Big 12 Membership

[50's PONY]

On the outside looking in
Left-out TCU rebounded nicely

By Kirk Bohls
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Thursday, September 06, 2007

After a nomadic existence for the last 11-plus years that only Don Imus' joke-writer could love, TCU is finally coming home.

For a day.

Texas Christian University's fan base is smaller than Big 12 schools it competes against for possible BCS titles. It has only 55,000 alumni and fewer than 7,000 undergraduate students.

You'll excuse the Longhorns if they don't throw a parade, because Saturday's homecoming at Royal-Memorial Stadium won't be a civil one, given that both football teams are nationally ranked and have serious aspirations for even bolder acclaim.
But any hard feelings are TCU's alone, with the residual bitterness from the great divide that sent Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor to the new Big 12 and the Horned Frogs and three other Southwest Conference schools packing for other destinations. Who could blame TCU?

Pure and simple, TCU got unmercifully left out in the cold because it didn't have the political cachet or big-wig legislative advocates in place that Texas Tech and Baylor did and had fallen behind in the facilities arms race. In fact, had Baylor not been invited, one Big 12 source said SMU probably would have been the choice as a fourth tag-along because of its academics, its bigger name and its Dallas-Fort Worth location.

Even now, should Baylor be kicked out of the Big 12 — and it won't, because the Bears offer a national champion women's basketball program, strong baseball, track and tennis teams and somebody for the rest of the league to beat every football Saturday — one source said the Big 12 would likely try to target Arkansas or possibly Brigham Young as a replacement. TCU wouldn't add another television market because Longhorns, Aggies and Sooners fans already dominate the Metroplex, and such a solid football program would only feature another tough team to beat. What's the upside in that?

But now is TCU's chance for payback, although I'm convinced it'd still rather have a comeback, as in a return to its former classic rivalries, easy-to-reach games and better financial shape.

"I don't know if we could be in a better position than we are right now," said Jack Hesselbrock, TCU's associate athletic director. "Is there still some bitterness? Yes. But it's one of those things that, looking back, turned out for the best. Look at Baylor. Look at us. Do you think we want to trade places with them?"

Possibly, yes.

Because if TCU was in Baylor's position, it wouldn't be Baylor. There's no way to tell, but the guess here is TCU would be more like Tech or Missouri than Baylor, but probably not a Texas or Oklahoma. After all, TCU didn't dominate in the SWC.

But after disastrous, short stays in the Western Athletic Conference and Conference USA, the Frogs are in a perfect spot in the far-flung Mountain West. With rules loosened to help non-BCS conference teams have greater access to BCS games — they need to rank in the top 16 in the BCS standings or ahead of another BCS league champion — and an enhanced television exposure with five of the MWC's 27 national appearances on Versus, Comcast or other networks, TCU is sitting pretty. It should be favored in 11 of its 12 games this fall.

Thanks to a terrific head coach who is a defensive guru, a solid staff and strong recruiting ever since Pat Sullivan recruited LaDainian Tomlinson, Dennis Franchione rode a last-gasp Sun Bowl berth into a statement-making, program-shaping shocker over Southern Cal and Gary Patterson kept the momentum going.

TCU would certainly be competitive in the Big 12. Hey, the Frogs have won their last five games against Big 12 teams. Only Oklahoma has a longer win streak at eight, and it's an actual member of the conference.

TCU is more than happy to be playing amid the respected BYUs and Utahs although having its closest member, New Mexico, a good 900-mile drive away does present some hardship for fans and students. And that can partly explain an average attendance of 31,926 fans last season and only one sellout of Amon Carter's 44,000-seat stadium (last year against Texas Tech) since the 1984 Texas game.

With an alumni base of barely 55,000 and an undergrad enrollment of fewer than 7,000, those numbers don't figure to inflate much, although TCU can rightfully brag about its $150 million in campus construction.

"We say it's Texas Construction University," said Mark Cohen, TCU's director of athletics media relations.

They're building more than a $7 million indoor practice facility and a $13 million athletics complex renovation that includes six suites and 226 club suites. They're laying the foundation for a strong overall athletic program centered around football, but one that also boasts a baseball team that's gone to four straight NCAA baseball regionals and a women's basketball team that has made seven straight NCAA tournament appearances, better than, ahem, any other program in this state.

In football, the Frogs have posted four 10-win seasons in the last five years and have become a Top 25 fixture. What's not to be happy about?

Some might argue that the Mountain West is a nice place to visit, and an even nicer place to dominate, but make no mistake that the Horned Frogs would rather live in the Big 12. Reports suggest they flirted with the Big East and its permanent BCS berth, but were rebuffed.

And TCU can't make the money in a non-BCS conference that a Baylor can where it is. The Bears take home about $6 million a year in just their share of the BCS pot. TCU is lucky to cash a check approaching $1.5 million for its MWC share.

