28, 2011 it was announced by the Big 12 Conference
that West Virginia will accept an invitation to join, with membership beginning in 2012.
Big East schools compete in Division I in basketball and Olympic sports. Football members of the conference participate in Division I FBS. Notre Dame remains an FBS independent, while Georgetown and Villanova have Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) football programs. Georgetown football competes in the Patriot League
. Villanova competed in the Atlantic 10 through the 2006 season, but along with all other members of the A-10 football conference joined the new football conference launched by the Colonial Athletic Association
in 2007. In September 2010, in the wake of a Division I realignment that affected a number of conferences around the country, the Big East extended an invitation to Villanova to become a football member. The school is currently considering the offer, which would require the school to substantially expand its entire athletic program, as well as expand its stadium
to meet FBS requirements or find another suitable venue in the Philadelphia area
, such as Lincoln Financial Field
.
The eight schools that play football in the conference are all state-supported (or in the case of Pittsburgh, state-related
) with the exception of Syracuse (a private but secular institution), whereas the eight schools that do not play football in the conference are all affiliated with the Catholic Church.
The Big East began sponsoring a men's lacrosse
league in 2010 with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova participating. Marquette will offer men's and women's lacrosse beginning in 2012, and will join the Big East in that sport for the 2013 season.
Mike Tranghese retired at the end of the 2008–09 academic year, which he announced in June 2008, and was replaced by former senior associate commissioner John Marinatto.
Light green indicates departing member
**Rutgers and West Virginia joined as associate members (football only) in 1991.
† Denotes schools that will be leaving Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, presumably in 2014 (according to Big East commissioner John Marinatto).
* Virginia Tech was an associate member of the Big East from 1991-2000.
Note: Syracuse and Pittsburgh have accepted an invitation to join the ACC. The presumed date of departure from the Big East is June 2014.
* Rutgers and West Virginia joined the Big East as full members in 1995.
** Virginia Tech joined the Big East as a full member in 2000.
The Big East was founded by seven charter schools in 1979 (Providence
, St. John's, Georgetown
, Syracuse
, Seton Hall
, Connecticut
, and Boston College
) with the intent of creating a powerhouse basketball conference. Villanova joined the following year, followed by Pittsburgh in 1982.
It would not take long for the conference to meet its original aim, with Georgetown, led by senior Sleepy Floyd
and freshman Patrick Ewing
, making the NCAA Championship Game
in 1982. Just two years later, in 1984, Georgetown won the Big East's first NCAA basketball championship with a victory over the University of Houston.
The following year three Big East teams (Villanova, St. John's, and Georgetown) all advanced to the Final Four, culminating in Villanova's stunning championship game victory over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas. The conference's 1985 success was nearly duplicated in 1987, when Syracuse
and a surprising Providence
both made the Final Four, followed by the Orangemen's narrow loss to Indiana University
in the tournament final. Two years later, the Seton Hall Pirates
also advanced to the NCAA Championship Game, but were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines
in an overtime heartbreaker.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, and Syracuse were the primary powers in the conference. UConn became a power in 1990 with a # 1 seed and a trip to the Elite 8 before being defeated by Duke. Georgetown was led by John Thompson Jr.
, who was named three times as the conference Coach of the Year. They won five regular season conference championships and six Big East Tournaments to go with their 1984 national title. Villanova was coached by Rollie Massimino
, who led them to the 1985 NCAA Championship in a histotic 66-64 win over #1 ranked Georgetown where forward Ed Pinckney
was named the Most Outstanding Player
. In there first 11 seasons in the Big East, Villanova made 9 trips to the NCAA Tournament including advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1982, 1983 and 1988 as well as their 1985 Championship season. Massimino coached for 19 seasons at Villanova, compiling a record of 357–241 (.596). In the NCAA Tournament, Massimino had an incredible 20–10 record (.667). St. John's was led by Lou Carnesecca
, who won the National Coach of the Year honor in 1983 and 1985. He led the Redmen (now the Red Storm) to the 1985
Final Four, and made a post-season appearance in each of his 24 years at the helm. Syracuse has been led by alumnus Jim Boeheim
since the 1977 season. He was named conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1991. During this period, the Orangemen won five regular season conference championships, three Big East Tournaments, and were invited to the NCAA Tournament every year but two (1981 and 1982), losing the 1987
National Final to Indiana. Syracuse eventually won its first national title in 2003
, led by coach Boeheim and freshman Carmelo Anthony
.
From the early-1990s through 2011, Connecticut made several deep runs in NCAA tournament.They played in the Elite 8 9 times and went to the Final Four 4 times. Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun
's program, led by such stars as Ray Allen
, Richard "Rip" Hamilton
, Caron Butler
and Emeka Okafor
, averaged nearly 26 wins per year during that time span, won several Big East regular season and tournament championships, and claimed the National Championship in 1999
, 2004
, and again emerged from a struggling 9-9 season in the Big East to win the 2011
behind star point guard Kemba Walker
.
Villanova was Regular Season Conference Champions in 2006 and advanced to the Elite Eight before eventual champion Florida defeated them. Georgetown advanced to the 2007 NCAA Final Four and both Villanova and Connecticut were in the 2009 NCAA Final Four. Villanova has made it to 7 consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2005 to 2011) under Coach Jay Wright.
The conference got a then record eight teams into the NCAA Men's Tournament
in 2006
and again matched their own record in both 2008
and 2010
. At the start of the 2008–2009 season, many sports analysts predicted that the conference would surpass the record by sending 10 teams to the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. When the brackets were revealed, seven made it, but three of them (Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut) gained #1 seeds, and Louisville earned the top seed overall. Connecticut and Villanova (a #3 seed) both reached the Final Four. At the finish of the 2010–2011 season
, the Big East eclipsed its record, sending 11 teams to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The conference has a number of former players currently playing in the National Basketball Association with some of the most recent being Ray Allen
, Caron Butler
, Carmelo Anthony
, Ryan Gomes
, Austin Croshere
, Richard "Rip" Hamilton
, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor
, Troy Murphy
, Hakim Warrick
, Quincy Douby
, Dante Cunningham
, Randy Foye
, Kyle Lowry
, Rudy Gay
, Matt Carroll
, Jake Voskuhl
, Etan Thomas
, Samuel Dalembert
, Charlie Villanueva
, Donte Greene
, Ron Artest
, Chris Quinn
, Jason Hart, Tim Thomas
, Aaron Gray
, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair
, Wilson Chandler
, Jeff Green
, Joe Alexander
, Marcus Williams, Jonny Flynn
, Terrence Williams
, Earl Clark
, Roy Hibbert
, Wesley Johnson
, and Wesley Matthews
.
Big East women's basketball
is nearly as powerful as the conference's men's programs. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma
has led his women's team to seven national championships (including four between 2000 and 2004) and four undefeated seasons (1995, 2002
, 2009
, and 2010
). Connecticut set the record for longest winning streak in all of NCAA women's basketball history with a 70-game winning streak stretching from 2001–2003. This streak was ended in 2003 when Villanova beat Connecticut for the Big East tournament title, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in women's basketball (Villanova would go on to reach the Elite Eight
that year). The Huskies broke their own record with consecutive unbeaten championship seasons in 2009 and 2010, and stretched their streak to 90, a Division I record for both sexes, before losing to Stanford
during the 2010–11 season
.
Due to the strength of the Connecticut program, and 2007 national runner-up
Rutgers
, and 2001 national champion and 2011 National runner-up Notre Dame, the Big East has emerged as one of the major powers in women's college basketball
. In 2009 two Big East schools met in the national championship game (Connecticut and Louisville
) and the South Florida women's basketball team defeated Kansas
to become the WNIT
champions.
In 2011
, UConn and Notre Dame both made the Final Four; the Irish defeated the Huskies in their semifinal but lost to Texas A&M in the NCAA Championship Game.
Big East began football during the 1991–1992 season with the addition of Miami and was a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series
. The league obtained immediate legitimacy with the addition of powerhouse Miami
.
In the league's early years the University of Miami
dominated, winning nine of the first thirteen championships and two national championships in 1991 and 2001. Virginia Tech
also did well, winning the conference in 1995, 1996, and in 1999, when they also earned a #2 national ranking. West Virginia
and Syracuse were the only other teams to win conference titles during the league's original alignment.
The conference experienced a major reconstruction when Miami and Virginia Tech
left for the Atlantic Coast Conference
in 2004, followed by Boston College
in 2005. Initially, Syracuse University was in place to make the jump instead of Virginia Tech, but in 2003, the governor of Virginia
Mark Warner put pressure on the ACC (via the vote of the University of Virginia) to ensure that Virginia Tech was not left out of the conference expansion. Syracuse, then, was not invited to the ACC and was left to remain in the Big East.
Temple
had joined the Big East for football only in 1991, but found it difficult to compete with the other league teams and drew very poor attendance to its games. The conference was compelled to expel the Owls voluntarily in 2004 (after playing two seasons as an independent, Temple joined the MAC
in 2007).
The universities that replaced them were Louisville
, South Florida
and Cincinnati
from Conference USA
. The league also invited the University of Connecticut
to play football a year earlier than planned.
At about this time, the BCS announced that it would adjust the automatic bids granted to its six founding conferences based on results from 2004–07, and that there would be five, six, or seven such bids starting in 2008. The obvious inference was that soon the Big East might lose its bid.
The conference’s fortunes improved in 2005. The three new teams from Conference USA began play that year, restoring the league to eight teams. West Virginia won the conference title and the Sugar Bowl
, and finished 11–1 and finished #5 in the AP poll. Newcomer Louisville also ranked in the Top 20.
In 2006, West Virginia
, Louisville
, and Rutgers
all entered November undefeated. However, they did not stay that way, as in a trio of exciting games over the next month, Louisville defeated West Virginia 44–34, Rutgers defeated Louisville 28–25, and West Virginia defeated Rutgers 41–39 in three overtimes. Rutgers’ resurgence after a century of mostly futile play was a national story, but Louisville won the conference title in the end. In bowl action, the Big East went 5–0, including an Orange Bowl victory for Louisville over Wake Forest
and a win by West Virginia over Georgia Tech
in the Gator Bowl
. Louisville would finish the season ranked 6th, West Virginia 10th, and Rutgers 12th in the final AP Poll.
