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The move to the Big 12 and a totally renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium have elevated TCU football to the big time, and Horned Frogs fans are ponying up to be a part of it this fall.

The school announced Wednesday that it has sold out of season tickets, having hit a school-record 30,000.

It's the third consecutive season that TCU has set a new season-ticket mark, with 22,500 sold in 2011 eclipsing the 19,143 in 2010.

"We are incredibly proud of the Horned Frog Nation," TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte said in statement. "With the momentum in our program under (head coach) Gary Patterson, the new Amon G. Carter Stadium set to open this fall and the excitement throughout TCU, Fort Worth and the entire Metroplex with our Big 12 membership, this is an incredible time to be a Horned Frog.

"We truly thank everyone for allowing us to achieve this milestone."

TCU has sold out its last eight home games and 10 of the last 14. The Frogs open the landmark 2012 season at home Sept. 8 against Grambling State and play their first home Big 12 game Oct. 6 against Iowa State.

TCU's 2012 football schedule
Sept. 8 vs. Grambling State
Sept. 15 at Kansas*
Sept. 22 vs. Virginia
Sept. 29 at SMU
Oct. 6 vs. Iowa State*
Oct. 13 at Baylor*
Oct. 20 vs. Texas Tech*
Oct. 27 at Oklahoma State*
Nov. 3 at West Virginia*
Nov. 10 vs. Kansas State*
Nov. 24 at Texas*
Dec. 1 vs. Oklahoma*
*Big 12 game

I've been inspired by the boys at the Big Ten Blog, and this should be a fun walk-through each week in the new-look Big 12 next season. I'll pick one game a week during the season that I'd attend if it were entirely up to me. I don't make the call, and things change as games are played, of course. I'll include road nonconference games, too.

• Week 1: West Virginia vs. Marshall
• Week 2: Kansas State vs. Miami
• Week 3: Texas at Ole Miss
• Week 4: Kansas State at Oklahoma
• Week 5: Texas at Oklahoma State
• Week 6: West Virginia at Texas
• Week 7: Oklahoma vs. Texas at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas
• Week 8: Kansas State at West Virginia
• Week 9: Notre Dame at Oklahoma
• Week 10: Oklahoma State at Kansas State
• Week 11: Kansas State at TCU
• Week 12: Oklahoma at West Virginia
• Week 13: Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

Here's the Week 14 slate in the Big 12:

• Oklahoma State at Baylor
• Kansas at West Virginia
• Texas at Kansas State
• Oklahoma at TCU

My pick: Oklahoma at TCU

Really, really tough call here. I may do some research between now and then and try to be two places at once. Ultimately, this one will come down to what the Big 12 standings look like at season's end.

I could easily see Kansas State and Texas both a) play for a game with serious Big 12 title implications and b) play the Big 12 game with the fewest pass attempts since, uh, a long time ago.

For now, though, I'll go with two teams with two of the best offenses in the Big 12 and close my Big 12 regular season with another visit to newcomer TCU.

The Sooners' linebackers are solid, but face a tough task in Matthew Tucker, Ed Wesley and Waymon James, the best trio of running backs in the Big 12, who all topped 700 yards and 100 carries in 2011. Quite the platoon, no doubt.

Oklahoma could have a lot on the line in this one, and one final game away from home for senior Landry Jones, who's improved away from Owen Field tremendously throughout his career. TCU's defense wasn't outstanding in 2011, but Gary Patterson's staked a claim as a defensive coach, and this could be a game that gives the Horned Frogs a chance to prove themselves and perhaps earn a Big 12 title on the final weekend of the season.

It'd be quite the dream scenario for the boys in purple. Oklahoma's been by far the best Big 12 program in the history of the league. Now, the Sooners come to town with the Big 12 title on the line?

What an atmosphere that would be in brand-new Amon G. Carter Stadium. I know the Horned Frogs will be dreaming about that one all season if the wins start rolling in.

Could TCU win a Big 12 title in its first season in the league? Could Oklahoma wrap up its eighth since 2000? I can't wait to find out.

Earlier this week, the Sporting News ranked the Big 12 coaches from top to bottom, but later on, it released its rankings of the nation's coaches from top to bottom.

How'd the Big 12 stack up?

Better than the rest of the competition.

Alabama's Nick Saban topped the list -- argue with that at your own risk and UMass' Charley Molnar brought up the bottom.

Where do the Big 12 boys rank?

• No. 5: Bob Stoops, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Gary Patterson, TCU
• No. 10: Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State
• No. 11: Bill Snyder, Kansas State
• No. 16: Mack Brown, Texas
• No. 40: Charlie Weis, Kansas
• No. 41: Art Briles, Baylor
• No. 44: Dana Holgorsen, West Virginia
• No. 48: Paul Rhoads, Iowa State
• No. 50: Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech

That's everybody well above the top half of the line.

