Interesting article out of Austin.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/sports/b...man_launch

TCU was plucked for its rich football tradition (read: Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh), richer endowment and regional presence in the Metroplex. It might have been chosen originally over Baylor, had TCU-touting Speaker of the House Gib Lewis remained in power and had Legislature heavyweights Bob Bullock and David Sibley not promoted the Bears.

West Virginia has Don Nehlen and Rich Rodriguez to thank for its appeal as well as being a better television draw than others. Also, it’s the state school. Louisville made more sense from a standpoint of less travel and superior facilities and overall athletic success, but it didn’t quite have the football muscle then that it has now and will always be little brother to Kentucky in its own state.

The whole world revolves around Texas, don't ya know? But until Texas actually beats WVU in a conference sponsored sport, I'm taking his words with a grain of salt...

(06-07-2013 08:28 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  The whole world revolves around Texas, don't ya know? But until Texas actually beats WVU in a conference sponsored sport, I'm taking his words with a grain of salt...

Oh, I see you have come to understand how the thought process works down here. Imagine being another "in state" university and dealing with these Longwhorns.

I live in the DFW area for 2 years. This is nothing new to me...

One still has to wonder about what could have been for the Big East:

Connecticut
Syracuse
Rutgers
Temple
Pittsburg
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Louisville

Memphis
East Carolina
Central Florida
South Florida
TCU
Houston
Boise State
BYU

(06-09-2013 11:07 AM)Wilkie01 Wrote:  One still has to wonder about what could have been for the Big East:

Connecticut
Syracuse
Rutgers
Temple
Pittsburg
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Louisville

Memphis
East Carolina
Central Florida
South Florida
TCU
Houston
Boise State
BYU

I'll pass. That's water under the bridge, and those days will never return. Besides, if I want to wonder what could have been for BEast football, I would imagine what it would be like had The BEast not passed on Penn State. Then perhaps when when they created the football side of the conference they would have stepped up big...

Imagine this conference instead. That would have matched up well with the SEC's 12 school conference...

SOUTH
Clemson
Florida State
Maryland
Miami
Virginia Tech
West Virginia

NORTH
Boston College
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Syracuse
Temple

If you want to go with 14, add ECU and Louisville to the south, and shift WVU north...

I realized that TCU did not belong with the Big East bunch when Villanova was seriously being discussed as a football member. Nothing against Villanova but if the powers in Providence thought that elevating Villanova's football program would help them then they really had no clue about the state of college football. Come to find out, they didn't.