TCU to the Big East

[Section516]

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/ncf...ory?id=5862368

It looks like TCU will get its chance to play in a BCS automatic qualifying conference.




The Horned Frogs have accepted an invitation to join the Big East as an all-sports member, sources told ESPNDallas.com's Richard Durrett on Monday morning. TCU has scheduled a press conference for 1 p.m. CT to make "a major announcement involving the TCU athletics program."

TCU is currently third in football in the BCS standings and has a chance to play in the national championship, but the winner of the Mountain West does not automatically qualify for a BCS bowl. The Big East does qualify for the 2012 and 2013 seasons and will be bolstered by the Horned Frogs' three consecutive top 11 BCS finishes. TCU will join the Big East for the 2012-13 school year, according to multiple media reports.

The Big East will now have 17 members, with nine in football. The conference has extended an invitation to Villanova to become the 10th football member.

Connecticut at 7-4 will likely represent the Big East in a BCS bowl this season.

[Section516]

Er..Please move, I clicked wrong forum...

[GuerillaBlack]

TCU couldn't do any better?

[midway]

They won't have any problems going undefeated in that conference either. The Big East is friggin' awful.

[LonerATO]

The Big 12 see's no need in adding TCU at all. I'm sure if BYU had not jumped ship along with Boise State not losing to Nevada that the MWC could have picked up that automatic qualifier.

[jaayteetx]

Laugh my ass off when the NCAA takes the automatic BCS qualifier away from the big east, cause it sucks!

[ziggy29]

Originally Posted by GuerillaBlack

TCU couldn't do any better?

They got into a conference with an automatic BCS bid, and that's all that matters at the moment.

Never mind that had they stayed, the MWC might have been emerging as a stronger conference and may have had a very real chance to eventually take the auto bid away from the Big East.

[b0ng]

I think Boise St. just got trolled bigtime. They join the MWC, then immediately Utah and BYU bolt, then the only other decent program decides it wants to turn the Big East into the same geography as the NFC East.

Hilarious, although I've liked Boise St.

[kiwitexansfan]

The meaningless conference names just got even more meaningless.

[playa465]

TCU did a poo poo...even though the Big East conference champ gets a BCS bid, it wont do squat for improving TCU's standings in the BCS. Football wise the Big East sux, yes on the flip side TCU should be able to run the table in that conference for a few years but think about the money involved in traveling and no way recruiting will benefit. The basketball programs should gain more $$$ even though they will get trounced...sports is being ruined by $$$ and unfortunately there is no cure

[TEXANS84]

Originally Posted by ziggy29

Never mind that had they stayed, the MWC might have been emerging as a stronger conference and may have had a very real chance to eventually take the auto bid away from the Big East.

I understand TCU jumping ship, but to the Big East??

Yes, can you possibly imagine what the MWC would have turned into with Utah, TCU, BYU, & Boise State? That would have been one hell of a conference.
I think they would have had a legitimate shot of joining an automatic BCS berth in the first year or so.

[Dan B.]

Originally Posted by playa465

TCU did a poo poo...even though the Big East conference champ gets a BCS bid, it wont do squat for improving TCU's standings in the BCS. Football wise the Big East sux, yes on the flip side TCU should be able to run the table in that conference for a few years but think about the money involved in traveling and no way recruiting will benefit. The basketball programs should gain more $$$ even though they will get trounced...sports is being ruined by $$$ and unfortunately there is no cure

I disagree with pretty much all of this. AFA travel, TCU's travel is almost the same in the Big East as it was in the MWC. MWC schools are an average of 1,152 miles away from Fort Worth. The closest (Las Cruces) is 624 miles away. Nevada-Reno is the farthest at 1,643 miles from Fort Worth. Big East Schools are 1,270 miles away from TCU on average. The farthest school from Fort Worth is UConn, which is just 85 miles farther than Reno from TCU.

Their recruiting will almost certainly benefit, as they can now sell a guaranteed BCS berth and trips to NY, Tampa, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh (all of which beat the hell out of Laramie and Las Cruces, even if they aren't Ancient Rome). As far as basketball I think it's quite likely that TCU gets good recruits very quickly. Texas is a major basketball recruiting hotbed, and the appeal of playing in one of the nation's best basketball conferences will help sway many to attend there.

[Ranger Tom]

That wailing-and-gnashing-of-teeth sound you hear is coming from Idaho.

[playa465]

Originally Posted by Dan B.

I disagree with pretty much all of this. AFA travel, TCU's travel is almost the same in the Big East as it was in the MWC. MWC schools are an average of 1,152 miles away from Fort Worth. The closest (Las Cruces) is 624 miles away. Nevada-Reno is the farthest at 1,643 miles from Fort Worth. Big East Schools are 1,270 miles away from TCU on average. The farthest school from Fort Worth is UConn, which is just 85 miles farther than Reno from TCU.

