TCU football coach Gary Patterson is a veteran in the realignment game. The Frogs have bounced from the WAC to Conference USA to the Mountain West to the Big 12 since he arrived on campus as an assistant in 1998.
Patterson addressed the latest realignment drama facing college football on Thursday with Oklahoma and Texas departing the Big 12 for the SEC within the next four years.
“Maybe I’m just a little bit old-school when it comes to it, but regional rivalries, that’s what I worry about,” Patterson said. “I worry about the state of Texas more than I worry about anything else, and Fort Worth. Because that’s what we’ve tried to do, why I stayed here. It’s not just about TCU, TCU football. It’s about Fort Worth. It’s about different jobs and all the other things that go on with it.”
With the shift toward “superconferences,” regional rivalries could fade away as they have in previous realignments. When Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012, it ended its storied rivalry with Kansas that dated to 1907.
Oklahoma has stated it’d like to keep its “Bedlam Series” alive with Oklahoma State once OU is in the SEC, but that remains to be seen.
Patterson recalled TCU’s last move when it went from the Mountain West to the Big 12. The Frogs gave the Mountain West a one-year notice but weren’t treated too well that final year in 2011.
TCU was supposed to host Boise State in Fort Worth that season, but the Mountain West changed it to a road game. TCU knocked off No. 5 Boise State 36-35 in Boise that season.
“I’ve always believed the football gods get even with you,” Patterson said. “Outside of that, my job is just to win.”
Patterson went on to say that everything in the college football world is changing beyond just conferences. With name, image and likeness legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from endorsements, the sport is entering a new era.
Realignment is just part of the equation.
“I’m not even sure it’s about a conference,” Patterson said. “I think you’re probably finding that this new way maybe is a whole different way we even look at football someday.”
As Patterson concluded, “I think I’m glad I’m 61, I’m not 31, is what I think.”
Camp ready
From a football standpoint, Patterson is excited about the upcoming season. His program is close to 90% vaccinated and just about everybody is full-go with the first preseason practice set for Friday.
The only notable players who won’t be 100% when camp starts are defensive tackle Terrell Cooper and cornerback Kee’yon Stewart, Patterson said.
“It’s about getting everybody ready to go. We had a good summer,” he said. “These kids stayed even in May without us asking and it really made a difference, especially our young skill guys on both sides of the ball.”
Improvement needed
Among the biggest questions TCU must answer going into camp is its safety play. The Frogs lost Trevon Moehrig and Ar’Darius Washington to the NFL, and must find their replacements.
Patterson plans to spend plenty of time working with the safety group this fall, saying the team needs to have seven to 10 reliable options at the position.
“I’m talking about knowledge, not athletic ability,” Patterson said. “So how in 30 days do you grow everybody up?”
Outside of safety, a few other areas for improvement include building depth at offensive tackle, linebacker and cornerback. TCU feels good about its first-team options, but must have capable backups at those positions.
Final word
“We need to go win more ballgames this year.” — Patterson
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