The Big East wants to expand to 12 football teams, and “the sooner the better.”

The problem is the Big East can’t be sure if its current members are staying put until Missouri, the Big 12 and the Southeastern Conference figure out what their next steps will be in the ongoing drama of conference realignment.

“The overall landscape is still so very unsettled,” Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters.

“We’re not going to pause until the Missouri situation is settled because it might not be settled for a while.”

The Big East’s presidents unanimously voted Monday night to increase the league’s withdrawal fee from $5 million to $10 million when an expansion plan is executed, Marinatto said.