UCF basking in move to Big East Conference

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)

Central Florida has been trying to raise its athletic profile nationally for much of the past decade, investing in an on-campus football stadium and hiring new coaches to lead its programs.

It seems to finally have paid off.

Administrators and coaches were beaming like proud parents Thursday, a day after officially accepting an all-sports invitation to join the Big East Conference - which comes with an automatic-qualifying spot in a Bowl Championship Series game for football and the potential to generate considerably more revenue across the board.

''One of the things that you get if you're president of a place for 20 years is just a little bit of perspective,'' UCF president John Hitt said Thursday. ''As you think about all of this as a continuum, this is a big day in all of that...This is a remarkable time for our university and I hope all of us can savor the moment.''

Due to its contractual ties with Conference USA, UCF won't begin competing in the Big East until 2013.

Then it will join what Big East officials are promoting as the first truly national conference. Other additions include UCF's current C-USA-mates Houston and SMU, and new football-only members Boise State and San Diego State. The five new teams are helping the Big East build a 12-team football league following the departures of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

The news Wednesday came less than a month after an on-going NCAA investigation led to the resignation of UCF's former athletic director and a suspension and reprimand for the Knights' head basketball coach.

And there are many sport-specific logistics remain unresolved, such as whether the Knights would play in the East or West division in football.

But no one was thinking about the troubled past on Thursday and. And as for any travel issues, Hitt and football coach George O'Leary both said the recruiting and financial benefits of being in an automatic-qualifying conference outweighs any travel concerns.

The Big East is seeking a new television contract that will be the most lucrative for members and could approach $10 million per school. UCF currently pulls in around $1.16 million as a member of C-USA.

As for total revenue, Hitt estimated that the high end the new affiliation could generate for UCF is closer to $15 million.

There will be some cost of upfront for UCF, though. According to C-USA officials, the departing C-USA schools will have to pay an exit fee of $500,000, in addition to being required to pay its remaining share of television revenue - about $6.25 million.

O'Leary said in recruiting the biggest benefit for his program is he thinks ''it takes away the negatives,'' meaning that no one will be able to label the Knights as a BCS non-automatic qualifier when they're out on the recruiting trail vying for athletes.

''We've been slowly creeping up on this day as far as being ready to go to the Big East and being in a BCS conference,'' he said. ''So I'm very pleased on what's in place and it's only gonna get better. I think our athletes are gonna understand that and I think our fan base will.''

O'Leary, who is under contract through 2015, also said he plans to be coaching at UCF when the Knights play their first Big East game.

UCF also gets back its football matchup with nearby South Florida. The schools played a four-year series from 2005 to 2008 that ended because USF joined the Big East wanted to play non-conference games from schools in bigger conferences.

''I look at it is right away you have a great rival game in the conference without having even played the game,'' O'Leary said. ''I think it's outstanding. I've always thought it should take place with USF, now it will and that's great for our fan base, the university and also South Florida.''

While football was the driving force in realignment negotiations, UCF men's basketball coach Donnie Jones said he is excited to move to a league with the basketball-rich traditions of the Big East.

''We've been selling this commitment since I arrived in a very short year, of trying to get Big East players to play in Conference USA,'' Jones said. ''We weren't able to talk about the Big East, but we were always trying to recruit to that level. Now having that opportunity... with 13 of the16 teams in the Big East have played in the Final Four.

''Now you have a chance to sell your program and your facilities and get people here now to play in one of the best conferences.''

---

Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/khightower