Don't think the Big East will treat us any better

[gatorfrog]

I cant prove it, but I would dare say that ESPN is well aware of Texas culture and the historical importance of HS football on friday nights. Its similar to Florida and our football tradition. USF has been asked to do several Thursday night games but Friday is pretty infrequent. Most of our games were on Saturday.
TCU is new and a great addition. Everybody will be wanting to see how they adapt to their new Conference and I would dare say ESPN will showcase that on a stronger time slot then Friday night. I'll put money that you get quite a few saturday night games and a few afternoon games. Probably 1 thursday game, since it seems all BE schools get asked to do one....but it will probably be an away game.

btw...I do love that its already starting to have a few pissing matches on your board. By the time yall hit the field in 2012, I think a few fans and teams could have a good solid hate fest! Welcome to the BE.

I agree that ESPN would be well aware of the Texas HS football culture. Friday Night Lights didn't come out of nowhere, after all (hell, the later seasons' problem is that the writers are going too far in DOWNPLAYING the importance of HS football to a Texas school district).

I grew up in Florida. Florida produces amazing high school football players, but the culture around HS football in Florida is NOTHING compared to the Texas HS football culture.

 

[Texas Otto]

Like Rutgirls...many UConn fans didn't know football existed before about 2004.

BTW for our UConn fan, Cuse is in the tied at #4 for most players in the NFL HOF and we should of had 3 Heisman winners as Jim Brown didn't get it as he was black and Don McPherson finished 2nd behind Tim Brown (of the Notre Dame Hype Machine). In fact Jim Brown had a memorable game versus TCU in the Cotton Bowl...you see football didn't just start 5-10 years like fans of newbie teams like to think.

Mark so elequently said thank you, now if only we could get a Rutgirls fan on this board to tell us about their storied tradition :blink:

 

[Houston Frog]

You cannot play college home games on Friday night in Texas period it won't happen and ESPN knows it no-one would even be in the stadium. Friday night is high school football night and as sure as your goin to church on Sunday your gonna be at a high school stadium on Friday night just the way it is! :biggrin:

I'm sure some posters on here will give me crap about this (2314), but I think you might be overestimating the importance of HS football in the state of Texas. Don't get me wrong, HS football in this state is huge, bigger than every other state I imagine, but it's not as big as you make it out to be. Yes, many small towns shut down to go watch the game, but it's not like the whole state just shuts down and goes out to the games.

I am a huge football fan and I played HS football in TX, but I've been to maybe 2 HS games since I graduated from TCU. We played SMU on a Friday night, and while a couple people complained about it interfering with HS games, it wasn't that big of a deal. I think more people complained about the fact that it was NOT on a Saturday as opposed to complaining about it BEING on a Friday.

 

[joejordan]

It's not so much about the fans, it's about the system. HS coaches often go to college games as invited guests to learn, shmooze and network. College coaches VERY often have busy Friday nights trying to get out to see recruits in action, make their presence known, and network. Friday night college games disrupts this system, which is important everywhere - but supremely important in Texas. Getting scouts from D1 schools to your games is a feather in the hat for TX HS coaches. Getting to be on the sidelines and in the locker room for a couple college games a year is a tremendous opportunity for a HS football coach.

 

[mtmedlin]

I am paraphrasing a bit but many of my Texas friends say this is an accurate quote...ok, they stole it from a British guy but..

"Some say that High School football in Texas is a matter of life and death, I can assure you that it is much more important then that!"

 

[HtownOrange]

I think the OP was talking about how the conference will treat us off the field - related to the way the MWC is currently handling us. I don't think too many here are worried about what will happen on the football field. I have no doubt competition is going to improve, but I still think for most of the conference games that TCU plays in, it will be a bit rougher for the other team. All due respect, of course......

My response was tongue in cheek and qualified itself by stating that the onfield welcoming would be rough. The off field welcoming will be quite good. Most of the schools have excellent character and we do not believe in "win at all costs" (see SEC, Ohio State, and Oklahoma). The reality is that student athletes are STUDENTS first and the conference is consistent. As Syracuse is the only other private school on the football side, we will have more in common from an origination standpoint and student selection process. The State schools hold up to their missions quite well. Cincy had to prove to ND that their academics were of a higher caliber before ND would vote for Cincy to join. A couple state schools have a mission of educating masses (they don't always get the first selelctions) but do a great job of lifting the students up instead of being degree mills. TCU will fit in great with the Basketball schools as they have parallel missions and mindsets, though all cooperation with the them ends at the hardwood!

