We are never going to be invited to the Big East. I can't believe people keep talking about this. If they are ever "forced" to go to 11 because of 20-game conference scheduling
Saint Louis will probably be picked. By then hopefully we are already in the American and it wouldn't matter. That is the conference we should be trying to get in, since they've already extended overtures, and the jump would be a complete no-brainer and an immediate improvement. As I've said in other threads (or this one, who knows) the American could vastly elevate both football and basketball with a few select and simple moves:
Invite Boise and SDSU again for all sports. Include an offer to BYU, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. Offer BYU a similar setup to Notre Dame's. That gives you 15 for football just like the ACC. Then add Dayton/VCU for 19, just like the old Big East had before the break-up. 18 game true round-robin basketball schedule. This would be the best basketball conference in the country without question. To avoid travel problems, simply split the 19 geographically for two separate conferences for non-spectator sports (9 West, 10 East).
