ECU leaving Conference USA to join Big East

[Harry]

Terry Holland lauded Ballard’s drive to help put the Pirates into a league that in 2014 will look a lot like the old C-USA, though it expects recent acquisitions Boise State and San Diego State to help redefine the conference.

ECU and Tulane became part of a recent mass exodus from C-USA to the Big East. The Pirates and Green Wave are set to join current C-USA members Houston, SMU, Memphis and UCF, along with former C-USA participants USF, Cincinnati and Louisville.

In addition to Boise and SDSU, Temple is also on board, and Navy expects to join the league in 2015. The league wants 14 football members.

Current member UConn is expected to soon follow Rutgers out of the conference.

Holland and Ballard are aware the current Big East lineup might be different before the Pirates make their debut.

“Conference realignment is continuous, and I think everybody knows that now,” Ballard said. “The TV markets mean so much to the revenues of each institution.”

Ballard said he didn’t know what to expect in terms of revenue.

The chancellor noted that the Big East and commissioner Mike Aresco – who joined the press conference via teleconference – are still negotiating a new TV contract.

“We feel very, very confident that this going to be a real step up for the revenues of our athletic program,” Ballard said.

Aresco echoed the sentiment, saying the Big East has garnered “significant interest” from every major network, and he also raised the possibility of a future Big East network.

Aresco said East Carolina had “a wonderful and deep football pedigree and tradition of outstanding teams and unrivaled fan support. Your fan base is legendary, as committed as any in the country,” Aresco said of ECU. “The Big East has always been a conference of opportunity for new members, and the country will soon see more of East Carolina football.”

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