I am more concerned about winning at the highest level. I don't want to be WVU in the Big XII but I would love to be Baylor, a program that went from also ran to national title contender. An invite to a power conference doesn't automatically translate into winning so I care more about what UC does than our conference situation. The Big XII for a power conference has a lot red flags around it. My issues with this league are that it lost four members schools, new schools have struggled to compete, TV situation includes games on Fox1 and potentially the Longhorn network, and geographic isolation unless that league adds another eastern school with Cincinnati. There are some huge plusses surrounding that conference. Its a power conference with huge TV and bowl revenue that could provide an interesting slate of football opponents. The plusses are probably greater than the negatives so if UC received an invite they should take it without question.

At the end of the day, I don't believe the American is a "bad" place to be or that the Big XII is a "bad" place to be. UC has different issue to deal with depending on what side of the power structure they sit on. I want UC to run a clean program and win games in the two major sports. They can do that in any league they play in as long as they have the right coaches, fan support, and strong support from the AD and President.

(11-18-2013 10:06 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  I am more concerned about winning at the highest level. I don't want to be WVU in the Big XII but I would love to be Baylor, a program that went from also ran to national title contender. An invite to a power conference doesn't automatically translate into winning so I care more about what UC does than our conference situation. The Big XII for a power conference has a lot red flags around it. My issues with this league are that it lost four members schools, new schools have struggled to compete, TV situation includes games on Fox1 and potentially the Longhorn network, and geographic isolation unless that league adds another eastern school with Cincinnati. There are some huge plusses surrounding that conference. Its a power conference with huge TV and bowl revenue that could provide an interesting slate of football opponents. The plusses are probably greater than the negatives so if UC received an invite they should take it without question.

At the end of the day, I don't believe the American is a "bad" place to be or that the Big XII is a "bad" place to be. UC has different issue to deal with depending on what side of the power structure they sit on. I want UC to run a clean program and win games in the two major sports. They can do that in any league they play in as long as they have the right coaches, fan support, and strong support from the AD and President.

I agree that each option has its ups and downs for UC. Unfortunately, the AAC's downside in revenue, scheduling, and bowl access are issues that could cripple this program.

Competitively, a transition to the B12 would be daunting in the early years. Still, as pointed out here, WVU was already in decline from their best years under Rich Rod and then Stewart's Sugar Bowl champs. UC is rising, has a capable, experienced head coach and a fertile recruiting ground in-state. WVU has none of those advantages.

Would UC compete faster in the ACC? Probably because we already know how we match up with Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville, Duke and NC State from recent years. I'm betting UC could compete immediately with TCU, Iowa State, Kansas, TTU and WVU and secure QUALITY bowl bids within a year or two of entry. Beating OK, TX or Baylor would require program growth and a rowdy sold out Nippert. But tri-state fans would be energized about college football as never before.

I don't believe UC football would have ever taken off in C-USA and I believe the AAC will have to be dominated annually to earn respect and quality bowl bids. Doing it every year for that one playoff spot is a lot to ask of any program.

(11-18-2013 09:39 AM)Teakwood Wrote:  

(11-18-2013 09:22 AM)bearcatlawjd Wrote:  Looking at WVU and TCU and to some extent Utah is one reason why I don't believe an invite to the Big XII solves every problem UC has. I would argue that the ACC would be the power of conference of choice because it keeps UC with most of its geographic rivals and provides a football league where the Bearcats could compete on day one. Basketball would be crazy and might take step back but Cronin has navigated this program through the Big East so I feel it could be done. There is nothing wrong with being a big fish in the American if the trade is off is the dumpster that is WVU. The Big XII could pay off for UC and become a place where the program reaches new heights but it could also hurt this program as well. At the end of the day UC should take that risk but its not the golden ticket everyone is wishing for.

Outside of the programs that moved to SEC, conference realignment has not been very kind this go around.

I kind of differ here. I think there is an $19mil per year difference that is a big problem. Those kinds of resources guarantee the ability to keep up with facilities and coaching salaries, just to stay relevant. We have three years of exit fee cash supplementing our budget. Our 2016 revenues will be notably smaller than they are today. UC/USF/UConn are the only schools in the country projecting decreasing revenues. The suites will help, but not much until that debt is serviced (most is pledged but not in hand).

If the American had a major bowl tie-in and even 1/3 of the tv deal the Big 12 has I'd be OK with staying. It can't be stressed enough that starting next year or tv deal is only around $300,000 or so per year compared to around $20Mil or so per year in the Big 12. You simply can't stay relevant with that type of deficit. WVU only got a partial share last year and I think it was around $11 Mil. It would take us 36 years to make $11Mil.

That extra $19M a year will come in handy with the buyouts needed to fire and hire coaches when we're 6-6.