On the Atlantic 10's website, there's a Q&A with Commissioner Bernadette McGlade on conference shifting and other issues facing college athletics. I think its a good idea and something I'd like to see the A-10's web site do more of.

But McGlade's first answer got my attention.

How will the current conference realignment issues impact the Atlantic 10, especially since most moves are football driven and the Atlantic 10 is a basketball-driven league?

The current realignment activity, driven by BCS football, between the ACC, the Big 12, SEC, the Big East and other conferences are not directly impacting the Atlantic 10 Conference (at this moment). However, Temple has FBS football (and Massachusetts is elevating its football to the FBS level), thus at some point they could be affected, which impacts the A-10. Additionally, if or when, new realignment decisions are forced, or chosen, the A-10 could be "realigning" as well. If a conference makes a decision to divide or separate from its football playing member institutions and its' members who do not sponsor football, the A-10 could have an opportunity related to non-football member institutions. The goal is to remain together and make decisions that would strengthen the A-10 in terms of institutional academic profiles, media markets, geographic footprint and nationally recognized basketball and overall athletic program support.

Let's break the answer into a couple parts:

The current realignment activity, driven by BCS football, between
the ACC, the Big 12, SEC, the Big East and other conferences are not
directly impacting the Atlantic 10 Conference (at this moment).
However, Temple has FBS football (and Massachusetts is elevating its
football to the FBS level), thus at some point they could be affected,
which impacts the A-10.

I found it a tad odd that she'd mention Temple and UMass as having the potential to move, but it's the second half of the answer that is fascinating me:

Additonally, if or when, new realignment decisions are forced, or
chosen, the A-10 could be "realigning" as well. If a conference makes a
decision to divide or separate from its football playing member
institutions and its' members who do not sponsor football, the A-10
could have an opportunity related to non-football member institutions.
The goal is to remain together and make decisions that would strengthen
the A-10 in terms of institutional academic profiles, media markets,
geographic footprint and nationally recognized basketball and overall
athletic program support.

If you sift through the commissionerspeak, she appears to be referencing the Big East and the possibility of the schism between the football and basketball schools. She then alludes to "the A-10
could have an opportunity related to non-football member institutions."

Is she suggesting that the A-10 would try to add the non-football schools? Some of them? All of them? I like her aggressiveness attempting to improve the league rather than risk losing teams, but how big a conference is she contemplating?

But my bigger question is why is she putting this out there. Believe me as a reporter, I'm all for administrators who like to talk, there aren't enough of them. But this was a Q&A done by the A-10, not with a media member where she'd be answering unexpected questions with no chance to edit her answers.

Presumably, these were all answers crafted to appear exactly the way she wanted them to leaving me to ponder her motive. Why did she want to comment publicly on the potential for a Big East split, and if she really does want to add Big East's hoop-only teams, why announce your intentions?

I'm extremely curious.