October 7, 2011
NCAA Football – Big 12 Conference extends invitation to TCU
The TCU Horned Frogs could leave the Big East before playing a single game in that conference. Rumor has it that Syracuse decision to leave the Big East and the decisions from both the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners to stick around with the Big 12 are the reasons behind this move.
By Stephen Lars
The Big 12 schools voted earlier this season to invite the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs to the Big 12 conference. The NCAA Football conference market has been shifting rapidly this season. Programs that once we thought to be among the strongest in the country are now losing teams and importance as we speak. After successfully working it’s way into the top of the Mountain West Conference, the Horned Frogs were brilliant at the Rose Bowl, outplaying the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in Pasadena. Soon after this, the Horned Frogs were planning to leave the Mountain West Conference after this season for the Big East, which has an automatic BCS berth.
The thing here is that the Big East is not exactly what it used to be. It’s only been a year, but things have really changed for this conference. The Big East will probably be left with only six teams for the following season, and that just doesn’t make it as competitive or interesting as it once used to be. When the TCU Horned Frogs made their move to the Big East, little did they know that, Syracuse and Pittsburgh were just a few months from announcing it’s move from the Big East to the ACC.
The Big East will probably be left with only six teams for the following season, and that just doesn’t make it as competitive or interesting as it once used to be.
The Horned Frogs haven’t yet made an official statement about its future realignment. On a press release, school officials showed interest in a possible move into the Big 12. The release says that joining the Big 12 “…will allow us to return to old rivalries, something our fans and others have been advocating for many years. As always, we must consider what's best for TCU and our student-athletes in this ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics. We look forward to continuing these discussions with the Big 12."
And some fierce rivalries could be sparked up once again should TCU join the Big 12. The Horned Frogs hold rivalries with Texas, Texas Tech and Baylor, schools with which it used to play when they were all part of the Southwest Conference. Interestingly enough, if the Horned Frogs decide to drop out of the Big East, they would have to pay a 5$ million exit fee. That’s a lot of money considering they might not even play a single game in that conference, but on the other hand, this will probably mean that as early as 2012, the Horned Frogs could be playing with the Sooners and the Longhorns.
The Big 12 has had to deal with a couple changes of its own. The conference recently lost Nebraska (Big Ten) and Colorado (Pac-12) over the summer and will lose Texas A&M to the SEC next year. At one point earlier this last month, it seemed as if Oklahoma and Texas would also move to the Pac-12. That would had been a disaster for the Big 12. Now that the big schools are back with the Big 12, things are a little more stable, but that hasn’t kept Missouri from exploring options to leave the Big 12.
About the Author
Stephen Lars is a prominent sports blogger and currently covers the Sports news, previews and handicaps for the BetIAS Sportsbook. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.