CHICAGO — The new Big East will have a West Division, and Temple, located in Philadelphia, will be part of it.
The conference revealed its divisional alignment Tuesday for the 2013 football season, when it becomes a 12-team league. The announcement came after the Big East presidents approved the plan at a meeting in Chicago.
The East will have Central Florida, South Florida, Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati and Rutgers. The West will have Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, SMU and Temple.
Navy will join the Big East for football only in 2015, and the conference plans to add another football member to reach 14.
Commissioner Mike Aresco indicated that division alignment would likely be revisited after 2014.
“Despite the fact that Temple will be in the West Division during the 2013 and 2014 football seasons, we will have every opportunity to play institutions from the East Division and be eligible for the first Big East championship game,” Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw said in a statement.
“Beginning with the 2015 football season, there will be two seven-team divisions with the addition of Navy and another football school (to be announced later) with every indication that division alignment will be reconstructed.”
The Big East championship game will be played at the home field of one of the participating teams.
