New York, NY – Temple is reportedly in talks to join the Big East in all sports as early as next season, which would give the conference 13 teams in football and 18 in basketball.
A planned move could be completed this month after the Philadelphia-based school works out legal issues with the conferences it currently belongs to, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Temple plays football in the Mid-American Conference and basketball in the Atlantic 10. The Owls previously played football in the Big East, but were kicked out in 2004 for underperforming.
The Times said Temple would also have to let its intentions be known to the new super-conference formed by the recent merger of the Mountain West and Conference USA, which has asked the school to join.
Memphis was the latest school to join the Big East in all sports, continuing the game of musical chairs in college athletics that has greatly affected the conference.
The Big East had been reeling from the planned exits of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia. Its goal was to have 12 football members. Temple would be the 13th.
Prior to adding Memphis, the Big East had already brought on Central Florida, SMU and Houston as full members and Boise State, San Diego State and Navy for football only.
It hopes to create two divisions and stage an annual conference championship game.
Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced in September that they were leaving for the ACC and West Virginia is moving to the Big 12. TCU, which had agreed to leave the Mountain West for the Big East, decided instead to join the Big 12.
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