Texas Christian University is now in the Big EAST - student athletes???

[underpants]

Sports Radio was merciless about this this morning. As they should be.

Those of you who don't follow college football need to know that TCU has built a great program but they can't get into the BCS bowls (tens of millions of DOLLARS) because they aren't in a "major conference".

Instead of just having the football team join the Big East they want to have all 20 sports programs in the Big East.

TCU has a variety of sports teams - Mens and Womens: golf, track, cross country, swimming & diving. They even have women's rifle and equestrian.
http://gofrogs.cstv.com/index-main.html#00
There are about 9,000 students at TCU
It is 1,700 miles between Ft.Worth and Syracuse. The Big East also consists of Georgetown, St.John's (NYC), Villanova (Philly), Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, South Florida (another odd fit), Marquette (Wisconsin), Providence, Seton Hall, etc.

So the women's tennis team will spend 4 years in airports. Would you subject your daughter (child) to THAT???

The NCAA is a fraud.

[marmar]

1. Calling the Big East a major conference when it comes to football is being charitable.....

As to your larger point, I agree. The NCAA is shameless.

[underpants]

5. Well- the ACC was in the same spot before Florida State joined

Now the ACC champ has a shot at the title.

The ACC ruined their basketball by getting away from the core teams. IMHO. but then I like sports and teams riding in buses not jetsetting around the country.

BTW- my family is Marshall University alums and crazy. Look at the Conference USA- Marshall used to ride to Miami (OH), Ohio U, VMI, etc. now they have to fly to New Orleans (Tulane), Central Florida, and El Paso (UTEP). Ridiculous.

[The Straight Story]

2. TCU will make a lot of money off of this (nt)

[underpants]

7. No they won't - bowl game money is a bigger MYTH than stadium deals

Wetzel and his co-authors sorted through mounds of financial documents related to bowl games and came to a conclusion: "Nobody in their right mind should ever be engaged in a bowl bid. It's a bad business deal for the universities," he told FanHouse.

Wetzel cited Virginia Tech's experience at the 2009 Orange Bowl. The Hokies spent $3.8 million traveling to Miami. Nearly half of that was spent on empty seats.

"Virginia Tech and the ACC were obligated to buy 17,500 tickets for the Orange Bowl, but they only sold 3,342. At $125 a ticket, that's $1,769,750 for empty seats," said Wetzel.

Of course, the Orange Bowl's payout in 2009 was $17 million, so the Hokies should have cleared a tidy $13.2 million dollar profit.

Except they didn't. The payouts go to the conferences, not the universities

http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/10/13/dollars-and-nonsense-losing-money-for-priceless-exposure/

More here
http://books.google.com/books?id=0QrLjDDESawC&pg=PA514&lpg=PA514&dq=va+tech+orange+bowl+lost+money&source=bl&ots=E6sMQRanFR&sig=WBKUTM8zMARhCo2IudtguGg9tYk&hl=en&ei=_KP1TPyFD4WClAe5lpydBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false

[ncteechur]

3. It is not an NCAA issue, it is the fault of the BCS The BCS is crapola!

[muntrv]

4. TCU should join the Big 12, since it is geographically correct.

[rurallib]

11. when the big 12 is on life support?

[Angry Dragon]

6. Look at how many teams will be in the Big Ten

[underpants]

8. 12, There will be 12 teams in the Big Ten and 10 teams in the Big 12

[Angry Dragon]

9. I thought I heard that Notre Dame and either Nebraska or

Oklahoma were joining

[NavyDem]

10. It's Nebraska

They joined the Big Ten, and will play their first season starting in 2011. The Huskers don't have the same issue with bowl games. We sell out our allotment of tickets and buy the opponents. The teams that don't make money on bowl games either do not play in a high enough bowl, or do not have the fan following to make it profitable.

[madinmaryland]

14. Sorry, but Notre Dame is joining the MAC.

:hide:

[Angry Dragon]

18. Nothing to be sorry about

I am not a Notre Dame fan

[JVS]

12. I welcome them to the Big East. We wouldn't need them though if Boston College didn't go ACC

[LostInAnomie]

13. Don't blame the NCAA, blame the BCS.

Other sports don't have near the same problems.

[Zanzobar]

15. For a free education?

Sure as hell. He can study on the plane.

[somone]

16. Well, Texas was going to join Pac-10

It's all screwed up.

[bluedigger]

17. Most conferences are all or nothing.

Blame the BCS, not the NCAA...