PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Big East Conference athletic directors gave the impression Sunday that they had slowed Miami's momentum to leave the league.

It was a small victory for the Big East leaders, who are gathered for five days of meetings and will take any kind of victory in efforts to save their beleaguered conference.

When the Atlantic Coast Conference offered to talk expansion with Big East programs Miami, Syracuse and Boston College on Friday, many people thought the Hurricanes would have a decision as soon as Monday, and the other schools would quickly follow.

To hear the Big East folks tell it, however, that timeline doesn't look like it will hold.

"Nothing's going to be decided this week, nothing's going to be decided next week,'' said Pittsburgh executive vice chancellor Jerry Cochran, attending in place of new AD Jeff Long. "I don't think it will drag on forever. I would hope between now and the end of next month, we'll have a better sense of where we are.''

Miami AD Paul Dee, who Saturday said he would set no solid timeline for a decision, only answered a few questions before leaving Sunday.

"It was a very positive meeting,'' he said. "Discussions are going well.''

One plausible deadline would be June 30. After that date, the fine for leaving by the start of the 2004-05 athletic year -- July 1, 2004 on the Big East calendar -- would double from $1 million to $2 million.

Athletic directors, including Miami's Dee, emerged from the three-hour meeting and termed the discussions productive. None, however, gave details of the first formal get-together of ADs from the Big East's nine football schools, including Connecticut, since the ACC's proposal went public.

"Sure, I have hope,'' Rutgers athletic director Robert Mulcahy said. "I think the one thing that was made clear was that Miami came in here today with a totally open mind and they have not closed it.''

On Saturday, Dee made it clear that he felt the 12-team superconference was the wave of the future in college sports. A three-team ACC expansion would bring that league up to 12.

One suggestion Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese is expected to propose is an expansion move of his own to give his league 12 football-playing members. Such a move might also involve dropping Providence, Georgetown, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova, five Big East schools that only play basketball.

Notre Dame is also a Big East basketball member. The conference would love to include the Irish in football, but Notre Dame officials have consistently stated throughout this process that they have no plans to change their independent status.

Connecticut will begin playing Big East football in 2005.

Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver said the topic of adding teams didn't come up Sunday.

"We were just talking about the group of people we have,'' Weaver said.

Tranghese declined comment; he'll speak Monday at a news conference after athletic directors from all 14 schools meet.

Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo said Sunday's meeting was filled with "positive dialogue.''