Source: Big East votes to invite Air Force football

Air Force football’s possible move to the Big East took another step when the conference’s presidents voted unanimously Tuesday to extend invitations to specific institutions. The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, said one of those schools was Air Force.

As of Tuesday evening, an academy spokesman said Air Force had not received an official invitation to join the Big East.

"We remain proud members of the Mountain West Conference and are focused in our preparation to play Army this weekend where our goal is to retain the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy," the academy said in a statement.

Academy officials have maintained no decision has been made, which could hold up the invitation. The conference, which didn’t publicly name which schools are on its list, may not want to officially invite a school until it is certain it will be accepted. Big East leaders flew to Colorado Springs last week to make a pitch to Air Force officials. But at the end of that meeting, academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould remained noncommittal, as Air Force weighs its options.

The AP, citing an anonymous source, said the Big East will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports. Big East commissioner John Marinatto spoke with confidence that those schools would accept the invitations.

“I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the Big East,” Marinatto said, according to a statement released by the Big East. “The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS, and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our conference is known for.”