Big Ten and other Conference Expansion

[bkochmc]

Sounds like TCU has accepted an invitation to join the Big East. Possibly a good move for them so they aren't left out in the eventual super conference alignments.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...d_frogs_invited_into_the_big_east_source.html

In a move designed to prop up a weak football conference, The Big East has convinced TCU to leave the Mountain West and join the league as an all sports member, sources told the Daily News early this morning. Commissioner John Marinatto and Associate Commisioner in charge of communications John Paquette both flew to Dallas yesterday for the official announcement at 1 p.m. today.

The Horned Frogs, a small private school located in Ft. Worth, are currently the No. 3 ranked team in the BCS standings and are set to at least play in the Rose Bowl this January after completing a perfect 12-0 record. If either Auburn or Oregon lose this Saturday, there is a strong chance TCU will be in the national championship game Jan. 10 at Glendale, Arizona.

A timetable for the Frogs' entrance to the league has yet to be determined, but this will mean the football AD's will get a ninth team they are looking for to form a balanced schedule. It will also give TCU what it wants-- a chance to play in a BCS automatic qualifying conference. None of the football AD's, which drove this expansion, seems to mind that every other sport will have to travel half way across the country for road games. They just view it as a price of survival.



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...d_into_the_big_east_source.html#ixzz16gZFXyqU

 

[jlb1705]

So let me get this straight:

Old MWC: Utah, BYU, TCU
New MWC: Boise State, Nevada, Hawai'i, Fresno State

I guess this is college football's version of "there goes the neighborhood".

Poor Boise State. They tried to jump in a barrel full of tits and came out sucking their own thumb.

 

[Mrstickball]

So let me get this straight:

Old MWC: Utah, BYU, TCU
New MWC: Boise State, Nevada, Hawai'i, Fresno State

I guess this is college football's version of "there goes the neighborhood".

Poor Boise State. They tried to jump in a barrel full of [censored] and came out sucking their own thumb.

Insane.

I think the Pac-10 or Used-to-Be-Big 12 should make a play for Boise. I feel bad for Boise, they join a new conference, and then everyone runs away from them.

 

[ScriptOhio]

Sounds like TCU has accepted an invitation to join the Big East. Possibly a good move for them so they aren't left out in the eventual super conference alignments.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/c...d_frogs_invited_into_the_big_east_source.html

I'm kind of surprised that the Big XII didn't try to pick them and someone else (like a Texas school from Conference USA) up to get back to 12 teams so they can continue their conference championship game (i.e. in the Jerry Jones Memorial Stadium).

P.S. TCU is going to get "killed" in basketball with a Big East schedule.

 

[A Pac]

Good for TCU for trying to improve thier status among college football's elites. I am by no means saying that the Big East is an elite division but at least now they will get more national recognition for having a great season. Sure the big East is a basketball division and is on-par football wise with the MWC, but at least now they won't have to worry about fighting all year and still maybe not getting an AQ bid. It's not really a step up competition wise, but a major step up national media wise.

 

[Saw31]

Good move maybe? I like the fact that instead of whining for "respect" they are doing what they need to do. The Big East needed this badly too. Though the conference is horrible, there are some programs that can certainly, with the right people in place, become nationally relevant again...

 

[Mike80]

It's not every day where you jump up in conference prestige (I guess) and immediately become the best team in the conference

I am ALSO really surprised the not-quite-Big XII didn't make a play for them and Houston once Colorado and Nebraska left....

 

[jlb1705]

Insane.

I think the Pac-10 or Used-to-Be-Big 12 should make a play for Boise. I feel bad for Boise, they join a new conference, and then everyone runs away from them.

The Pac-10 has academic standards (at least when they're not trying to throw them out the window to entice Texas by agreeing to accept Baylor/Texas Tech.)

Texas probably would not allow a school like Boise State in their Big XII dominion. Can't have any mouthy upstarts around to threaten their hegemony.

Boise's mistake is that they've embraced the role of system/party crasher, instead to working behind the scenes to find a spot within it. Furthermore, they have seemingly put more time and attention into trying to convince everybody that their situation is competitively legitimate, while their peers have made more honest assessments of their situations have have taken steps to change that. In my view there's a good chance that they've painted themselves into a corner for a long time.

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Boise's mistake is that they've embraced the role of system/party crasher, instead to working behind the scenes to find a spot within it. Furthermore, they have seemingly put more time and attention into trying to convince everybody that their situation is competitively legitimate, while their peers have made more honest assessments of their situations have have taken steps to change that. In my view there's a good chance that they've painted themselves into a corner for a long time.