In 2007, USF
rose to #2 in the BCS
rankings. They lost their next three games, however, to drop out of the rankings. They eventually finished the season #21 in the final BCS polls. The Connecticut Huskies, getting as high as #13, and West Virginia remained in the top 25. Cincinnati also rose as high as #15 in the rankings eventually finishing the season with 10 wins and a #17 ranking. Connecticut lost subsequent games and dropped substantially in the rankings, ultimately finishing 25th. On the final day of the season, Pittsburgh upset #2 WVU 13–9 in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl
to give the Huskies a share of the conference championship, while WVU was stopped on the doorstep of the BCS National Championship Game
. In bowl games, WVU upset the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, despite having lost their highly touted coach, Rich Rodriguez
to Michigan less than a month before the game. West Virginia finished the season ranked #6 and Cincinnati finished ranked #17.
The 2009 season saw Cincinnati
finish the regular season undefeated at 12-0 and climb to #3 in the final BCS standings. After completing a fourth quarter comeback to beat Pittsburgh
on the final day of the season, the Bearcats narrowly missed a spot in the BCS national championship game, as #2 Texas pulled out a last second win in the Big 12 Championship Game
. The Bearcats would go on to lose the Sugar Bowl
to #5 Florida
and finish the year 12–1.
On September 18, 2011, both Pittsburgh and Syracuse were accepted as Atlantic Coast Conference
members although the exact date of the move is still uncertain. ("ESPN".) There are also rumors that UConn is also looking to leave the Big East and join Pittsburgh and Syracuse in the ACC
. ("ESPN".) Louisville and West Virginia are on a short list of schools if the Big 12
decides to expand back to 12 teams. TCU, who had accepted an invitation to join the Big East in the 2012 season, withdrew its acceptance and instead accepted an invitation to join the Big 12.
In 2011, the University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Central Florida, are rumored to join the Big East as full-time members.
In November 2011, Coach Bronco Mendenhall stated that Brigham Young University has been approached by the Big East.
* No official championship awarded in 1991 and 1992, as the conference did not start full league play until 1993.
Notes on bowl game selection
league with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse, and Villanova participating. Men's lacrosse is the 24th sport sponsored by the Big East Conference and is the 11th men's sport. The teams play a six-game single round-robin regular-season schedule. There will be no Big East men's lacrosse championship tournament for 2010. Instead, the Big East champion will be determined by conference-game winning percentage at the conclusion of the regular season. This winner will then receive the league's automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
.
In both the 2009 and 2010 season, the Villanova Women captured the NCAA CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS as they have largely dominated the BIG EAST over the years with numerous Conference Titles.
Led by Sheila Reid
, a junior from New Market,Ont. who won the 2010 individual champion, the top-ranked Wildcats captured their second straight NCAA Division I women’s cross country championship. Reid sprinted past Georgetown’s Emily Infeld and Jordan Hasay in the final 200 meters to win the individual title. It was the Villanova Women’s ninth NCAA Team Championship overall in Cross Country. The Wildcats captured six consecutive NCAA Championships from 1989-94 and also won the title again in 1998, 2009 and 2010.
Departing members highlighted in pink.
Notes:
1 Football stadiums for Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Villanova are not "conference facilities" as those universities are not members of Big East Football.
2 St. John's men generally play their Big East home schedule in Madison Square Garden and their non-conference home schedule on campus at Carnesecca Arena. In 2005–06, St. John's played only one non-conference game at MSG and one Big East game on campus.
3 For certain high-profile home games, Villanova uses the Wells Fargo Center, and previously used the Wachovia Spectrum
. In 2005–06, Villanova played three home games at the Wells Fargo Center and the rest on campus at The Pavilion. In 2006, the Wells Fargo Center was also a first-round site for the NCAA Tournament
. Under NCAA rules, a venue is not considered a home court unless a school plays four or more regular-season games there; this enabled Villanova to play its first two tournament games at the Wells Fargo Center (but Villanova was not considered the host school for that sub-region – the Atlantic 10 Conference was). This situation occurred again in 2009
, with Villanova playing (and winning) its first two tournament games at Wells Fargo Center.
4 For Syracuse basketball games in the Carrier Dome, the court is laid out on one end of the field and stands are erected beside it. This makes the Carrier Dome the largest on-campus venue for college basketball in the nation.
5 Late in 2006, Rutgers added approximately 3,000 temporary end zone seats that remained for the 2007 season (total 45,000). In 2008, Rutgers began a stadium expansion project which is expected to increase capacity to over 55,000 seats and add luxury and club seats. The premium seating is projected to be ready for the 2008 season and the additional 12,000 end zone seats are expected for the 2009 season. The stadium is also expected to receive a new name as part of the financing package depends on a name sponsorship.
6 For certain high profile home games, Cincinnati uses the Cincinnati Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium. In 2010, Cincinnati hosted the University of Oklahoma at Paul Brown Stadium. In 2011, Cincinnati will use Paul Brown Stadium as an alternate home field for two Big East Conference games.
†Received the Conference's BCS (or Alliance Bowl) berth
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
sports. Eight of the seventeen conference schools are football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
members and the Big East competes as a BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
conference in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the top level of NCAA competition in that sport (also known by its former designation: Division I-A). Three members have football programs but are not Big East football schools: Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
and Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
compete in the Football Championship Subdivision and Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
plays as an FBS independent. The other five schools—Seton Hall
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, St. John's, DePaul
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, Marquette
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
, and Providence
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
—discontinued their football programs.
The Big East has had all eight members play in bowl games since the 2005 realignment
2005 NCAA football realignment
The 2005 NCAA conference realignment was initiated by the movement of three Big East Conference teams to the Atlantic Coast Conference set into motion events that created a realignment in college football, as 23 teams changed conferences and Army became an independent.-Atlantic Coast...
and has had seven of eight teams ranked in the Top 25 since 2003. In that time, the Big East has seen the emergence of new national players West Virginia
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
rising to as high as No. 1 and was ranked in the Top 10 for three-straight years (2005, 2006, 2007) (South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
rising as high as #2, Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
and Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
both as high as #3, Rutgers
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
as high as #7, Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
as high as #9, and Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
as high as #13 in BCS standings). Also, Big East football has seen an increase in attendance and is enjoying a new, $250 million plus television package that lasts through 2013.
In basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, Big East teams have made 16 Final Four appearances and won six NCAA Championships (UConn with three, and Georgetown, Syracuse, and Villanova with one each). Of the Big East's 16 full members, all but South Florida have been to the Final Four, the most of any conference, though Louisville, Marquette, DePaul, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh made all their trips before joining the Big East. In 2011, the Big East set the record for the most teams sent to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
by a single conference with eleven out of their sixteen teams qualifying.
The early years
The Big East was founded in 1979 when ProvidenceProvidence Friars
The Providence Friars is the name of the athletic teams of Providence College. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East and in women's volleyball, where they compete in the America East Conference...
, St. John's
St. John's Red Storm
The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University. St. John's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC...
, Georgetown
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
, and Syracuse invited Seton Hall, Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
, Holy Cross
Holy Cross Crusaders
The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Atlantic Hockey Association and women's golf in the Big South Conference...
, Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
, and Boston College
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
to form a conference primarily focused on basketball, with Rutgers and Holy Cross declining to join. Villanova
Villanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay...
joined a year later in 1980 and Pittsburgh joined in 1982.
In 1982, Penn State applied for membership, but was rejected, with only five schools in favor (Penn State needed six out of eight). It was long rumored that Syracuse cast the deciding vote against Penn State, but Mike Tranghese
Mike Tranghese
Michael "Mike" Tranghese was the commissioner of the Big East Conference and helped create the conference as founder Dave Gavitt's right-hand man in 1979.Tranghese retired as commissioner in the spring of 2009. John Marinatto succeeded him as commissioner....
confirmed that this was not the case and that Syracuse had, in fact, voted for Penn State's inclusion.
Big East sports offered:
|
Football expansion
About a decade after the conference's inception, Big East members decided to become a major football conference and thus added five schools including Rutgers, MiamiMiami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
, Temple
Temple Owls
Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....
, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer,...
, and West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
. The inaugural Big East football season launched in 1991.
West Virginia and Rutgers joined the Big East as full members in 1995 and Virginia Tech joined as a full member in 2000. Temple remained a football-only member until 2004, but was voted out of the Big East after failing to attract enough consistent fan support. The Big East offered Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I...
a non-football membership effective 1995. This led to an unusual conference structure with some schools competing in Division I basketball only.
Instability, departures, and replacements
The unusual structure of the Big East, with the "football" and "non-football" schools, led to instability in the conference. In 2003, the ongoing press reports of tensions between the football schools and the basketball-only schools finally exploded into a months-long public tug-of-war between the Big East and the Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
over several Big East members. The end result was that three Big East schools—Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College—moved to the ACC, while five teams moved to the Big East from Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
—Louisville
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team...
, Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
, South Florida
South Florida Bulls
The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida. The university competes in NCAA Division I, USF is a member of the Big East Conference, and has been since 2005...
, Marquette
Marquette Golden Eagles
The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University....
, and DePaul
DePaul Blue Demons
The DePaul Blue Demons are the intercollegiate athletic teams of DePaul University, located in Chicago Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference....
.
The addition of the three football schools, along with Big East non-football member Connecticut moving up to the Big East football conference, ensured that the league would keep the minimum eight teams needed to keep its BCS bid. In addition, two traditional basketball teams, DePaul and Marquette, were added to gain the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Milwaukee television markets and help the already solid basketball status of the conference.
Meanwhile, Loyola University Maryland (then Loyola College in Maryland) also joined the Big East as an associate member in women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first tribe to play it was the Hauser tribe, of the Great Plains. The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St...
for the 2005-06 academic year.