From the Sporting News:

• The Big 12 coaches have by far the best average ranking: 27.2, which crushes the second-best SEC’s average ranking of 43.3. Next in line: the Pac-12 (43.8), ACC (45.6) and Big Ten (46.8).
• In our top 25 are five coaches apiece from the SEC and Big 12, four apiece from the Big Ten and Pac-12, and two apiece from the ACC and Mountain West.

What do you think?

For me, Stoops is where he needs to be. I might bump Patterson down a few spots, and Snyder up a few, just outside the top five. If someone can explain to me exactly how Weis should be above Briles, I'm all ears.

Briles has built a legitimate program in a place where it looked impossible. Weis' history as a head coach is taking a place where it should be impossible to lose, and eventually declining it until he was fired. Briles should be near the top 25.

I'd definitely move Paul Rhoads up about 10 spots, too. You could probably move Mack Brown down a couple spots, based on the hiccup in Texas' run lately. It's still to early to get a great feel for where Holgorsen should be.

What would you change?

2011 overall record: 11-2
2011 conference record: 7-0
Returning starters: offense: 6; defense: 7; kicker/punter: 0

Top returners
QB Casey Pachall, RB Waymon James, DL Stansly Maponga, RB Ed Wesley, RB Matthew Tucker, WR Josh Boyce, LB Kenny Cain, DB Jason Verrett

Key losses
LB Tank Carder, LB Tanner Brock, S Tekerrein Cuba, S Johnny Fobbs, WR Antoine Hicks, S Devin Johnson

2011 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Waymon James* (875 yards)
Passing: Casey Pachall* (2,921 yards)
Receiving: Josh Boyce* (998 yards)
Tackles: Kenny Cain*(72)
Sacks: Stansly Maponga* (9)
Interceptions: Tank Carder, Kris Gardner, Greg McCoy (2, none return)

Spring answers

1. Filling a hole at linebacker: TCU was ready to lose Tank Carder, but the loss of Tanner Brock was unexpected. Thus, TCU entered spring with big questions at linebacker. Danny Heiss and Joel Hasley have stepped in to help fortify a position with a lot to prove in 2012. TCU has a feel for who its guys will be, but are those guys good enough?

2. Beware of the TCU receivers: TCU already felt good about Josh Boyce and Skye Dawson after 2011, but sophomore Brandon Carter is bigger and better this spring. LaDarius Brown may join the fold as a big factor, though. It's not impossible for him to become one of the team's best targets. Casey Pachall has to love adding a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder to his targets, and freshman Kolby Listenbee proved he can contribute right away after enrolling early this spring. He'll play.

3. A change in identity: There's no doubt TCU has big questions on defense, especially at linebacker and in the secondary. But offensively? The Horned Frogs have to shore up the offensive line, but its skill-position players are as deep and as talented as any in the Big 12. It's not often that offense has to carry the load for a Gary Patterson team, but it looks like that'll be the case this year.

Fall questions

1. How will TCU handle the jump? Complain about the question all you want, Frogs. It's not that anyone's beating it into the ground, it's that TCU hasn't had a chance to answer it. Fact: The Big 12 will be much more difficult than the Mountain West Conference. TCU brings back a good amount of talent that's built to have success in the Big 12 immediately. Can they do it, though? I'm betting yes, that TCU will flirt with double-digit wins.

2. Will the secondary, especially the safeties, improve? TCU's rise under Gary Patterson has been marked by suffocating defense, but TCU slid to a finish outside the national top 30 in total defense last season after leading the nation in total defense in 2009 and 2010. The loss to Baylor personified those struggles more than any game all season. Patterson wasn't happy with his secondary this spring, either. The bad news: There are lots of Baylors in the Big 12. The good news: Safeties coach Chad Glasgow is back after serving as defensive coordinator at Texas Tech for one season.

3. Can TCU handle gut-punching defensive losses? The Horned Frogs suffered the biggest off-field scandal in the Big 12 this offseason when four players were arrested in a campus drug sting. That's a problem of its own off the field, but on the field, TCU still has to replace 2011 big contributors in Tanner Brock, Devin Johnson and D.J. Yendrey. How much will those losses hurt in the fall?

Bobby Petrino is out at Arkansas and the Hogs need a new man.

Colleague Travis Haney broke down a few of the possibilities and two Big 12 coaches cracked the list. You'll need ESPN Insider to see them all, but here's what he had to say about the Big 12 candidates:

Gary Patterson, TCU:

Many have wondered what sort of job it would take to get Patterson to leave TCU, where he makes a very comfortable living (reportedly between $2-3 million) and wins a bunch of football games.

