1310 The Ticket on TCU Mt. West and SMU

[Corp]

[quote="Stallion"]...

I believe the jury is still out on TCU's move and in fact I think right now I'd tilt toward the view that the MWC is in the best long term interest of TCU.


Again Stallion is right on. The MWC is by far

the more desirable conference for TCU.

[Mountain Mustang]

Why Corp?

Ease of travel? Oh wait, no they don't have that.

Abundance of natural/regional rivalries? Wait they don't have that either.

Abundance of bowl tie-ins? Now we're 0 for 3 vs. CUSA.

Presence of a nationally televised championship game? Now we're 0 for 4.

To me it seems that this wasn't the best move for TCU. Please tell me why the "MWC is by far the more desirable conference for TCU" because I don't see it.

Does the MWC help TCU in recruiting? I can't see how, but I'd love to hear a good reason this would be the case.

Is the MWC a more respected conference than CUSA?

Deepellumfrog seems to think that being associated with larger state schools will help TCU as well. Will someone please explain why this would be true?


Seriously, I'd love to hear what the theories are on these questions so I could better understand the opposing viewpoint.

[deepellumfrog]

Why Corp?

Ease of travel? Oh wait, no they don't have that.

Abundance of natural/regional rivalries? Wait they don't have that either.

Abundance of bowl tie-ins? Now we're 0 for 3 vs. CUSA.

Presence of a nationally televised championship game? Now we're 0 for 4.

To me it seems that this wasn't the best move for TCU. Please tell me why the "MWC is by far the more desirable conference for TCU" because I don't see it.

Does the MWC help TCU in recruiting? I can't see how, but I'd love to hear a good reason this would be the case.

Is the MWC a more respected conference than CUSA?

Deepellumfrog seems to think that being associated with larger state schools will help TCU as well. Will someone please explain why this would be true?


Seriously, I'd love to hear what the theories are on these questions so I could better understand the opposing viewpoint.

If there is a BCS anti-trust suit, or action by congress, who has the backs of the CUSA? We get New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Nevada, and probably Colorado.

Bowl tie ins, we have 3 to divide among 9 teams, you have 4 to divide among 12. Seems pretty even too me.

Is the MWC more respected than CUSA. I would point to the 10,000+ discrepancy in avg attendance in football, as well as the fact that currently- the MWC has 2 top 25 schools, CUSA....still looking..... nope, nada, zilch. When Cincy, Louisville, Depaul, et al left, it stopped making sense in comparison to MWC, before that, it was close.

While it would be nice to have more regional rivalries - what changes? We still play you pretty much every year. Throw in a few regional non conference Big 12 games, and we are good to go. Is it perfect? Hardly. Is it better than CUSA? Most assuredly

[FroggieFever]

Attendance for opposing teams is up over 500%; every single one of our games was televised.

[Mountain Mustang]

Solid points about attendance and non-conference rivalries.

FYI we had 7 bowl tie-ins this year according to the C-USA website. The Hawaii bowl and Texas bowl (in Houston) I believe are conditional. This year C-USA had 5 teams bowling out of 12. MWC had 3 of 9, percentages favored us at least this year.

Since TCU is the team in question and we're arguing which conference is best for TCU you can't really use the "MWC has 2 top-25 teams" argument when you're one of the top 25. If you were still in the CUSA then it'd be even at 1 team from each conference in the top 25. Still MWC has one team other than TCU in the top 25 which, granted, is more than the C-USA has. I just looked it up and TCU isn't in the BCS Top 25, but are in the AP, Coaches and Harris, so your ranking's somewhat marginal anyway.

Sorry, you're going to have to explain the whole BCS anti-trust thing to me to help make that point.

[PhirePhilBennett]

It doesn't appear to be hurting their attendance either.....I believe that they averaged around 30K per home game this year.

what was their CONFERENCE attendance? They sold out the TECH game recall

[Three Putt]

It doesn't appear to be hurting their attendance either.....I believe that they averaged around 30K per home game this year.

what was their CONFERENCE attendance? They sold out the TECH game recall

You want to compare SMU's CONFERENCE attendance to TCU's? They would win that contest as easily as they won their bowl game last night.

[J.T.supporta]

If there is one thing that TCU has that SMU doesnt have is a big fan base (students) for their sports events.

This girl I know that goes to TCU told me she hates watching football but yet still goes to every TCU home game.

I wish we had devoted fans like TCU does.

