The announcement that TCU will join the Big East conference for all sports is the big news of the day for the beleaguered conference. With four-loss Connecticut one win from a BCS spot, the rest of the country would prefer that the Horned Frogs join the Big East immediately. But the future, if not the present, is not so bleak for the continuously disrespected group.
For one thing, the improvement this year of Louisville and Syracuse made the conference more competitive from top to bottom. Of course, that is bad for the overall impression of the group as the conference lacks a couple of pushovers to help pad the record of the top boys. But for the conference's future, the return of Syracuse and Louisville to the living will be a boon to a conference needing publicity. The Cardinals, and Cincinnati, need to earn the Big East respect in the Midwest while establishing a football rivalry on par with the one they have in basketball, and Syracuse needs to be good to garner media attention for the conference as a whole in New York City, which feeds the huge number of Orange fans living in the metropolitan area information when the team is good. West Virginia, which is ranked and still alive for the BCS berth, and Pittsburgh are close to be ready for higher rankings but may need coaching changes to achieve that level of success. South Florida (which added the Miami pelt to the one they earned over FSU last year), Rutgers and UConn just have to continue doing what they are doing.
The conference is not as bad off as people think. We will find out in two years when TCU begins play. If they struggle they could prove that the level of play was good. But of they succeed the conference can enjoy a program worthy of the BCS title game. It is a win-win for all.
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