The thing is, the Big East also has a chip on its shoulder and a desire to take to the man. Even though we have an automatic BCS bid we don't get nearly the respect that we deserve. Also, isn't the MWC in a similar situation as the Big East? Rumors are flying that BYU and Air Force are going to the Big 12, and with Utah headed to the Pac-10 BYU might fight even harder for the Big 12.

(06-15-2010 10:57 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 07:28 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 05:44 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  Since TCU has been brought up in this thread...

I think we'd definitely respond to Big East interest. How interested we are might have something to do with how sure we are that the Big 12 is really married to the 10 team model, and whether the Big 10 is going to have another stage of expansion. Questions that are tough to answer. Will say it would be hard to pass up an autobid...

As far as TCU being only football, we do add a huge market for recruiting, and a lot of TV sets (sure not a lot of alumni, but SWC teams follow each other, even to this day). Our baseball is obviously strong and Florida and us are the only schools to go to the BCS and college world series and win a NCAA championship in another sport this year ( http://twitter.com/schadjoe/status/16229119850 ). We are like #41 in the Director's cup with several strong sports yet to be scored. We have a big budget (for non-AQ), lots of deep pockets, great facilities (AFC is using TCU this year during the SB) and good academics (although not much post grad research emphasis).

Geography is what doesn't make sense for the BE and TCU, although I know the last expansion there was mutual interest.

Frog, if the Big East did approach TCU, do you believe that TCU would have interest in another program coming with them from the west, or would they be ok coming by themselves?

Assuming the move made sense, I think we'd be fine going by ourselves. We haven't found any negative sequelae of being in a conference with no other Texas teams (contrary to the CW when we left the CUSA), and there is even a school of thought that creating our own niche in Texas has helped us- we are essentially the "uncola" in the state for recruits. Nonconference action provides plenty of opportunities for regional rivalries, too. The travel expenses would probably be similar to the MWC- a plane trip is a plane trip after all and I'm not even sure the distances aren't almost identical.

I do think we have some loyalty to the MWC. It's been fun seeing the conference grow and gain notoriety and we've developed some fun new rivalries (although one may be going to the wayside with Utah). But we have a good rivalry with Boise already and really the conference for all practical purposes is right where it was 2 weeks ago. It's fun having a chip on your shoulder and "taking it to the man". It also would be nice to develop some continuity instead of jumping to another conference. But I think you have to consider all options when looking at the future, and the BE would provide more revenue and a guaranteed autobid; just for those reasons at a minimum we'd have to consider any interest seriously. I'd have real concerns about conference stability, though- last thing you want is to be in a league collapsing with no where to go.

What if the Big XII decides to go ahead and add teams for a championship game and poaches two more of your schools, say BYU and Air Force or CSU? Do you feel TCU would be more inclined to look east if this occurred?

(06-15-2010 11:11 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 10:57 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 07:28 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 05:44 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  Since TCU has been brought up in this thread...

I think we'd definitely respond to Big East interest. How interested we are might have something to do with how sure we are that the Big 12 is really married to the 10 team model, and whether the Big 10 is going to have another stage of expansion. Questions that are tough to answer. Will say it would be hard to pass up an autobid...

As far as TCU being only football, we do add a huge market for recruiting, and a lot of TV sets (sure not a lot of alumni, but SWC teams follow each other, even to this day). Our baseball is obviously strong and Florida and us are the only schools to go to the BCS and college world series and win a NCAA championship in another sport this year ( http://twitter.com/schadjoe/status/16229119850 ). We are like #41 in the Director's cup with several strong sports yet to be scored. We have a big budget (for non-AQ), lots of deep pockets, great facilities (AFC is using TCU this year during the SB) and good academics (although not much post grad research emphasis).

Geography is what doesn't make sense for the BE and TCU, although I know the last expansion there was mutual interest.

Frog, if the Big East did approach TCU, do you believe that TCU would have interest in another program coming with them from the west, or would they be ok coming by themselves?

Assuming the move made sense, I think we'd be fine going by ourselves. We haven't found any negative sequelae of being in a conference with no other Texas teams (contrary to the CW when we left the CUSA), and there is even a school of thought that creating our own niche in Texas has helped us- we are essentially the "uncola" in the state for recruits. Nonconference action provides plenty of opportunities for regional rivalries, too. The travel expenses would probably be similar to the MWC- a plane trip is a plane trip after all and I'm not even sure the distances aren't almost identical.

I do think we have some loyalty to the MWC. It's been fun seeing the conference grow and gain notoriety and we've developed some fun new rivalries (although one may be going to the wayside with Utah). But we have a good rivalry with Boise already and really the conference for all practical purposes is right where it was 2 weeks ago. It's fun having a chip on your shoulder and "taking it to the man". It also would be nice to develop some continuity instead of jumping to another conference. But I think you have to consider all options when looking at the future, and the BE would provide more revenue and a guaranteed autobid; just for those reasons at a minimum we'd have to consider any interest seriously. I'd have real concerns about conference stability, though- last thing you want is to be in a league collapsing with no where to go.

