With the UCF win over Baylor are we are now back at P6 conferences so to speak? The other way is do we now have just four so called power (P4) conferences?

I say P6 which means the Play off will be expanded to 8 teams in a short while.

P5 designation is not and never has been about the quality of the football but about the money it can bring in. Big East had great on the field success as a BCS conference but teams flocked to leave, because it did not generate the revenue. It's clearly P5.

Any of the non-contract conferences (AAC, MAC, MWC, SBC, CUSA) could theoretically earn a contract if they could step it up on the field and at the gate.

If the American continues to perform on the field and could talk BYU, Air Force and Army into joining that might be an attractive enough product to sign to the Fiesta Bowl because you know the Academies and BYU will travel as well as an SEC/B1G school to the Fiesta, should they be able to win the conference.

You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

(01-02-2014 08:46 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  P5 designation is not and never has been about the quality of the football but about the money it can bring in. Big East had great on the field success as a BCS conference but teams flocked to leave, because it did not generate the revenue. It's clearly P5.

UCF, USF, Cincinnati, and Houston can definately bring the fans and the money. UCF is the largest school in the Southeast and graduating about 10,000 new alumni a year. USF is not far behind that number. That is a lot of eyes on the programs which means revenue. I believe Cincinnati is in the same posture and graduating about 6,000 a year. It is the number 2 school in Ohio.

It will be interesting to see what happens soon in the meetings this Month.
I'm sure there's going to be several major changes that haven't come out yet. 8 team play off could be one of those.

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  Any of the non-contract conferences (AAC, MAC, MWC, SBC, CUSA) could theoretically earn a contract if they could step it up on the field and at the gate.

If the American continues to perform on the field and could talk BYU, Air Force and Army into joining that might be an attractive enough product to sign to the Fiesta Bowl because you know the Academies and BYU will travel as well as an SEC/B1G school to the Fiesta, should they be able to win the conference.

You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

Tulane brought over 20,000 to liberty bowl in 98

No one game changes anything. Central Florida was very good this year, but even if they were undefeated and ended up ranked as one of the top teams in the country, that wouldn't mean the American would be regarded as a power conferences going forward anymore than Utah, TCU, or Boise State's impressive seasons effected the Mountain West/WAC.

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

(01-02-2014 10:04 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  No one game changes anything. Central Florida was very good this year, but even if they were undefeated and ended up ranked as one of the top teams in the country, that wouldn't mean the American would be regarded as a power conferences going forward anymore than Utah, TCU, or Boise State's impressive seasons effected the Mountain West/WAC.

Utah is in the PAC 12. You meant Utah State.

You have to picture UCF/Baylor as a first round playoff game between conference champs. Who would UCF play in the second round this year? Michigan State?

Boise State

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

(01-02-2014 10:25 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:04 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  No one game changes anything. Central Florida was very good this year, but even if they were undefeated and ended up ranked as one of the top teams in the country, that wouldn't mean the American would be regarded as a power conferences going forward anymore than Utah, TCU, or Boise State's impressive seasons effected the Mountain West/WAC.

Utah is in the PAC 12. You meant Utah State.

You have to picture UCF/Baylor as a first round playoff game between conference champs. Who would UCF play in the second round this year? Michigan State?

Boise State

No he meant when Utah won a BCS game under Urban Meyer after the '04 season. Utah was in the MWC in '04.

(01-02-2014 10:48 AM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:25 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:04 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  No one game changes anything. Central Florida was very good this year, but even if they were undefeated and ended up ranked as one of the top teams in the country, that wouldn't mean the American would be regarded as a power conferences going forward anymore than Utah, TCU, or Boise State's impressive seasons effected the Mountain West/WAC.

Utah is in the PAC 12. You meant Utah State.

You have to picture UCF/Baylor as a first round playoff game between conference champs. Who would UCF play in the second round this year? Michigan State?

Boise State

No he meant when Utah won a BCS game under Urban Meyer after the '04 season. Utah was in the MWC in '04.

Okay, however that was ten years ago and since then you have seen a whole lot of changes in the number of FBS teams and conference realignments.

(01-02-2014 10:51 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:48 AM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:25 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:04 AM)ohio1317 Wrote:  No one game changes anything. Central Florida was very good this year, but even if they were undefeated and ended up ranked as one of the top teams in the country, that wouldn't mean the American would be regarded as a power conferences going forward anymore than Utah, TCU, or Boise State's impressive seasons effected the Mountain West/WAC.

Utah is in the PAC 12. You meant Utah State.

You have to picture UCF/Baylor as a first round playoff game between conference champs. Who would UCF play in the second round this year? Michigan State?

Boise State

No he meant when Utah won a BCS game under Urban Meyer after the '04 season. Utah was in the MWC in '04.

