ESPN College Football

Happy Friday, everybody. Let's hit some of your mail before the weekend gets started.

Mike from Virginia Beach, Va., writes: I have a BIG "what if" question... But what if a team in the Big East were to go undefeated this year. Would they get snubbed to play in the national title game, since the Big East is considered a lower-tier conference?

Brian Bennett: It's an interesting question, and one that has no precedent since the Big East has yet to have an undefeated team since the current format began in 2005. Let's say a Big East team does go undefeated this year (a huge, huge if). It would really then come down to what everybody else in the country did. If there were no other undefeated teams, the Big East would have a shot at getting in the title game. If there were two (or more) unbeatens, then it would probably be much harder, because all Big East teams will be starting way down the totem pole this year in the polls. The scenario that would be interesting is if, say, Texas went undefeated and Florida lost a game but won the SEC title. Almost certainly, there would be an outcry of support for the SEC team, since that league has been so dominant. And the Big East would get bashed around the country, especially if its unbeaten was a team like Rutgers that had nothing in the nonconference schedule to brag about.

Brett from Austin writes: Brian, while we are throwing out names for football schools to add in the Big East I have one to add to the mix. How about the University of Houston? (Hear me out!)Your first reaction is that geographically they don't make sense, but neither does USF or UCF, and having a major international airport nearby would help keep travel cheap and easy for teams going there. They are in an excellent TV market and are in the heart of a great recruiting area that would only be upgraded should they make the BCS leap. Playing in Texas would open up Texas recruiting for other Big East teams as well. They are a contender in the Conference USA and their location could help the Big East leverage itself into some new bowl games. The school size is about right for the Big East although they would have to upgrade their stadium size. I'm not sure if they would add much in basketball but how can you get much worse than DePaul?

Brian Bennett: Well, there are certainly no shortage of ideas when it comes to expansion. As a guy who used to cover Conference USA and spent some time in Houston's Robertson Stadium watching dreadful football, I'd say no way, no how. I just don't think that program is good enough, and it will always be in the shadow of Texas and Texas A&M. And it would be hard to get people in the Houston market to care about the Northeast schools. At least the Florida schools are actually in the same time zone.

Franklin from Parkersburg, W.Va., writes: OK, Brian, I do not get it. After reading the last several lunchtime links, I have noticed how other leagues and media types praise WVU for its fan base, travel well etc. At the same point, they report that other leagues would not persue us do to media markets, television (which makes no sense to me) or our research status? So what gives? How are we really viewed outside the Big East?

Brian Bennett: First of all, realize that most of the expansion talk is just idle speculation. But when people talk about schools they'd ideally like to add, they most often look at TV markets and natural fits. That's why Rutgers is often mentioned as a desirable target. The Scarlet Knights have the New York market and the school is well regarded academically. West Virginia is viewed as a school in a small state without much of a TV market, though it has an intensely loyal fan base. I don't think West Virginia would fit very well with the Midwest flavor of the Big Ten. It strikes me as more of an ACC fit if it ever were to leave the Big East.

Zach from Parts Unknown writes: Some summer material. Not sure if you already saw this but you haven't mentioned the Rutgers Stadium construction at all yet. 

Brian Bennett: Thanks for passing that along, Zach. I'm hoping to be in the newly-expanded Rutgers Stadium early this season.

Andrew from NYC writes: Heard you're covering Notre Dame now. Awesome! We all know that ND is not going to join the Big East in the foreseeable future, but any chance they could play three games a year against Big East teams? Especially since they already have 1-to-3 Big East teams lined up the next seven years, and also are probably killing the BC series.

Brian Bennett: That's right. For those of you who haven't heard, I'm adding Notre Dame to my list of duties here at ESPN.com. Irish news will appear in the College Football Nation blog, not the Big East. It should not affect the coverage you get on the Big East. As for the Irish playing Big East teams, that is already happening. They're playing UConn and Pittsburgh this year and had Syracuse and Pitt last year. There will be at least one or two Big East teams on the Notre Dame schedule for the next several years, which is part of the school's agreement with the league. However, it appears that Notre Dame is only interested in playing the Northeast schools in the league, mostly for television exposure. There has been little to no traction in the idea of the Irish playing Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia or South Florida anytime soon.