Why not now and why not Arkansas? TCU is embroiled in an uncomfortable drug scandal, which could force Patterson to suspend or lose several players this fall and affect recruiting in the near future. Additionally, while the move to the Big 12 is certainly a boost for the school, it makes winning all the more difficult for Patterson.

My take: Hard for me to see this one. It's not the right time for Patterson to leave. He's the chief reason TCU is in the Big 12 (consider the difficulty of doing that, by the way), but after a decade-plus of hard work, why leave now, right when he has TCU on the doorstep of becoming a true elite team? I don't buy it.

Paul Rhoads, Iowa State:

Like Patterson, Rhoads has a defensive background. Perhaps that doesn't matter a great deal in the long run, but Long would be wise to find someone, if he can, to lead the loaded, offensive-minded 2012 team. If the Razorbacks go the interim route this season and open things up to a full search this winter, then both Patterson and Rhoads could become leading candidates.

My take: I'm not sure Arkansas could sell the Rhoads hire after Petrino. You won't find a coach liked by more people in the profession and by those who cover the sport. Even if Arkansas did want him, I'm not sure it's the right job for Rhoads. He just signed a 10-year, $20-million contract extension. It's not impossible, but it's hard for me to see Arkansas getting so far down on their list that Patterson and Rhoads get offers and choose to leave.

FORT WORTH — Inside TCU's team meeting room, an all-white triangle awaits some new colors come fall.

Well, one new color if the 2012 season goes TCU's way.

At the bottom sits the small things like keeping teammates accountable. Maybe its a rep in practice or on the bench press. He wants chemistry and a family atmosphere, as well as a good attitude.

Do that, and you've established the bottom rung of Gary Patterson's famed pyramid. The white base earns a full purple coat.

Above it comes a call to prepare in game weeks, a demand for mental toughness and a tradition of physical play that TCU has built its program upon.

Players sign the outside to show a promise of commitment to what the pyramid imposes.

This year, though, things are a little different.

The names of TCU's nonconference opponents — Grambling, SMU and Virginia — sit below a demand for the Horned Frogs to "Leave No Doubt."

Around Fort Worth, Patterson's Pyramid is a well-known commodity. Across the Big 12, though, get to know it well. You might not see it in person, but TCU's opponents will see its results. And in the past, they've been excellent.

If TCU suffers a loss, the purple triangle gets an ugly white block in the middle.

At the top sits a call: Go to a BCS bowl game and win.

TCU accomplished that in the 2010 season. Above that, though, sits one final goal: "#1 National Champions."

TCU strung together a 13-0 season in 2010 after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, but was denied a chance to play for the title by the BCS.

After returning home, Patterson couldn't rob his team of what it had achieved. It did everything it could.

Patterson colored in the top triangle to cheers and framed the all-purple pyramid, hanging it outside his office in the football facility.

In conference play, though, there's a new list of teams — certainly one that's welcomed. It's tougher. TCU's slogan for 2012 — it's hanging above the pyramid in purple print — is "Make It Personal."

Protecting home turf in conference play takes up the next level of the pyramid with a list of each opponent who will suit up at a rebuilt Amon G. Carter Stadium.

Teams that win big do it on the road. Conference road games take up the higher block on the pyramid.

Simple postseason goals — get to a bowl game, win and earn a top-25 postseason ranking — make up the block before the biggest goals.

The time to achieve those will come in September. For now, TCU is working on the building blocks while the pyramid remains white.

"We’ve got a long ways to go to get where we want to get to. The only way we’re going to get there is hard work, keep our nose down, understand we play one game at a time, just like we always have on the pyramid," Patterson said.

"But the top and the bottom have never changed."

TCU's means to reach the top, though?

Thanks to a new league home, they're more than they've ever been for Patterson.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- I'd been to TCU before, covering both baseball and basketball at different times over the past few years.

However, I've never covered or attended a football game at TCU or really gotten a good look at the stadium and facilities. That changed on Tuesday, when I made my first football-specific visit to campus and got a tour from team spokesman Mark Cohen.

So, what was the verdict?

Here's a few thoughts:

