Conference Hokey-Pokey™: TCU jumps to Big 12

♦ TCU headed to Big 12; Implications for Mizzou unclear (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Reflecting the fluid dynamics of realignment, Texas Christian on Thursday is poised to join the Big 12 before it ever made good on a commitment to leave the Mountain West for the Big East next year.

A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed it Thursday, and multiple news reports indicated Big 12 chancellors and presidents voted in the morning to accept TCU and that the deal would be finalized shortly.

This news doesn't really surprise me.  The Big 12 has been scrambling to add teams, and probably hopes the timing of this move will lure MU back into the fold.


Whatever happens, here's a repeat of my post from a few weeks ago about how TCU fits into the Big 12 in terms of Baseball:

♦ Texas Christian University has been mentioned frequently as a possible candidate for Big 12 membership. It's location (Forth Worth, TX) in the heart of Big 12 country makes it seem a natural, and yet that also means they don't really bring much to the table in terms of additional marketplace footprint.

TCU Asst. Coach
Tony Vitello

TCU has been doing well in football, winning conference championships 5 times since 200 - in three different conferences. Yes, TCU has been a serious conference-hopper over the last couple of decades. They've given people every reason to believe they're not averse to jumping to a better deal when it comes along.

But what we care about here at SimmonsField.com is baseball.

• The Horned Frogs have been a consistent contender during the 200s, and have been getting even better over the past few years. Ranked 127th in RPI (boydsworld.com) in 200, they were 20th in 2011; resulting in atruly impressive average RPI ranking of 22nd over the past 12 years.
  

  2011 20th
  2010 17th
  2009 13th
  2008 34th
  2007 34th
  2006 76th
  2005 32nd
  2004 40th
  2003 69th
  2002 47th
  2001 92nd
  2000 127th

• TCU currently has former Tiger player and assistant coach Tony Vitello on their coaching staff, which would be interesting. Of course, that would be only a short-lived friendly rivalry, since Tony V is likely to move on to a head coaching position somewhere within a few short years.

♦ Boone Pickens wants TCU (NewOK.com)

“If I was running the conference, I'd quickly go to TCU,” Pickens told The Oklahoman. The Oklahoma State benefactor, who has deep ties to the state of Texas, worked to keep A&M in the conference but failed.

TCU, which last season went 13-0 and won the Rose Bowl, is leaving the Mountain West Conference and will join the Big East next season.

The Horned Frogs naturally would prefer to be in the Big 12, but Pickens said, “I don't think OU or Texas either one wants 'em.”