TCU to join Big East
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/11/29/tcu-accepts-offer-from-big-…
Texas Christian University has accepted an invitation to become an all-sports member to the Big East Conference, industry sources told FanHouse.
The Horned Frogs will join the league beginning on July 1, 2012 and begin play in the Big East in the 2012-13 school year.
An important Michigan-related domino effect of this is that we are unlikely to be able to blow up the Big East by adding one Big East team to the Big Ten, making it less likely in turn that Notre Dame would join the Big Ten (Notre Dame has stated that they would only join the Big Ten if the Big East blew up).
UPDATE: Here's a report from the NY Daily News:
In a move designed to prop up a weak football conference, The Big East has convinced TCU to leave the Mountain West and join the league as an all sports member, sources told the Daily News early this morning. Commissioner John Marinatto and Associate Commisioner in charge of communications John Paquette both flew to Dallas yesterday for the official announcement at 1 p.m. today...
For all we know, this could be just the first domino to drop in expansion. With TCU, the league now has 17 teams. The Big East has offered Villanova a chance to join in football, b ut the Philadelphia school seems to be dragging its feet about a decision and there is always a chance the Big East could invite Central Florida or even re-invite Temple to create a 10th football team and an 18th team in the league.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^
The geography on this one is boggling, but good move for TCU. They will dominate that conference.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
For what it's worth, the cultural fit is shaky. In my brief experience, TCU seems to have a vibe that will clash with the rest of the conference.
November 29th, 2010 at 11:23 AM ^
"Dallas" meets "Jersey Shore". What could possibly be wrong with that?
November 29th, 2010 at 1:06 PM ^
Jessica Simpson meets Snooki... Chicken of the sea will never taste the same...
November 29th, 2010 at 11:23 AM ^
so... TCU are not Big East Men?
November 29th, 2010 at 11:58 AM ^
TCU is a country club. I cannot say the same for any other school in the Big East.
November 29th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
for Georgetown being a country club atmosphere (more in the wine and cheese and latest Christopher Hitchens tome party vibe than the big ass BBQ and cadillacs with steer horns on the front hood that TCU represents), but then G-Town not being a 1A football school is a factor. Face it, the Big East has more personalities and disparate goals than a weekly meeting of Schizo's Anonymous.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:27 AM ^
Actually, TCU already has to travel significantly in the MWC. I doubt the travel costs as a member of the Big East will be much higher than what they already are paying. But TCU is taking a big risk considering that the Big East barely avoided death a few months ago. TCU might be be joining only to watch the two or three semi-decent football teams get picked off by the B10/ACC/SEC over the next five years. If people think the Big East is bad now, imagine it without Pitt, WVU and Syracuse.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:49 AM ^
With BYU and Utah leaving the MWC, the level of competition in the MWC will not be improved and the TV deal for the conference will be a lot worse. Moving to the Big East means that at worse, they'll be no better off than they were previously if the conference falls apart.
Well, that and their basketball team will not be particularly good for quite awhile.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
If two or three of Syracuse, Pitt and WVU get picked off, the Big East will collapse as a football conference. It will not just be a third-tier football conference, it will implode. The basketball schools will break off and the remaining football schools will go to CUSA or other conferences. TCU will have to go hat in hand asking to rejoin the MWC or follow the Big East leftovers to CUSA etc.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
"the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs."
November 29th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
Big East is poop when it comes to football. TCU will go in the conference favored to win
November 29th, 2010 at 9:49 AM ^
Why would ND only join the Big Ten if the Big East blew up? ND is not a member in football. Surely, the Big East baskeball conference is never going to blow up, they have 16 (now 17) teams. ND needs to just get it over with and join the Big East in football, making it a legitimate conference.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:52 AM ^
football drives ND, not basketball. their interests are better served in the big ten, should they decide to join a conference.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:50 AM ^
An important Michigan-related domino effect of this is that we are unlikely to be able to blow up the Big East by adding one Big East team to the Big Ten
Insert joke about Michigan being a Big East team/champion here.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:51 AM ^
>Big East
>East
>Texas Christian University
>Texas Christian
>Texas
November 29th, 2010 at 9:56 AM ^
Selective ordering fail.
>Big East
>Big
>Texas Christian University
>Texas Christian
>Texas
Makes sense to me.
