Tulane and East Carolina are Big East-bound

The Big East moved quickly to replace Rutgers and braced for more possible departures, getting Tulane and East Carolina to agree to join the reinvented conference in 2014.

"I would go as far to say this is a historic day for Tulane University . . . the Big East is coming to the Big Easy," school president Scott Cowen said Tuesday.

Tulane, in New Orleans, and East Carolina, in Greenville, N.C., will make it six Conference USA schools to join the Big East in the last two years.

Temple, which was forced to leave the Big East after the 2004 season, rejoined the conference for football this year after leaving the Mid-American Conference. The Owls will play all other sports in the Big East next year, leaving the Atlantic Ten.

Rutgers announced a week ago that it would leave the Big East for the Big Ten.

Cowen and athletic director Rick Dickson said serious talks with the Big East began about a week ago.

"This is an unprecedented opportunity to join a national conference," Dickson said.

ECU athletic director Terry Holland said an offer to join the Big East came Sunday.

"It was a quick turnaround," he said.

Rutgers would like to join the Big Ten by 2014, along with Maryland, but the Scarlet Knights have left their departure date from the Big East ambiguous. Conference bylaws require members to notify the Big East two years and three months before departing, but it has negotiated early exits for Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia in the last year.

West Virginia joined the Big 12 this year. Syracuse and Pitt will begin play in the Atlantic Coast Conference in September.

With Maryland leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference, there has been strong speculation that Connecticut or Louisville will be the next to leave the Big East as the Terrapins' replacement.

If either does, the conference is still on target to have 12 football members in 2014, just not the same schools it will have in 2013 when the new Big East debuts.