TCU Still Plans To Join Big East

TCU could legally break its commitment to join the Big East Conference, but has no plans to do so, a source within the administration said Tuesday.

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini and athletic director Chris Del Conte attended a Big East meeting of presidents and athletic directors in New York on Tuesday and expect to officially join the conference, as scheduled, in July.

“I am very confident and comfortable with the position that TCU is in,” Boschini said. “I think in the long run the quality of our athletic department will see us through these changes, and I think we’ll end up in a good position.”

TCU remains dedicated to the Big East, despite Sunday’s announcement that Pittsburgh and Syracuse are headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But, sources said, if the Big East takes another hit, TCU could keep its plans to move or rejoin the Mountain West, where the Frogs have resided since 2005.

Also, TCU wouldn’t necessarily jump at the chance to join a revamped Big 12.

It has been widely reported that Texas’ interest in TCU is minimal because the Horned Frogs add little in the way of television market.

The Big 12, with legions of alumni living in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, considers the region already theirs. Although Oklahoma President David Boren has recently cited TCU as an attractive candidate for Big 12 expansion, BYU is believed to be the leader to replace Texas A&M, which is headed to the SEC.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said after Tuesday’s meeting that the remaining seven football schools and 15 basketball schools, including TCU, have voiced solidarity to stick together, except for Connecticut, which is believed to desire a move to the ACC

On Wednesday, East Carolina announced it had applied to join the Big East from Conference USA.