The conference saw radical changes for the 2005 – 06 academic year . The Big East Conference had lost several teams , and looked to Conference USA to attract replacements . Five C-USA members departed for the Big East , including three football-playing schools ( Cincinnati , Louisville , and South Florida ) and two non-football schools ( DePaul and Marquette ; both joined the New Big East in 2013 ) . Another two schools ( Charlotte and Saint Louis ) left for the Atlantic 10 ; TCU joined the Mountain West ( and is now in the Big 12 with several other former Southwest Conference members ) ; and a ninth member , Army , which was C-USA football-only , opted to become an independent in that sport again
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
Conference USA