The conference has taken a hit over the past few weeks and is on the verge of waving goodbye to college football powers West Virginia, TCU, Syracuse and Pittsburgh.
The loss of that type of reputation would hurt any power conference, but the runt of the pack, the Big East can ill afford it.
Sure, they have contacted Air Force and Boise State, but those programs have no business playing against East Coast teams on a regular basis. The rivalries would be nonexistent and feel forced.
Potentially adding BYU and San Diego State, which has been reported by several sources, would also do little to save the struggling conference.
The Big East has become desperate and will now settle for any slightly relevant college football program.
The conference is still very much alive in college basketball, but these low-level acquisitions will only keep the Big East around for a little longer, not forever.
The super-conferences are coming, unfortunately, and the Big East doesn't look to have a future alongside the SEC, Pac-12 and others.
BYU and San Diego State are great schools to house underrated late-round NFL draft picks, but they won't turn around the fading reputation of a football conference.
The ACC, SEC and Pac-12 are getting better. The Big 12 and Big Ten are on solid ground. The Big East is the odd man out.
Loading up on weak mid-level college football programs might sound like a good way to preserve the Big East, but remember that with anything, it's quality over quantity.
