Villanova, The Next BCS School?

There are many college football teams that want nothing more than to join a BCS conference. Boise State’s domination of college football is easily the most deserved. Other teams on the outside looking in are the University of Central Florida, Eastern Carolina, University of Houston, Southern Methodist University and Central Michigan. The Big East has decided to expand their conference and just recently looked west to Texas Christian University to join their automatic qualifying status conference. Recent football powerhouse TCU is the ninth football program in the conference and the Big East is now needing one more team to make an even ten. Villanova is already a member of the Big East in basketball and now just needs to accept an invite. Their decision will come on April 12th.

Villanova University is in Radnor Township, a suburb 12 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a very attractive market to the BCS, the fifth largest city in the US and has a population of 5.8 million including the suburbs. Villanova prides itself on academics first and then athletics. 96% of student athletes graduate and 92% from basketball and football. This Catholic university has 6000 undergrads, small compared to most BCS schools.

Villanova has a highly successful basketball program. They reached the Final Four in 2009 and Elite Eight in 2006. In four of the last six years the Wildcats have gone to the Sweet Sixteen. In what use to be called Division I-AA, their football team won the 2009 FCS National Championship.

The Big East has already offered the invitation and is now waiting for Villanova to accept. Villanova does lack the 15,000 seat requirement for a BCS stadium. Two possible options would be playing at Lincoln Financial Field which will swallow the team or sharing the new soccer stadium with the Philadephia Union. With so few BCS offers that become available, especially already your own basketball conference, I do not see Villanova declining this great opportunity. I don’t see how a school would turn down more revenue, more exposure and a better chance at recruitment in all sports. Certainly Villanova priding itself on academics would not make such an unwise mistake.