The announcement upcoming this afternoon that TCU is headed to the Big East has major ramifications for the university. And we'll get into all of that in the next few days.
But one thing of note is that no longer will the TCU football program have to worry that one nonconference loss ends any BCS bowl hopes. Gary Patterson's program has been held to a very high standard in terms of voters for the past few years. One slip-up -- heck, even a five-point win against bowl eligible San Diego State team was a slip-up -- and BCS hopes were dimmed.
And look at this year: Before Boise State's loss to Nevada, it was possible TCU was going to go 12-0 and not make a BCS bowl. Think about that.
Now, that's not a problem. Starting in the 2012 football season, TCU will be playing in a conference that has an automatic bid to the BCS party. UConn is in the driver's seat this season and they have four losses. It means that if TCU loses one game, the season isn't over in terms of playing with the big boys.
This move means TCU has the security of knowing if they win their conferenece, they are in a BCS bowl. Isn't that reassuring for Frogs fans?
(More to come later on all of the other advantages to this deal -- exposure, TV, etc.)