TCU is currently in the need of three football games ever since the Mountain West dropped to eight teams for the 2011 season and because Texas Tech recently dropped TCU from their 2011 schedule, so why would TCU turn down a game. Apparently, TCU was offered a rematch to play the Wisconsin Badges to open the 2011 college football season only a few weeks after they defeated them in the Rose Bowl. This offer would have been before Texas Tech dropped TCU from their schedule, but even then TCU still needed two games.
Wisconsin Badger head coach Brett Beliema told the Big 1070 in an interview about the opportunity:
"I was contacted probably a week, maybe a week and half after the bowl game about the opportunity to play TCU in our opener," Bielema told The Mike Heller Show. "It was something that was going to be broadcast and made a big deal and it took me all of about 0.5 seconds to say yes ... Unfortunately TCU wasn't as excited about the matchup."
It is obvious the third party was ESPN and the location seems to be Cowboy Stadium since Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to host as many high profile events as possible. Oregon does play LSU at Cowboys Stadium that weekend, but it is possible to play two games on one day at that stadium since it is not a natural grass surface. The other obstacle would be to move the Baylor game since that is scheduled for opening day. I am mildly shocked that TCU would turn this game down, because even before Texas Tech was to come to TCU their other non-conference games were SMU and Baylor. So why would Gary Patterson turn this game down?
Some may say that TCU is dodging Wisconsin because they have already proved themselves, but the more logical reasoning is that TCU returns only eight total starters and Patterson may not think his team is ready. However, Wisconsin only brings back 10 starters from last year's team, but regardless of the amount of starters TCU is returning they should have taken this game since they are in need of three games.
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