• First things first: How does TCU stack up? Quite well. Texas and Oklahoma are the gold standards in the Big 12, and other than the lack of an indoor facility (which is admittedly a pretty big deal), Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are right there with them. Facilities aren't all about the bottom-line attendance number in your stadium. TCU isn't on the level of those four teams, but the Horned Frogs won't enter the Big 12 with any huge needs in football. They're right on with the rest of the league in facilities, if not better in some areas. The Horned Frogs will open a brand-new locker room in late July or August, and though I doubt it'll be on the level of Oklahoma State, Oklahoma or Texas, it's sure to be a solid addition.
• The indoor facility is large and high-quality, just as good as what Oklahoma has, and better than Texas' bubble alongside I-35. The first Big 12 logo on campus actually went up in TCU's indoor facility, which like many others, has the program's bowl games, award winners and All-Americans honored on the walls of the facility.
• Doubt the quality of the indoor facility? Well, it seemed to be OK for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who used it to prepare for (and lose, but never mind that) Super Bowl XLV in February 2011. TCU actually went out of its way to paint the end zones on the outdoor practice fields like the Steelers' home end zones, but then the infamous ice storm happened and coated the campus white. The Steelers never got to see the paint job.
• TCU also has a new 20,000-square-foot weight room that can fit multiple teams. Former players come back often to use it, too. In fact, on Tuesday, former TCU LB Tank Carder was getting a workout in with some former teammates in preparation for the draft.
• The new stadium won't be big -- capacity is set for 45,000 -- but it should be one of the nicest in the league when it's finished. Easily in the top third. The same group that designed Cowboys Stadium designed the $164 million upgrades to Amon G. Carter Stadium, which has 20 rows ringing the lower bowl before giving way to six $15 million suites on the west side that are just 20 rows up. Nobody else in the Big 12 has anything like that. On the east side, the first 20 rows will be all students from goal line to goal line, similar to what you'd see at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That'll pay off, and the stadium is mostly bowled in now, which should make it quite a bit louder. You can see an interactive design mockup of what it'll look like on TCU's website. (Give it a bit to load.)
• This whole Big 12 thing isn't just a one-way deal. The Big 12 needed TCU, and TCU wanted the Big 12 badly, but the league picks up another big positive. I'll let TCU coach Gary Patterson explain, and I'd second everything he said. "In a lot of ways, TCU is the best destination in the Big 12. Austin is pretty good, very crowded on the freeways but you’ve got a chance to come here on a Wednesday if you’re from Iowa State, and go to a Ranger game early in the season, go to the Galleria, play two days of golf, go out to eat, go to the Stockyards, go downtown, then watch the TCU game and watch the Cowboys on Sunday. Then people want to come back. It’s a slam dunk for Fort Worth and TCU."
• Patterson also added that like the Super Bowl, it's up to Fort Worth to hold up its end of the bargain for incoming Big 12 fans. "We’ve got to do our part on and off the field as a university and as a city, but just like preparing for the Super Bowl, we should be preparing for the Big 12. And I think we are. The city is preparing. TCU is preparing and my job is to prepare the football team, and that’s what we’re trying to do right now."
• TCU had recruits in town this week, and as has become a recent custom, all the TVs in the facility were playing the 2011 Rose Bowl on repeat, when TCU upset Wisconsin. Nice touch, Frogs.
• In the wake of the Declan Sullivan tragedy at Notre Dame, TCU installed four permanent practice video towers on its practice fields. There's a lot of interest in this around the Big 12, but not everybody's gotten around to installing them.
• Look for TCU to unveil some new flashy uniforms from Nike in the coming months. The company has big plans for the Frogs, who already had a special helmet for the Rose Bowl and have worn Pro Combat unis in the past.

FORT WORTH, Texas -- Early in Tuesday's practice under an overcast sky, a fitting anthem blared.

"You know where you are?" screeched Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. "You're in the jungle, baby."

Nevermind that the song's next line prophesied death for the newcomer. TCU is officially preparing to enter the Big 12.

Welcome to the jungle, indeed. Hope you brought a machete.

Preparations start now in the spring for Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs. As TCU transitions into an AQ conference, it must tackle the No. 1 criticism of any non-AQ team: depth.

"Twos and threes win championships. Everybody loses ones," Patterson said. "How do your twos and threes play?"

He's already undergoing his third conference move as he prepares for his 13th season as TCU head coach. The program moved from the WAC to Conference USA after Patterson's first season and from C-USA to the Mountain West in 2005.

Patterson already has every Big 12 game from 2011 for viewing on his home laptop.

"Instead of watching 'CSI: Miami,' I’m watching Oklahoma State," Patterson said. "That’s what you have to do. There’s a lot of preparation. It’s not like we’ve been playing these teams 7-8 years and you know what they do. You’ve got to start preparing right now."

The same is true on the recruiting trail, where TCU cracked the national top 25 with its latest class. The Horned Frogs could see those dividends multiply with its new home in one of college football's best conferences, where former Southwest Conference rivals Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas reside along with new foes Oklahoma and Oklahoma State from the former Big 8.

"We’ve always recruited to play in the Big 12, because we knew if we could recruit to play in the Big 12, we could have a chance to win in the Mountain West," Patterson said. "So, the only big difference is now we’re recruiting kids and people can’t say, 'Well, you’re not going to go to TCU because you’re not in the Big 12.' Well, now we are in the Big 12."

TCU looks ready to grow, and if prospects in the Metroplex don't want to come along? Well ...