Continuing instability
In 2010, Texas Christian UniversityTexas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
accepted an invitation to join the conference as an all-sports member beginning in the 2012–13 academic year. The school would have become the first Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
university in a heavily Catholic conference. On October 6, 2011, the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
invited TCU to join. Four days later, TCU officially reversed its acceptance of the Big East invitation and accepted the Big 12 invitation beginning in the 2012–13 academic year.
On September 17, 2011, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced that they will leave the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference. As of the announcement date, the effective date of the move was July 2014 because of a 27-month notice period required by conference bylaws; however, it was considered likely that the two schools would be able to negotiate an earlier exit.
On October 28, 2011 it was announced by the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
that West Virginia will accept an invitation to join, with membership beginning in 2012.
Current status
Currently, the Big East represents the majority of the large, athletically competitive private Catholic schools, with schools like Boston College, Gonzaga, and Xavier being notable exceptions. Public schools UConn, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, West Virginia and Cincinnati are located in areas with large Catholic communities. Five of the founding seven schools are Catholic schools: Providence, St. John's, Georgetown, Seton Hall, and Boston College.Big East schools compete in Division I in basketball and Olympic sports. Football members of the conference participate in Division I FBS. Notre Dame remains an FBS independent, while Georgetown and Villanova have Division I FCS (formerly I-AA) football programs. Georgetown football competes in the Patriot League
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I) for a number of sports; in football, it participates in the Football Championship Subdivision...
. Villanova competed in the Atlantic 10 through the 2006 season, but along with all other members of the A-10 football conference joined the new football conference launched by the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
in 2007. In September 2010, in the wake of a Division I realignment that affected a number of conferences around the country, the Big East extended an invitation to Villanova to become a football member. The school is currently considering the offer, which would require the school to substantially expand its entire athletic program, as well as expand its stadium
Villanova Stadium
Villanova Stadium is a stadium located on the campus of Villanova University in Radnor Township, Pennsylvania, USA.Villanova Stadium was originally built in 1927 and dedicated on October 8, 1927, Villanova Stadium plays host to a wide variety of events including serving as home to the Villanova...
to meet FBS requirements or find another suitable venue in the Philadelphia area
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
, such as Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field
Lincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
.
The eight schools that play football in the conference are all state-supported (or in the case of Pittsburgh, state-related
Commonwealth System of Higher Education
The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is the organizing body of Pennsylvania's "state-related" schools, which allows the independent control of the universities while supplying them with the public funds needed for operations at each institution. Universities in the System are considered...
) with the exception of Syracuse (a private but secular institution), whereas the eight schools that do not play football in the conference are all affiliated with the Catholic Church.
The Big East began sponsoring a men's lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
league in 2010 with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova participating. Marquette will offer men's and women's lacrosse beginning in 2012, and will join the Big East in that sport for the 2013 season.
Commissioners
- Dave GavittDave GavittDavid "Dave" Gavitt was a American college basketball coach and athletic director at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island...
: 1979–1990 - Mike TrangheseMike TrangheseMichael "Mike" Tranghese was the commissioner of the Big East Conference and helped create the conference as founder Dave Gavitt's right-hand man in 1979.Tranghese retired as commissioner in the spring of 2009. John Marinatto succeeded him as commissioner....
: 1990–2009 - John MarinattoJohn MarinattoJohn Marinatto is the commissioner of the Big East Conference. He served as senior associate commissioner of the Big East from 2002 until he began his tenure as third commissioner of the conference on July 1, 2009....
: 2009–present
Mike Tranghese retired at the end of the 2008–09 academic year, which he announced in June 2008, and was replaced by former senior associate commissioner John Marinatto.
Members
As of the beginning of the 2011–12 academic year, there are 16 full members and one associate member.Full football members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Undergraduate Enrollment |
Year Joined |
Nickname | Endowment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cincinnati University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio.... |
Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
1819 | Public | 31,523 | 2005 | Bearcats Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference.... |
$886,262,000 |
| University of Connecticut University of Connecticut The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually... |
Storrs Storrs, Connecticut Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census... , Connecticut |
1881 | Public | 20,846 | 1979 | Huskies Connecticut Huskies The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice... |
$271,822,000 |
| University of Louisville University of Louisville The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General... |
Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... , Kentucky |
1798 | Public | 15,125 | 2005 | Cardinals Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team... |
$669,043,000 |
| University of Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of... † |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
1787 | Public/State-Related Commonwealth System of Higher Education The Commonwealth System of Higher Education is the organizing body of Pennsylvania's "state-related" schools, which allows the independent control of the universities while supplying them with the public funds needed for operations at each institution. Universities in the System are considered... |
17,427 | 1982 | Panthers | $2,032,798,000 |
| Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American... ** |
New Brunswick New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of... , New Jersey |
1766 | Public | 28,031 | 1995 ** | Scarlet Knights Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey... |
$603,083,000 |
| University of South Florida University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
Tampa Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709.... , Florida |
1956 | Public | 36,358 | 2005 | Bulls South Florida Bulls The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida. The university competes in NCAA Division I, USF is a member of the Big East Conference, and has been since 2005... |
$295,921,000 |
| Syracuse University Syracuse University Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College... † |
Syracuse Syracuse, New York Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603... , New York |
1870 | Private/Non-sectarian | 13,504 | 1979 | Orange | $849,157,000 |
| West Virginia University West Virginia University West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;... ** |
Morgantown Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area... , West Virginia |
1867 | Public | 22,303 | 1995 ** | Mountaineers West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming... |
$337,127,000 |
Light green indicates departing member
**Rutgers and West Virginia joined as associate members (football only) in 1991.
† Denotes schools that will be leaving Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, presumably in 2014 (according to Big East commissioner John Marinatto).
Full non-football members
| Institution | Location | Founded | Type | Undergraduate Enrollment |
Year Joined |
Nickname | Endowment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette University Marquette University Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities... |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... |
1881 | Private/Catholic | 8,012 | 2005 | Golden Eagles Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University.... |
$326,003,000 |
| University of Notre Dame University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States... |
South Bend, Indiana South Bend, Indiana The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663... |
1842 | Private/Catholic | 8,371 | 1995 | Fighting Irish Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I... |
$5,234,841,000 |
| DePaul University DePaul University DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul... |
Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... , Illinois |
1898 | Private/Catholic | 16,199 | 2005 | Blue Demons DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the intercollegiate athletic teams of DePaul University, located in Chicago Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big East Conference.... |
$284,017,000 |
| Georgetown University Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States... |
Washington, D.C. | 1789 | Private/Catholic | 7,092 | 1979 | Hoyas Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the... |
$1,009,736,000 |
| St. John's University | Queens Queens Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States.... , New York |
1870 | Private/Catholic | 14,983 | 1979 | Red Storm St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University. St. John's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC... |
$303,057,000 |
| Seton Hall University Seton Hall University Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the... |
South Orange South Orange, New Jersey -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile... , New Jersey |
1856 | Private/Catholic | 5,245 | 1979 | Pirates | $162,889,000 |
| Providence College Providence College Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic... |
Providence Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region... , Rhode Island |
1917 | Private/Catholic | 3,850 | 1979 | Friars Providence Friars The Providence Friars is the name of the athletic teams of Providence College. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East and in women's volleyball, where they compete in the America East Conference... |
$122,110,000 |
| Villanova University Villanova University Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States... |
Villanova Villanova, Pennsylvania Villanova is a community in the United States Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It straddles Lower Merion Township of Montgomery County and Radnor Township of Delaware County. It is located at the center of the Pennsylvania Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburban towns located... , Pennsylvania |
1842 | Private/Catholic | 6,335 | 1980 | Wildcats Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay... |
$297,684,000 |
Associate members
| Institution | Location | Conference | Type | Enrollment | Nickname | Sport | Endowment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loyola University Maryland | Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore... , Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
MAAC Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider... |
Private/Catholic | 3,500 | Greyhounds | Women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse Women's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first tribe to play it was the Hauser tribe, of the Great Plains. The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St... |
$143,000,000 |
Former full members
| Institution | Beginning Year | Ending Year | New Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College Boston College Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early... |
1979 | 2005 | ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
| University of Miami University of Miami The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12... |
1991 | 2004 | ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
| Virginia Tech Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in... * |
2000 | 2004 | ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
* Virginia Tech was an associate member of the Big East from 1991-2000.
Note: Syracuse and Pittsburgh have accepted an invitation to join the ACC. The presumed date of departure from the Big East is June 2014.
Former associate members
| Institution | Affiliation | Conference | Beginning Year | Ending Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American... * |
Football | A-10 | 1991 | 1995 |
| West Virginia University West Virginia University West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;... * |
Football | A-10 | 1991 | 1995 |
| Virginia Tech Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in... ** |
Football | Metro Metro Conference The Metropolitan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because all of its charter members were in urban metropolitan areas in, or at least on the fringes of, the Southern United States... (1991-1995), A-10 (1995-2000) |
1991 | 2000 |
| Temple University Temple University Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional... |
Football | A-10 | 1991 | 2004 |
* Rutgers and West Virginia joined the Big East as full members in 1995.
** Virginia Tech joined the Big East as a full member in 2000.
Membership timeline
Full members (non-football) in blue. Full members (football) in green. Associate members (football only) in orange. Associate members (other sports) in yellow.Men's basketball
| 2010–2011 Men's Basketball Average Home Attendance | |
| School | Average Attendance |
|---|---|
| Syracuse Syracuse Orange men's basketball The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference... |
22,312 |
| Louisville Louisville Cardinals men's basketball The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA... |
21,832 |
| Marquette Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I... |
15,586 |
| Georgetown | 12,675 |
| Connecticut Connecticut Huskies men's basketball The Connecticut Huskies is the name of the men's college basketball team representing the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference... |
11,569 |
| West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by... |
11,469 |
| Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in... |
10,843 |
| Villanova Villanova Wildcats men's basketball This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA... |
10,511 |
| St. John's St. John's Red Storm men's basketball The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents the St. John's University in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference. The men’s coach Norm Roberts was fired on March 19, 2010... |
8,431 |
| Seton Hall Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey... |
7,937 |
| Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in... |
7,785 |
| DePaul DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball The DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois... |
7,676 |
| Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. They currently compete in the Big East Conference and are coached by Mick Cronin. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in... |
7,344 |
| Providence Providence Friars men's basketball The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a founding member of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island... |
7,043 |
| Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball The Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Basketball team represents Rutgers University and is a NCAA Division I college basketball team, which competes in the Big East Conference... |
5,602 |
| South Florida | 4,230 |
| Overall | 11,082 |
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
, St. John's, Georgetown
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Seton Hall
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, and Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
) with the intent of creating a powerhouse basketball conference. Villanova joined the following year, followed by Pittsburgh in 1982.
