(03-22-2017 09:47 AM)TheBasketBallOpinion Wrote:  Makes sense for WSU for the short term...but does anyone actually think Cincy/UCONN are in the AAC forever?

I guess they could always move again once that domino falls

Cincinnati - maybe. It's definitely not an ideal situation, but they have shared a conference previously with Memphis, Houston, Tulane, USF and East Carolina. I do think they need a closer regional rival (I believe Memphis is closest in miles, but could be wrong). A down the road addition in Western Kentucky or even Saint Louis could be beneficial for them, but the AAC should not make any one addition for the benefit of one school - it needs to be for the conference.

UConn - definitely not. They will not be in the AAC in 2025, guaranteed. They will either get called up to the ACC, B1G or Big 12 (whatever version is around in 2025), or they will de-emphasize or adjust football and go to the Big East. While UConn is at the top of the athletic expenses (on par with many power conferences), their TV revenue falls behind further and further each and every year. Even if the AAC's contract gets higher during next renegotiation (let's say $5 million per year per team), it is still light years behind every other power conference. When other regional schools such as Boston College, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Rutgers, Maryland and Virginia Tech get paid exponentially more than that every year, the race gets further and further over time. In a given year, UConn would make $5 million from its TV deal; Rutgers, in comparison would get $50 million - 10x as much.

Both situations are unfortunate, not due to the new schools they now share a conference with, but due to the removal of their power conference affiliation, and now they are forced to claw their way back into the group. Neither school deserved that demotion, but it where the cards fell unfortunately.