"We're like the girl next door. If they're not careful in the Metroplex, pretty soon they are going to go three hours down the road," Patterson said. "They are going to grow up and we are going to grow up and be beautiful and they are going to wish they would have went out with us because somebody else is taking them to the prom."

Yeah, but it's not all boutonnieres and roses (or Rose Bowls). Those recruiting inroads come with a price: a schedule that's likely to feature five preseason top-20 teams.

TCU can have its new stadium, undergoing a $164 million upgrade, including six $15 million suites 20 rows from the field (it will seat 45,000 when it's finished before the 2012 season). It can have its new locker room with pristine wood lining each player's space along with a cushy seat to park after long practices.

That doesn't change the obvious truth.

"All that doesn’t make any difference if you don’t win," Patterson said. "So my goal is to grow up the best football team I can and win.

"That’s what we’re doing right now."

We'll find out in the fall if Patterson is succeeding, but he's got the pieces. His Horned Frogs return an all-conference quarterback in Casey Pachall and his top three targets, along with an outlandish three 700-yard rushers from last year's team.

The big job this spring is patching together a defense that took a step back in 2011. It fell on its face when three starters were arrested in a campus drug sting and have been consequently "separated" from the team until the legal process plays out.

"The thing I like best about this team is they competed hard but they still like each other," Patterson said. "But for two hours, you’ve gotta hate each other. You’ve gotta learn."

His team is learning, but the fall tests will be much more difficult.

Will TCU pass or fail?

The discussion comes up every year, especially in years like 2008, 2009 and 2011 when the Big 12 mounts a serious threat at toppling the SEC's run of national title wins.

So what separates the two leagues? TCU coach Gary Patterson was asked the question this weekend. He's a Big 12 newcomer, and his answer confirms what you've probably heard before, but from one more source.

"There are a lot of good players every where else. If you look at the NFL per capita, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi they put out more NFL players than anywhere else in the country," Patterson told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It's the body types in the regions of the United States that make a difference, too. You are going to find the skill players, but what we don't have as much in this state is the size of bodies of offensive and defensive linemen that the southeast part of the United States has. It's the gene pool."

I agree with Patterson. In the high-stakes games we've seen in the past few years, beefy linemen like Nick Fairley at Auburn and Marcell Dareus at Alabama have proved too much for spread offenses like Oregon and Texas.

But for those across the Big 12, Patterson's latter comments should be cause for concern.

Texas brought Bo Davis from Alabama to coach the team's defensive tackles and Stacy Searels to coach the offensive line. This year, both Davis and Searels will have junior-college transfers to coach.

Traditionally, the more mature-bodied talents show up on campus ready to contribute and have been staples of championship SEC defenses.

Texas' Brandon Moore has been described by teammates as "unstoppable" this offseason. Apparently, word has gotten out.

"Alabama is playing with 350-pound guys. Like the guy who just transferred to Texas; he's 6-7, 340. They ain't had 6-7, 340 guy forever that can run like he does," Patterson said. "(The state of Texas) has skill players. It doesn't matter whether it's 1-A or 5-A, they can all run. I'm not knocking what we do here at all. It's just a different body type."

Patterson's right, but could Texas be the first step in a changing game? Moore and offensive lineman Donald Hawkins are just the first.

Will they be the last? If either has a big impact, you better believe there's no way others won't follow suit, and we could see a whole lot of Big 12 teams gunning for those highly recruited jucos in the South.

New Big 12 member TCU doesn't traditionally hold a formal spring game, but instead holds a controlled scrimmage that is open to fans and media.

That's changing this year, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

TCU is doing away with the spring scrimmage for fans and moved the final scheduled practice to April 3. That practice, according to the report, will "likely be closed to fans and media."

Not a fan of that move.

TCU joins West Virginia as the new guys in the league, and with the Horned Frogs' proximity to lots of Big 12 fans in the metroplex, plenty of folks might have paid attention to a big spring event.

The stadium renovations are still under construction, but it would have been nice for fans to get a chance to see the team heading into its first year in the Big 12.

They'll have to wait until the fall.

TCU and West Virginia don't "officially" join the Big 12 until July 1.

But nothing happens in July. In March, we have spring football, and in every meaningful sense, the Horned Frogs and Mountaineers have become the first teams to join the Big 12 since its creation back in 1994.

Big 12 teams are showing up on both programs' new film for 2012. Recruiting efforts are shifting.

It's a new world in the Big 12. If you lost track, it still has 10 teams.

Since June 2010, though, it has lost four teams (Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, Missouri) before gaining two more back in October.

The Big East let TCU, which had promised to join the league in 2012, go without incident. Months of legal wrangling and a hard-to-swallow $20 million price tag for leaving were needed for the Mountaineers to make it official.

The Big 12 lost a lot when storied Nebraska left for the Big Ten. It lost nowhere near as much when Colorado left for the Pac-12.

