With its recent success on the field and in the stands, TCU faces one of the most crucial junctures in its history. Driven by competition for television revenue, NCAA conferences nationwide are realigning, with the domino effect reaching Fort Worth.

Here’s a quick review: The Atlantic Coast Conference took Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College from the Big East Conference, which nabbed Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Marquette and DePaul from Conference USA, which in turn, grabbed Rice, Tulsa and SMU from the Western Athletic Conference and Marshall and Central Florida from the Mid-American Conference.

At the same time, rumors circulated that the Mountain West Conference, which has become a stable and potentially more competitive league than the new C-USA, may invite TCU, setting up a tough choice for the university:

– Remain in C-USA as the league’s flagship program with geographically close competitors, but risk losing hard-earned national prestige by being associated with a weakened conference;

– Join the more respected Mountain West, but pay entrance fees (not to mention exit fees to C-USA) and face increased travel costs (estimated to be $200,000 more per year) and a lack of geographic rivals.

TCU officials have stated publically that the institution will remain a “prominent athletic entity on the national scene,” but has not hinted which way it is leaning.

Should the Frogs stay and make the best of it in C-USA, perhaps dominating weaker rivals in games within a couple hours’ drive? Or jump at the promise of more prestige in the Mountain West but face increased travel costs and games out of the Central time zone?

The argument has alums, Internet message board posters, sports radio talk show hosts and newspaper columnists divided. But Hyman assures that TCU will be ready for any direction.

“We’re taking into account everything — travel, game times, cost, competition, everything,” he says. “I believe our alumni and our fans will show support no matter what league we are in.”