The ongoing talks of expanding the Big East seem to have reached a conclusion and that is that Boise State, SMU, San Diego State, Houston, and UCF will join the conference. Boise State and San Diego State will be football-only members.
The Big East is still viewed as a fledgling conference that most do not deem worthy of an automatic qualifier so perhaps adding some strong non-BCS programs could help bolster the overall depth and talent of the conference.