TCU Invited to Join Big 12

By Jonathan Rienstra in Sports on October 6, 2011 at 12:32 pm | No Comments

The University of Texas has confirmed that the Big 12 Conference has voted to invite Texas Christian University to be its newest member, and it appears that TCU is going to take the invitation.

The Horned Frogs of Fort Worth would be the 10th member of the Big 12, which has seen as tumultuous year and a half of conference realignment and sometimes hostile infighting between its member schools. And it looks like Missouri is headed to the SEC any day now.

But TCU will help to reverse the Big 12’s fortunes. For one, adding a team from Texas can help to diminish Texas A&M’s departure to the SEC and help keep the state strong, athletically speaking. What’s more, the Big 12 was able to invite a team within the natural boundaries of the conference.

“We’re proud that TCU has been invited to join the Big 12,” UT Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said in a statement Thursday. “Their commitment to academics and success on the field make them an excellent fit. With a solid budget and strong financial support, they have been proactive at improving facilities. Their close proximity to all conference institutions makes for a comfortable travel situation.”

If TCU joins, expect several other teams to be in contention for invitations. Near the top of the list is BYU, followed by some Big East teams such as Louisville or West Virginia, to bring the total back to 12.

And TCU will give the conference a boost beyond football. They’ve had one of the more competitive baseball squads of the last few years, reaching the NCAA tournament the last eight years.

Also, Joe T Garcia’s is in Fort Worth, and after the games you can get your country fix at Billy Bob’s. If there’s a Texas town more similar to Austin than Fort Worth, I haven’t seen it.

Needless to say, TCU is a natural addition to the Big 12 and a sign that the conference is searching for stability after weathering the storm.

Now we just have to make sure that the UT recruits aren’t tempted by the color purple.Now that they’re in the Big 12, they’re a more direct competitor to our recruits than they were in the Mountain West. They’re about to get even better, we feel. But then, who has ever been scared of purple frogs? Our horns are bigger, too.

Horned Frog photo by ensign_beedrill via Flickr Creative Commons

 

Tags: big 12 conference, Horned Frogs, TCU, TCU Big 12, Texas Christian University