Less than three weeks after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced their moves to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big East was dealt another blow when Texas Christian University announced Thursday it is in discussions to join the Big 12 conference.

Statements from both the school and Big 12 confirmed TCU’s possible move. TCU’s switch to the Big 12 would leave the Big East with 14 schools total, and just six for football.

‘Acting upon a unanimous recommendation of its expansion subcommittee, the Big 12 Board of Directors this morning authorized negotiations with Texas Christian University to become the Conference’s tenth member, and instructed interim commissioner Chuck Neinas to immediately begin discussions with TCU,’ the Big 12 Board of Directors said in a statement. ‘The action of the Board was without dissent. On the advice of legal counsel the University of Missouri did not participate in the vote.’

Last November, TCU, currently in the Mountain West Conference, accepted a bid to become the then-17th member of the Big East. The move would have taken place effective July 1, 2012, in time for next year’s football season.

But after Syracuse and Pittsburgh accepted offers to join the ACC on Sept. 18, conference realignment was brought back to the forefront. Texas A&M announced on Sept. 25 it would be moving from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference, leaving the Big 12 with a need for replacements. And TCU is an obvious target for the Big 12 in terms of geography.

The uncertainty of the Big East may have caused TCU to reexamine its options.

TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini, Jr., released a statement on Thursday regarding the Big 12 negotiations and said what is best for TCU and its student-athletes must be consider ‘in this ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics.’

‘These discussions with the Big 12 have huge implications for TCU,’ Boschini, Jr., said in the statement. ‘It will allow us to return to old rivalries, something our fans and others have been advocating for many years.’

A spokesman from the Big East declined comment on Thursday afternoon, saying the conference was not going to comment while the formal process isn’t complete yet.

But statements from the University of Texas, Baylor University and the University of Oklahoma sound eager to welcome TCU to the Big 12.

‘We’re proud that TCU has been invited to join the Big 12,’ Texas men’s Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds said in a statement. ‘Their commitment to academics and success on the field make them an excellent fit. With a solid budget and strong financial support, they have been proactive at improving facilities. Their close proximity to all conference institutions makes for a comfortable travel situation.’

Baylor Athletic Director Ian McCaw said in a statement Baylor values the more than century-old rivalry it shares with TCU, and fans will be able to take advantage of the short distance between the two schools.

‘The Big 12 has made significant progress today in restoring stability to its membership,’ McCaw said in the statement. ‘We are grateful for the leadership of Interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas along with the Big 12 Board of Director’s for today’s decisive action. (Baylor) President (Ken) Starr has played an extremely important role in this effort.’

Oklahoma President David L. Boren championed TCU as an excellent choice to be the newest member of the Big 12. And he also hinted that the conference realignment carousel may not be finished, either.

‘TCU is an excellent choice as a new member of the conference,’ Boren said in a statement. ‘They bring strong athletics and academic credentials and were enthusiastically and unanimously supported by all of the members of the conference. There could be other additions in the future.’

The Big East was already looking for replacements following the moves of Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and may now have to ramp up replacement talks even more. Many schools have been thrown around in speculation as possible replacements — Temple, Central Florida and Navy perhaps being the primary targets.

Southern Methodist, another school who has been rumored to be in the mix, declined comment on Thursday.

Connecticut President Susan Herbst also released a statement on Thursday regarding conference alignment. UConn is one of the six football schools remaining in the shrinking Big East.

‘Conference realignment continues to be a very fluid situation as we have seen developments and new rumors nearly every day,’ Herbst said in the statement. ‘It is important that none of us here at UConn become too anxious over this situation. We will continue to monitor the national landscape and be in communication with officials from other schools and leaders from around the country. UConn has always competed at the high level of collegiate athletics and will continue to do so in the future.’

mcooperj@syr.edu

—Asst. Copy Editor Andrew Tredinnick contributed reporting to this article.

Published on October 5, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Mark: mcooperj@syr.edu | @mark_cooperjr