With the seven Big East Catholic schools leaning towards leaving and the league on the verge of completely collapsing, the likelihood of Louisville making its move to the ACC a year ahead of schedule has been increased.

If the Big East is no more at the end of this season, then obviously Notre Dame and Louisville will be among the schools in need of a home. It stands to figure that the ACC would be opening its doors a year early, even with Maryland not set to leave for the Big Ten until 2014.

It's a potential situation that Fighting Irish basketball coach Mike Brey has already addressed.

When the decision was made to jump leagues, Brey characterized the mindset as "be ready to play in the Big East two more seasons, most likely."

Brey wondered Thursday if that logic still held.

"When you look at the climate right now in the Big East, maybe that does get us there next year," he said.

If the Big East isn't able to hold up its end of the operating guidelines that were agreed upon when each school originally joined the conference, then it's not hard to see the Cards playing their ACC opener 10 months from now.