It would not take long for the conference to meet its original aim, with Georgetown, led by senior Sleepy Floyd
Sleepy Floyd
Eric Augustus "Sleepy" Floyd is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'3" guard, Floyd played competitively at Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia, and starred at Georgetown University before being drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 13th pick of the 1982 NBA Draft...
and freshman Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. is a Jamaican-American retired Hall of Fame basketball player and current assistant coach for the National Basketball Association's Orlando Magic. He played most of his career with the NBA's New York Knicks as their starting center and played briefly with the Seattle...
, making the NCAA Championship Game
1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
in 1982. Just two years later, in 1984, Georgetown won the Big East's first NCAA basketball championship with a victory over the University of Houston.
The following year three Big East teams (Villanova, St. John's, and Georgetown) all advanced to the Final Four, culminating in Villanova's stunning championship game victory over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas. The conference's 1985 success was nearly duplicated in 1987, when Syracuse
Syracuse Orange men's basketball
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
and a surprising Providence
Providence Friars men's basketball
The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a founding member of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island...
both made the Final Four, followed by the Orangemen's narrow loss to Indiana University
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
in the tournament final. Two years later, the Seton Hall Pirates
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
also advanced to the NCAA Championship Game, but were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines men's basketball
The Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Michigan. The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Wolverines play home basketball games at the...
in an overtime heartbreaker.
| Team | NCAA Championships | Final Fours | NCAA appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball The Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. They currently compete in the Big East Conference and are coached by Mick Cronin. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in... |
2 | 6 | 23 |
| Connecticut Connecticut Huskies men's basketball The Connecticut Huskies is the name of the men's college basketball team representing the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut, USA. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference... |
3 | 4 | 30 |
| DePaul DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball The DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois... |
0 | 2 | 17* |
| Georgetown | 1 | 5 | 24 |
| Louisville Louisville Cardinals men's basketball The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA... |
2 | 8 | 35 |
| Marquette Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I... |
1 | 3 | 27 |
| Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in... |
0 (2 Helms) | 1 | 29 |
| Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pitt men's basketball team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in... |
0 (2 Helms) | 1 | 21 |
| Providence Providence Friars men's basketball The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a founding member of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island... |
0 | 2 | 15 |
| Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball The Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men's Basketball team represents Rutgers University and is a NCAA Division I college basketball team, which competes in the Big East Conference... |
0 | 1 | 6 |
| St. John's St. John's Red Storm men's basketball The St. John's Red Storm men's basketball team represents the St. John's University in Queens, New York. The team participates in the Big East Conference. The men’s coach Norm Roberts was fired on March 19, 2010... |
0 (1 Helms) | 2 | 26 |
| Seton Hall Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey... |
0 | 1 | 9 |
| South Florida South Florida Bulls The South Florida Bulls are the athletic teams for the University of South Florida. The university competes in NCAA Division I, USF is a member of the Big East Conference, and has been since 2005... |
0 | 0 | 2 |
| Syracuse Syracuse Orange men's basketball The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference... |
1 (2 Helms) | 4 | 33 |
| Villanova Villanova Wildcats men's basketball This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA... |
1 | 3* | 29* |
| West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by... |
0 | 2 | 23 |
| Helms are pre-NCAA tournament era (pre-1939) mythical national championship Mythical National Championship A mythical national championship is a colloquial term used to question the validity of national championship recognition that is not explicitly competitive... s awarded by the Helms Athletic Foundation Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball... . *Does not include Villanova's 1971 NCAA appearance and Final Four nor DePaul's 1986–89 NCAA appearances that were vacated by the NCAA. |
|||
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Georgetown, Villanova, St. John's, and Syracuse were the primary powers in the conference. UConn became a power in 1990 with a # 1 seed and a trip to the Elite 8 before being defeated by Duke. Georgetown was led by John Thompson Jr.
John Thompson (basketball)
John R. Thompson, Jr. is an American former basketball coach for the Georgetown University Hoyas. He is now a professional radio and TV sports commentator...
, who was named three times as the conference Coach of the Year. They won five regular season conference championships and six Big East Tournaments to go with their 1984 national title. Villanova was coached by Rollie Massimino
Rollie Massimino
Roland V. "Rollie" Massimino is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the Florida campus of Northwood University in West Palm Beach, a position he has held since 2006...
, who led them to the 1985 NCAA Championship in a histotic 66-64 win over #1 ranked Georgetown where forward Ed Pinckney
Ed Pinckney
Edward Lewis Pinckney is a retired NBA basketball player.- College career :A 6'9" forward, Pinckney led Villanova University to the NCAA title over the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas in 1985...
was named the Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
. In there first 11 seasons in the Big East, Villanova made 9 trips to the NCAA Tournament including advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1982, 1983 and 1988 as well as their 1985 Championship season. Massimino coached for 19 seasons at Villanova, compiling a record of 357–241 (.596). In the NCAA Tournament, Massimino had an incredible 20–10 record (.667). St. John's was led by Lou Carnesecca
Lou Carnesecca
Luigi P. "Lou" Carnesecca is a retired American college basketball coach at St. John's University. He coached the men's basketball program to 526 wins and 200 losses over 24 seasons...
, who won the National Coach of the Year honor in 1983 and 1985. He led the Redmen (now the Red Storm) to the 1985
1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1985 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. This was the first year the field was expanded to 64 teams, from 53 in the previous year's tournament. It began...
Final Four, and made a post-season appearance in each of his 24 years at the helm. Syracuse has been led by alumnus Jim Boeheim
Jim Boeheim
James Arthur "Jim" Boeheim is the head coach of the men's basketball team at Syracuse University. Boeheim has guided the Orange to eight Big East regular season championships, five Big East Tournament championships, and 28 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three appearances in the national...
since the 1977 season. He was named conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1991. During this period, the Orangemen won five regular season conference championships, three Big East Tournaments, and were invited to the NCAA Tournament every year but two (1981 and 1982), losing the 1987
1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
National Final to Indiana. Syracuse eventually won its first national title in 2003
2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2003 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2003, and ended with the championship game on April 7 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, led by coach Boeheim and freshman Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
.
From the early-1990s through 2011, Connecticut made several deep runs in NCAA tournament.They played in the Elite 8 9 times and went to the Final Four 4 times. Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun
Jim Calhoun
James A. Calhoun is the head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team. His teams have won three national championships , played in four Final Fours , won the 1988 NIT championship, and have won seven Big East tournament championships...
's program, led by such stars as Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
, Richard "Rip" Hamilton
Richard Hamilton (basketball)
Richard "Rip" Hamilton is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton is 6'7" tall, weighs 193 lbs , and plays shooting guard. He currently is the Pistons' team captain....
, Caron Butler
Caron Butler
James Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played at small forward for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.-Early life:...
and Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor, abbreviated as Emeka Okafor , is an American basketball power forward and center for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Prior to the NBA, Okafor attended Houston's Bellaire High School, and the University of Connecticut.-Early life:Okafor...
, averaged nearly 26 wins per year during that time span, won several Big East regular season and tournament championships, and claimed the National Championship in 1999
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
, 2004
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
, and again emerged from a struggling 9-9 season in the Big East to win the 2011
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
behind star point guard Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker
Kemba Hudley Walker is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats. Walker grew up in The Bronx, New York and graduated from Rice High School in 2008. With the Huskies basketball team at Connecticut, Walker was the 2nd leading college basketball scorer in the United States...
.
Villanova was Regular Season Conference Champions in 2006 and advanced to the Elite Eight before eventual champion Florida defeated them. Georgetown advanced to the 2007 NCAA Final Four and both Villanova and Connecticut were in the 2009 NCAA Final Four. Villanova has made it to 7 consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2005 to 2011) under Coach Jay Wright.
The conference got a then record eight teams into the NCAA Men's Tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
in 2006
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
and again matched their own record in both 2008
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
and 2010
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
. At the start of the 2008–2009 season, many sports analysts predicted that the conference would surpass the record by sending 10 teams to the 2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
. When the brackets were revealed, seven made it, but three of them (Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut) gained #1 seeds, and Louisville earned the top seed overall. Connecticut and Villanova (a #3 seed) both reached the Final Four. At the finish of the 2010–2011 season
2010–11 Big East Conference men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Big East Conference men's basketball season was the 32nd season of competitive basketball played by the Big East Conference, since its inception in 1979, and involved its 16 full-time member schools. The season officially opened on December 27, 2010, when Pittsburgh defeated...
, the Big East eclipsed its record, sending 11 teams to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
The conference has a number of former players currently playing in the National Basketball Association with some of the most recent being Ray Allen
Ray Allen
Walter Ray Allen is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. He has played professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, and the Boston Celtics; and collegiately for the University of...
, Caron Butler
Caron Butler
James Caron Butler, widely known as Caron Butler , is an American professional basketball player who most recently played at small forward for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.-Early life:...
, Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
, Ryan Gomes
Ryan Gomes
Ryan Anthony Gomes is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association....
, Austin Croshere
Austin Croshere
Austin Nathan Croshere is a retired American professional basketball player and current analyst for Fox Sports Indiana broadcasts of Indiana Pacers games.-Education:...