Their recruiting will almost certainly benefit, as they can now sell a guaranteed BCS berth and trips to NY, Tampa, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh (all of which beat the hell out of Laramie and Las Cruces, even if they aren't Ancient Rome). As far as basketball I think it's quite likely that TCU gets good recruits very quickly. Texas is a major basketball recruiting hotbed, and the appeal of playing in one of the nation's best basketball conferences will help sway many to attend there.

ur high if u think TCU will compete in basketball in the Big East. Kids from that area gonna come to TCU for basketball? Really? As far as travel is concerned its STILL further and all of those spots in the Big East have crappy weather in the winter except maybe Louisville...the move sux, there is a reason Va Tech, BC and Miami left the Big East...

[JB]

Originally Posted by playa465

ur high if u think TCU will compete in basketball in the Big East. Kids from that area gonna come to TCU for basketball? Really? As far as travel is concerned its STILL further and all of those spots in the Big East have crappy weather in the winter except maybe Louisville...the move sux, there is a reason Va Tech, BC and Miami left the Big East...

You don't think we have b-ball talent in Texas?

[Dan B.]

Originally Posted by playa465

ur high if u think TCU will compete in basketball in the Big East. Kids from that area gonna come to TCU for basketball? Really? As far as travel is concerned its STILL further and all of those spots in the Big East have crappy weather in the winter except maybe Louisville...the move sux, there is a reason Va Tech, BC and Miami left the Big East...

Kids from Dallas/Fort Worth are in fact gonna choose to go there, rather than SMU. The Big East is probably a better basketball conference than the big 12. And they get to play in packed huge arenas in major media markets. You don't think that's gonna convince a kid or two? And it may be 80 miles further (which is nothing relatively), but the travel is also to real arenas where thousands will be paying to go - not tiny gyms in New Mexico with 500 fans. It's worth it to fly a few miles farther if you are going to be playing a game in Madison Square Garden with 19,000 paying customers. Not to mention fans in the DFW area are a bit more likely to buy a ticket to go see TCU play UConn in basketball than they are to buy a ticket to go see San Diego State.

On top of that, TCU is going to make millions in basketball revenue simply from being in a conference that sends 8-10 teams to the tournament every year, and millions more from being in a BCS conference (which means they will split the bowl revenue even if they don't go, simply from being in a major conference). That alone pays for every trip they will make with change to spare.

Are you serious? TCU shouldn't have moved because the weather is too cold in Pittsburgh? LMAO if you think Tampa has crappy weather in football season. Ever been to Wyoming in the winter?

VTech, Miami, and BC left the Big East to make more $$ in a wealthier conference, the same thing TCU just did. They didn't ditch the Big East to go play Air Force and Fresno State. They left to join the ACC. If the ACC offered TCU a spot they damn well would have left the Big East hanging and did the same thing.

Originally Posted by JB

You don't think we have b-ball talent in Texas?

Why would that talent want to play on national tv against UConn, Cincy, Louisville, Georgetown, Syracuse, Villanova, or Pittsburgh? TCU should have stuck to their epic matchups with Colorado State. That's how you attract top basketball talent.

[Insideop]

Originally Posted by LonerATO

The Big 12 see's no need in adding TCU at all. I'm sure if BYU had not jumped ship along with Boise State not losing to Nevada that the MWC could have picked up that automatic qualifier.

I guess I don't get this. After losing Nebraska and Colorado, you would think the Big 12 (now 10) would be looking for schools with top football programs. To me it seemed like TCU would have been a good fit. It seems like the Big 12 is just sitting on the sidelines waiting for more schools to leave. I don't think they can afford to lose anymore teams without breaking up the conference. JMHO!

[Ranger Tom]

Originally Posted by Insideop

I guess I don't get this. After losing Nebraska and Colorado, you would think the Big 12 (now 10) would be looking for schools with top football programs. To me it seemed like TCU would have been a good fit. It seems like the Big 12 is just sitting on the sidelines waiting for more schools to leave. I don't think they can afford to lose anymore teams without breaking up the conference. JMHO!

Culturally, geographically, TCU would indeed be a good fit in the Big 12. However, there are already enough almuni from current member schools in the DFW market that TCU becomes redundant (I don't mean to insult, that's the best word I could come up with). From the perspective of drawing eyeballs to TV screens, BYU would be a better choice (if independence doesn't work out for them).

[Dutchrudder]

Originally Posted by Insideop

I guess I don't get this. After losing Nebraska and Colorado, you would think the Big 12 (now 10) would be looking for schools with top football programs. To me it seemed like TCU would have been a good fit. It seems like the Big 12 is just sitting on the sidelines waiting for more schools to leave. I don't think they can afford to lose anymore teams without breaking up the conference. JMHO!

The Big 12's biggest school's don't want to split money with any more schools. It's as simple as that, because TCU does not bring enough money to the table. The Big 12 is already in the Dallas market as it is, and TCU would just be a money sink instead of a revenue generator. I don't think the Big 12 will fall apart until UT, A&M or OU get a better offer money-wise. If UT is content with their own network in the future, then I think the Big 12 will be stable for a while. Maybe they can add 2 teams and a championship game in 2015.