TCU: Dirty dealing from the Mountain West

TCU thought it was going to host Boise State in 2011, the only season in which both will be in the Mountain West Confference, with Boise State coming in and TCU going out, to the Big East.

The deal originally was presented to be Boise State taking over for Utah’s slot in the Mountain West schedule, since the Utes are headed for the Pac-10. But after Utah’s decision to join the Pac-10, Brigham Young hopped on board the exodus train, too, and is going independent, immediately.

That left the Mountain West with two options: 1) keep the schedule as was, just dropping the BYU games; 2) re-do the schedule.

The Mountain West re-did the schedule and used it for political gain. It made TCU play at Boise State.

Under the original plan, Boise State was going to play at TCU, taking Utah’s spot. The TCU-Boise State matchup is the Mountain West’s marquee game.

Welcome to the cold, harsh reality of conference realignment. Nebraska felt that in 2010, when as an outgoing member of the Big 12, the Huskers felt ostracized in all kinds of conference decisions.

This was an easy decision for the Mountain West. Take care of a school that has joined your organization, or take care of a school that is leaving your organization.

Sorry, TCU. You know I love you. You know I wish you were coming to the Big 12. But you bolt a conference, and you won’t get a lot of consideration from that conference office in your lameduck season and you won’t get a lot of sympathy from college football in general.

Sure, it would be honorable for the Mountain West to treat TCU as fairly as it treats San Diego State or New Mexico or Boise State.