TCU Football: 10 Reasons Big East Move Puts Horned Frogs in 2013 BCS Title Game
TCU football has reportedly just accepted an invitation to move from the Mountain West Conference to the Big East Conference after next year, for the 2012-2013 college football season.
This is huge news considering Boise State had just accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference.
The shakeup is bound to cause ripples in college football, as two teams of this caliber are going to be followed wherever they go.
TCU hasn't lost a game in two years if you discount their loss against, yes, Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl last season.
The move has some obvious advantages for TCU, and some under-the-radar ones.
Maybe advantageous enough to even put TCU in the 2013 BCS Championship Game.
Here are 10 Reasons the Big East Move Puts the Horned Frogs in the 2013 BCS Title Game.
10. TCU Enters a BCS Automatic Qualifying Conference
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Let's start with the obvious advantage, shall we?
The moment TCU steps into the Big East Conference, they are in better shape than they ever have been.
They are in a BCS Automatic Qualifying conference, in that winning their conference championship automatically qualifies them for a BCS Bowl game.
This is unlike anything the small independent school has ever been a part of, and would likely mean they would have a very strong chance of entering at least a BCS Bowl game in the first year of the move, if not the BCS Championship Game.
9. Horned Frogs Will Have a Leg Up From the Start
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Teams in BCS Automatic Qualifying conferences always seem to get the benefit of the doubt.
Case in point: Boise State had its first loss in two years last week. They dropped to No. 11. Alabama, who was ranked No.1 going into the season, had three losses and only dropped to No. 16.
Strength in schedule determines a lot.
Which brings me to my next slide.
8. Horned Frogs Will Play More Ranked Teams
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Playing more ranked teams- like West Virginia (and possibly Pittsburgh in the coming years)- impresses the BCS computers.
So much of the BCS rankings is determined by strength of schedule. The ability to play more ranked teams and win at the same time would drastically improve TCU's chances of making it to the BCS Championship Game.
Winning against these teams, it so happens, brings me to my next slide.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. TCU's Better Than Rest Of Big East Teams
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Connecticut, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh fans will probably grumble at this, but, at least the last two years, TCU has been the better team, with a perfect regular season record.
I could easily see TCU beating these teams, which gives them a good chance to go undefeated.
Which brings me to my next slide.
6. TCU Might Not Have to Go Undefeated to Qualify
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TCU, along with Boise State, have played under the belief that they would have to go undefeated to have a chance to make it to the BCS Championship Game.
But playing in a Automatic Qualifying conference, it's possible that losing one game would still qualify TCU as a national title team, even if a lesser team goes undefeated during the regular season.
5. Frogs Wont Have to Face San Diego State
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OK, this isn't that big a deal, and TCU is clearly the better team, but San Diego State came the closest to beating TCU this year, losing by just five points, and the Aztecs are indeed a team on the rise.
It would have been a long shot, but if the Aztecs kept improving up to next year, who knows, TCU takes them lightly, and BAM, they're crying "Wee, wee, wee" all the way to their mommies.
Note: That's the San Diego State mascot...either that or this guy is deranged.
4. TCU Is the Farthest School West In the Big East
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Coaches are saying the extra travel to Texas won't bother them, but I doubt it.
TCU is, on average, 1,100 miles from the nearest Big East team. Sure, TCU doesn't mind, given that they have all these advantages to make it to the title game, but there are sure to be some grumblings from Big East teams that were content playing in, oh, I don't know, the EAST maybe?
"Grumble, grumble, grumble," they'll say.
3. Frogs Will Play In a Weaker Overall Conference
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Sure, TCU will be playing some higher-ranked opponents, but don't forget, their inclusion into the Big East now gives the league an odd number of teams.
That means another team has to be added to even things out.
Villanova, Central Florida, and Temple are being reported as possible fill-ins. Having not played a lot of high-ranked opponents and not seeing anything in the likes of TCU, they will likely not fare well.
Advantage: TCU.
High five!
2. Schools Might Separate From the Big East
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Of course, with an odd number of teams in the league, schools might just decide to break away and form their own.
That, of course, would be simply whittling down the amount of teams TCU really has to focus on. Which takes away the element of some surprise little team knocking off TCU.
Advantage: TCU.
1. TCU Won't Have to Play Boise State
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Of course, with Boise State moving to the Mountain West Conference, TCU would have had to play them at some point during the regular season, which is something no team really wants, no matter what the coach says about it being "a great challenge" or something.
Don't forget, TCU lost to Boise State 17-10 in the Fiesta Bowl in its only loss of the last two years.
It's safe to say they could have lost to Boise State again if there was a rematch.
No thanks, us Horned Frogs will hop along to the Big East.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