"That's correct," MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson said. "But TCU is certainly an asset to the Mountain West."

However, TCU has more than landed on its feet. It fell into a golden nest. With 90 percent of its roster home-grown — only one starter, Wisconsin wide receiver Derek Moore, is an out-of-stater — the Frogs have a clear recruiting edge here although a study two years ago showed 12 percent of other MWC rosters are Texans, a number that is growing.

That doesn't help TCU either, but the MWC now has four annual bowl tie-ins with a fifth in the Texas Bowl once every four years, and terrific stability, with the addition of the Frogs the only change from its original formation in 1999.

Of course, realignment is always possible, even if Thompson doesn't expect to be looking to Boise State, Fresno State or Hawaii any time soon.

Of course, the ambitious Patterson could up and leave for greener pastures at, say, Arkansas or LSU or somewhere, despite a contract that runs through 2012 for an estimated $1 million a year. For that matter, TCU could head off again as well.

"I think people always have a straying eye," Thompson said. "If someone in our league was offered a spot to play in the Pac-10, I'm not sure they wouldn't go. Why wouldn't they?"

Why, indeed? For now, home is where TCU's heart is, even one that has been broken

[mr. pony]

TCU was worse than SMU right after the SWC breakup. Remember 1-10 in '97? Who knew TCU would suddenly get its act together?
Screw them.

But I hope they beat the hell out of Texas!

[Sam I Am]

Grant Teaff was the Baylor coach who became the Football coaches association leader and was another factor in favor of Baylor getting into the Big 12 over the other private schools.

[Arkpony]

I am jealous of TCU and really mad at our own inept adminstration for their decisions fowwlowing the DP

[Special_Delivery_Smu_Fans]

TCU in many ways should be our role model.

If they can do it, why can't SMU?

Hope the Frogs do well this weekend.

[me@smu]

Sadly that is the truth...we would all love to be in TCU's shoes in terms of the progression of their football team.

Personally they can keep the rest of the university, not much else worth anything.

[DiamondM75]

..Personally they can keep the rest of the university, not much else worth anything.

Line of the day.

[Longtime]

I would hardly call being on Versus "enhanced television exposure."

CSTV isn't much better. It's better to be on at midnight on one of the ESPNs (Ocho?) than on a network most fans have never heard of, can't find or can't get at all. The Mountain West had a deal with ESPN that forced them into some late starting times, especially when the cold weather hits, but at least they were on the map. Walk into the average sports bar and ask them to put on Versus and see the puzzled looks you'll get.

And Grant Teaff had nothing to do with Baylor getting into the Big 12. Neither did Ann Richards. For the last time, it was Bob Bullock, the Lt. Governor and Baylor alum who wielded much power and influence in the legislature. Had UT and A&M bolted alone, they would have seen a lot of their state funding cut off. Reed Arena might still be on the drawing board.

[PK]

For the record...Bob Bullock received his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University in 1955 and held a law degree from Baylor University. Ann Richards was a Baylor alum...so the die was cast for the inclusion of Baylor and TT in the Big 12.

[SMU Football Blog]

And as I have pointed out several times, look at Baylor's record in football the years prior to and at the time of the breakup of the SWC. They were pretty good. Between 1985 and 1995, they were below .500 twice, they won seven games in 1995 and seven games in 1994 and went to a bowl game. Of course, that was also the last time they were above .500.

[SMUstang]

Once again I offer this link as an authoritative source for the breakup of the Southwest Conference.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stor ... a3e1c.html

[SMU Football Blog]

Still love this part:

In February 1994, days before the league dissolved, SMU AD Forrest Gregg privately asked Dodds if the move was imminent. Dodds said yes.

Gregg told SMU president A. Kenneth Pye of the conversation. Pye responded that it couldn't be happening, because the other league presidents hadn't said anything about it. Two days later, it came true.

Pye was so naive. They don't have to put it on the agenda before they stab you in the back.

[EastStang]

Works well for MWC presidents, too. Pye was double naive. He slept while the SWC broke up and then got us into a conference with five members who had happy feet. Why TCU got back into bed with that den of thieves still amazes me! But back to TCU. If we could have admitted L. Tomlinson and a certain Larry Johnson (who went to UNLV) and others to SMU, we wouldn't be having this discussion. We paid the price for the death penalty and then paid it again for 18 more years of handcuffs we put on our own coaches.

[Mustang98]

That feature section on the www.mysanantonio.com makes me sick to my stomach. It truly shows how conceeded the big schools of the former SWC are. Timing is everything and we had poor timing. Pye was so inward looking when it came to SMU. He was so consumed with cleaning house that he woke up one day and the SWC was gone. Naive, naive, naive. I think we all know Turner would not have gone quietly in the night. Turner would have done everything he could to get us in the Big 12.

[NavyCrimson]

I am jealous of TCU and really mad at our own inept adminstration for their decisions fowwlowing the DP

Well said - Arkpony!