With the changing landscape of College Football, there may be no independent programs left in a few years – including Navy.

Navy’s AD, Chet Gladchuk, recently said that he doesn’t want his school to be left behind in all the shuffle and many sources have speculated that a move to the Big East may be coming soon for the program.

Changes in the Big East

The Big East recently lost two of its premier programs in Syracuse and Pitt. More importantly, they lost two of their “football-playing” schools, and now must scramble to find replacements.

Further, there has been speculation that UConn is trying to move out of the Big East, and that TCU, who is scheduled to move to the Big East at the start of next year, is looking elsewhere (or considering the possibility of staying in the MWC) now that the conference is turmoil.

All this activity means that the Big East will most definitely be courting schools such as Navy and Central Florida as they look to rebuild.

That Said…

Still, don’t be suprised if Navy eventually remains an independent. Gladchuk, although very open to the possibility of joining a BCS conference, also made it clear that Navy is in a “safe harbor” when it comes to current TV contracts, exposure, and ability to schedule top-notch opponents in the next 10 years.

Obviously, Gladchuk is trying to remind the media that Navy has a strong tradition as an independent program and that it wouldn’t be an automatic decision to join the Big East if the program did indeed receive an invitation.

If the Big East does decide to invite Navy, it will be interesting to see which direction Gladchuk and Co. decide to head.

On the Field

As for Navy’s current football team, the Midshipmen came very close to pulling out a dramatic, upset victory last Saturday over No. 10 South Carolina. Navy actually led the game heading into the 4th quarter, before its defense gave up a touchdown run to Heisman candidate and Gamecock running back, Marcus Lattimore.

It would have been Navy’s first win over a top 10 opponent since the school defeated, ironically, South Carolina back in 1984. Now, the team must turn its attention to the Commander-in-Chief trophy as it prepares to face Air Force this weekend.

As things stand, Navy is currently 2-1 but wishing they were 3-0.