Everything's bigger with Texas.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
By the by, HUGE pick up for the baseballs. Both TCU and the Big East get an upgrade. The Big Ten/Big East Challenge just got that much harder.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:15 AM ^
But we're the champions of the west, so it's all good.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:19 PM ^
>Big 10
>11 teams right now
>12 next year
November 29th, 2010 at 9:52 AM ^
November 29th, 2010 at 10:01 AM ^
Tell that to the WAC's new teams.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
I mean, if the Dallas Cowboys can play in the NFC East, and the Big Ten can flirt with inviting UT to join...
November 29th, 2010 at 9:53 AM ^
This is going to make for some long bus rides and weekends for teams. Good luck to them.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^
The teams currently in the conference aren't exactly clustered together. I mean, Syracuse/Rutgers and South Florida? They used to have Miami which was even farther from the Northeast schools. I guess now USF and TCU are both outliers.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^
Don't forget about Cincy.... and Depaul and Marquette in non-football schools. Not to mention Notre Dame.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
Yeah, but at least those are all at least on the proper side of the Mississippi...
November 29th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
there's your Big East Champions of 2011-2020
November 29th, 2010 at 10:14 AM ^
What makes you think the Big East will last that long?
November 29th, 2010 at 12:41 PM ^
It won't. This is all about saving a Big East conference when the east coast football schools move to the Big Ten or ACC.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:30 PM ^
They can't win it in 2011 because they won't join until 2012.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
The automatic BCS bowl for the Big East is supposed to go to a team that doesn't deserve it. this is gonna screw that premise up completely. On the positive side, maybe this will help spread out the disgusting amount of talent in Texas that don't want to leave Texas. congrats TCU! Welcome to the big leagues (kinda sorta).
November 29th, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
But if I were a recruit, the prospect of long weekends of travel and playing against mediocre competition week in and week out, especially against a bunch of teams that no one outside of the northeast cares about, wouldn't seem that appealing to me. At least they get to go to the Sugar Bowl every year?
November 29th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^
should be enough to convince at least a couple of recruits to go to TCU over Texas. It won't work a majority of the time, but I am willing to bet between TCU's recent success and this news, you will see a bump in the overall recruiting classes at TCU. Also, Mediocre competition can alloy a good player to appear great for those NFL scout types. Yes, some recruits will think like this.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^
you were considering TCU in the first place, that was already going to be a problem.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
and no one cares about the Big East teams even here.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
If only TCU could have the Big East BCS berth this year.
November 29th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
Dave Brandon said recently that the Big Ten would likely expand again in the next couple years.
He said they would add teams with big markets.
That could mean Rutgers and/or UConn leaving the Big East for the Big Ten.
So perhaps the Big East is beafing up before it takes a big hit.......
November 29th, 2010 at 9:58 AM ^
including their interpretation of basic geography pointing vectors.
"Son, Texas, is the East, Center, South, North, West... hell the Great Lakes are just a pond tributary of the Pecos..."
November 29th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
the Big East a terrible football league.
Also if Colorado can be in the Pac-10, why not TCU in the Big East. This is all getting crazy stupid.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
If the Big East can add one more legitimate team (like ND but I don't expect that to happen), then they will be pretty solid. They don't have many (any?) top tier programs, but they are all pretty decent.
November 29th, 2010 at 3:01 PM ^
Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech and it still sucked. They will not do better than that unless Penn State bolts, and Notre Dame joins.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^
If you've ever been to Boulder you'd know that the town and the student body are about as similar to UC Berkeley, U of O, and UW as any other place in the US. Plus, with Utah added, Pac 12 states are still contiguous.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^
Take that Boise!
November 29th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
This was my first thought, as well.
Boise attempts to make itself more credible and joins a more difficult league with tougher opponents in Utah, TCU, and others. Utah and TCU promptly leave said conference. Boise moves back to square 1.5 (The MWC is still slightly better than the WAC).
Sucks for Biose.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:24 AM ^
I think BYU left as well.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:30 AM ^
It's kind of like jumping from a sinking lifeboat to another lifeboat, and watching the old lifeboat hit a rock and explode. The MWC might end up being a lateral move for Boise, but the WAC is going to be - to steal a phrase that someone else came up with - the Sun Belt of the West.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:27 PM ^
but after Boise jumped in Fresno, Nevada also jumped in. Then the Captains (Utah, BYU, TCU) of the new life boat jumped to a better boat. MWC will be the old WAC.
November 29th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
The Mountain West was building a good league -- one that deserved to supplant the Big East as the last BCS AQ conference. TCU shifts the balance of power in a big way. It's unfortunate, and goes to show how the AQ system is distorting incentives.