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The Houston Cougars may have lost out on a BCS bowl game recently but the success from their 2011 football season may have played a factor in the Big East deciding to have the Cougars join the conference in 2013.
Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports reports that Houston, San Diego State, Boise State, SMU and UCF will join the Big East conference in 2013. via Brett McMurphy's twitter page.
@McMurphyCBSBrett McMurphyBREAKING: Sources tell@CBSSports Big East will add Boise, San Diego St, Houston, UCF, SMU Wednesday. Will join league in 2013
It doesn't seem like San Diego State and Boise State would fit geographically in the Big East conference, but the addition does make sense for Boise State, whose football coach Chris Peterson has been all but impressed with the current BCS system based on his recent remarks. This addition to the Big East conference currently puts Boise State, along with Houston, in position to get one of the automatic bids to a BCS bowl by being in a BCS conference.
This was a solid move by the Big East conference that had been decimated by their own members leaving for other conferences. It was Pittsburgh and Syracuse that left for the ACC, while West Virginia and supposed-new member TCU, decided to join the Big 12.