COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (AP) -- Air Force officials met with members of the Big East Conference for more than two hours and listened to their presentation on why the league would be a good fit for the Falcons.
Academy spokesman David Cannon said Wednesday night that it was just an informational meeting with Big East Commissioner John Marinatto and Nick Carparelli, the league's senior associate commissioner.
No invitation was extended as the Falcons consider joining the conference in football only.
Air Force was represented at the meeting by athletic director Hans Mueh, coach Troy Calhoun and Lt. Gen. Mike Gould, the academy's superintendent.
Cannon did not divulge what was specifically discussed or give a timeline for when a decision might be reached. The Colorado Springs Gazette first reported the meeting.
"The Big East did give us a lot to think about," Cannon told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "The decision will be in large part based on what's best for the cadet athletes, the Air Force Academy as an institution and the bigger Air Force."
The Falcons have been members of the Mountain West Conference since joining in 1998-99. The Mountain West recently announced plans to combine forces in football with Conference USA and form one mega-league that will probably have between 20 and 24 teams when it finally gets going in 2013.
In this rapidly changing football landscape, the Big East is trying to rebuild after losing Pittsburgh and Syracuse (Atlantic Coast Conference), along with TCU (Big 12).
The Frogs had planned to leave the Mountain West for the Big East in 2012, but changed course and decided to join the Big 12 instead to reunite with former Southwest Conference rivals Texas, Baylor and Texas Tech.
The Big East is looking to possibly add teams such as Houston, SMU and Central Florida in all sports, along with Boise State, Air Force and Navy in football only.
(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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