(06-11-2013 12:33 PM)HartfordHusky Wrote: (06-11-2013 12:25 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote: (06-11-2013 12:17 PM)HartfordHusky Wrote: (06-11-2013 12:12 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote: (06-11-2013 12:04 PM)HartfordHusky Wrote: This is pretty much what I knew would happen. We need to stop wasting time trying to beg the P5 for a game for our champ and set up a game with the MWC in Texas. Our number 1 or 2 vs their number 1 or 2. It's the only chance for an even respectable match up for our champ. Everyone needs to just accept the reality. Hope for the access spot for our champ in most years and send our runner up to play Boise St.
You gotta convince them to do that, and they'd likely rather keep playing a PAC opponent as their top bowl, like most of us would rather play a P5 opponent for our top bowl. It appears they are in no danger of losing the Vegas Bowl, so they have a game in a very good destination against a P5 team. Good luck convincing them that they should send their champ to play us instead.
That is the challenge. It hasn't been made any easier by trying to portray our conference as superior to theirs. I think that they can be made to understand that it is beneficial to them for their champ or runner up being able to play the highest quality opponent available, which will almost undoubtedly be the champ or runner up from the AAC.
Bottom line, AAC and MWC need to work with each other to try to keep the profile of at least these two leagues above the other G5 leagues. We need a scheduling alliance in football and a challenge in hoops. Build a rivalry that will be noticed and discussed nationally.
The problem is the geography of the 2 leagues doesn't work to play a bowl game that will be well attended. Texas is the only place you can put it that's relatively close to both leagues, and even then likely the eastern teams in this league won't travel to that game. Other than Boise there's not a team I'm going to get super jacked up to see ECU play. Sure I'd rather play teams like Fresno, Nevada, Air Force, and Hawaii in principle, but the reality is it wouldn't be in a location convenient for ECU fans to get to and will be against teams that we have zero history or real reason or desire to play. This isn't meant to sound arrogant, because I'm pretty sure you could reverse this and a team like Nevada or Fresno wouldn't really give a damn about traveling to Texas to play ECU.
It's not a perfect solution but it's better than literally having nowhere to send our champ even remotely worth going to. It may already be too late and the best we can do is play the CUSA or MAC champ though, and just hope that a better spot invites our champ if we don't make the access bowl.
It sucks, but we can't force the P5 to give us a tie in. I'm pretty sure that our champ is going to get screwed, unless they make the access bowl or we have a deal with the only other decent conference in the G5. I honestly think those are the only options available right now.
Given the current landscape, the only options we had for a good P-5 game for our champ were limted--
1) Hope the Memphis relationships and past Big East relationships with the Liberty were enough to hold onto the Liberty Bowl and a solid mid-tier P-5 bowl game for our champ. This option would also include some possible corporate help from FedEx to perhaps bump up the payout of the Liberty.
2) Create our own bowl, using some realighnment fund money to create a high payout that could lure a mid-tier P5 school to the bowl. Again, possible corporate help from Fed-Ex was a possiblity.
Thats it folks. Those were the only realistic options. I know we are trying to do a bowl, but I have no idea if we were willing to commit the kind of money required to lure a P-5 opponent. Maybe we did---maybe we didnt. Either way, given the recent discussion of CUSA opponents for that bowl, the Aresco Bowl as a legitimate #1 bowl for our champ is not looking good at this point.
That just leaves the Liberty Bowl. That drama has yet to completely play out, but it appears the balls in the ACC/SEC court. If either ofthem want the Liberty Bowl then they will get it.
Thus, the final back-up option should all else fail is to create a bowl in Texas with a payout higher than the Vegas Bowl. Play MW#1 there (#2 if MW #1 is in an access bowl). MW#2 would play Pac-12 #6 in Vegas. That actually enhances the perception of the MW and pulls our fat out of the fire. I suppose we could also set up bowls vs MAC#1 and Sunbelt #1 that we also own. Why not? May as well create some product for us to sell to Fox and NBC.
Beyond that--I would write all our other trash bowl ties to allow us the AAC to opt-out if any P-5 bowl that we have a back-up tie to comes open. The trash bowls wont have much choice--- who else are they really going to sign? All the P-5 will be gone at that point. Its us or MAC/CUSA/Sunbelt also rans--which will still be there if an AAC team gets bumped up. Our also rans are much more well known, will have been on national TV all year, and will have at least some reputation for traveling. All else being equal, the reamining junk bowls will sign on.
Between having our top 3 games being against conference champions--plus the P5 opponents we can scare up by moving into backup P-5 bowl slots, we can still salvage some sort of decent post season that wont look like a Sunbelt festival.