(FORT WORTH, Texas) — Texas Christian University has accepted the Big 12's offer to join the conference. The university's Board of Trustees accepted the invitation in a vote Monday.
TCU, the defending Rose Bowl champion in football, agreed earlier this year to leave the Mountain West Conference after this season for the Big East, which has an automatic BCS berth.
The Horned Frogs will have to pay a multi-million dollar exit fee to the Big East. However, because it has not officially joined the conference, it will begin Big 12 play next year.
The move also allows TCU to rekindle rivalries it had in the Southwest Conference, which disbanded in 1996. Athletic director Chris Del Conte says the opportunity is "living proof that dreams do come true."
