The Big East is facing is greatest existential threat since its creation.  The Big 11 is likely to take 1-3 BE members. (Bet on 3). Once the three marquee teams are gone, then the BE will in all likelihood cease to exist.  I bet the remaining members will form some sort of a Catholic  basketball only conference and the football members will need to look elsewhere for a home.  Here's what the BE should have done after the 2003-2004 realignment.  

1.  Form a joint TV venture with the ACC.  Instead of sulking like a girl who didn't win prom queen, the BE should have looked to forming some type of a dedicated TV channel with the ACC.  The BE couldn't form its own TV channel in 2003 b/c it lost too many FB members, and it can't form one now b/c it still has too few FB members.  It's entirely possible that the BE and ACC could have developed a dedicated TV channel immediately after the realignment. This TV channel would could have had every major TV market on the East Coast.  Boston, NYC, Jersey, Philadelphia, DC, the state of North Carolina, Atlanta, and Miami.  Of course the TV network would have been imbalanced with some members receiving more coverage than others.  However, it would have been hard for the cable companies to pass up having the Eastern College TV Network from its basic sports tier (ECTVN).  The BE-ACC joint venture ECTVN would have been a juggernaut.  If there was a dedicated channel, then the status of BE would be far more certain than it is now.

2.  Bring up Texas Christian University.  Instead of trying to base a BCS conference on basketball, the BE should base it on Football.  TCU is a solid FB program, with decent academics.  It brings in the Dallas/Ft Worth metro area TV market and its massive hotbed of FB recruiting.  Many of you will think "TCU, but this is the BE!  TCU is a decidedly southern or even western school."  To that I say, "so what?"   Remember college athletics is about money. Not geography.  Not academics.  Money.  The BE could have expanded its TV footprint and added an excellent FB school at the same time.  TCU would have been a *much* better choice than say either DePaul, Marquette, or both which add nothing. Sorry MU and DePaul, but its true. Moreover, there would have been fewer ESPN heads and other sportswriters shitting on us as a weak conference. TCU would have immediately become competitive.  There no waiting around for a team like Villanova to develop. Marquette was never thought of as "east" but now plays in the BE.   Also remember that the Dallas Cowboys play in the NFC East.

3.  Bring up UCF.  Additionally the BE could have brought in UCF when it brought up USF, but for reasons unknown chose DePaul instead.  UCF is another solid FB program.  Not as good as TCU, but still competitive.  UCF and USF would have locked up the Central Florida TV market and again and expanded FB recruiting.  Both would have increased the cache of the BE conference. 

Barring some sort of act from God, I just don't see the BE existing in 2015.  Sure it could have some resemblance to its present state, but there's no way its going to retain its automatic BCS bid.  The BE is now doing way too little, way too late.