TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said making the move from the Mountain West Conference to the Big East was a true no brainer.
TCU’s board of trustees unanimously approved an invitation Monday to join the Big East in football and all other sports. The move from the Mountain West becomes official July 1, 2012.
The Big East will provide TCU with a possible automatic bid to the Bowl Championship Series and its five big-money games.
This season, TCU will likely play in the Rose Bowl if Auburn and Oregon both win this weekend. It will join Pittsburgh, South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, Connecticut, West Virginia, Syracuse and Rutgers as the football playing members.
The Horned Frogs will be a full member of the Big East and will participate in all 17 men’s and women’s sports. Here’s what Del Conte had to say about the move:
Was the automatic bid the key issue for the move? Having BCS automatic-qualifying status was a priority for our football program and a great reward for the success we’ve had the last decade, but it was not the only factor. We made the move because it was in the best interest of the school on all levels.
What about the travel? This is really about, on average, 100 miles difference for us than going to play schools in the Mountain West. But we will be flying into major cities so travel will actually be easier and cheaper for us. I mean flying from Dallas to Washington is easier and cheaper than, say, flying from Dallas to Fort Collins.
What about the changing of conferences in general? Making moves now are based on TV markets. It is the reason that the Pac-10 came to Texas and tried to pull off that big move. In the end, they added Colorado and Utah which helped their TV exposure. We bring the fifth-largest market to the Big East, and they give us a chance to play in some of the most storied places in all of sports. We will be playing basketball against the likes of Syracuse, Georgetown, St. John’s and Pitt. Our move opens the east up to us and gives the conference a new look at Texas. I mean, the Cowboys play in the NFC East. Now the Horned Frogs play in the Big East.
Examiner columnist Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer. Check out his blog, Watch this!
