Temple to join Big East
NEW YORK -- Temple will join the Big East Conference for football beginning in 2012 and for all other sports in 2013, multiple sources have confirmed.
Temple to join Big East
NEW YORK -- Temple will join the Big East Conference for football beginning in 2012 and for all other sports in 2013, multiple sources have confirmed.
An announcement is expected later today. Temple will depart the Mid-American Conference for football before the upcoming season. It will remain in the Atlantic Ten Conference for all other sports for another year.
According to multiple MAC sources, it will cost Temple $6 million to exit the MAC. The Owls will have to pay the A-10 $1 million to leave with one year's notice.
The addition of Temple fills an immediate need for football. The Big East needed an eighth football member for next season, because West Virginia left for the Big 12.
Temple was a Big East member for football when the league started in 1991. The Owls were kicked out in 2004 because of their lack of success on the field and in the box office.
However, there’s a chance Temple will be more competitive this time around.
The Owls are coming off three consecutive winning campaigns. Temple finished last season with a 9-4 record and posted a 37-15 victory over Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl. That marked the Owls second bowl appearance in three seasons and their first bowl victory since beating California in the Garden State Bowl in 1979.
Temple was invited into join the Big East at its inception, when the league was founded primarily as a basketball conference in 1979.
- Wow...you're condescending tone in this post sums up exactly why the fans of other Big 5 schools hate nova.
— denim chicken - your* — denim chicken
- No, I am sad.
Temple was a good fit for the MAC in football and the Atlantic-10 fro BB and the other sports.
I am going to miss my friends.— cakes77 - Does anyone think for one moment that the NCAA and ESPN folks are going to create a sink hole in the East. Come on, the Big East will take on a new form to capture all the money that exists in key urban East Coast markets. As for Temple, the doped who think Temple's location in Philly is a negative ought to visit the campus and see for themselves what the heck is happening. The campus is terrific, about a mile from Center City, and growing by leaps and bounds. Kids from all over the east coast are discovering this exceptional institution.— hobie
- Cakes, with all due respect, and remember, I'm saying with all due respect; how the hell can you say Temple was a good fit for the MAC?— regassert6
- The ignorance of some of these posts is outrageous. The Villanova fans are shaking in their boots right now. Temple can run with both the football and basketball teams of the big east. Villanova on the other hand.... can't do either if this year is any indication of that.— ChedderBOB
- StorminNorman, don't try to fool anyone that you "feel bad" for anyone associated with Temple when what you really mean is that you hope Temple falls flat on their face by joining the BE. You're obviously a Temple hater for whatever reasons. I do agree with one singular thing you said however, that Temple "will have to produce instead of postulating about future victories." Oh you mean just like you postulate about TUs future failures? Of course Temple has to prove themselves, just like Nova does and every school that has sports teams. Joining the BE will give Temple the platform to prove themselves with success or wallow in mediocrity. As I said before, only time will tell. But Temple fans are excited about the future possibilities to continue getting bowl games and NCAA bids. In some ways being associated with a BCS conference will make things easier such as recruiting, automatic bids, etc. Go Owls.
- This is a good move for Temple. Nobody really can predict what may happen in the future so let's give the TU folks making the decision the benefit of the doubt. As for the folks who like to make judgements on what Temple is.....they need to realize the Temple community of today is very different than the Temple of the past.— pahawk
- I agree with the move, even though the Big East will not be as strong as it has been in the past. No one can argue that it is an upgrade for the Owls in all sports (especially in football). Go TU!
Drexel will most likely replace Temple in the A-10 for basketball. Mark my words.— diamondd40 - Now that they are in with the big boys, Temple better get used to some less than spectacular win and loss records. Right from the get go, they will be last in the league in football attendance. Also, as Big East newbies, they will no longer get the basketball officiating breaks they did as A10 bully boys.— richw38
- Villanova academics > Temple academics.— Dunsmore
- Two institutions with completely different missions. Be very careful about making statements pertaining to academic competitiveness when you don't know the numbers. Getting admitted to Temple isn't as far off from Villanova as you may think. — pahawk
- Best sports story of the day. And just because the new Big East isn't a great football conference today, doesn't mean it won't be tomorrow. Anything is better than watching Ball State and Toledo.— bobbyd24
- I agree BobbySG. Temple will help turn the conference around as Temple continues to improve its football program.
Bobbyd24, Toledo was good, so you might mean Akron.— damnels - with all the changes, who knows what conferences will even look like in a few yrs down the road. This could be more of a sideways move, rather than upward. I dont get all the nova hate. Im a Temple fan and root for Nova when the owls are out of it. I wish both schools success. Its not like there is some historic rivalry there, I still think Nova can ultimately go farther in the tourney but that was mostly per recruiting which could change I suppose. Look at both campuses though, which we you prefer in the same conference. Also, owls always had better chances to make a deep run per Chaneys matchup zones, now were lucky to get past first wkend. Dont kid yourselves, Ive been watching college hoops long enough. I hope they prove me wrong just dont act like you know better.— peteike
John Mitchell is in his first year covering Temple after two seasons covering the 76ers for the Inquirer, after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette. He graduated from Overbrook High School in 1983, and he's a graduate of Howard University in Washington DC. Follow him on Twitter @jmitchinquirer or reach him at jmitchell@philly.com.
