TCU Headed to BIG EAST - What does this mean for us?

[O'Aviles]

AP source: TCU going to Big East Conference - College Football - Rivals.com

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)—TCU is moving to the Big East Conference.

A person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday that TCU is moving from the Mountain West Conference to the Big East after the 2011-12 academic year. The person would not comment publicly because the decision had not been announced.

AP - Nov 27, 6:03 pm EST 1 of 2 NCAAF Gallery TCU scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference for “a major announcement involving the TCU athletics program.” Athletic director Chris De Conte didn’t immediately return messages left on his cell phone.

The school’s release said Del Conte would be present at the news conference along with school chancellor Victor Boschini.

The third-ranked Horned Frogs (12-0) wrapped up their second consecutive undefeated regular season and Mountain West title with a 66-17 victory at New Mexico on Saturday. TCU is also third in the BCS standings, the highest for a school from a conference without automatic access into the Bowl Championship Series.

With the move to the Big East, the Frogs will be BCS busters no more. The Big East has one of the six automatic BCS slots for the five big-money games.

TCU is currently in line to play for a national championship chance if Auburn or Oregon lose next weekend. The Frogs may wind up in the Rose Bowl if Auburn and Oregon both win.

But 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.

TCU was a BCS buster for the first time last season, then lost to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.

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.

 

[IrishLax]

In other news... the conference is changing its name from the Big East to the Big Just-About-Everywhere.

 

[irishff1014]

Wow i am kinda surprised by this move but at the same time it makes sense if they ever change this crap BCS system we might be forced to join a conference.

 

[TerryTate]

Means nothing for us until the Big 12 falls

 

[IrishLax]

Wow i am kinda surprised by this move but at the same time it makes sense if they ever change this crap BCS system we might be forced to join a conference.

We will only be forced to join a conference if the BCS stays as is AND there are ~3-4 super conferences of ~16 teams each. The reason why that would force us to join is that we would no longer be able to schedule enough tough competition as teams would have too much of their schedule devoted to in conference play.

 

[IHateMarkMay]

Well... automatic bcs game every year for them.

 

[ACamp1900]

I can remember a thread at the start of the season where I mentioned a scenerio where Bosie would go to the Big 10... TCU to the Big East and ND to the Big 12 or maybe even SEC and I got flat laughed at mainly because of the locations involved...





suck it bitches.

 

[O'Aviles]

Well for what it's worth, I would like to see Notre Dame and Arkansas join the big 12. Unfortunately, it looks like A&M wants to go looking at what the SEC can deliver to them.

 

[irishff1014]

A&M will get smoke in the SEC

 

[ACamp1900]

A&M will get smoke in the SEC

really??? I don't see much difference to be honest

 

[provi1]

Location doesnt matter, i mean Louisiana Tech plays in the WAC

 

[GowerND11]

I could see Boise going to the Big XII since they could then take one of the North spots vacated by Nebraska and Colorado.

 

[mick2]

if the big east stays alive it definitely helps us stay independent, by giving our other sports somewhere to play.

i don't think we'll see 16 team super conferences for a while, we'll probably have a new system in place of the bcs before that would happen and that should quell the push for superconferences.

 

[CanadianIrish]

There is going to be a major shakeup in the conferences sometime soon. Just because all the dominos didn't fall last off season doesn't mean they won't soon.

 

[aubeirish]

It doesn't mean anything for us... Just that the big-east got more competitive today.

 

[irishff1014]

I think it means that the big east has a new kick *** team that will win the big east alot.

 

[Old Man Mike]

The effect on Notre Dame is in basketball. The Big East has, by many person's counts, too many BBall teams anyway. This will probably cause some team or teams to be asked to leave [Depaul would be a candidate, perhaps Marquette]. As such teams are ND rivals it could cause some scheduling shake-ups.

