Heading East

TCU announced today that they will be joining the Big East in all sports starting in the 2012 season.  Thats right, a Texas school, located about 400 miles west of the Mississippi will be playing in a conference featuring UCONN, WVU and Syracuse.  Now, given the recent string of non-BCS schools getting the short end of the stick when it comes to the National Championship game, you can't blame TCU for making the jump to a major conference.  What is surprising, however, is that they didn't have a better offer.  The now 10 team Big 12 wasn't interested in adding a new member to replace the recently departed Nebraska or Colorado?  TCU gets national media coverage every day and is located perfectly in Big 12 territory.  Even the expanding Big 10 makes more sense than the Big East.

This appears to be a desperation move by a school who know's what it's like to be snubbed by the flawed BCS system.  If the Big East was their only option, they HAD to take it.  Perhaps if TCU goes undefeated in 2012 they can prove to the world that these non-BCS schools are legitimate title contenders.  If they don't, then perhaps we will see an epidemic of schools jumping ship to the major conferences.  Leaving the likes of the Mountain West without any major attraction.