, Richard "Rip" Hamilton
Richard Hamilton (basketball)
Richard "Rip" Hamilton is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons. Hamilton is 6'7" tall, weighs 193 lbs , and plays shooting guard. He currently is the Pistons' team captain....
, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor
Emeka Okafor
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor, abbreviated as Emeka Okafor , is an American basketball power forward and center for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association. Prior to the NBA, Okafor attended Houston's Bellaire High School, and the University of Connecticut.-Early life:Okafor...
, Troy Murphy
Troy Murphy
Troy Brandon Murphy is an American professional basketball power forward who last played with the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association. Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township located in northwest New Jersey...
, Hakim Warrick
Hakim Warrick
Hakim Hanif Warrick is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who is currently with the Phoenix Suns. Commonly nicknamed "Helicopter" and "Skinny", the 6'9", 219 lb forward was a major part the Syracuse Orange's run to the 2003 National Championship, often being most remembered...
, Quincy Douby
Quincy Douby
Quincy Douby is an Haitian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. At 6'3", 175 lb, Douby played shooting guard for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights...
, Dante Cunningham
Dante Cunningham
Dante Cunningham is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Charlotte Bobcats. Dante was drafted in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA...
, Randy Foye
Randy Foye
Randy Foye is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. He played collegiately at Villanova University. He was selected seventh overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and later traded to...
, Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry is an American professional basketball player with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. He attended Cardinal Dougherty High School in Philadelphia where former Rocket Cuttino Mobley went. He was selected by the Grizzlies with the 24th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft...
, Rudy Gay
Rudy Gay
Rudy Carlton Gay, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who is currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies...
, Matt Carroll
Matt Carroll (basketball)
Matthew Carroll is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Bobcats in the NBA.Carroll is tall and weighs . He played high school basketball at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, Pennsylvania under coach Walt Ostrowski. He played college basketball at the University of...
, Jake Voskuhl
Jake Voskuhl
Robert Jacob "Jake" Voskuhl is an American professional basketball center.After attending Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, Voskuhl went to the University of Connecticut from 1996–2000, where he was the starting center on the school's 1999 NCAA National Championship team. The squad also featured...
, Etan Thomas
Etan Thomas
Dedreck Etan Thomas, commonly referred to as Etan Thomas , is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association.-College:...
, Samuel Dalembert
Samuel Dalembert
Samuel Davis Dalembert is a Haitian Canadian professional basketball player who most recently played center for the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Dalembert began playing in Montreal, Quebec and played college basketball at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, United States...
, Charlie Villanueva
Charlie Villanueva
Charlie Alexander Villanueva is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association....
, Donte Greene
Donté Greene
Donté Dominic Greene is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the NBA...
, Ron Artest
Ron Artest
Metta World Peace is an American professional basketball player and rapper who is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. World Peace gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders as he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004...
, Chris Quinn
Chris Quinn
Christopher James Quinn is an American professional basketball player who plays for Khimki Moscow Region of the Russian Professional Basketball League.-High school:...
, Jason Hart, Tim Thomas
Tim Thomas (basketball)
Timothy Mark "Tim" Thomas is an American professional basketball player, in the small forward position.-High school / College:...
, Aaron Gray
Aaron Gray
Aaron Michael Gray is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA.-High school career:...
, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Lamont Blair is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association . Before turning pro Blair played center for the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team from 2007 to 2009...
, Wilson Chandler
Wilson Chandler
Wilson Chandler is an American basketball player currently with Zhejiang Guangsha of the Chinese Basketball Association. He previously played in the National Basketball Association with the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets...
, Jeff Green
Jeff Green (basketball)
Jeffrey Lynn Green is an American professional basketball player with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Green attended Georgetown University until following his junior year, when he entered the 2007 NBA Draft...
, Joe Alexander
Joe Alexander (basketball)
Joe Alexander is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for BC Krasnye Krylya Samara of the Russian Professional Basketball League. Alexander, who at and plays both forward positions, was selected for the 2007 All-Big East squad during his collegiate career with West...
, Marcus Williams, Jonny Flynn
Jonny Flynn
Jonny William Flynn is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
, Terrence Williams
Terrence Williams
Terrence Deshon Williams is an American professional basketball player with the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Williams was drafted 11th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Nets. He was the senior co-captain for Rick Pitino's 2008-09 University of Louisville Cardinals...
, Earl Clark
Earl Clark
Earl Rashad Clark is an American professional basketball player. Clark played collegiate basketball for the University of Louisville men's basketball team and was drafted 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2009 NBA Draft....
, Roy Hibbert
Roy Hibbert
Roy Denzil Hibbert is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. He plays at the center position, and graduated from Georgetown University in 2008. He was drafted 17th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors and was immediately traded to the Pacers...
, Wesley Johnson
Wesley Johnson (basketball)
Wesley JaMarr Johnson is an American basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played college basketball at Syracuse and Iowa State...
, and Wesley Matthews
Wesley Matthews
Wesley Matthews, Jr. is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association . He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles...
.
Women's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
is nearly as powerful as the conference's men's programs. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma
Geno Auriemma
Luigi "Geno" Auriemma is the head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team, which he has led to seven National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I national championships...
has led his women's team to seven national championships (including four between 2000 and 2004) and four undefeated seasons (1995, 2002
2001–02 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2001–02 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2001–2002 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A....
, 2009
2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2008–2009 NCAA Division I basketball season. Coached by Geno Auriemma, the Huskies played their home games at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the Harry A....
, and 2010
2009–10 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2009–10 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2009–2010 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies were coached by Geno Auriemma, as the Huskies played their home games at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the XL Center located in...
). Connecticut set the record for longest winning streak in all of NCAA women's basketball history with a 70-game winning streak stretching from 2001–2003. This streak was ended in 2003 when Villanova beat Connecticut for the Big East tournament title, in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in women's basketball (Villanova would go on to reach the Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...
that year). The Huskies broke their own record with consecutive unbeaten championship seasons in 2009 and 2010, and stretched their streak to 90, a Division I record for both sexes, before losing to Stanford
2010–11 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team
The 2010–11 Stanford Cardinal women's basketball team represented Stanford University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Cardinal, coached by Tara VanDerveer, and a member of the Pacific-10 Conference, won the conference's regular-season and tournament titles and advanced...
during the 2010–11 season
2010–11 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team
The 2010–11 Connecticut Huskies women's basketball team is currently representing the University of Connecticut in the 2010–2011 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Huskies are coached by Geno Auriemma, and play their home games at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and on campus at the...
.
Due to the strength of the Connecticut program, and 2007 national runner-up
2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 17, 2007 and concluded on April 3 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Final Four consisted of Tennessee, LSU, Rutgers, and North Carolina, with Tennessee defeating Rutgers 59-46 for their seventh National Title...
Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
, and 2001 national champion and 2011 National runner-up Notre Dame, the Big East has emerged as one of the major powers in women's college basketball
NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season...
. In 2009 two Big East schools met in the national championship game (Connecticut and Louisville
2008–09 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team
The 2008–09 Louisville Cardinals women's basketball team represented the University of Louisville in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Cardinals were coached by Jeff Walz, and the Cardinals played their home games at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky...
) and the South Florida women's basketball team defeated Kansas
Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball
The Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-History:Kansas first fielded a women's team during the 1968-1969 season...
to become the WNIT
2009 Women's National Invitation Tournament
The 2009 Women's National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 48 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I teams that did not participate in the 2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was won by South Florida. The 41st annual tournament was...
champions.
In 2011
2011 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2011 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 19, 2011 and concluded on April 5, 2011. The Texas A&M Aggies won the championship....
, UConn and Notre Dame both made the Final Four; the Irish defeated the Huskies in their semifinal but lost to Texas A&M in the NCAA Championship Game.
Football
| 2010 Average Football Attendance | |
| School | Average Attendance 2010 |
|---|---|
| West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers football The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their... |
56,325 |
| Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Panthers football Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football... |
52,165 |
| Louisville Louisville Cardinals football The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in college football as a member of the Big East Conference. Howard Schnellenberger started the program's rise to relevancy after winning the Miami Hurricanes' first national championship... |
50,648 |
| Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights football The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play... |
46,195 |
| South Florida South Florida Bulls football The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus... |
40,849 |
| Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
40,064 |
| Connecticut Connecticut Huskies football The Connecticut Huskies football team is a collegiate football team that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Big East Conference. Connecticut first fielded a team in 1896, and participated in Division I-AA until 1999. The Huskies began their two-year Division I-A transition period in 2000, and... |
38,248 |
| Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats football The Cincinnati Bearcats football program represents the University of Cincinnati in a college football. They compete at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level as members of the Big East Conference. The Bearcat football program is one of the nation's oldest, having fielded a team as... |
35,067 |
| Big East Conference Average 2010 | 45,028 |
| Big East Conference Average 2009 | 44,514 |
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
. The league obtained immediate legitimacy with the addition of powerhouse Miami
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
.
In the league's early years the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
dominated, winning nine of the first thirteen championships and two national championships in 1991 and 2001. Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
also did well, winning the conference in 1995, 1996, and in 1999, when they also earned a #2 national ranking. West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming...
and Syracuse were the only other teams to win conference titles during the league's original alignment.
The conference experienced a major reconstruction when Miami and Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer,...
left for the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
in 2004, followed by Boston College
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
in 2005. Initially, Syracuse University was in place to make the jump instead of Virginia Tech, but in 2003, the governor of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
Mark Warner put pressure on the ACC (via the vote of the University of Virginia) to ensure that Virginia Tech was not left out of the conference expansion. Syracuse, then, was not invited to the ACC and was left to remain in the Big East.
Temple
Temple Owls football
The Temple Owls football team participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference...
had joined the Big East for football only in 1991, but found it difficult to compete with the other league teams and drew very poor attendance to its games. The conference was compelled to expel the Owls voluntarily in 2004 (after playing two seasons as an independent, Temple joined the MAC
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
in 2007).
The universities that replaced them were Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
, South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
and Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
from Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
. The league also invited the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
to play football a year earlier than planned.
