More Conference Shake-Up: TCU Heading East...Big East

There has been a lot of talk this season about the non-automatic qualifiers for the BCS. Mainly TCU, and Boise State. With the Broncos lossing to Nevada on Friday night one of them has been taken care off. The other is looking to end their status by joining a BCS conference.

The Horned Frogs from TCU will join the Big East conference in 2012 and will end their tenure as a non-automatic qualifier in the BCS. At the same time elminating the significance of the move by Boise State to the Mountain West that would make the conference one of the best in college football.

Joining Boise State in becoming part of the Mountain West in the following years will be Fresno State and Nevada who are both leaving the WAC. Just like Boise State the Bulldogs and Wolf Pack will become large parts of what was beginning to look like a great football conference.

The key word is of course beginning. Over the past few months the Mountain West has seen the departures of two it's premier programs. Utah leaving for the PAC 10 following this eason, and BYU leaving to become an independent in football and a Big West member in other sports.

Today the departure of TCU is yet another blow to the Mountain West. While the Horned Frogs are saying that the move makes the most sense because of television revenue, one can only ask themselves if they are running from the conference. Not because they want to be an automatic qualifier, but because of the increase in competition.

Recently there has been a lot of talk about teams like TCU playing against "the sisters of the poor," but the Big East is quickly becoming family. Currently the Big East is the worst of the BCS automatic qualifiers. The conference has not been represented in the national championship game since Virginia Tech in 2000, and this year could have a team in a BCS game without being ranked in the top 25.

Whether or not the move will be a good one for the Horned Frogs remains to be seen. The money will be greater because of the Big East's basketball television contracts, and the BCS will be easier because of the automatic qualification. But is it the right move in terms of the teams who currently represent the Big East. Only time will tell.