Two big programs with lots of eyes, in Mizzou and Texas A&M, are gone. There's no getting around it: They'll be missed in some ways. You can't replace a century of rivalries without a century of new rivalries. And even then, it's difficult.

Missouri-Kansas? Texas A&M-Texas? You can't replace that, no matter how hard you try. Both rivalries -- annual staples on the college football calendar -- are dead now.

But what you can replace?

Texas A&M and Missouri's modest-to-OK results on the field since the Big 12 began.

TCU and West Virginia will be every bit the teams the Aggies and Tigers were on the field. They'll lack the history, sure. They'll lack the familiarity even more.

But they won't lack the success, however moderate it was for the Aggies and Tigers.

TCU coach Gary Patterson revitalized a historically mediocre program to unprecedented success, winning 11 games in six of seven seasons in the Mountain West Conference, including BCS bowl appearances in consecutive seasons in 2009 and 2010, capped by a win in the Rose Bowl.

TCU won't make winning 11 games an annual occurrence in the Big 12, but would Texas A&M have done much better with a similar schedule?

Meanwhile, West Virginia is 3-0 in BCS bowl games of its own, winning six Big East titles since 2003.

Could Missouri have done much more in the Big East?

Doubtful.

The Tigers have won eight games in six consecutive seasons, one of just a handful of teams to duplicate the feat. It won at least a share of the Big 12 North in three of the division's final four seasons before the Big 12 moved to 10 teams in 2011.

A 12-win season in 2007 was the highlight under Gary Pinkel, but the Tigers have yet to reach the BCS and never won a Big 12 title, getting blown out by Oklahoma in both Big 12 title game appearances.

WVU, though, won 32 games in the final three seasons under Rich Rodriguez and won 27 games in three seasons under Bill Stewart. Dana Holgorsen won 10 games in his first season.

The Big East isn't the Big 12, but Missouri won 63 games in that same span. Add up West Virginia's? The Mountaineers have 69 wins.

Why can't WVU step in and duplicate, if not exceed, what Missouri was able to do?

The Mountaineers can -- and will.

Meanwhile, the Big 12's most frustrating question -- why can't Texas A&M be a national power? -- is the SEC's problem now.

The Aggies have had all the facilities, all the support and all the resources necessary to become one. It has exactly one Big 12 title to show for it and still yearns for the days of R.C. Slocum. The legendary coach won four conference titles, but the program has been blanked since 1998.

TCU, meanwhile, is poised for a rise in the new Big 12. Recruiting will get a boost now that the school has major conference affiliation to offer prospects. Win totals will take a knock from recent totals but stabilize.

For the curious: TCU won 77 games in its past seven seasons. Texas A&M won 47 games in the same span.

Call it a small sample size. Call it a down period for the Aggies.

It's both, but now is now, and TCU looks more than capable to replace every bit of what Texas A&M brought the Big 12 on the field while the Aggies try to swim in the cutthroat SEC West, college football's toughest division.

The Big 12 is adjusting to a new world.

Off the field, the Aggies and Tigers will be sorely missed. To argue otherwise is foolish.

But on the field?

Credit the Big 12 on this one. The conference can easily say "Sayonara" without shedding a tear.

We're back, and the kindly introduction is over. It's time to get to know the real West Virginia.

How will the Mountaineers handle the transition? Big 12 blogger David Ubben and Big East blogger Andrea Adelson debated the issue.

David Ubben: TCU's jump would seem to be a lot bigger, but the Big East has had its well-chronicled struggles the past few years. The Mountaineers left the league with a convincing Orange Bowl win against Clemson, scoring 70 points in the process. Talk about endearing yourself to your new offensive-minded friends, huh? You've seen this team up close lately, though. What, if anything, do you think WVU will have to change to get back to the BCS as a Big-12 member?

Andrea Adelson: Well, one thing that definitely is going to change is the way West Virginia plays defense. Long-time defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel is out, and so is the odd 3-3-5 stack defense. The Mountaineers are going to go with a 3-4 base set under former Oklahoma State assistant Joe DeForest. This should help ease the transition from the stack, as West Virginia does not have the type of players on the roster to go with four down linemen.

In addition to the new scheme, West Virginia is losing its two best pass-rushers in Bruce Irvin and Julian Miller, perhaps its best defensive player in linebacker Najee Goode, and its best cover corner in Keith Tandy. There were times last season when the Mountaineers got beat deep in pass coverage, which will not bode well in Big 12 play.

However, cornerback Brodrick Jenkins has the potential to be truly terrific in 2012. He showed flashes late last season. As for the offense, coach Dana Holgorsen is looking for perfection. That means more consistent play out of an offensive line that was mediocre at times last season, and more explosion out of the run game. Starting running back Dustin Garrison is coming off ACL surgery, so it will be interesting to see whether he will be the same back come August.

