NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The Big East Conference announced Wednesday it has added Boise State, San Diego State and three other schools to its depleted lineup.
Commissioner John Marinatto said the two schools have joined as football-only members, while Southern Methodist, Houston and Central Florida have signed up for all sports.
The league was seeking new members after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they were leaving to join the Atlantic Coast Conference in two years, while West Virginia is seeking to join the Big 12 next season.
The finishing touches were put on the deal after athletic directors from the Big East's five remaining football-playing schools -- Rutgers, Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati and Connecticut -- met in New York late Monday, The (Newark, N.J.) Star-Ledger reported.
The conference will have the new members in place by 2013, with West Virginia also remaining in the fold until then -- pending a legal battle.
The Mountaineers want to switch to the Big 12 next season, but the Big East is demanding West Virginia adhere to a 27-month exit penalty that would keep the school in the conference until June 30, 2014, the newspaper said.
