By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Big East presidents from three basketball-only and three football schools will meet to plan the future of the conference, Big East commissioner Michael Tranghese confirmed to the Enquirer Wednesday at the league's football media day.

The meeting will take place the first week in August, but Tranghese did not say which six schools would be involved.

The central point of the meeting will be to discuss whether the conference will break into two leagues, one basketball-only and one with football-playing members.

If a split occurs, the University of Cincinnati is expected to be invited to join the football schools, and Xavier University is expected to be invited to join the basketball schools. If the league keeps its current 12 teams, it's possible it could grow to 16 teams, including Xavier and UC.

Big East football presidents and athletic directors met earlier this month and discussed breaking away, without coming to a final decision. The basketball-only athletic directors have held weekly conference calls discussing realignment. August's meeting will be the first time presidents from both sides have gotten together since Miami and Virginia Tech announced their departure from the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004.

"The purpose of the meeting is to talk about the structure of the league," Tranghese said. "Do they want to stay together or go separate ways? I think, eventually, we'll have to bring all 12 schools together (in a meeting)."

The first meeting among the six presidents will serve to formulate a plan that can be presented to all 12 schools.

"It's going to be a negotiation of sorts between the football and basketball schools," said Big East associate commissioner Nick Carparelli.

Tranghese did not say when the 12 schools would meet, but he said a decision on realignment should be made before October.

"This is not going to drag on," Tranghese said. "It's not going to be two weeks, but it's not going to be two months."

However, the actual implementation of a realignment plan, which includes invitations being made and accepted as well as on-site evaluations, might not occur until the winter, Tranghese said. Having the shape of the league or leagues in place by then is necessary, because the Bowl Championship Series renegotiates its next contract in September 2004.

"We can't be evaluated until they know who we are," Tranghese said.

University presidents have discussed possible additions to the conference, but Tranghese declined to say which schools are brought up in the talks.

"The biggest need is ... to add schools who are academically compatible and can play, or want to play, on a high level," Tranghese said.

While the size of a team's market is important, Tranghese said that the ability, or potential, to compete at the highest level would be the most important factor, especially on the football side. Tranghese said keeping the football schools of the Big East competitive in the BCS is imperative.

"That's what football is about," Tranghese said. "If you win, you can drive numbers. It always helps to bring someone from a great market, but I think having someone who can compete and be successful is the most important pure athletic criteria that our people have to look at."

The league's national football presence took a hit in late June, when Miami and Virginia Tech decided to leave. Tranghese said there is no way to replace a program with the prestige of Miami's, but that the presidents have to look for schools with potential to build nationally prominent programs.

Tranghese already has notified the Big East presidents that he will step down as commissioner in 2005 if the presidents elect to split into two leagues. As the league's commissioner for the next two seasons, he doesn't want to be forced to choose one side or the other and instead would be an impartial decision maker in the final years of the conference.

E-mail ddow@enquirer.com