Big East Expansion: Mountain West, CUSA Merger Actually Being Discussed, According To Report

Do you remember that report in the Boston Globe from the weekend on the Big East possibly merging with the newly merged Mountain West and Conference USA? Everybody hooted it down from all directions, but it looks to be an item we may actually need to contend with, especially with West Virginia reportedly leaving very soon.

Even if it still seems unlikely, the Big East will meet with its food chain fellows on the matter, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. That's two papers in the footprint of two conferences reporting it's actually being discussed. Now all we need is one from Conference USA's turf, which is everywhere. So, just one more.

Both cite a 28- or 32-team league with four divisions. The division relevant to the LVRJ's interests:

According to a document obtained by the Review-Journal, UNLV could be in a division that also includes Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, San Diego State, UNR and Utah State, with San Jose State a possibility if the conference includes 32 teams rather than 28.    

Previously reported alignment plans have called for the Big East teams to stay together in one division while the others just get slotted geographically somehow. Of course, the entire morass is likely to lose a couple more schools to the powers before all is said and done, but YEAH somewhere in there I talked myself into this maybe actually happening.

Stay tuned to SB Nation's conference realignment news section.