What if the Big XII decides to go ahead and add teams for a championship game and poaches two more of your schools, say BYU and Air Force or CSU? Do you feel TCU would be more inclined to look east if this occurred?

Definitely. That's our worst case scenario. No way the B-12 adds us and the MWC would be badly damaged (especially losing BYU).

(06-15-2010 10:46 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  [quote='ECU-DMB Fanatic' pid='5509326' dateline='1276657497']
[quote='buckaineer' pid='5508810' dateline='1276649197']
[quote='ECU-DMB Fanatic' pid='5508785' dateline='1276648554']
[quote='buckaineer' pid='5508764' dateline='1276647990']
[quote='BullsFanInTX' pid='5506300' dateline='1276612787']
[quote='Bill Marsh' pid='5505783' dateline='1276602639']


FACT: You have to finish in the top 25 of the BCS final rankings for it to matter in the BCS criteria. ECU would give the Big East 0 points there but would have added a team. This would have dropped the Big Easts score. FACT: ECU ended in most computer polls that matter ahead of only Syracuse and Louisville in 2009--just ahead of USF in Massey. That would lower the Big Easts score if any team not named Syracuse, Louisville or USF left the Big East and ECU had been added to replace them.

In actuality, the BCS bid is currently secured by the Big East through the 2013 season. This year through 2013 is the next evaluation period for AQ conferences for 2014-2017. ECU isn't predicted to be ranked in many if any preseason polls however and has never finished in the top 25 of any BCS poll-hasn't finished ranked highly many if any years recently and this isn't expected to change. We'll see after this season if ECU is BCS worthy.

Your kidding me??? Right??? Over the last 2 years ECU would have been the 4th and 3rd highest BCS ranked team in the Big East respectivly but somehow ECU would still bring the conference down. But wait you just said you had to be in the top 25 to get counted but still somehow based on your logic we would bring the Big East down, even though our ranking would not count.... Now that I show you facts that refute your claims that ECU would only be above a couple of teams you start talking about the future.... Sometimes your unending hate of ECU just makes you look silly. Also here you go again....Now the BCS rankings do not mean anything and you have pulled the computer rankings YOU feel are the most meaningful so you can try to make a point. Priceless...

(06-15-2010 11:14 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 11:11 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 10:57 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 07:28 PM)buckaineer Wrote:  

(06-15-2010 05:44 PM)Frog in the Kitchen Sink Wrote:  Since TCU has been brought up in this thread...

I think we'd definitely respond to Big East interest. How interested we are might have something to do with how sure we are that the Big 12 is really married to the 10 team model, and whether the Big 10 is going to have another stage of expansion. Questions that are tough to answer. Will say it would be hard to pass up an autobid...

As far as TCU being only football, we do add a huge market for recruiting, and a lot of TV sets (sure not a lot of alumni, but SWC teams follow each other, even to this day). Our baseball is obviously strong and Florida and us are the only schools to go to the BCS and college world series and win a NCAA championship in another sport this year ( http://twitter.com/schadjoe/status/16229119850 ). We are like #41 in the Director's cup with several strong sports yet to be scored. We have a big budget (for non-AQ), lots of deep pockets, great facilities (AFC is using TCU this year during the SB) and good academics (although not much post grad research emphasis).

Geography is what doesn't make sense for the BE and TCU, although I know the last expansion there was mutual interest.

Frog, if the Big East did approach TCU, do you believe that TCU would have interest in another program coming with them from the west, or would they be ok coming by themselves?

Assuming the move made sense, I think we'd be fine going by ourselves. We haven't found any negative sequelae of being in a conference with no other Texas teams (contrary to the CW when we left the CUSA), and there is even a school of thought that creating our own niche in Texas has helped us- we are essentially the "uncola" in the state for recruits. Nonconference action provides plenty of opportunities for regional rivalries, too. The travel expenses would probably be similar to the MWC- a plane trip is a plane trip after all and I'm not even sure the distances aren't almost identical.

I do think we have some loyalty to the MWC. It's been fun seeing the conference grow and gain notoriety and we've developed some fun new rivalries (although one may be going to the wayside with Utah). But we have a good rivalry with Boise already and really the conference for all practical purposes is right where it was 2 weeks ago. It's fun having a chip on your shoulder and "taking it to the man". It also would be nice to develop some continuity instead of jumping to another conference. But I think you have to consider all options when looking at the future, and the BE would provide more revenue and a guaranteed autobid; just for those reasons at a minimum we'd have to consider any interest seriously. I'd have real concerns about conference stability, though- last thing you want is to be in a league collapsing with no where to go.

What if the Big XII decides to go ahead and add teams for a championship game and poaches two more of your schools, say BYU and Air Force or CSU? Do you feel TCU would be more inclined to look east if this occurred?

Definitely. That's our worst case scenario. No way the B-12 adds us and the MWC would be badly damaged (especially losing BYU).

Is there serious talk of those schools jumping to the Big 12? I would the addition of TCU, a national power in football and a presence in Texas. That would be strong, and it would help us in future football television contract negotiations.