At about this time, the BCS announced that it would adjust the automatic bids granted to its six founding conferences based on results from 2004–07, and that there would be five, six, or seven such bids starting in 2008. The obvious inference was that soon the Big East might lose its bid.
The conference’s fortunes improved in 2005. The three new teams from Conference USA began play that year, restoring the league to eight teams. West Virginia won the conference title and the Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Sugar Bowl has been played annually since January 1, 1935, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on January 2, 2009...
, and finished 11–1 and finished #5 in the AP poll. Newcomer Louisville also ranked in the Top 20.
2006 West Virginia Mountaineers football team
The 2006 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with a 11–2 record. The Mountaineers had a regular season Big East record of 5–2.-2006 Schedule:-Rankings:- References :...
, Louisville
2006 Louisville Cardinals football team
The 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2006 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium...
, and Rutgers
Rutgers Scarlet Knights football
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...
all entered November undefeated. However, they did not stay that way, as in a trio of exciting games over the next month, Louisville defeated West Virginia 44–34, Rutgers defeated Louisville 28–25, and West Virginia defeated Rutgers 41–39 in three overtimes. Rutgers’ resurgence after a century of mostly futile play was a national story, but Louisville won the conference title in the end. In bowl action, the Big East went 5–0, including an Orange Bowl victory for Louisville over Wake Forest
2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team
The 2006 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team represented Wake Forest University during the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Jim Grobe, in his fifth season at the school, and played its home games at Groves Stadium...
and a win by West Virginia over Georgia Tech
2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2006 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the college football season of 2006-2007. The team's coach is former Dallas Cowboys, Samford Bulldogs, and Troy Trojans coach Chan Gailey...
in the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
. Louisville would finish the season ranked 6th, West Virginia 10th, and Rutgers 12th in the final AP Poll.
In 2007, USF
South Florida Bulls football
The South Florida Bulls are a Division I FBS college football program that plays its home games in Tampa, Florida. The team began playing in 1997, holding its first team meeting under a shade tree as the school had no proper football facilities on campus...
rose to #2 in the BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
rankings. They lost their next three games, however, to drop out of the rankings. They eventually finished the season #21 in the final BCS polls. The Connecticut Huskies, getting as high as #13, and West Virginia remained in the top 25. Cincinnati also rose as high as #15 in the rankings eventually finishing the season with 10 wins and a #17 ranking. Connecticut lost subsequent games and dropped substantially in the rankings, ultimately finishing 25th. On the final day of the season, Pittsburgh upset #2 WVU 13–9 in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl
Backyard Brawl
The Backyard Brawl is an annual football game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played annually or semi-iannually and may also be used to refer to other...
to give the Huskies a share of the conference championship, while WVU was stopped on the doorstep of the BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. In bowl games, WVU upset the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, despite having lost their highly touted coach, Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
to Michigan less than a month before the game. West Virginia finished the season ranked #6 and Cincinnati finished ranked #17.
The 2009 season saw Cincinnati
2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team
The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium....
finish the regular season undefeated at 12-0 and climb to #3 in the final BCS standings. After completing a fourth quarter comeback to beat Pittsburgh
2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
The 2009 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season was the fifth under head coach Dave Wannstedt. The 2009 season marked the team's ninth at Heinz Field and the University's 120th season overall. The 2009...
on the final day of the season, the Bearcats narrowly missed a spot in the BCS national championship game, as #2 Texas pulled out a last second win in the Big 12 Championship Game
2009 Big 12 Championship Game
The 2009 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game was held on December 5, 2009 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The divisional winners from the Big 12 Conference squared off in the 14th edition of the game. The Texas Longhorns represented the South Division and the Nebraska Cornhuskers...
. The Bearcats would go on to lose the Sugar Bowl
2010 Sugar Bowl
The 2010 Sugar Bowl Game was an American college football bowl game that was part of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 76th Sugar Bowl...
to #5 Florida
2009 Florida Gators football team
The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season...
and finish the year 12–1.
On September 18, 2011, both Pittsburgh and Syracuse were accepted as Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
members although the exact date of the move is still uncertain. ("ESPN".) There are also rumors that UConn is also looking to leave the Big East and join Pittsburgh and Syracuse in the ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
. ("ESPN".) Louisville and West Virginia are on a short list of schools if the Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
decides to expand back to 12 teams. TCU, who had accepted an invitation to join the Big East in the 2012 season, withdrew its acceptance and instead accepted an invitation to join the Big 12.
In 2011, the University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, and the University of Central Florida, are rumored to join the Big East as full-time members.
In November 2011, Coach Bronco Mendenhall stated that Brigham Young University has been approached by the Big East.
Champions
| Season | Conference Champion | Conference Record | Bowl Coalition/Alliance/BCS Bowl Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Miami 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1991 Miami Hurricanes were the national champions of the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season, as determined by the AP Poll. 1991 was a split championship year, though, as the Washington Huskies finished #1 in the Coaches' Poll... / Syracuse 1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team The 1991 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1991 Division I-A college football season. The Orangemen finished the season 10–2, winning the 1992 Hall of Fame Bowl.Two new eras began for Syracuse football... * |
2–0–0 / 5–0–0 | none |
| 1992 | Miami 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1992 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1992 NCAA College Football season.-Schedule:-Awards and honors:*Gino Torretta, Davey O'Brien Award*Gino Torretta, Heisman Trophy *Gino Torretta, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award... * |
4–0–0 | Miami 1992 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1992 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1992 NCAA College Football season.-Schedule:-Awards and honors:*Gino Torretta, Davey O'Brien Award*Gino Torretta, Heisman Trophy *Gino Torretta, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award... |
| 1993 | West Virginia 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 11–0 and won the school's first Big East Conference championship. The team traveled to the , where they lost to the Florida Gators, 41–7. WVU finished the season 11–1.-Schedule:-season:The 1993 season began with... |
7–0–0 | West Virginia 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 1993 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 11–0 and won the school's first Big East Conference championship. The team traveled to the , where they lost to the Florida Gators, 41–7. WVU finished the season 11–1.-Schedule:-season:The 1993 season began with... |
| 1994 | Miami 1994 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1994 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The club was coached by Dennis Erickson and played in the Orange Bowl. In the regular season, the only loss the Hurricanes suffered was against the Washington Huskies The 1994 Miami... |
7–0–0 | Miami 1994 Miami Hurricanes football team The 1994 Miami Hurricanes represented the University of Miami in the 1994 NCAA Division I-A football season. The club was coached by Dennis Erickson and played in the Orange Bowl. In the regular season, the only loss the Hurricanes suffered was against the Washington Huskies The 1994 Miami... |
| 1995 | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... / Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
6–1–0 | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... |
| 1996 | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... / Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... / Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
6–1 | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over... |
| 1997 | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
6–1 | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
| 1998 | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
6–1 | Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... |
| 1999 | Virginia Tech 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team -Regular season:Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–1 season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21 point deficit to take a 29-28 lead into the... |
7–0 | Virginia Tech 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies football team -Regular season:Michael Vick led the Hokies to an 11–1 season and to the Bowl Championship Series national title game in the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Although Virginia Tech lost 46–29, Vick was able to bring the team back from a 21 point deficit to take a 29-28 lead into the... |
| 2000 | Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
7–0 | Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
| 2001 | Miami 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team was the national champion of the 2001 college football season and is considered by many to be the greatest team in college football history.-Pre-season motivation:... |
7–0 | Miami 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team was the national champion of the 2001 college football season and is considered by many to be the greatest team in college football history.-Pre-season motivation:... |
| 2002 | Miami 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team sought to defend the school's 1-A national championship. They were coached by second year head coach Larry Coker, and competed in the Big East Conference- Pre Season :... |
7–0 | Miami 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team The 2002 Miami Hurricanes football team sought to defend the school's 1-A national championship. They were coached by second year head coach Larry Coker, and competed in the Big East Conference- Pre Season :... |
| 2003 | Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... / West Virginia 2003 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2003 West Virginia Mountaineers rebounded from a 1–4 start to end the season 8–5 and captured a share of the Big East Conference Championship, the schools first since 1993... |
6–1 | Miami Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships... |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :... / Boston College / Syracuse Syracuse Orange football The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision... / West Virginia 2004 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2004 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 8–4 and traveled to the , where they lost to the Florida State Seminoles 30–18... |
4–2 | Pittsburgh 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team The 2004 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2004 college football season in which they won a share of The Big East Conference Championship and were awarded with a BCS berth to the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.- Schedule :... |
| 2005 | West Virginia 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11–1 record. The Mountaineers won their third consecutive Big East Title with a conference record of 7–0... |
7–0 | West Virginia 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2005 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the season with an 11–1 record. The Mountaineers won their third consecutive Big East Title with a conference record of 7–0... |
| 2006 | Louisville 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2006 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium... |
6–1 | Louisville 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team The 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2006 college football season. The team, led by Bobby Petrino in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium... |
| 2007 | West Virginia 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007 that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement,... / Connecticut 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team The 2007 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2007 college football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut... |
5–2 | West Virginia 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2007 West Virginia Mountaineers football team began play on September 1, 2007. The team was coached by Rich Rodriguez until he announced on December 16, 2007 that he was leaving West Virginia to coach the Michigan Wolverines. The head coaching position remained vacant after his announcement,... |
| 2008 | Cincinnati 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team The 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represents the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, plays its homes game in Nippert Stadium. Kelly is in his second full season with the Bearcats after coaching them to a 31–21 win... |
6–1 | Cincinnati 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team The 2008 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represents the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, plays its homes game in Nippert Stadium. Kelly is in his second full season with the Bearcats after coaching them to a 31–21 win... |
| 2009 2009 Big East Conference football season The 2009 Big East football season was an NCAA football season that was played from September 5, 2009, to January 2, 2010. The Big East Conference consists of 8 football members: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, and West Virginia... |
Cincinnati 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium.... |
7–0 | Cincinnati 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team The 2009 Cincinnati Bearcats football team represented the University of Cincinnati in the college football season of 2009–2010. The team, coached by Brian Kelly, played its home games in Nippert Stadium.... |
| 2010 2010 Big East Conference football season The 2010 Big East football season was the NCAA football season of the Big East Conference. Conference members began regular-season play on September 2, but did not begin conference play until October 8; the regular season continued through December 4... |
Connecticut 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team The 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut... / West Virginia 2010 West Virginia Mountaineers football team The 2010 West Virginia Mountaineer football team represented West Virginia University in the college football season of 2010. The Mountaineers were led by head coach Bill Stewart and played their home games at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. They were members of the Big East... / Pittsburgh 2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team -Rankings:The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010.... |
5–2 | Connecticut 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team The 2010 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference. The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut... |
Bowl games
| Pick | Name | Location | Opposing Conference | Opposing Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bowl Championship Series Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of... † |
– | BCS At-Large Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of... |
– |
| 2 | Champs Sports Bowl Champs Sports Bowl The Champs Sports Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that is played in Orlando, Florida, at the Citrus Bowl. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group which also organizes the Capital One Bowl and Florida Classic... |
Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States... |
ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
3 |
| 3 | Belk Bowl | Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009... |
ACC Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities... |
5 |
| 4 | Pinstripe Bowl | Bronx, New York The Bronx The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated... |
Big 12 Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving... |
7 |
| 5a | BBVA Compass Bowl | Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
8/9 |
| 5b | Liberty Bowl Liberty Bowl The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003... |
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers.... |
C-USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... or SEC Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama... |
1 or 8/9 |
| 6 | Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl The Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl St. Petersburg is a NCAA Division I FBS college football bowl game played annually at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was first played following the 2008 college football season, when it was known as the magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl after corporate... |
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St... |
C-USA Conference USA Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports... |
Notes on bowl game selection
- † The Big East's BCS representative is not tied directly to a specific BCS Bowl. It is selected to a bowl in the same manner as an at-large team. The BCS may select a second team to play in another BCS bowl game.
