(10-04-2013 09:44 PM)LouPower Wrote:  There's a segment of the fanbase that is really down on the A-10, including a couple of my close friends. They are huge Missouri Valley fans who haven't gotten over 2005 yet. I'm more ambivalent about it. It's the conference we're in, so go out and be good in it.

The St. Louis area isn't huge on football, which cannot help. The place to play would be easy enough with the Dome.

There are some entertaining opponents in the A-10, just none in our time zone. That's the price of athletics in this day and age though.

I don't blame your friends. I never understood why you joined the A-10 rather than the MVC in the first place. The A-10 isn't going to add teams to fill in the gap between you and Dayton either (mainly because we're not confident either of you guys are staying, but also because there really aren't any teams to take). I'm glad youre in the conference and you're welcome to stay, but I'd understand if you guys left.

However, a MVC lost a lot when Creighton left. As did the A-10 when replaced Temple and Xavier with GMU and VCU (Butler was in the conference for a couple of months - I'm not really counting them). It appears as if the A-10 has decided to pivot East.

(10-05-2013 12:59 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 02:10 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(10-02-2013 07:43 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  If I was the AAC commissioner, I'd invite Wichita State, Saint Louis, Dayton, and VCU. And I would do it yesterday.

The Big East got a bigger contract than us because their basketball is stronger. If we add those four, our basketball is stronger than theirs. It would let us renegotiate our contract to equal theirs.

Worst-case scenario is that we have a tv contract that is the same as it is now per-school, and we just get more national attention for our basketball.

You'd get voted out as the AAC commish the same day you suggested that. I don't think the AAC wants non-football schools and I don't think the nBE wants FBS schools. Its what caused the old conference to break up in the first place.

I agree that's not the direction in which the AAC wants to move. But nonetheless the idea actually makes sense on a limited basis because the conference already has a football-only member (Navy) and mat want to add another some day (Army or Air Force).

To bring in one or two non-football programs to fill in the missing basketball and Olympic sports programs. VCU, for example, would be a perfect fit because they are in the same general market as Navy, so they could help to maintain interest in the AAC in the greater DC area. That could really help with a deal for a TV outlet in that region that is interested in signing on for Navy football in the fall but is reluctant because they don't think they'll draw eyeballs in the winter during basketball season.

VCU doesn't get you the DC area. GMU does.

(10-05-2013 04:50 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 09:44 PM)LouPower Wrote:  There's a segment of the fanbase that is really down on the A-10, including a couple of my close friends. They are huge Missouri Valley fans who haven't gotten over 2005 yet. I'm more ambivalent about it. It's the conference we're in, so go out and be good in it.

The St. Louis area isn't huge on football, which cannot help. The place to play would be easy enough with the Dome.

There are some entertaining opponents in the A-10, just none in our time zone. That's the price of athletics in this day and age though.

I don't blame your friends. I never understood why you joined the A-10 rather than the MVC in the first place. The A-10 isn't going to add teams to fill in the gap between you and Dayton either (mainly because we're not confident either of you guys are staying, but also because there really aren't any teams to take). I'm glad youre in the conference and you're welcome to stay, but I'd understand if you guys left.

However, a MVC lost a lot when Creighton left. As did the A-10 when replaced Temple and Xavier with GMU and VCU (Butler was in the conference for a couple of months - I'm not really counting them). It appears as if the A-10 has decided to pivot East.

There are a couple candidates I'd love to see if the West was in the cards. Mainly Wichita State and SIU. Yes, I said SIU. I wasn't big on adding George Mason, but I hope they're good.

(10-05-2013 05:34 PM)LouPower Wrote:  

(10-05-2013 04:50 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 09:44 PM)LouPower Wrote:  There's a segment of the fanbase that is really down on the A-10, including a couple of my close friends. They are huge Missouri Valley fans who haven't gotten over 2005 yet. I'm more ambivalent about it. It's the conference we're in, so go out and be good in it.

The St. Louis area isn't huge on football, which cannot help. The place to play would be easy enough with the Dome.

There are some entertaining opponents in the A-10, just none in our time zone. That's the price of athletics in this day and age though.