A very stretched way in which it might affect ND football in years in the future is if NDs possible inclusion in the BCS series becomes more tentative that it currently is [and there is a lot of opinion to dump us entirely]. Not having a non-automatic qualifying powerhouse like TCU available might make the BCS less likely to disenfranchise ND [since now there's one less "Boise" not in a big six conference].

The last way it affects ND is that it requires more travel expense for our Olympic sports.

 

[Legacy]

I see it like Mike sees it. Seventeen basketball teams are too many. Already there was talk of splitting football and non-football teams into different conferences.

Big East football builds to 10 teams to prevent loss of conference recognition if they fall to less than eight should another conference come raiding. The non-football playing schools (all Catholic) head to another Olympic sport conference - or the two kicked out go to the A-10. After adding Villanova (or UCF) with TCU for football, the Big East is at 18 schools. Ten play football. How do you manage schedules for that many teams for Olympic sports? That's like a mini-NCAA tournament.

Non-football playing teams are Georgetown, Providence, Marquette, St. John's, Seton Hall, and DePaul with Villanova yet to decide. The Catholic league theme jumps out. The Big East could par back to sixteen, asking two to leave. They may join the A-10. Or all these teams could separate. Is ND one of the two? Or decide to join a newly-formed Catholic league or search for another landing spot for its Olympic teams?

BYU will be independent with ND, Army and Navy. Boise State will be the only football power not in a AQ league with Utah and TCU going to conferences, so I agree with Mike on this one, too.

 

[Irish Insanity]

I could see Boise going to the Big XII since they could then take one of the North spots vacated by Nebraska and Colorado.

Aren't they moving into the Mountain West because all the teams that are leaving? Thought that was the last info I heard.

 

[jason_h537]

BYU is independent
Utah is Pac 12 bound
TCU will own the Big East
Boise needs to do something, maybe go indy also?

 

[irishfan]

Means ND's conference schedule just got a little easier for basketball. Big East being as strong as possible is good for ND. Big East needs as many strong bowl ties as possible. Champ Sports Bowl for your #2 team is pretty weak.

 

[GowerND11]

Aren't they moving into the Mountain West because all the teams that are leaving? Thought that was the last info I heard.

Yeah they are. I mean in the near future.

 

[irish0227]

Boise state is moving to the MWC for the 2011-2012 football season along with nevada and fresno, i think this was to try and make the MWC an AQ confrence but with TCU, Utah, and BYU leaving there is no chance of that now

 

[Jerry]

BYU is independent
Utah is Pac 12 bound
TCU will own the Big East
Boise needs to do something, maybe go indy also?

I don't know if Boise could handle indy status? Not sure if they bring enough tv ratings to schedule teams nationally all season. The occasional game sure but I don't see why Big Ten, Twelve or SEC teams would want to add them to their schedules consistently? They are a small market team with a novelty national interest. If they happen to have a down year that novelty disappears quickly. Also I'm not sure they have the money if they had to travel all their sports teams around the country of independent status or if they joined a conference out of their region?

 

[lookingdeadred]

Hard to see Boise going independent

Hard to see Boise going independent

I think they would have a hard time getting teams to come to them to play.

BYU is independent
Utah is Pac 12 bound
TCU will own the Big East
Boise needs to do something, maybe go indy also?

 

[IrishGiant]

To answer the OP this means less to us than BYU becoming an independent. I could see games versus BYU in the future as a result. The move of TCU to the Big East doesnt affect us any more than any other team switching conferences.

 

[Easton Pa ND Fan]

MORE competition...

MORE competition...

AP source: TCU going to Big East Conference - College Football - Rivals.com

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP)—TCU is moving to the Big East Conference.

A.

\

Next year, we better be more competitive or we are KAPUT.

 

[IrishinSyria]

The last way it affects ND is that it requires more travel expense for our Olympic sports.

This, in my mind, is the biggest thing. Maybe not the expense so much as the ridiculous travel schedules the rest of the teams have to put up with. Football conferences need to disconnect from their other sports, because what makes sense in football often makes no sense for anything else. (Hockey is a perfect example of a game that benefits from not being tied to other sports).