The Big East is a little hard to figure. The league has expansion on its agenda but if it adds just two teams as planned it wouldn't be enough, under present guidelines, to have a championship game between two division winners.

Two more teams would bring the league's total of football-playing schools to 10 and an exception would have to be granted in order to have a championship game.

Then again, maybe the Big East has done the math and figures that its share of the BCS pie would be sliced in fewer pieces if 10 teams are involved as opposed to 12.

Greed, after all, seems to be the driving force in conference expansion scenarios.

Reports that the Big East will expand by two teams for football creates the possibility of a BCS conference affiliation for East Carolina, although it appears that the Pirates are not at the top of the league's wish list. Villanova will be given a chance to upgrade its program from the Football Championship Subdivision if the Wildcats so desire and it has been indicated that they are giving that course of action strong consideration.

That leaves one spot and the Big East is apparently interested in Texas Christian, which has an unbeaten football team at the moment with a darkhorse's chance at a national title. The Horned Frogs certainly would raise the league's diminishing gridiron portfolio, but the move would introduce an element of absurdity into the geographic footprint of the Big East's football-playing membership.

The fact is that where schools are located appears to be of little matter if they will help a league enhance its television contract.

Affiliation with a BCS conference would help ECU take the next step toward major power status in football in terms of recruiting. Former Pirates coach Steve Logan used to talk about what Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer had told him about the impact of Big East membership on the Hokies' upward mobility.

"(Virginia Tech) got in living rooms they wouldn't have gotten in before," Logan said of the recruiting value of Big East membership.

That's not to mention the potential payoffs in the millions of dollars that BCS membership provides.

One report said Big East sources put the Pirates behind Villanova or Temple, TCU or Houston, and Central Florida in the proposed expansion pecking order. There is a possibility that South Florida would not be in favor of adding UCF for the same reason that some North Carolina-based ACC schools traditionally have suppressed ECU.

Adding four teams eventually might make more sense to the Big East and that would enhance the odds for the Pirates.

The Big East must be oblivious to ECU's facilities, fan support, football tradition and proximity.

Perhaps that's in keeping with the Pirates' history. ECU has built its program largely through its own will to succeed and done so without a lot of external advantages, such as BCS affiliation. For now, it looks like the Pirates will continue in the self-made mold. BCS advantages might dissolve that chip on ECU's shoulder that has often served as its motivation to achieve. Nothing seems to come easy for the Pirates and membership in a BCS league is no exception.

'Ruff' remembers triple option

There was a time when ECU coach Ruffin McNeill saw a triple option offense up close and personal on a regular basis. That was in scrimmage situations when he was a defensive back for the Pirates and Coach Pat Dye was reaping the rewards of the Wishbone offense.

Jacksonville's Leander Green was the elusive quarterback in that era and Theodore Sutton from Kinston was at fullback.

"Anthony Collins, Sam Harrell, Eddie Hicks were running backs," McNeill recalled. "Terry Gallaher and Billy Ray Washington were wide receivers. Yeah, we saw it full blast. I guarantee you we saw it. It was a fast, fast football team we had to face in practice everyday."

McNeill will be trying to stop another triple option attack when Navy (6-3) comes to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The Midshipmen are averaging 258.6 yards per game rushing, which ranks them tenth in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

"It's going to be a physical, physical football game," McNeill said. "It's going to be a very fundamental and technique-oriented game. We have to have total, 100 percent assignment focus. When you try to help someone without doing your job will cause you to have a big play happen. If there are 100 plays in the game, we have to do our assignments right 100 plays in the game.

"It's a great test for our defense and a rare opportunity for our defense. They'll definitely be tested."

Navy tradition revived

Navy has produced two Heisman Trophy winners, halfback Joe Bellino in 1960 and quarterback Roger Staubach in 1963. In more recent times, the program was 3-30 in the three previous seasons before Paul Johnson's 2003 team went 8-5. Since then, the Midshipmen have consistently been the best of the service academies.

Navy defeated the Pirates 28-23 in the 2006 season opener in Annapolis. This is the second meeting between Navy and ECU, the first time the two programs have played in Greenville.

Navy has beaten Notre Dame in three of the last four meetings after losing 43 straight to the Fighting Irish. A commitment to the triple option has accompanied Navy's return to prominence.

"They do exactly what they recruit to and it fits their personnel," McNeill said.

The Pirates will recognize the contributions of military personnel on Saturday.

"We're honored to be a part of Military Appreciation Day," McNeill said. "With all the tough things going on abroad, there are a lot of families going through a lot of suffering and praying and worrying over their loved ones. There are a lot of men and women putting their lives on the line for us. I don't take that lightly. I can't really express my appreciation for what they are doing for us. To be a part of it this weekend at Dowdy-Ficklen is an honor and a privilege."

McNeill's feelings of gratitude won't extend to the football field, however.

"We know we have a football game to play," said the Pirates coach. "We know we've got to compete and we want to win the football game."