[FroggieFever]

Opposing Attendance

Brigham Young University
9,500 at 5:00 on a Thursday

Air Force Academy
5,000

San Diego State University
600

[mustangxc]

MWC has 4 bowl tie-ins and 4 teams in bowl games this year:
BYU Las Vegas Bowl
Utah Armed Forces Bowl
TCU Poinsettia Bowl
New Mexico New Mexico Bowl

[Sam I Am]

TCU didn't leave the CUSA to avoid SMU. That's just BS the Ticket used to provoke interest in their broadcast. As for the advantages for TCU being in the MWC, that is their business gamble to get into the BCS. It might work for the Frogs, but SMU doesn't think it would be in the ponies interests to try to do the same thing. Back when the WAC had 16 teams and SMU was associated with the teams that have become the MWC, we did not benefit from games with them any more than we do with our CUSA schedule. As long as both the MWC and CUSA are non-BCS, then SMU is in the right conference for our palying interests.

[EastStang]

Obviously, BYU is the Notre Dame of the LDS Church and has a huge following and bring nearly 10,000 fans to any stadium. They also have their own TV deal on the LDS TV network (available on DirecTV). AF is a service academy with a National following. Other than that not much else to brag about out there in Billy Goat country. BYU would be the one team in the MWC that might get a bid from a BCS conference based upon attendance and following. That is the one big risk to TCU is that if BYU leaves, TCU is back in a WAC like conference. And come on TCU, to brag about every game being televised on an extra pay network "mtn." that no one gets is stretching things a bit. I will give the Frogs credit for a loyal following from the cowtown community. We don't have that. Until we start winning, we won't.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

Obviously, BYU is the Notre Dame of the LDS Church and has a huge following and bring nearly 10,000 fans to any stadium. They also have their own TV deal on the LDS TV network (available on DirecTV). AF is a service academy with a National following. Other than that not much else to brag about out there in Billy Goat country. BYU would be the one team in the MWC that might get a bid from a BCS conference based upon attendance and following. That is the one big risk to TCU is that if BYU leaves, TCU is back in a WAC like conference. And come on TCU, to brag about every game being televised on an extra pay network "mtn." that no one gets is stretching things a bit. I will give the Frogs credit for a loyal following from the cowtown community. We don't have that. Until we start winning, we won't.

BYU fans support the team win or lose. TCU fans during the Pat Sullivan days were nowhere to be found. Most schools have good fans when your winning.

[Stallion]

when is Phil Bennett going to start taking advantage of this "huge" mistake made by TCU in recruiting-because this is the third year since the decision that TCU has left SMU in the dust in recruiting. Almost all TCU recuits received several quality offers most from several BCS schools.

[PhirePhilBennett]

when is Phil Bennett going to start taking advantage of this "huge" mistake made by TCU in recruiting-because this is the third year since the decision that TCU has left SMU in the dust in recruiting. Almost all TCU recuits received several quality offers most from several BCS schools.

Mutually Exclusive events. Proof of one does not negate the other.

TCU made a mistake to leave...they would be in the exact same situation had they stayed in CUSA...just barely out of the BCS.

Last year, had they beaten SMU (CUSA), having beaten OU, they would have played in the BCS...that would have occurred regardless of which conference...so why leave to a lesser watched, lower paying TV package?

They sincerely thought that with them and UTAH, they would supplant the Big East as the automatic bid in the BCS...

Problem is, LAST YEAR, MWC was a horrible conference. The number two team went 6-5.

Well folks, three reasons why that MWC won't get the BCS now: WVa, UL, and ...Rutgers.

And that is just perception, because the bottom 4 of that conference are some of the sorriest teams in the country (Big East).

(MWC lost to two 1-aa's this year I might add)

A reason given for TCU's departure TO CUSA from the WAC: they didn't want to play in the WAC if you recall - with all the travel out West....welll a few short years and they are happy to be there?

How are they going to feel when the MWC adds Boise State, Fresno, and Nevada? Then they'll really love that travel...

Whenever they 'justified' the cost, they figured that it would 'cost' the athletic department an 'additional' $400k per year over CUSA...well, that was the OLD CUSA, not the new CUSA that they were leaving. The NEW CUSA has the divisions and fewer non-Football teams (which COST a ton of money). So, they are out there spewing garbage when they compare costs...

They also didn't figure on virtually every NEW CUSA team re-committing to facilities and hiring better coaches... (Rice, Tulsa, Houston, SMU, UCF, ECU and more all have significantly upped their facillities in the past 2-3 years).

If Patterson can keep the recruiting going, then he may survive...but if he has a disaster year...then watch out. He will lose his mojo...

Now, what happens to TCU if THEY lose Patterson?