Pitt Panthers: How the Addition of TCU Helps Pitt and the Entire Big East

It was announced on Monday that beginning with the 2012-13 football season, TCU will become the newest member of the Big East Conference in all sports.

While the move is big for the Horned Frogs, which finally becomes a member of a BCS Conference, the addition is also a major positive for a football conference that hasn't had many positives thrown their way this season.

TCU won't be the only addition—as Villanova will likely become the 10th football member—but the additions were crucial for the Big East, who had to do something major to fix its flailing reputation on the gridiron.

TCU provides the Big East with what could be a football powerhouse.  You can knock the Mountain West Conference all you want, but anyone that doesn't believe that TCU is one of the top three teams in the nation this season is kidding themselves.

Similar to when the Big East had Miami and Virginia Tech as members, maybe they need a team capable of dominating the conference for a long period of time.  Over the past five seasons TCU's record ranks as one of the tops in the nation.

By adding a dominant program, the talk of the Big East losing its automatic berth becomes nonsense.

Make no mistake about it, the Horned Frogs are worthy title contenders and that should help out the entire conference.

The Big East is getting TCU at a great time, while they are at their highest.  People are talking about the Horned Frogs and it will bring some much needed attention to the Big East and its members. 

More importantly for the conference is the potential to bring in a ton of money.

Right off the bat, you have to think television contracts.  If TCU can stay a dominant program and there is no reason to think they won't, it has the ability to generate a good bit of money for the entire Big East.

Adding a potential national championship contender will become must see television, and not just on the east coast. If the Big East is smart, this is the first thing they will look to take advantage of.

The next thing the Big East should consider is further expansion.  If they add Villanova to get to 10 teams, there is no reason not to consider a jump to 12 programs. Get the number to 12 and then a conference title game will be something realistic.

Again, something to generate money.

Finally, there is the on-field product of the other programs.  One thing teams like Pitt and West Virginia do pretty well is recruit from New Jersey all the way down to Florida.  None of them have success recruiting in Texas though. Its not brain surgery to notice that the Texas talent on whole is much better then most of what the current Big East schools are getting.

It may take time, but there should be a natural carry over effect in the recruiting.  Within time, schools like Pitt, West Virginia and Syracuse should also be able to make there mark in the Lonestar State.

The Big East took a huge hit with the defections of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College. They've managed to survive, but with the addition of a legitimate football powerhouse in TCU, they have the opportunity to thrive.

Now I didn't guarantee success, but the opportunity is now there and it's a gigantic step in the right direction.

Not everything is gift wrapped with the addition of TCU.  There are still some drawbacks, most notably with the travel, but in the end, the Big East will be much better off in the future with the addition of the TCU Horned Frogs.