Also in 1990 , the concept of the superconference came into the national spotlight as Penn State joined the Big Ten as its 11th member . That same year , Notre Dame reached its own television deal with NBC instead of continuing its participation in the College Football Association 's contract with CBS . Both of these moves greatly concerned schools with independent football programs and resulted in discussions among Eastern independents concerning the creation of a proposed " Eastern Seaboard League " ( ESL ) . According to a 1990 '' Sports Illustrated '' article , the ten schools most likely to join the ESL were Miami , Boston College , Florida State , South Carolina , West Virginia , Virginia Tech , Temple , Rutgers , Syracuse , and Pitt . The ESL was never formed , but the Big East decided to sponsor football starting in 1991 and added Miami , West Virginia , Virginia Tech , Temple , and Rutgers as conference members
independent football programs
NCAA Division I FBS independent schools
Superconference