They won’t exactly signify nothing either as the coaches and athletic department administrators from the conference’s 17 basketball/nine football schools huddle in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week. Still, don’t expect a lot of news or even a lot of traction toward news to come out of the three days of discussions and brainstorming.

A primer …

> The Big East opens its embrace to say hello to TCU, which was invited for a getting-to-know-you getwaway. The Horned Frogs won’t have a vote in any matters that might require one this week, but there’s nothing stopping anyone from incorporating or quizzing the eventual addition as ideas take shape.

Truthfully, though, there might not be a lot of yays or nays at the meeting. Nick Carparelli, the associate commissioner for football, said the conference isn’t beginning this event intent on making any definitive decisions by the end of it — ie, they don’t have to pick a 10th or 11th and 12th football member, Villanova isn’t working with a deadline, so on and so forth.

And as is the case in just about all conference matters, votes here must be forwarded along to the presidents, who are scheduled to meet in the fall … though major items can be expedited.

> Expansion and/or Villanova has to be bandied about in the swank resort conference rooms and judging by this survey, there are varying opinions on what to do and who to involve.

> The Big East is last in line among the BCS leagues for a football contract, but that’s perhaps the pessimist’s way of looking at it. The optimist might say the Big East is next in line. When you consider the way money has been throw around lately and calculate the Big East’s total worth, it’s not a bad spot, nor is it a bad idea to practice a little patience here as the current contract nears its 2013 expiration.

With 144 conference basketball games annually, there’s plenty of inventory for another national outlet or even for the Big East to form its own network in concert with a bidder.

And right now, although football drives the bus in major college sports, there’s no question the Big East has hoops value far beyond any other league.

If ESPN is going to bid something in the ACC vicinity of $150 million annually, then the Big East should go ahead and do the deal now – still without giving away all of the inventory.

However, if the conference wants to play in the same financial league as its BCS peers, the smart move would be to wait to see what other networks have to offer (and by a year from now, the Big East may have another football or all-sports member or three to help drive a deal, too).

> The men’s basketball coaches will again take a look at what is the longest running storyline on that side of the league. For three years now the conference tournament’s double bye has been picked on and picked apart and last year the coaches voted unanimously to do away with that practice. The presidents overruled and nothing changed. Perhaps the coaches will again move to get rid of the double bye — though UConn really ruined some of those contrarian arguments — but it still has to go on to the presidents.

And that’s if the coaches decided to make a change. Remember, the deck is going to get shuffled when TCU — and who knows who else — joins next July.

Even if the coaches vote to change and the president’s approve, it could be a temporary fix. TCU will add to what is already the largest conference going when it joins for the 2012-13 season. The Horned Frogs would become the 17th basketball school and odd numbers are harder to accommodate if the Big East wants to continue to invite all its teams to Madison Square Garden.

“If you do something now, you might have to do something again, too,” Gavitt said. “We’re going to have 17 members in two years time, so there’s going to be a real question about that at some point.”