The Big East Presidents and Athletic Directors will meet in Atlanta on Friday to discuss the timing and the details of the break up with the Catholic 7 group of schools who announced their departure from the conference in December.

Although no formal announcement is expected, the group, which includes all the schools still committed to the Big East, is expected to approve a plan which would sell the name “Big East’ to the Catholic 7, as well as allow the group–which includes Seton Hall. St. John’s, Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette. Providence and Villanova–to leave in July.

In exchange for leaving two years earlier than the scheduled departure date of July 2015, the Catholic 7, who will not attend the Atlanta meeting, would agree to take considerably less money from a reserve pool of conference money earned by the Big East from exit fees and NCAA basketball tournament shares which is reported to be in excess of 60 million dollars.

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The goals for both sides are similar: move towards the future. But according to multiple sources within the Big East, the break away by the Catholic 7 group of schools could start next July and would include the Big East name.

According to sources familiar with the talks, but not authorized to speak about them, the battle for the Catholic 7 schools–Seton Hall, Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, Villanova, Providence, and St. John’s–is now down to a battle of money.

Big East officials are willing to make this move for 2013 –and sell the Big East name-if enough money is paid to the remaining conference schools.

Negotiations on what that $$ total is are ongoing. According to sources, the Catholic 7 group have also hired the Russell Reynolds search firm, which the conference used in finding new Big East commissioner Mike Aresco last summer.

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The Big East is now in Phase II of its plans for the immediate future. With the television deal with ESPN for basketball and football almost official (it still has to be approved by the Big East Presidents) Big East commissioner Mike Aresco is now focusing on the break up with the Catholic 7 group of schools (Seton Hall, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, Providence, St. John’s, and DePaul) who are leaving the conference.

No official date has been announced, but July of 2014 still seems the most reasonable departure date for not only the Catholic 7, but for Notre Dame, Louisville  and Rutgers, who also have announced their departure for the ACC and the Big Ten.

Big East commissioner Mike Aresco feels the two sides are close to having an initial arrangement–which will mean the departure date. Some factions among the Catholic 7 are still lobbying for a departure by this July, but that still seems unlikely, given the amount of money which the Catholic 7 would either give up or have to pay out for an early exit, as well as the sheer logistics of forming a conference and getting it up to speed in a few months.

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After a full day of negotiations, the Big East and ESPN have reached an agreement to broadcast conference football and basketball games through the 2020 season.

Nothing is close to being official–the final details of the divorce with the Big East have yet to be worked out–but a tentative plan of attack by members of the Catholic 7–Marquette, Seton Hall, Georgetown, DePaul, Villanova, Providence and St. John’s– is starting to take shape.

Those moves will start to speed up once the Big East decides its television status with either ESPN or NBC as the prime rights holder. ESPN on  Thursday “matched” the NBC offer of a  week ago.

The issue now being discussed by Big East officials is what constitutes “matching”. While that was happening, the Catholic schools were also making plans.

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