Nov. 4
It's been a rough road in recent months for Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese. Think about how his football powers, Miami and Virginia Tech, said bye-bye to the conference and jumped to the ACC. Then there was the departure of Boston College, which simply amazes me (how in the world can a school from the Northeast run to the ACC like that?).

But Tuesday was a happier day for the Big East and Tranghese. The conference has added Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, DePaul and South Florida. The five C-USA schools are slated to start playing in the Big East in the 2005-06 school year.

	Rick Pitino

	Tranghese

Remember, the Big East started as a basketball conference, and the league became so powerful that it placed three schools in the Final Four in 1985 -- the only conference to accomplish that feat. Right now, with the new Big East expansion, is there a deeper basketball conference in America?

Are you kidding me? Have you ever seen a league with such impressive, quality depth? Think about the kind of matchups that will take place night in and night out! Think about the new coaching fraternity in the league!

The Big East already has big-time names like Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun. Now that list will include Rick Pitino and Bob Huggins. Wow!

Tranghese must be dancing for joy, baby! Remember, he was an important member of the league's building process, which was led by founding Big East commissioner Dave Gavitt. In my new book, "Living a Dream," I talk about the 12 most influential people in college basketball during my 25 years at ESPN. Gavitt is No. 1 because of his creative and innovative way of putting the Big East on television. It was all basketball, basketball, basketball (and yes, football became a vital part over the years).

It's incredible to look at the Big East's new lineup, and it will be interesting to see how the league's new alignment works. Will there be a 16-team format or will there be two divisions? How will they rotate the scheduling? It's great to see rivalries like Midwest powers Marquette and DePaul vs. Notre Dame in league play. St. John's has played DePaul over the years, so the New York vs. Chicago rivalry should heat up even more.

Have you ever seen a conference with such impressive, quality depth?

Pitino will face his former employers, Syracuse and Providence. Imagine high-school star Sebastian Telfair, if he goes to Louisville and skips the NBA draft next season, competing in the Big East! There are a number of great storylines here.

Yes, geography in college athletics these days is interesting, to say the least. It's been wacky in recent years, and now it gets even wackier! How do DePaul and Marquette fit in the Big East geographically? Or South Florida, for that matter? What about Boston College in the ACC?

Then again, New Mexico State is currently in the Sun Belt Conference (though not for long). That's the way of life in intercollegiate athletics.

The other aspect of this is that it's all about the almighty dollar and greed. Can you blame Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun for saying he won't play Boston College anymore? Calhoun said that BC coach Al Skinner is a quality guy, but he didn't like the way BC's administration handled the Eagles' departure. Now, though, it looks like the Big East will better off in the long run.