Utah and TCU are now AQ's, while BSU is still BS....

This "BCS buster" thing only works when there are several Cinderellas at the ball. Now that BSU is the last one left without a date, no one in the media is going to pay any attention to them.

 

[Muck]

I went ahead and look up the distances from Fort Worth for the various schools from the MWC & Big East:

MWC
Albuquerque 625 Miles
Colorado Springs 705 Miles
Fort Collins 817 Miles
Laramie 898 Miles
Las Vegas 1,198 Miles
San Diego 1,333 Miles
Fresno 1,536 Miles
Boise 1,586 Miles
Reno 1,644 Miles
Honolulu 4,943 Miles

Avg: 1,149 Miles (1,528 w/Hawaii)

Provo & Salt Lake City were also 1,201 & 1,245 Miles away from Fort Worth respectively.

Big East
Louisville 869 Miles
Cincinnati 973 Miles
Tampa 1,142 Miles
Morgantown 1,237 Miles
Pittsburgh 1,256 Miles
Philadelphia 1,498 Miles (assuming Villanova moves up)
Syracuse 1,544 Miles
New Brunswick 1,561 Miles
Storrs 1,734 Miles

Avg: 1,289 Miles (1,312 w/Villanova)

The Pac-10 has academic standards (at least when they're not trying to throw them out the window to entice Texas by agreeing to accept Baylor/Texas Tech.)

Baylor would be in the middle of the Pac-10 academically and off the top of my head Texas Tech would be better than at least three current member institutions (the three "States"...Arizona, Oregon & Washington).

 

[jlb1705]

I went ahead and look up the distances from Fort Worth for the various schools from the MWC & Big East:

MWC
Albuquerque 625 Miles
Colorado Springs 705 Miles
Fort Collins 817 Miles
Laramie 898 Miles
Las Vegas 1,198 Miles
San Diego 1,333 Miles
Fresno 1,536 Miles
Boise 1,586 Miles
Reno 1,644 Miles
Honolulu 4,943 Miles

Avg: 1,149 Miles (1,528 w/Hawaii)

Provo & Salt Lake City were also 1,201 & 1,245 Miles away from Fort Worth respectively.

Big East
Louisville 869 Miles
Cincinnati 973 Miles
Tampa 1,142 Miles
Morgantown 1,237 Miles
Pittsburgh 1,256 Miles
Philadelphia 1,498 Miles (assuming Villanova moves up)
Syracuse 1,544 Miles
New Brunswick 1,561 Miles
Storrs 1,734 Miles

Avg: 1,289 Miles (1,312 w/Villanova)



Baylor would be in the middle of the Pac-10 academically and off the top of my head Texas Tech would be better than at least three current member institutions (the three "States"...Arizona, Oregon & Washington).

Texas Tech would be the lowest-ranked of all the current and future members of the Pac-10 in the current USN&WR rankings. Texas Tech is listed 159th, Arizona State is the closest to them at 143rd. They're not a major outlier, but they certainly don't offer an enhancement in and of themselves. I don't believe Texas Tech would ever be considered on their own merit by the Pac-10. They were invited to the party because they were coming with Texas.

I misspoke on Baylor. I should have said that the Pac-10 has a hard time with the religious affiliation for them (see also: BYU).

My overall point still stands though - if the Pac-10 had to hold their nose to even consider schools like those in a package deal with Texas, I don't see any way they'd consider Boise State (an institution that is worse in nearly every conceivable manner) on their own merit outside of a package deal.

Boise State's best options would have been to find common ground with the schools of the old MWC before it disintegrated, or shut their mouths and submit to the will of Texas in the Big XII.

 

[Muck]

T.C.U. to Join Big East in 2012-13

As for the Big Ten's potential for expansion, Commissioner Jim Delany said Monday that the league had not spent much time recently on expansion.

"We've been so busy with various aspects of getting Nebraska in and getting our championship game and divisions, there's been no activity in this area," he said.

Delany said the next potential movement with the Big Ten and expansion would be in December when he meets with the league's presidents.

"I'll ask the question and they'll give me some direction, and we'll make public where we are."

 

[MaxBuck]

TCU to the Big East

College Football News

Well, this was certainly a WTF moment.

 

[Tlangs]

no time to clicky the linky.....football only or does this include all sports?

BB73 edit - all sports - merge coming

 

[MaxBuck]

Given the mess that is developing in the belt between Starkville and Opelika, now might be a good time for the Big Ten to approach Florida and UGA ...