NEW YORK - UConn coach Geno Auriemma blames Notre Dame for the Big East conference's realignment problems.
Auriemma said on Thursday at the annual media day that the Irish could have solved the problem years ago had their football team joined the conference from the start. Instead Notre Dame has remained an independent football team while the school's other sports have played in the Big East.
Last month, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they were leaving the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. Commissioner John Marinatto says the Big East is trying to become a 12-team football league.
The conference's plan to get to 12 members includes Navy, Air Force and Boise State as football-only members and Central Florida, Houston and SMU for all sports, though that has not been made public by the league.
The remaining football members are Connecticut, Cincinnati, South Florida, Louisville, West Virginia and Rutgers.
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