Say what you will about the Holgorsen passing offense, but he definitely wants a running back to complement Geno Smith the way Kendall Hunter did with Brandon Weeden at Oklahoma State in 2010. How do you think West Virginia will fit in to its new conference home?

DU: WVU is a good fit on the field. Geographically, not so much, but the Big 12 teams have to like that. There's a lot of uneasiness with TCU entering the league. That could shake up recruiting a lot and cut into the share of teams like Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

But West Virginia's clearly a strong brand. This is a team that could just as easily have been in the SEC. Instead, it's in the Big 12. The three BCS wins are a big deal, as was the Orange Bowl win. That's endeared the Mountaineers to their new opponents in the Big 12. To win like that on that kind of stage says a lot about where the program is and where it's headed. Having a coach like Holgorsen, who has lots of ties to Texas, will help them grab a few players in Texas, too. The difference between WVU and Mizzou isn't much when you think about recruiting in Texas. I could see WVU being the biggest threat to Missouri recruiting in Texas.

But like TCU, winning games gets people excited. Big 12 fans are psyched about the Mountaineers, who seem like a fun group.

How do you think WVU's transition will compare to TCU's?

AA: Watching a team put up 70 points is always fun! Hearing a guy like Holgorsen talk is always fun because you never know what he is going to say.

But on to your question: I think West Virginia will have a much smoother transition than TCU because it has played in an AQ conference already. Yeah, OK enter your Big Least jokes in here. But West Virginia has been a solid program throughout the course of its history. Note that the Mountaineers are one of just 14 schools to have 700 program victories -- joining Texas and Oklahoma from the Big 12.

West Virginia is one of just three schools to have at least nine wins in seven straight seasons. That doesn't happen by accident. And it's also important to note West Virginia is not exactly in a recruiting hotbed. Talent does not come pouring out of the state the way it does in Texas. The Mountaineers have built pipelines into Florida -- Geno Smith and Stedman Bailey being two notable examples on the squad -- and try to mine talent in Baltimore, Virginia and Washington, D.C. So I do think there will be inroads made into Texas with the Big 12 affiliation.

Already on the roster from the state are starting running back Dustin Garrison and quarterback Ford Childress, an ESPNU 150 player in the class of 2012. I respect the job Gary Patterson has done in building TCU, but I simply think there is going to be much more of a growing curve for a team transitioning to an automatic qualifying conference. What do you think?

DU: I'd agree. The Big East has been weak, but there aren't any teams like New Mexico and UNLV in that league, who are little more than a week off for teams as talented as TCU has been the past few years. Show up and you win.

Last year, even Kansas beat the MAC champions, Northern Illinois, before losing its final 10 games of 2011. Big 12 champion Oklahoma State lost to 6-7 Iowa State, too. This league is so, so deep. You have to show up and play well every week, and even then, you might not win. In 2010, 11 of the league's 12 teams had five wins and at least played a game with a chance to win six and qualify for a bowl game.

This year, nine of the 10 teams did that. It's got elite teams, too. Texas and OU played for titles in 2008 and 2009 and OSU was barely shut out of the title game this year.

The depth of the Big 12 is what TCU will have to get used to. In that sense, WVU will have to adjust much less. Of course, you never know for sure. We'll find out next year. WVU had some head-scratching losses, too. Losing to Syracuse by 26 points? Really? Sheesh.

Both of these teams are built to win in 2012, and I think they'll do it. But winning a Big 12 title requires you to show up every week and play well. In the Big East, which sent an eight-win team to the BCS in 2010, that hasn't necessarily been true.

In the Big 12, Texas or OU has basically run through the year with 0-2 losses every single season. If WVU wants to win this league, they'll have to do that.

When do you think WVU will win its first title? Will it win one?

AA: It is tough to put a time frame on when West Virginia will win a league title. As crazy as it might sound, I think this team is built to contend in 2012. The Mountaineers dropped FSU from the nonconference schedule, so you could consider Kansas as filling that void. I am sure West Virginia takes that.

Oklahoma is going to be a preseason national favorite, but after that, every single team returning has major question marks. Is Texas going to be Texas? What does Baylor do without RG3? What does Oklahoma State do without Weeden and Justin Blackmon?

You bring up a good point about the head-scratching losses. There have been a bunch of those over the last several seasons -- including TWO in a row to Syracuse. This is a team that has simply been inconsistent. It didn't put together a full game against Clemson. But I think Geno Smith, Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey are going to be a handful for teams to stop, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Mountaineers were a surprise contender in 2012. Are you buying or selling?

DU: I'd generally agree. Year 1 seems to be their best chance. It's a wide-open year in the Big 12, and I think Oklahoma's a bit overrated heading into next year, though the potential for a national title run is there. Texas looks like it's on its way back up, but next year won't be the year.

