The rumors have been flying all day, but the Big East Conference office in Providence, Rhode Island has made it official: Texas Christian University has joined the Big East as its 17th member beginning with the 2012-2014 academic year. The Horned Frogs will be the ninth football member of a conference that has been much maligned in recent years since Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College left the conference early last decade.
The expansion marks the league's first since 2005, when Louisville, South Florida, and Cincinnati entered the league for football.
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto's comments in the release:
"Our membership is genuinely excited to add an institution of the caliber of TCU to our Conference," stated BIG EAST Conference Commissioner John Marinatto. "Chancellor Boschini and athletic director Chris Del Conte clearly share the same academic and athletic aspirations of our current members and are similarly committed to sponsoring a very highly competitive athletic program. Located in one of the top five media markets in the country, TCU also enables the BIG EAST to extend its media footprint, which already encompasses more than a quarter of the country."