The Temple Board of Trustees athletics committee meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. today that was reportedly going to include discussions about adding Temple as an all-sports member to the Big East, effective the Fall 2012 season, has been canceled.

Assistant Vice President of University Communications Ray Betzner said there was no stated reason for canceling the Athletics Committee meeting, but the executive committee of the board of trustees will meet at 2 p.m. to “discuss contracts.”

Temple has a lot of contractual work to go through before the Owls can leave the Mid-American Conference for football and the Atlantic Ten Conference for all other sports.

If the Owls were to join the Big East immediately, Temple would have to pay $2 million to leave the A-10 with less than a year’s notice and at least a $2.5 million exit fee from the MAC.

The Big East desperately needs an eighth team for football in 2012 after West Virginia made an early exit for the Big 12. After Boise State couldn’t pay its exit fee to leave the Mountain West Conference and Western Athletic Conference a year early, the Big East turned its attention to Temple.

The Owls would give the Big East its crucial eighth team for football for the 2012 season and improve the conference’s basketball profile immediately while filling in as the 16th team.

Though initial reports stated that a decision on Temple’s future could be made before the end of February, Betzner said the university does not expect an announcement or movement of any kind today.