If it doesn't happen next year, though, I don't think WVU will win a Big 12 title in the next decade. It's a solid program that I think could get into the BCS, but win the Big 12?

With the stability, metroplex location and winning tradition, I like TCU's upside a whole lot more, and its ability to win a Big 12 title in the future. I'm buying a Horned Frogs Big 12 title in the next decade. Not so much on WVU.

Time to put you on the spot: What's WVU's record next year and Big 12 finish?

AA: I can see the hate mail trickling into the Big 12 mailbag over that one, Mr. Ubben!

DU: Maybe so. But hey, that's how we do things on the Big 12 Blog. I call it like I see it. And I see more potential for the Froggies, though I think the Mountaineers will be a solid, solid program. I wouldn't be that surprised if they won the league, but I'm not betting on it.

This is a league built around the state of Texas, and the location's going to make it tough for them to consistently field teams that can win 11-12 games consistently.

Next year, I'll take 9-3 for the Mountaineers, but a tie for third place.

We're still a long way from the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, but right now, everybody's got a shot.

Some, of course, are better than others.

So what are the best bets?

ESPN Insider Will Harris fills you in.

You'll need ESPN Insider to see it all, but here's a taste:

Oklahoma just endured a season of turmoil and is pretty much at the low point of the Bob Stoops era, but there has been a housecleaning of both the roster and staff and Stoops is an elite coach who is capable of getting the Sooners back on track quickly. If this team finds better leadership and unifies in camp, Oklahoma could rebound big, although Landry Jones is a deal breaker given that the Sooners' odds are just 12 to 1.

My take: I don't know if it's fair to call this the "low point of the Bob Stoops Era" after a 10-win season, but I'm certainly not a believer in the Sooners as a national title contender just yet. Jones is part of that, but the Sooners have more questions marks (secondary, receiver) than I'd feel comfortable buying into.

The Longhorns get a mention at 25-to-1, but Harris checks in with TCU, too.

All other teams are trading at 33 to 1 at least. Of this group, only TCU at 50 to 1 caught our eye. Like Beamer, Gary Patterson has built a consistent winner that can slug it out with anyone in a given game. The Frogs return the bulk of last year's young squad and catch the top three teams in the league at home.

My take: It could happen. TCU is good enough, in theory, but the amount of variables that come with joining the Big 12 leave plenty of room to doubt the Horned Frogs' ability to write a Cinderella story in 2012.

This was the statement sent out by TCU from head football coach Gary Patterson:

"There are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one of those days. As I heard the news this morning, I was first shocked, then hurt and now I’m mad.

"Under my watch, drugs and drug use by TCU’s student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff. Period. Our program is respected nationally for its strong ethics and for that reason the players arrested today were separated from TCU by the University. I believe strongly that young people’s lives are more important than wins or losses.

"This situation isn’t unique to TCU—it is a global issue that we all have to address. This isn’t just about bad decisions made by a small percentage of my team. It is about a bigger issue across this country and world.

"As a coach, I do the best I can to educate members of my team. We have programs in place that teach student-athletes about what they should and shouldn’t do and how to be successful in life. I talk to them about how to be students and upstanding men that uphold the TCU name and its traditions.

"At the end of the day, though, sometimes young people make poor choices. The Horned Frogs are bigger and stronger than those involved."

As we welcome nearby TCU to the league, the offseason spotlight Thursday shines on the Horned Frogs:

Spotlight: A rotating group of safeties that need a big offseason.

2011 summary: Tekerrein Cuba and Johnny Fobbs combined for 135 tackles and were two of the team's top four tacklers. Cuba broke up three passes and forced two fumbles and Fobbs intercepted one pass with six breakups and forced three fumbles. Both are gone and must be replaced.

The skinny: I'm guessing most of you saw TCU just once last season, and it wasn't a great impression. The first night of the season was an ugly one for TCU full of deep balls and a painful loss, courtesy of future Heisman winner Robert Griffin III. Some of those five touchdowns came in single coverage, but the safeties at TCU left a lot to be desired, especially after losing Tejay Johnson after the 2010 season, a Thorpe Award finalist.

This year, Jonathan Anderson and Elisha Olabode slide into the new safety spots. Offenses like Baylor's are pretty common in the Big 12. Not so much in the Mountain West. That duo has to step into new roles and be effective for the Horned Frogs to succeed in their new league.

Anderson is a promising sophomore who made 17 tackles in a win over BYU at Cowboys Stadium this past season, including 11 solo tackles. Olabode didn't quite have that kind of impact, but both players' development this spring and in fall camp will be enormous.

For so much focus on the offense in this league, you can't forget about the defense, which last year was below what's been expected at TCU.