- Notre Dame is eligible to be chosen in lieu of a Big East team for the Champs Sports Bowl one time during the current 4-year contract. In a separate rule specific only to Notre Dame that does not affect the Big East's BCS representative, Notre Dame is eligible to receive a BCS automatic berth if they finish within the top 8 of the BCS Rankings.
Men's lacrosse
In 2010, the Big East created a men's lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
league with Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse, and Villanova participating. Men's lacrosse is the 24th sport sponsored by the Big East Conference and is the 11th men's sport. The teams play a six-game single round-robin regular-season schedule. There will be no Big East men's lacrosse championship tournament for 2010. Instead, the Big East champion will be determined by conference-game winning percentage at the conclusion of the regular season. This winner will then receive the league's automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
.
| Team | NCAA Championships | Final Fours | NCAA appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the... |
0 | 1 | 11 |
| Marquette Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University.... * |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's lacrosse team represents the University of Notre Dame in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's college lacrosse... |
0 | 2 | 14 |
| Providence Providence Friars The Providence Friars is the name of the athletic teams of Providence College. They compete in the Big East Conference for every sport except for ice hockey, where they compete in Hockey East and in women's volleyball, where they compete in the America East Conference... |
0 | 0 | 3 |
| Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey... |
0 | 0 | 9 |
| St. John's St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University. St. John's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC... |
0 | 0 | 0 |
| Syracuse Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse The Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team represents Syracuse University in NCAA Division I men's college lacrosse. The Orange have won 10 NCAA championship titles, and currently competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's lacrosse conference... |
10** | 28 | 30 |
| Villanova Villanova Wildcats men's lacrosse The Villanova Wildcats men's lacrosse team represents Villanova University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men's lacrosse. The Wildcats were elevated to the varsity level in 1981 after competing as a club sport since 1961... |
0 | 0 | 2 |
| *Marquette will begin Big East competition in 2013–14. **Does not include Syracuse's 1990 NCAA National Championship 1990 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship The 1990 tournament championship game was played at Rutgers University in front of 19,070 fans. The Syracuse Orangemen defeated the Loyola Greyhounds, 21–9. Syracuse's participation in the tournament was later vacated by the NCAA Committee on infractions. Syracuse was found to have violated rules... that was vacated by the NCAA for rules infractions. |
|||
Cross country
The Big East Conference has been crowning men's cross country champions since 1979 and women's cross country champions since 1982. Over the years six different women's teams have won Big East Championships: Boston College, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Providence, Villanova and West Virginia. On the men's side six teams have won Big East Championships as well: Georgetown, Louisville, Notre Dame, Providence, Syracuse and Villanova.In both the 2009 and 2010 season, the Villanova Women captured the NCAA CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS as they have largely dominated the BIG EAST over the years with numerous Conference Titles.
Led by Sheila Reid
Sheila Reid
Sheila Reid is a Scottish actress, best known for her performance as Madge Barron in Benidorm.-Career:Reid has had a long and distinguished career in theatre, film and television, and worked with Laurence Olivier at the Royal National Theatre. In 1980, she played the long-suffering wife of Trevor...
, a junior from New Market,Ont. who won the 2010 individual champion, the top-ranked Wildcats captured their second straight NCAA Division I women’s cross country championship. Reid sprinted past Georgetown’s Emily Infeld and Jordan Hasay in the final 200 meters to win the individual title. It was the Villanova Women’s ninth NCAA Team Championship overall in Cross Country. The Wildcats captured six consecutive NCAA Championships from 1989-94 and also won the title again in 1998, 2009 and 2010.
Conference facilities
| School | Football stadium | Capacity | Basketball arena | Capacity | Baseball field | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference.... |
Nippert Stadium Nippert Stadium Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio is the University of Cincinnati's football stadium, home to their Bearcats football team in rudimentary form since 1901, and as a complete stadium since 1924, making it the fourth oldest playing site and fifth oldest stadium in college football.In 1895, the... Paul Brown Stadium Paul Brown Stadium Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately of land and... 6 |
35,097 65,790 |
Fifth Third Arena Fifth Third Arena Fifth Third Arena is a 13,176-seat multi-purpose arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, named for Fifth Third Bank. The arena opened in 1989. It is home to the University of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team. It is located in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, which was the name of the arena as... |
13,176 | Marge Schott Stadium Marge Schott Stadium Marge Schott Stadium is a baseball stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home field of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats college baseball team. The stadium holds 3,085 people and opened for baseball in 2004. It is named after former Cincinnati reds owner Marge Schott, who willed $2,000,000... |
3,085 |
| Connecticut Connecticut Huskies The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice... |
Rentschler Field | 40,000 | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena... XL Center |
10,167 16,294 |
J. O. Christian Field J. O. Christian Field J. O. Christian Field is a baseball stadium in Storrs, Connecticut. It is the home field of the University of Connecticut Huskies college baseball teams. The stadium holds 2,000 people. It is named after former UConn baseball coach and athletic director, J. Orlean Christian.... |
2,000 |
| DePaul DePaul University DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul... |
non-football school | Allstate Arena Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in Rosemont, Illinois.It is home to the Chicago Rush, of the Arena Football League, DePaul University's men's basketball team, the Chicago Wolves, of the AHL, and the Chicago Sky, of the WNBA.It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and... (men) Sullivan Athletic Center (women) |
18,500 3,000 |
non-baseball school | ||
| Georgetown Georgetown Hoyas Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the... |
see Patriot League 1 | Verizon Center Verizon Center Verizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies... (men) McDonough Gymnasium McDonough Gymnasium McDonough Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena in Washington, D.C. The arena opened in 1951 and holds 2,500 people.Ground was broken for construction of the gymnasium on May 20, 1950; the cornerstone was laid on October 14, 1950; the official ribbon cutting and opening was held December 8, 1951... (women) |
20,600 2,500 |
Shirley Povich Field Shirley Povich Field Shirley Povich Field is a baseball stadium in Rockville, Maryland. It is the home field of the Georgetown University Hoyas college baseball team of the Division I Big East Conference. It is also the home field of the Bethesda Big Train of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, a... |
1,500 | |
| Louisville Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team... |
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Papa John's Cardinal Stadium is a football stadium located in Louisville, Kentucky, USA and serves as the home of the University of Louisville football program. It opened in 1998, making it the second-to-last football stadium in NCAA Division I-A to open in the 20th century, with SMU's Gerald J.... |
57,000 | KFC Yum! Center KFC Yum! Center The KFC Yum! Center is a US $238 million, 22,000-seat basketball and multipurpose arena that opened on October 10, 2010, on the Ohio River waterfront in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on Main Street between Second and Third Streets. The project is part of a $450 million project that includes... |
22,500 | Jim Patterson Stadium Jim Patterson Stadium Jim Patterson Stadium is a baseball stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the home field of the University of Louisville Cardinals college baseball team. It hosted the 2007 NCAA Super Regionals, where the Cardinals defeated Oklahoma State two games to one to advance to the College World Series in... |
2,500 |
| Marquette Marquette Golden Eagles The Marquette Golden Eagles are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Marquette University.... |
non-football school | Bradley Center Bradley Center The Bradley Center is an indoor arena, located on the northwest corner of North 4th and West State Streets, in Downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.... (men) Al McGuire Center Al McGuire Center The Al McGuire Center is an 4,000 seat arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin which houses the women's volleyball and basketball teams at Marquette University. It also serves as a practice facility for the men's basketball team. It was opened in 2004, replacing the venerable Marquette Gymnasium... (women) |
18,717 4,000 |
non-baseball school | ||
| Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I... |
see Division I-FBS independents 1 | Purcell Pavilion at the Edmund P. Joyce Center Edmund P. Joyce Center The Joyce Center is a 9,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend, Indiana. The arena opened in 1968. It is home to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and volleyball teams... |
9,149 | Frank Eck Stadium Frank Eck Stadium Frank Eck Stadium is a baseball stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana. It hosts the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish college baseball team. The stadium holds 2,500 people and was built in 1994.... |
2,500 | |
| Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh Panthers The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams of University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, faculty, and students... |
Heinz Field Heinz Field Heinz Field is a stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It primarily serves as the home to the Pittsburgh Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers American football teams, members of the National Football League and National Collegiate Athletic Association respectively... |
65,050 | Petersen Events Center Petersen Events Center Not to be confused with Petersen Sports Complex.The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams... |
