Navy football fans who didn’t want the Mids in the Big East will get their wish. Sorta.
Per multiple reports, including one from the network that landed the conference’s future media rights, the so-called “Catholic 7” basketball teams that are leaving the Big East will purchase the name and take it with them when they depart next season. No fee has been announced, but one report speculates the name could be worth $8 million to $10 million.
The move has generated positive publicity for the departing basketball schools, who’ll return the league name to the hoops roots it began with in 1979. Big East football began in 1991; of the eight original teams, only Temple will play football in the Conference Formerly Known as the Big East in 2012, and the Owls had a break in service after being booted for poor performance.
Aside from some graphics work, Navy’s football future won’t be affected by the change, with a new name (hopefully) in place by the time the Mids join the ex-Big East in 2015. If anything, the move could cement the league’s shift to a football-first mindset, which would be beneficial to Navy as a football-only member.
Suggestions for a new name? Leave them below. For those who’ve lost track, the league is set to include Navy, Connecticut, Central Florida, Cincinnati, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Southern Methodist, Temple and Tulane in 2015.