ESPN's Brian Bennett spoke with Big East Commissioner John Marinatto today about the conference's plans to expand it's football conference (and possibly other sports in the process). Having already added the TCU to the fold, many are under the assumption that the conference is waiting on the Villanova Wildcats, who have said they will make a final decision in April.
While the school has a standing invitation to join the Big East, Marinatto insists that they are not waiting on the 'Cats.
"We're not waiting for Villanova," Marinatto said. "It's their institutional decision to make, and they have a process set up to make it. They've got to determine what's in their best interest, and we've got to determine what's in our best interest."
Moreover, Marinatto would add another school before Villanova if the proper situation presented itself.
"If the right situation developed in between, we would move on it," he said. "That's a very real possibility. We're not going to make a decision or not make a decision based on Villanova's study."
Frankly, this makes sense, and is nothing we haven't heard before. The most common name that pops up is Central Florida these days. Ultimately, I do think the Big East really wants Villanova to join - heck, they were the first school to be invited for the expansion.
What are your thoughts on the matter?