Report: Big East facing huge losses

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NEW YORK, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Seven Big East Conference schools that do not field Football Bowl Subdivision teams likely will leave the league, ESPN reported Thursday.

Officials of those schools have met this week and a source told ESPN that they are "close to a consensus on what they want to do next."

DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall and Villanova are the schools that do not have a team in college football's top division. They could leave the Big East as a group or they could decide to dissolve the league altogether since they have enough votes for the two-thirds majority needed to do so.

Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and Temple are Big East members that do play major college football, although Temple cannot vote on dissolving the league.

Temple will become a full Big East member next season and the conference is also scheduled to add Houston, SMU, Memphis, Central Florida, Boise State and San Diego State in 2013. Tulane and East Carolina are set to join in 2014 and Navy in 2015.