The football schools told the BBall schools to add all the football schools for all sports, or the eight would have broken away. The football schools backed down, Rutgers and WVU were added for all sports. If Penn State were in the mix, the football schools may have gone for it.

Syracuse is what held the Big East together as long as it did. They were the one school in the 90's playing big time BBall and Football - these were the McNabb/Freeney years, so yes, the Cuse played football. Plus, Boehiem is the Cuse as Beamer is to VT - what he wanted meant a lot, and he wanted to continue in a conference with GTown, STJohns and Villanova. So the Orange's heart wasn't in the break off.

One point about Penn State - If they are in the Big East, does VT get in? Some assume that VT, landed in the Penn State's empty eighth slot - VT didn't have much history with any traditional Eastern schools other than WVU. So Penn State going to the Big Ten paved the way for VT's success over the last 25 years.