12,508 | Petersen Sports Complex Petersen Sports Complex Not to be confused with Petersen Events Center.The Petersen Sports Complex is a multi-sport athletic facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses Charles L... |
900 |
| Providence Providence College Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic... |
non-football school | Dunkin' Donuts Center Dunkin' Donuts Center The Dunkin' Donuts Center , is an indoor arena, located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States... (men) Alumni Hall Alumni Hall (Providence) Alumni Hall is the on-campus basketball gymnasium at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1955 and was the home court for the school's men's basketball program until 1972... (women) |
12,993 2,603 |
non-baseball school | ||
| Rutgers Rutgers Scarlet Knights The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey... |
High Point Solutions Stadium 5 | 52,454 | Louis Brown Athletic Center (The RAC) Louis Brown Athletic Center The Louis Brown Athletic Center, more commonly known as the RAC , is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University's Livingston Campus. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends... |
8,000 | Bainton Field Bainton Field Bainton Field is a baseball stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. It is the home field of the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights college baseball team. The stadium holds 1,500 spectators.-External links:*... |
1,500 |
| St. John's St. John's University (New York City) St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant... |
non-football school | Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the... (some men's games) Carnesecca Arena Carnesecca Arena Carnesecca Arena is a 5,602-seat multi-purpose arena in Queens County, New York, USA. It was built in 1961 and renamed in honor of Hall of Fame Coach Lou Carnesecca on November 23, 2004. It is the exclusive home to the St... 2 |
19,522 5,602 |
Jack Kaiser Stadium | 3,500 | |
| Seton Hall Seton Hall University Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the... |
non-football school | Prudential Center (men) Walsh Gymnasium Walsh Gymnasium Walsh Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena in South Orange, New Jersey. The arena opened in 1939 and can seat 2,600 people. It was home to the Seton Hall University Pirates men's basketball team before they moved to Continental Airlines Arena and then the Prudential Center... (women) |
18,000 2,600 |
Owen T. Carroll Field Owen T. Carroll Field Owen T. Carroll Field is a baseball stadium in South Orange, New Jersey. It is the home field of the Seton Hall University Pirates college baseball team. The stadium holds 600 spectators.-External links:*... |
600 | |
| USF University of South Florida The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA... |
Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
65,000 | USF Sun Dome USF Sun Dome The USF Sun Dome is a multi-purpose facility, on the campus of the University of South Florida, in Tampa, Florida... |
10,411 | USF Baseball Stadium USF Baseball Stadium USF Baseball Stadium is a baseball venue located in Tampa, Florida, USA. It is home to the University of South Florida Bulls college baseball team of the Division I Big East Conference. The facility has a capacity of 3,211 spectators... |
3,211 |
| Syracuse | Carrier Dome Carrier Dome The Carrier Dome is a 49,250-seat domed sports stadium located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, USA. It is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. High school football championships are also held in "The... |
50,000 | Carrier Dome Carrier Dome The Carrier Dome is a 49,250-seat domed sports stadium located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University Hill neighborhood of Syracuse, New York, USA. It is home to the Syracuse Orange football, basketball, and lacrosse teams. High school football championships are also held in "The... 4 |
34,616 | non-baseball school | |
| Villanova Villanova University Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States... |
see Colonial Athletic Association Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,... 1 |
Wells Fargo Center The Pavilion The Pavilion The Pavilion is a 6,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States, about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia. It was built in 1985, and is home to the Villanova University Wildcats basketball teams. It is recognizable from the outside for its hyperbolic paraboloid roofline,... 3 |
21,600 6,500 |
Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth is a baseball stadium in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania. It is the home field of the Villanova University Wildcats college baseball team. The stadium holds 1,500 spectators.-External links:*... |
1,500 | |
| West Virginia West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams of West Virginia University. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference. On July 1, 2012 the Mountaineers will switch conferences, moving from the Big East to the Big 12, becoming... |
Mountaineer Field Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium Mountaineer Field is the football stadium for the West Virginia Mountaineers, an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team. The stadium is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, on the health sciences campus of West Virginia University.... |
60,000 | WVU Coliseum WVU Coliseum The WVU Coliseum is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose arena which is located in the Evansdale campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The circular arena features a poured concrete roof.... |
14,000 | Hawley Field Hawley Field Hawley Field is a baseball stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. It is the home field of the West Virginia University Mountaineers college baseball team. The stadium holds 1,500 spectators.-External links:*... |
1,500 |
Departing members highlighted in pink.
Notes:
1 Football stadiums for Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Villanova are not "conference facilities" as those universities are not members of Big East Football.
2 St. John's men generally play their Big East home schedule in Madison Square Garden and their non-conference home schedule on campus at Carnesecca Arena. In 2005–06, St. John's played only one non-conference game at MSG and one Big East game on campus.
3 For certain high-profile home games, Villanova uses the Wells Fargo Center, and previously used the Wachovia Spectrum
Wachovia Spectrum
The Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
. In 2005–06, Villanova played three home games at the Wells Fargo Center and the rest on campus at The Pavilion. In 2006, the Wells Fargo Center was also a first-round site for the NCAA Tournament
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
. Under NCAA rules, a venue is not considered a home court unless a school plays four or more regular-season games there; this enabled Villanova to play its first two tournament games at the Wells Fargo Center (but Villanova was not considered the host school for that sub-region – the Atlantic 10 Conference was). This situation occurred again in 2009
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2005–06 basketball season...
, with Villanova playing (and winning) its first two tournament games at Wells Fargo Center.
4 For Syracuse basketball games in the Carrier Dome, the court is laid out on one end of the field and stands are erected beside it. This makes the Carrier Dome the largest on-campus venue for college basketball in the nation.
5 Late in 2006, Rutgers added approximately 3,000 temporary end zone seats that remained for the 2007 season (total 45,000). In 2008, Rutgers began a stadium expansion project which is expected to increase capacity to over 55,000 seats and add luxury and club seats. The premium seating is projected to be ready for the 2008 season and the additional 12,000 end zone seats are expected for the 2009 season. The stadium is also expected to receive a new name as part of the financing package depends on a name sponsorship.
6 For certain high profile home games, Cincinnati uses the Cincinnati Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium. In 2010, Cincinnati hosted the University of Oklahoma at Paul Brown Stadium. In 2011, Cincinnati will use Paul Brown Stadium as an alternate home field for two Big East Conference games.
Conference champions by year
| Year | Men's B-ball Regular Season Champion | Men's B-ball Tournament Champion | Women's B-ball Regular Season Champion | Women's B-ball Tournament Champion | Football Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979/80 | Georgetown/St. John's/Syracuse | Georgetown | |||
| 1980/81 | Boston College | Syracuse | |||
| 1981/82 | Villanova | Georgetown | |||
| 1982/83 | Boston College/St. John's/Villanova | St. John's | Providence/St. John's | St. John's | |
| 1983/84 | Georgetown | Georgetown | Pittsburgh/Villanova | Pittsburgh | |
| 1984/85 | St. John's | Georgetown | St. John's/Villanova | St. John's | |
| 1985/86 | St. John's/Syracuse | St. John's | Providence | Providence | |
| 1986/87 | Georgetown/Pittsburgh/Syracuse | Georgetown | Villanova | Villanova | |
| 1987/88 | Pittsburgh | Syracuse | Syracuse | Syracuse | |
| 1988/89 | Georgetown | Georgetown | Connecticut | Connecticut | |
| 1989/90 | Connecticut/Syracuse | Connecticut | Connecticut/Providence | Connecticut | |
| 1990/91 | Syracuse | Seton Hall | Connecticut | Connecticut | |
| 1991/92 | Georgetown/St. John's/Seton Hall | Syracuse | Miami | Miami | Miami |
| 1992/93 | Seton Hall | Seton Hall | Georgetown/Miami | Georgetown | Miami |
| 1993/94 | Connecticut | Providence | Connecticut | Connecticut | West Virginia |
| 1994/95 | Connecticut | Villanova | Connecticut | Connecticut | Miami |
| 1995/96 | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Virginia Tech/Miami |
| 1996/97 | Boston College/Villanova | Boston College | Connecticut | Connecticut | Virginia Tech/Miami/Syracuse |
| 1997/98 | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Syracuse |
| 1998/99 | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut/Rutgers | Connecticut | Syracuse† |
| 1999/00 | Syracuse/Miami | St. John's | Connecticut | Connecticut | Virginia Tech† |
| 2000/01 | Boston College (east) Notre Dame (west) |
Boston College | Connecticut/Notre Dame | Connecticut | Miami† |
| 2001/02 | Connecticut (east) Pittsburgh (west) |
Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Miami† |
| 2002/03 | Boston College & Connecticut (east) Pittsburgh & Syracuse (west) |
Pittsburgh | Connecticut | Villanova | Miami† |
| 2003/04 | Pittsburgh | Connecticut | Connecticut | Boston College | Miami†/West Virginia |
| 2004/05 | Boston College/Connecticut | Syracuse | Rutgers | Connecticut | Pittsburgh†/Boston College/Syracuse/West Virginia |
| 2005/06 | Connecticut/Villanova | Syracuse | Rutgers | Connecticut | West Virginia† |
| 2006/07 | Georgetown | Georgetown | Connecticut | Rutgers | Louisville† |
| 2007/08 | Georgetown | Pittsburgh | Connecticut | Connecticut | West Virginia†/Connecticut |
| 2008/09 | Louisville | Louisville | Connecticut | Connecticut | Cincinnati† |
| 2009/10 | Syracuse | West Virginia | Connecticut | Connecticut | Cincinnati† |
| 2010/11 | Pittsburgh | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut | Connecticut†/West Virginia/Pittsburgh |
†Received the Conference's BCS (or Alliance Bowl) berth