Well, after calls, emails, comments, questions and text messages from best friends, old friends, business colleagues, old professors and even the random guy in my building who always finds a way to creepily talk to me in hallway about TCU (STILL not knowing how he knows I went to school there...) asking me about TCU's move to the Big East - I figured this switch was blog-worthy.Yesterday TCU announced at a press conference that on July 1, 2012 it will officially become a member of the Big East Conference. You've got it - the conference that everyone (TCU fans alike!) has moaned and groaned about that has an automatic bid this year to a BCS bowl game - sending an unwarranted UConn to a likely Orange Bowl.
Now, I think I should be beyond thrilled about this move, but I'm still wavering on how I feel. There is no doubt this will immediately mean dollar signs in the athletic programs, sky-rocketing TV time, more respect, improved recruiting leverage, the loss of the "Non-AQ" prefix before our name in all media outlets and the removal of the "little sisters of the poor" from our schedule. Right, Gordon Gee? (PS - I really cannot wait for your Buckeyes to meet another SEC team in New Orleans and get a good ole fashion Razorback & Ryan Mallet ripping- although I'd prefer a Bayou Bengal beat down... Oops, I digress) Moving on...
I kind of feel like the little kid that tastes a REALLY yummy candy for the first time, but then eats 500 of them - and realizes he or she feels sick. I understand the publicity and exposure will be wonderful for TCU, and I think academically we do fit the mold - but a part of me wonders how long the Big East will satisfy our desire to be included in the media as one of the big boys. It may suffice our appetite for now, but what happens when in 6-8 years when the Big 12 (or even the SEC... don't gasp!) seems like a better regional fit? Is this merely a stepping stone in the long process of developing an athletic program? Are we like the confused young 15 year old in high school that changes her wardrobe and hair color with the changing trend as she tries to experiment and figure out who she is? Hmm, yet the confusion and drama ensue.
Nonetheless, GO FROGS! I'm excited to see the future for my alma mater - as we're the classic underdog and small private school, a shining beacon of purple pride drowning in an overwhelming Texas sea of orange and maroon.... Onwards and upwards Frogs! Let's continue to show the state and nation that we belong and we're here to stay - no matter what conference!
