TCU says yes to Mountain West
Officials from both sides hope move merits BCS consideration
09:05 PM CST on Friday, January 30, 2004
By RICK ALONZO / The Dallas Morning News
FORT WORTH – TCU and Mountain West officials joined forces in a union they say they hope grants them something they lack: a tie-in with the Bowl Championship Series.
Before a crowd of about 200 people Friday at TCU's Justin Center, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson welcomed the Horned Frogs, who accepted an invitation to join the conference after departing Conference USA, effective July 1, 2005.
Wearing a purple tie, Thompson said postseason football is an "absolute priority for us." That's what TCU athletic director Eric Hyman wanted to hear.
"The Mountain West Conference wants to be a nationally [prominent] conference," Hyman said. "Their focus is on the BCS. This is what they aspire to be. These are the aspirations of TCU."
Colleges
News releases: TCU | Mountain West Conference
More TCU
TCU becomes the ninth member of the Mountain West and the only school in the Central Time Zone. TCU joins San Diego State, UNLV, BYU, Utah, Air Force, Wyoming, Colorado State and New Mexico. Those schools debuted as the Mountain West in 1999 after breaking from the Western Athletic Conference.
"There's one best fit in the country, and that is Texas Christian University," Thompson said. "We feel we share so many similar goals and visions in not only exposure and marketing and television, but perhaps and hopefully a change in the postseason bowl structure."
TCU's board of trustees approved the move in a unanimous vote. Hyman said football was not the only reason for the decision. He said he hopes he has found a long-term home for the school. The Mountain West will be TCU's fourth conference since 1995, including the Southwest Conference and WAC.
"Stability," Hyman said. "I'm looking for stability."
TCU's move means it will not be reunited with SMU. In November, SMU, Rice and Tulsa announced they would leave the WAC to join C-USA. But TCU officials said they are interested in continuing the rivalry with SMU.
"It's difficult when you go through more leagues and you haven't learned who to hate yet," Hyman said, tongue in cheek. "We were beginning to get that in Conference USA, but now we've got to sort of refocus on that. Eventually you'll begin to develop the rivalries that you hope to have in college athletics."
Thompson said the Mountain West will not invite any other members this year but did not rule out future expansion.
TCU's athletic budget will increase from about $19 million this academic year to about $22 million next year, Hyman said. TCU will spend about an extra $200,000 a year in travel costs in the Mountain West compared with the structure of C-USA.
TCU will pay a fee of about $1 million to join the Mountain West. The exit fee for leaving C-USA hasn't been resolved, Hyman said.
"Although we would have preferred that they stay in the conference, we respect their decision and wish them well," C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said in a statement. "TCU's decision will in no way affect our plans to continue to develop Conference USA into a great league."
Thompson said he expects the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl, which has a contract with C-USA and the Big 12 through 2004, to align itself with the Mountain West in 2005.
Whether the addition of TCU helps the Mountain West get a BCS tie-in remains to be seen. The BCS contract expires after the 2005 football season. Participants in BCS bowls this past season received guaranteed payouts of $14-$17 million, with most of that money being divided among conference members.
Last season's ratings compiled by Jeff Sagarin ranked the Mountain West seventh, two spots ahead of C-USA. TCU's rating of 74.51 would have ranked third in the Mountain West behind Utah (82.18) and Colorado State (74.61). Mountain West members averaged a 71.85 rating.
"We're all soldiers," said TCU football coach Gary Patterson. "I'm going to point my team in a direction, and we're going to try to go do it."
Jerry Palm, who runs CollegeBCS.com and analyzes the BCS, said switching from C-USA to the Mountain West is a lateral move.
"This isn't going to be the kind of thing that suddenly puts the Mountain West ahead of the Big East," Palm said.
E-mail ralonzo@dallasnews.com
the Florida Bombers
"I love the HSBBW"
Original Post