Okay, however that was ten years ago and since then you have seen a whole lot of changes in the number of FBS teams and conference realignments.

But his point is still valid. FWIW, Utah won it 9 years ago.

(01-02-2014 08:46 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  P5 designation is not and never has been about the quality of the football but about the money it can bring in. Big East had great on the field success as a BCS conference but teams flocked to leave, because it did not generate the revenue. It's clearly P5.

[/thread]

(01-02-2014 10:31 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

Baylor just won the Big XII, Stanford just won the PAC 12, Duke appeared in the ACC title game. What Tulane, SMU and Tulsa face is not that difficult to overcome.

I'll point this out again:

1998 (1st year of the BCS) - 63 schools in 6 power conferences plus ND
2014 (1st year of the CFP) - 65 schools in 5 power conferences plus ND

That's a net change of 2 schools in 16 years. The more things change, the more things change the same. Realignment has shown that there will not be another entire league elevated to the power conference level. Any league with too many "new school" teams will get relegated (i.e. the Old Big East/American) - if anything, realignment has simply restored the "old school order" of 1998 with a small number of promotions of individual schools. As a result, hat's much more likely is that a very small handful of schools (2 to 4) will get promoted to the power conferences, just as we've seen in the last 16 years. The power leagues are only very mildly interested in that small handful of schools as it is, so they certainly aren't interested in promoting 10, 12 or 14 of them at one time.

(01-02-2014 01:00 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:31 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

Baylor just won the Big XII, Stanford just won the PAC 12, Duke appeared in the ACC title game. What Tulane, SMU and Tulsa face is not that difficult to overcome.

... if they spend enough on football and get a head coach as good as Briles, Shaw, or Cutcliffe, yes. Though history shows that, whether the school is big or small, getting a head coach that good is easier said than done.

(01-02-2014 01:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 01:00 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:31 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

Baylor just won the Big XII, Stanford just won the PAC 12, Duke appeared in the ACC title game. What Tulane, SMU and Tulsa face is not that difficult to overcome.

... if they spend enough on football and get a head coach as good as Briles, Shaw, or Cutcliffe, yes. Though history shows that, whether the school is big or small, getting a head coach that good is easier said than done.

It's not just getting a coach that's good - it's also about getting a coach that's a good fit. Bill Snyder has done wonders for Kansas State, but I think that while he could be successful elsewhere, his style is a perfect match for where he is. I don't think it's just Manhattan, KS that's keeping away the 5-star recruits - it's that a lot of the players who are highly touted from a young age may not relate to or want to play for an older guy who sees absolutely no shortcuts. But at KSU, where there was no history, limited local recruits and limited resources, he's thrived in getting everything out of what he's got.

(01-02-2014 01:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 01:00 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:31 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 08:58 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  You've got to wonder how SMU, Tulsa and Tulane would draw to the Fiesta but the question is will they ever win the American? From where we are today it does seem very unlikely. If their programs do get to that level I'm sure they'll be able to send 7500 for a dream season.

It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

Baylor just won the Big XII, Stanford just won the PAC 12, Duke appeared in the ACC title game. What Tulane, SMU and Tulsa face is not that difficult to overcome.

... if they spend enough on football and get a head coach as good as Briles, Shaw, or Cutcliffe, yes. Though history shows that, whether the school is big or small, getting a head coach that good is easier said than done.

It's not going to require a coach of that caliber to win the American. June Jones was good enough to take Hawaii to a BCS game, I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to win the American at SMU.

(01-02-2014 02:41 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 01:44 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 01:00 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:31 AM)CardFan1 Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 10:20 AM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  It is only a matter of time before SMU, Tulsa and Tulane each win the conference. I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them won the American sometime in the next five years.

With ECU coming in and Houston with new stadium, UCF returning a lot of players while building on the BCS win, and USF rebuilding with Taggart, Cincinnati and UConn improving more , I can't see any of those other 3 winning anytime that soon. This is going to be a top heavy football conference .

Baylor just won the Big XII, Stanford just won the PAC 12, Duke appeared in the ACC title game. What Tulane, SMU and Tulsa face is not that difficult to overcome.

... if they spend enough on football and get a head coach as good as Briles, Shaw, or Cutcliffe, yes. Though history shows that, whether the school is big or small, getting a head coach that good is easier said than done.

It's not going to require a coach of that caliber to win the American. June Jones was good enough to take Hawaii to a BCS game, I see no reason why he wouldn't be able to win the American at SMU.

Yeah, that's true, if you're only talking about winning the AAC, that doesn't require coaching at the high level of what Briles/Shaw/Cutcliffe have done. And it definitely doesn't require as much money.

June Jones, on the other hand... unless I'm missing something, he hasn't been nearly as good at SMU as he was at Hawaii. Maybe he had a better group of assistants at Hawaii.