Big East Expansion: BYU Could Join Conference Soon, According To Report

Read More: Cincinnati Bearcats, Louisville Cardinals, Boise St. Broncos, BYU Cougars

BYU is likely to join the Big East Conference as a football-only member as soon as this week, according to a report by the Salt City Tribune.

The Cougars currently play football independently a season after leaving the Mountain West Conference.

If true, it means the Big East is on the verge of acquiring the two best available football programs in the Mountain Time Zone. The Boise St. Broncos have made it clear they intend to join the conference, though they were adamant about the Big East also bringing on other Western programs and creating a Western division.

Among the programs also assumed to be close to receiving invitations from the Big East (or already having received them) are Air Force, Navy, Houston, SMU and UCF.

Speaking of the Western Division, early ideas had the Louisville Cardinals and Cincinnati Bearcats being aligned with the West, something neither school reportedly wants.

According to some, the Big East would then place UCF in the West but ensure that they play local rival USF every season in order to appease the "traditional" Big East schools. That would make the East Division into: Connecticut, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Louisville, South Florida, and Navy while the West division would be BYU, Houston, SMU, UCF, Boise State and Air Force.

For more on the Cougars, visit BYU blog Vanquish the Foe. For more on the Big East, head to Big East Coast Bias. For more on the conference expansion whirlwind, check out our conference realigment coverage.