I don't blame your friends. I never understood why you joined the A-10 rather than the MVC in the first place. The A-10 isn't going to add teams to fill in the gap between you and Dayton either (mainly because we're not confident either of you guys are staying, but also because there really aren't any teams to take). I'm glad youre in the conference and you're welcome to stay, but I'd understand if you guys left.

However, a MVC lost a lot when Creighton left. As did the A-10 when replaced Temple and Xavier with GMU and VCU (Butler was in the conference for a couple of months - I'm not really counting them). It appears as if the A-10 has decided to pivot East.

There are a couple candidates I'd love to see if the West was in the cards. Mainly Wichita State and SIU. Yes, I said SIU. I wasn't big on adding George Mason, but I hope they're good.

Trust me, GWU wasn't happy about it either. SIU will not gain an A-10 bid, especially if Wichita isn't.

I hate to say it, but you're on your own out there in St Louis as far as the A-10 is concerned. You're welcome to stay, but the real problem is that no one in the A-10 actually thinks you will stay even if we add extra teams.

The addition of George Mason really set off SLU's fanbase.

There was less than zero good reasons to expand the A-10, and the powers that be reached for a .500 Colonial team.

McGlade should have just kicked SLU and UD out right there.

(10-05-2013 06:44 PM)LouPower Wrote:  The addition of George Mason really set off SLU's fanbase.

There was less than zero good reasons to expand the A-10, and the powers that be reached for a .500 Colonial team.

McGlade should have just kicked SLU and UD out right there.

GMU has been riding on the coattails of an 8 year old Final Four bid for a while. They're not a bad program, and are a geographic fit for the conference. The A-10 has never had issues with 'doubling up' in a city (VCU/UR, GWU/GMU, LaSalle/StJoes).

Taking GMU didn't surprise me....taking Davidson did. The A-10 wasn't a fit for UNCC, Davidson makes marginally more sense, but still. It was an outlier.

If you'd like to leave, you can exit the A-10. We're fine with having you guys stay, but we understand if you'd rather play in the Valley or somewhere else. You contribute to the conference, but there's nobody that fits for the A-10 that it seen as viable for the A-10.

I think you guys are getting into the nBE btw.

The A-10 fans do outnumber the Valley fans in STL.

(10-05-2013 04:51 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(10-05-2013 12:59 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  

(10-04-2013 02:10 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(10-02-2013 07:43 PM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  If I was the AAC commissioner, I'd invite Wichita State, Saint Louis, Dayton, and VCU. And I would do it yesterday.

The Big East got a bigger contract than us because their basketball is stronger. If we add those four, our basketball is stronger than theirs. It would let us renegotiate our contract to equal theirs.

Worst-case scenario is that we have a tv contract that is the same as it is now per-school, and we just get more national attention for our basketball.

You'd get voted out as the AAC commish the same day you suggested that. I don't think the AAC wants non-football schools and I don't think the nBE wants FBS schools. Its what caused the old conference to break up in the first place.

I agree that's not the direction in which the AAC wants to move. But nonetheless the idea actually makes sense on a limited basis because the conference already has a football-only member (Navy) and mat want to add another some day (Army or Air Force).

To bring in one or two non-football programs to fill in the missing basketball and Olympic sports programs. VCU, for example, would be a perfect fit because they are in the same general market as Navy, so they could help to maintain interest in the AAC in the greater DC area. That could really help with a deal for a TV outlet in that region that is interested in signing on for Navy football in the fall but is reluctant because they don't think they'll draw eyeballs in the winter during basketball season.

VCU doesn't get you the DC area. GMU does.

I understand that. But VCU is just down the road in Richmond (100 miles). A TV network might be more willing to add the AAC if it had something to market with a draw in the DC/MD/VA area besides Navy football The 2 programs can be complementary to each other. As a state university, VCU draws students and fans from around the state including northern VA, not just in Richmond.

GMU is not close to the basketball program that VCU is. It would make no sense to add them to the AAC just for geography.

GMU is a bad idea for anyone. Hence why the A-10 did it.

(10-06-2013 11:37 AM)LouPower Wrote:  GMU is a bad idea for anyone. Hence why the A-10 did it.

GMU wasn't a 'bad' add, per se. I don't see anyone else to take who would be interested. Wichita is just too far out of the footprint, especially with Xavier and Butler gone.

FORDHAM was a bad add.

Letting Duquesne back in was a bad add.