(04-21-2010 03:25 PM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote: (04-21-2010 03:18 PM)istrahan Wrote: Houston doesn't deliver Houston
TCU doesn't deliver Dallas
I doubt either team is really interested in the Big East anyway. Nobody West of the Mississippi gives a flying fig about the Big East, they'd just assume be in the MWC if they can't get into the PAC 10 or Big XII. Now if Utah and BYU bolt from the MWC, TCU may become interested, but even then, they'd be looking for an out as soon as they were in the door.
Yeah .... why on earth would they want to join the perceived WEAKEST conference with an auto-bid to the BCS?
It's much easier to play in an arguably equally brutal conference and have to run the table in the out of conference including a game or two against other BCS conference members usually on the road, to get to a BCS bowl game.
I mean, you're right. TCU and Houston aren't even in football hotbeds.
TCU and Houston certainly are in football hotbeds, but what benefit does TCU have from joining the Big East. Weren't they just in a BCS game last season? Hasn't the MWC put a team in a BCS game 3 out of the past 6 years? Historically, teams travelling long distances from West to East perform poorly (look it up). Why would TCU want to subject themselves to a schedule where half their conference games put them at a disadvantage? Unless the BCS changes their format, the MWC is going to add Boise State before the next evaluation and that gets them an AQ spot. So the choice at least in TCU's mind is to either stay in a conference in their own geographic area with an AQ spot in a couple of years or join a conference way out of their geographic area in two years that has a AQ spot now, but potentially is losing some of their big players.
Houston's situation isn't much different from TCU's with the exception that they have not actually had the on-field performance like TCU and they don't have nearly the fan support, facilities, or financial resources. Nonetheless, they will likely be offered a MWC spot in a couple of years (assuming Utah and BYU don't leave and that they continue with the performance of the past few years) to help ensure the MWC gets that AQ bid during the next evaluation. It's the same choice. Spend half your time flying cross country or stay close to home with similar benefits.
There would be some financial benefit from the move, and basketball certainly would benefit from the addition, but travel considerations for all sports virtually nullifies those benefits.
Realistically, it has gotten to the point where TCU, Utah, and BYU because of the past few years' successes don't have to play tough OOC schedules to get BCS bid consideration. Hell, Boise State gets in with only one AQ OOC opponent every season.
I am aware that the perception of the Big East is inaccurate, but it's still the perception especially as you move further and further from the conference center, and high school kids in DFW and Houston based on recent successes of TCU, Utah, and BYU have the perception that the good MWC teams are every bit as good if not better than the Big East teams. Look at recruiting rankings and you'll see those teams are ranked higher than all the Big East with the exception of WVU and Pitt (as is Houston BTW).
Now if Utah and BYU leave the MWC, that changes everything and TCU will need to do something to keep its momentum of the past few years, but I can assure you even if you take them, they will continue to look around for other available options, because they aren't going to be happy in a East Coast based conference.
As far as Houston is concerned, I don't understand the affinity. Their football team had been dreadful for a decade before the past few years. They are 20 years removed from anything resembling national prominence. The school is in the middle of a slum and the facilities are dilapidated. They don't draw flies to any sporting events despite being in a city with 4 million people. Somehow, everyone overlooks all that and just sees the market size and a couple of good football teams and all of a sudden they are a prime candidate. IMO, joining the Big East isn't going to change anything about this program. They still won't draw flies, they'll still be in a middle of a slum, and their facilities will still be crap.
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Why the two sides are good for each other
