Sources: TCU to join Big East

[MongerKhan]

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

DALLAS -- TCU has accepted a bid to the Big East Conference, which will take effect July 1, 2012, according to sources familiar with the deal. The school has set a news conference for 1 p.m. CT on campus to make "a major announcement involving the TCU athletics program."

A source confirmed the move to ESPN.com's Joe Schad Monday as well.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto and associate commissioner in charge of communications John Paquette flew to Dallas on Sunday in advance of the announcement, according to a New York Daily News story earlier Monday.
The school's release said athletic director Chris Del Conte would be present at the news conference along with school chancellor Victor Boschini.

The conference change allows TCU to play in an automatic BCS-qualifying league beginning in the 2012-13 school year. TCU currently plays in the Mountain West Conference, which does not have an automatic bid to the BCS and is going through some changes of its own. BYU and Utah are leaving the conference just as Boise State enters.

TCU would become the Big East's ninth football team. The conference has extended an invitation to Villanova to become its 10th football member.

TCU is 12-0 and ranked No. 3 in the BCS. The Frogs are at the very least headed to the Rose Bowl. But if Auburn or Oregon slip up this weekend, TCU is poised to play for a national title.

The Frogs might not have been headed to a BCS game without Boise State's loss Friday night in overtime at Nevada. Had the Broncos remained undefeated, there was a distinct possibility that the Broncos could have passed TCU in the BCS standings and been the only non-automatic qualifier school to get into one of the top-level bowls.

The conference change is for all sports, meaning TCU enters a strong basketball league and should get exposure in more eastern sports markets. The league as a whole will now have 17 teams.

The Big East will be the fourth conference for TCU since the Southwest Conference broke apart after the 1995 season and the Frogs weren't among the Texas schools that became part of the Big 12.

TCU was in the WAC from 1996-2000 before going to Conference USA for four seasons and then joining the Mountain West in 2005.

The Big East has an 18-game regular-season basketball schedule that calls for three repeat games under television contracts with ESPN and CBS through 2012-13. The contract is based on a 16-team membership. CBS and ESPN each get a choice of one of those repeat games.

A source told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that in a 17-team league, each program would play every other team (16 games) and then play two repeat games (instead of three like now). That means a lower-level repeat game for a favorite like Pittsburgh would go away. CBS and ESPN requested Pitt and Villanova play twice and each received a game. The Big East then kept the rivalry of Pitt-West Virginia for another repeat game. Pitt's third repeat game is against South Florida. Under a 17-team, 18-game schedule, this game would go away.

I guess any AQ works...

 

[Sgt John]

I think its stupid of the Big 12 to not invite TCU. Other than the ludicrous travel involved. this is a big day for the Horned Frogs
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[mudloggerone]

That's a long ways to go to play football games but I'm happy for the TCU family.

 

[Cerberus]

Awesome. So glad TCU joined them.

 

[Sgt John]

I would expect TCU to take a year or two to really get rolling, but they could easily be a consistent 10 game winner in that conference.

 

[Cerberus]

Now if the Big East could only intise ND to joining, then it might be one of the more exciting conferences eventually.

 

[Sgt John]

I agree. But they are now up to what, 17 teams in all other sports. Thats insane.

 

[mudloggerone]

17 is the number all right. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[MongerKhan]

Its strictly a football move. And they will become the :whip: boy for all the basketball teams in the big east.

 

[mudloggerone]

LOL! Right you are Khan.

 

[Cerberus]

Funny if you think about it ND is a much better fit in the big east than tcu is. TCU has football, any other sport they excel in? Off hand ND has pretty decent teams in football and basketball. WOuld have made it more interesting. ND needs to get off there high horse and just join the big east already. Could really get some good rivalrys going. Dont really care for the Big east pursuing villanova to join. seems they went after tcu for football and nova for basketball. why 2 teams when you could have got the same with one. I do like the TCU pick up but they really need 1 more big name, ND, to be taken more seriously, imo.

 

[The Ram]

This is a load of crap! TCU should have remained in the Mountain West and the Big Least needed to hand over their BCS birth. The fact that they still have it is a joke.

 

[Sgt John]

Basketball keeps the Big East semi relevant. For TCU it makes sense to move to the Big East and get in a BCS conference. I bet when the Big 12 expands again TCU will be in.

 

[Kingdome]

Funny if you think about it ND is a much better fit in the big east than tcu is. TCU has football, any other sport they excel in?

They were #3 in the country in baseball and in last spring's College World Series. Good golf program. Men go to NCAA's most years and the women are ranked in the top 25. They had some decent basketball squads under Billy Tubbs.

The school is located in one of the largest metro areas, which is also fast growing. Even if they have some inferior programs, they have lots of potential.