Conference realignment be damned, but does (did) it ever make for great potential. The latest is the idea that the Big East Conference could play up to 20 league games, but only if an 11th program is added to the fold.

This was first reported by Jon Rothstein.

The league currently has 10 teams and plays its conference schedule by way of a double round-robin format. One source of Rothstein prefers this as the way it is.

“The double round-robin format is ideal,” one source told Rothstein. “That needs to be kept in place.”

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This is no doubt a lot of conjuncture at this point, but Rothstein did have a source say the scenario would be the most favorable one to happen.

Basically, the Big East does want to go to 20-league games. It truly and sincerely does. However, that can't happen with how the conference is currently formatted. So, while adding another program might not be the perfect situation, it is the only way the league can get to the format it wants.

This will obviously lead to all kinds of speculation. Mostly concerning about what programs the Big East would target to join the fold. With it being a “basketball-only” conference, schools like VCU and such will certainly have their names tossed around like a pro wrestler.

With the season starting in a few weeks, it will be interesting to see when the next reports in regards to this pops up. While many of the dealings happen behind close doors, if the Big East wants this to happen, and wants it done soon, we might expect a full denial or more alignment news sooner rather than later.