Football competition wise, you may be surprised, Most BE schools (Rutgirlz excepted) play tough schedules if possible. Syracuse often plays power Big Ten teams, with USC, ND and a few others mingled in. WVU gets a lot of SEC opponents, as does Louisville. Pitt gets ND. SFU has been taking on the Florida big boys. We're all used to the biggest and baddest, fasted and hardest hiting teams around. This is what you will face week in and week out.

 

[HtownOrange]

You TCU guys should join other Big East Blogs and get your feet wet. You will probably "meet" a few guys that are pains in the neck, a few that are cool and some you will meet at a tailgate. Check out TeanMark's blog on tailgating the Big East. Most tailgaters are fun loving and will even take in an opposing fan - though you may take a bit of a ribbing.

Anyway, there are three schools with gloried histries in football: Syracuse, WVU and Pitt. All three are in the top 20 for all time victories. All three enjjoy making each other's life misrable, though Pitt and WVU have made it an art form in teh Backyard brawl, taking pleasure in ruiing the other teams season if for no other reason than they can! Syracuse is much more civil than that (well sorta).

Louiville and Cincy have history in football and are trending in the right direction.

Rutgirls has the longest history in college football, having played in the first game. They hadn't done much since until 2004.

UCOnn and USF are newbies. UConn carries over their Basketball pride to the football side, but we really don't care, they are still just upstarts at this time. USFG is so greatful to be "here" that they think they should score every point possible in thanks. We have to work with them on that point but otherwise, they are good guys.

As for basketball, rule number 1in the BIG EAST is that you have to HATE GEORGETOWN! If you break this rule, you will subject to any and all penalties and fines possible! This stems from John Thompson (longtime G'town coach) who hated everyone. DO NOT VIOLATE THIS RULE. We may be foreced to re-vote, and we really don't want that to happen!

There are several teams with basketball pedigree. Syracuse, Pitt, and WVU bring the football disgust for each other to th ehardwood. Uconn and Villanova join right in. Any of these teams will ruin your day just because you think you have the right to play them. (You actually do have the right to play them, they just really want to ruin somebody's day, though).

Louisville, Cincy, Marquette and DePaul are tradition laden schools who fit nicely into our overall scheeme (well, Depaul will once they starty winning again).

Notre Dame spent many years on skid row following Digger Phelps retirement and before teh joined the Big East. They are a good team, just don't tell them that as they have big heads in football and we don't need that on the basketball side.

Providence, St. Johns, and Seton Hall have winning traditions. St. John's is high on teh all time victories list, you'll love the Madison Square Garden games!

USF is a newbie. Ritgirls, do they play basketball? Not sure. The have a few guys stand on the hardwood, but I can't say I have ever seen them play...

 

[Texas Otto]

I'm sure some posters on here will give me crap about this (2314), but I think you might be overestimating the importance of HS football in the state of Texas. Don't get me wrong, HS football in this state is huge, bigger than every other state I imagine, but it's not as big as you make it out to be. Yes, many small towns shut down to go watch the game, but it's not like the whole state just shuts down and goes out to the games.

I am a huge football fan and I played HS football in TX, but I've been to maybe 2 HS games since I graduated from TCU. We played SMU on a Friday night, and while a couple people complained about it interfering with HS games, it wasn't that big of a deal. I think more people complained about the fact that it was NOT on a Saturday as opposed to complaining about it BEING on a Friday.

First let me state that I agree with what crunch says about the system here in TX. Then let me respectfully state that I don't think you are in the majority on not loving Friday nights at high school games here. I have friends whose kids long ago graduated from Martin, Mansfield, Coppell and they are still season ticket holders for football. I guarantee I will be heading out to Pennington Field to watch Euless Trinity play long after my daughter graduates the Haka and T's Up tradition gets in your blood and take it from a transplant there is no more tradition rich high school football in the nation than right here in Texas!

 

[HtownOrange]

Having lived in several football states, Texas is the most fanatic about Friday night High School football. It's O.K., guys, there is a cure for it, two, actually. College football Saturdays and, that fails, Houston Texans Football. The former is an upper, the latter a downer.