Jerry Carino

@njhoopshaven

The question three years ago when the downsized Big East debuted was this: Could a basketball-driven league survive in a football world?

Villanova answered by winning the NCAA Tournament last April.

The next question, an undercurrent for the conference’s media day Tuesday, is this: How does the Big East capitalize on all the momentum?

The one-word answer: UConn.

Mutual interest in a reunion was widely reported over the summer, and in recent conversations with Gannett New Jersey, multiple people in the know laid out the framework. Here it is:

1. The Big East and broadcast partner Fox Sports 1 are all for it. UConn brings much to the table: the cachet of one of the top brands in college hoops, a legion of fans who travel in droves and an instant revival of some classic regional rivalries.

Forget the notion, mostly floated by fans, that UConn wanted out of the old Big East and therefore should be blackballed. There is too much to gain to be spiteful. And if we’ve learned one thing about the realignment carousel, it’s that aggression is rewarded.

Adding UConn would give the conference 11 teams, which is not a problem. For much of the Big East’s glory years of the 1980s, membership was odd-numbered at nine. Plus the league would retain a true round-robin schedule — very important to the coaches — at 20 games.

It should be noted that the Big East’s welcome-back mat would include a gargantuan exit fee.

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2. UConn isn’t there yet, but the day of reckoning is coming. Still desperate to play in a power football league, the Huskies are angling for a Big 12 invite. By all accounts, that seems like a long shot.

The endgame might be parking its football program in, say, the Mid-American Conference (with Akron, Ohio, Buffalo, Western Michigan, etc.).

The unknown is how long UConn waits before giving up the gridiron ghost. Will it hold out hope for future ACC or Big Ten expansion? The timetable could depend on ...

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3. The wild card: the Connecticut legislature. UConn’s athletics department is losing $20 million per year. How much longer will elected officials dump money down football's financial drain when the school could more than double its conference revenue — plus slash its football overhead — by reuniting with the Big East?

It’s hard to gauge the political winds from afar, so who knows. But the pressure is mounting. UConn football is 3-3 this season, with an average paid attendance of 29,120 per game.

Meanwhile, Villanova just proved that you can win a national championship in basketball out of the Big East.

Add it up, and those in the know believe it’s not a question of whether UConn will return to its roots. It’s a matter of when.

JERRY CARINO’S BIG EAST FORECAST

PRESEASON RANKINGS:

1. Villanova: Three starters back, and Josh Hart will be a first-team All-American.

2. Xavier: That deep rotation last winter will pay off now.

3. Creighton: Four starters back and adding a big-time transfer.

4. Seton Hall: Four starters and plenty of toughness back, but one huge hole to fill.

5. Georgetown: So much talent. Can the Hoyas finally put it together?

6. Marquette: Four starters back, but one lottery pick lost, from a 20-13 squad.

7. Butler: Hard to rank them this low, but they lost some cornerstone players.

8. St. John’s: The talent is starting to roll in. Will take a clear step forward.

9. Providence: Rebuilding post-Kris Dunn, but should be competitive.

10. DePaul: Rinse, repeat.

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE:

First team: Josh Hart, Villanova (Sr., G/F); Kris Jenkins, Villanova (Sr., F); Maurice Watson, Creighton (Sr. G), Trevon Bluiett, Xavier (Jr., G), Kelan Martin, Butler (Jr., F).

Second team: Edmond Sumner, Xavier (So., G); Khadeen Carrington, Seton Hall (Jr., G); Marcus Foster, Creighton (Jr., G); Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (Jr., F/C); Jalen Brunson, Villanova (So., G).

Staff Writer Jerry Carino: jcarino@gannettnj.com