The old Big East's foundation was cracking almost right from the start in 1979 between the small urban Catholic colleges (Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Georgetown) whose focus was on basketball and the larger football sponsoring universities (Boston College and Syracuse). UConn and Villanova were the two in-between programs that were basketbal first; but, also supported football.
This divsiosn showed-up in a fatal way in 1982 when the Big East voted 5 for and 3 against to add Penn State where 6 votes (2/3 super majority) were needed to approve a new member. Via an interview in the Times with Gavitt, it is known that the 5 'yes' votes were BC, Syracuse, UConn, Providence, and Hall while St. John's, Georgetown, and Villanove voted 'no.' Pitt was added later on a 6-2 vote with Villanova flipping, likley as they saw Pitt as less of a threat than Penn St.
Consider this, when the old Big East was formed in 1979, Holy Cross and Rutgers said no. It is up for debate if Holy Cross saying 'no' opened the door for UConn or was UConn already going to be be invited. Let's say UConn was invited either way and both of those schools said 'yes' instead.
In that scenario, the vote goes 7 to 3 as both football friendly Holy Cross and Rutgers vote 'yes' giving Penn St the super majority it needs as the 11th member. Pitt is then added the 12th member later in 1982. Then, 1991 rolls around and the Big East grabs U Miami (#13), which also pulls along Florida St (#14) as the Seminoles choose a more football 'friendly' Big East over tobacco road basketball in the ACC. In the same year, Virginia Tech (#15) and West Virginia (#16) join to fill in the geographic gap.
So, by 1994, the old Big East looks like this:
- Football (Major): 1) BC, 2) Holy Cross, 3) Syracuse, 4) Rutgers, 5) Pitt, 6) Penn St, 7) West Virginia, 8) Virginia Tech, 9) Florida St, 10) U Miami
- Basketball - North: 1) BC, 2) Holy Cross, 3) Providence, 4) UConn, 5) Syracuse, 6) St. John's, 7) Seton Hall, 8) Georgetown; South: 9) Rutgers, 10) Pitt, 11) Penn St, 12) Villanova, 13) West Virginia, 14) Virginia Tech, 15) Florida St, 16) U Miami
So from 1979 to 1994, the old Big East has potential elected football national champions in Penn St ('82, '86, '94) U Miami ('91) and Florida St ('92, '93, '94). In basketball, Georgetown ('84) and Villanova ('85) collect titles while Georgetown ('82, '85), Syracuse ('87), and Hall ('89) all have near misses.
In 1997 in an effort to get to a easier to manage 12 football teams, the old Big East asks UConn and Villanova to upgrade; but, Villanova declines, which allows the Catholic issue to fester.
Nevertheless, from 1995 to 2005, the old Big East adds football championships with Florida St ('96, '99), and U Miami ('00, '01) plus basketball titles with UConn ('99, '04) and Syracuse ('03) and another near miss by Syracuse ('96). During the same time, the ACC has 0 national football championships and 3 basketball titles.
So with football driving the bus, who raids who in 2005, even with the inevitable internal fracture with small Catholics? The Catholics schools still end-up forming a new, separate conference to the new Big East today (maybe using the old Metro name) as the money issue is too big of a factor. ND is football first, they would go with the Big East in some form over the ACC. I think the football-first ACC schools split and move into the Big East to fill in the gaps left by the Catholic schools departing while the tobacco road programs are grabbed by the B1G to bolster their basketball (and academic) cred. So, the Big East looks like this by 2018 (and MSG is very happy to host this basketball conference tournament).
- Big East - North: 1) BC, 2) Holy Cross, 3) UConn, 4) Syracuse, 5) Rutgers, 6) Penn St, 7) Pitt, 8) ND; South: 9) Virginia Tech, 10) West Virginia, 11) Louisville, 12) NC State, 13) Clemson, 14) Georgia Tech, 15) Florida St, 16) U Miami
- B1G - East: 1) Duke, 2) UNC, 3) UVA, 4) Maryland, 5) Ohio St, 6) Michigan, 7) Michigan St, 8) Indiana; West: 9) Purdue, 10) Illinois, 11) Northwestern, 12) Wisconsin, 13) Minnesota, 14) Nebraska, 15) Kansas, 16) Missouri
- ACC note: Wake Forest?
- Metro - East: 1) Providence, 2) St. John's, 3) Fordham, 4) Seton Hall, 5) Villanova, 7) St. Joesph's, 7) Georgetown; West: 9) St. Bonnaventure, 10) Duquesne, 11) Dayton, 12) Xavier, 13) Butler, 14) DePaul, 15) Creighton, 16) St. Louis