TCU to the Big East?

[retro1530]

Having survived the most recent wave of expansion intact, the Big East Conference is studying ways to bolster its position and has targeted TCU as very attractive candidate to help strengthen its football league, The Post has learned.

“We are in a situation that requires us to evaluate and analyze all our options including expansion and television," said a source close to the league who requested anonymity. “There are a dozen or so schools that we’re looking at."

Two sources said the TCU discussion developed recently. The school’s tradition, academics and recent success have lifted the university’s profile. TCU (4-0) is ranked fifth in the polls and many believe it is currently the best team in Texas.

One source stressed that there have been no meetings among Big East presidents or ADs to discuss membership. But that source also said expansion has altered the way conferences think. The fact that TCU hardly matches the Big East footprint is a tertiary concern.

“It’s a good program in a good market,’’ said the source. “That’s what you look for.’’

TCU is a member of the Mountain West Conference, which recently lost Utah to the Pac 10. There was intense speculation that TCU would move to the Big XII when that conference lost Nebraska to the Big Ten and Colorado to the Pac 10, which also almost lured Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State..

TCU officials, attending to their weekly football media obligations, did not immediately return calls.

It’s almost a foregone conclusion that the Big Ten and Pac 10 are not done expanding, which puts the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West in a precipitous position. Many thought TCU would jump to the Big XII when Colorado left but that league also is vulnerable.

So as far-fetched as a Big East-TCU union might have seemed just three years ago, the landscape is changing at warp speed. The eight football playing members in the Big East strongly desire a ninth program for scheduling purposes.

Villanova, already in the league for basketball, previously was mentioned as a possible addition for football.

“It’s always been our policy never to comment on individual schools when talking about membership,’’ John Paquette, the Big East’s associate commissioner for communications, told The Post.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/ ... z10s2WzKZd

[deliverance]

TCU (4-0) is ranked fifth in the polls and many believe it is currently the best team in Texas.

Why does that make me cringe every time I read it? I can't really argue it after last week's performance. However, Texas is 61-20-1 against them all time. Most of those wins by TCU came over 30 years ago. While adding TCU would be a big addition for the Big East Conference, they aren't actually adding the "best team in Texas."

[KirkHerbstreit]

Teams like TCU and Boise are the exact reasons why teams need to have 5-16 team power conferences and a plus 1 game since it seems there will never be a playoff. I think TCU and Boise are nice teams that on any given day can embarrass a major power team such as Texas, but if they had to play a Big 12 Schedule, SEC Schedule, Big 10 Schedule their would be hiccups along the way.
In my opinion, if TCU and Texas line up for 12 straight Saturdays Texas wins 8 of them at least. I'm not a believer that Recruiting rankings are the end all be all, but when you out recruit a team that badly there is a disparity of talent between the two teams. The difference is Texas has to show up in every game but their OOC games unless they want to be upset. TCU needs to show up for 1 game a year then coast the rest of the year.

[The Ancient Enemy]

I think as soon as 1 conference goes to 14, everyone will. Which makes TCU to the BE a moot point. Do they still go if Syracuse and Rutgers go to the B10 and WVU and Louisville go to the ACC or SEC? Or whatever?

I still think the BE has the best card in the deck right now, and they are totally crapping the bed. They have a "gosh darn" auto bid that they can sell to these schools.

Get into those southern markets. If you take TCU, take SMU. Take Southern Miss. Take Tulane. Take UCF.