Coach Randy Edsall would like to see another program join Big East

2/14/2008 6:14 PM

By PAT EATON-ROBB
Associated Press Writer

STORRS, Conn. (AP) -Connecticut coach Randy Edsall wants to see another football school join the Big East Conference.

The league has just eight teams playing football. Each season, some schools play four conference home games and some get only three.

UConn plays West Virginia, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh at home next season.

``It would be just so much more viable and more equitable to everybody in the conference if we all had four home games each year,'' Edsall said Thursday. ``So that's why it's our hope as football coaches, to get to where we have at least another team in the league.''

Edsall declined to say what schools he believes might make good candidates for Big East football. Central Florida, Memphis, East Carolina and others have been mentioned in the past as possible fits.

Notre Dame is already a Big East member in other sports, but not football, where it has its own television contract and does not have to share its revenues.

League commissioner Michael Tranghese has said if the Irish would like to talk about becoming a football member, he'd certainly take the phone call. But otherwise, the league is not pursuing expansion, spokesman John Paquette said Thursday.

UConn is negotiating with Notre Dame for a football series. According to an internal memo from Notre Dame that found its way to the Internet last week, the schools plan a 10-game series starting in 2009, with five games in South Bend, Ind., three at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. and two at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

Edsall would not say whether he favors such a series, which would not include a home game in Connecticut.

``If we get a signed contract and things, I'll be happy to discuss it,'' Edsall said. ``I don't want to be saying anything until the ink would be dry on the contract. Because if I say something, I could screw the whole thing up and nobody might sign it.''

Connecticut will play Virginia, Baylor and Hofstra in nonconference home games next season. The Huskies have just two open nonconference dates in the next few years, one in 2010 and one 2012, Edsall said.

The school is talking to a lot of other programs about future games, and Edsall said he has his own wish list.

``Ideally, as I've mentioned, I'd like to play Army, I'd like to play BC each year, and then a MAC school, a I-AA,'' he said. ``Then you have another one that you can get, a top team from a BCS or however you think your schedule is going to work out.''