Two six-year agreements were announced yesterday between the Big East Conference and ESPN that will help enhance the league's exposure in football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

Financial terms of the deals, which run through 2013, were not released.

The football agreement calls for ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC to carry a total of 17 games each season. There will be four Big East games featured on ESPN's Thursday night package, and the conference will provide the network with two Sunday night games. In addition, on Championship Saturday in December, one game will appear on ABC or ESPN, with another on ESPN2.

The basketball agreement -- which encompasses men's and women's games -- is highlighted by a men's schedule wherein a minimum of 60 games will be seen on a combination of ESPN and ESPN2. Big East men's teams will continue their appearances on ESPN's Big Monday and the entire 11-game conference tournament will be televised live. Also, 110 additional regular-season games will be carried on remaining ESPN platforms; 80 on ESPN Regional and 30 on ESPNU or ESPN360.

The highlight of the deal for women's basketball is that the championship game of the conference tournament will be seen live on ESPN or ESPN2, with semifinals appearing on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

"We have been together with ESPN from the start and we have both grown together," Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said. "We're very excited to extend our relationship. Television exposure is critical to the success of our teams."

Pitt athletic director Jeff Long is particularly keen on what the agreement means to the conference's national football stature.

"On the football front, I am extremely excited about this announcement because, it's really only our second year of existence as a [realigned] football conference, it says that ESPN and all of its platforms value the strength of the Big East," Long said.

"From my view, and this agreement speaks to this, we as a conference have distanced ourselves as a BCS member from the other conferences that are on the outside looking in."

West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said, "It's more in line with the other BCS conferences. You have to remember, we're a small league, just eight teams."

The contract also could help Pitt men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon, women's basketball coach Agnus Berenato and football coach Dave Wannstedt from a recruiting standpoint as some Pitt games will be seen across the country.

"With the youth of today, branding is so important and the athletes that we are recruiting are turning on their sets to ESPN or one of the ESPN platforms," Long said. "This is going to strengthen what coach Dixon, coach Berenato and coach Wannstedt are able to do in terms of recruiting because of the exposure the contract brings to our institution."