I threw this out in another thread and wanted to have a chance to talk about it more fully...

In my mind the ONLY thing that would add true value to the AAC would be to merge the MW and AAC. It would create a true tweener conference and would at least be the undisputed hands down best G5 conference. I would hope we could renegotiate our TV deal and bowl line ups. I also bet we could get BYU to bite.

We could also have an East vs West CCG in football meeting somewhere in the middle and same with the conference basketball tourney.

As a fan, I wouldn't consider this a dumpster fire conference and at least would be fairly satisfied with home games that featured BYU, Boise, AF, Fresno, SDSU, UCF, and ECU. Hoops would bring in SDSU, BYU, Temple, SMU, Memphis, UCONN. To name a few.

I'd like to discuss this (I know, again) and get some other folks take on it.
Why wouldn't it work? What would be the biggest issues one would have to work through?

I would be willing to bet most fans in this forum wouldn't mind home games featuring the teams I've named.

We could then add a non fb school to balance Navy (like Wichita St).


Hey, at least I'd stop calling UC's conference a dumpster fire at that point!

no one cares what you call the AAC...you and John Marinatto are the only one's who want such a thing...and considering that grand plan got him fired, and ended up destroying the BE...I think not.

So you wouldn't want home games in fb that brought in Boise, BYU, Fresno, Col St? How about seeing SDSU in hoops?

I think it would be a pretty darn good conference.

I think the former BE commish who tried this failed because he tried to cherry pick the MWC. Bet if it was a true merger everyone would be fine with it.

(04-05-2015 01:15 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  So you wouldn't want home games in fb that brought in Boise, BYU, Fresno, Col St? How about seeing SDSU in hoops?

I think it would be a pretty darn good conference.

I think the former BE commish who tried this failed because he tried to cherry pick the MWC. Bet if it was a true merger everyone would be fine with it.

no, I wouldn't...no, it isn't...and no, they wouldn't.

JMHO.

First on TV deal. With Boise and SD state in hand, our TV was going to be what it is. I don't think you gain anything of TV deal by adding MWC.

You could argue we would have more good FB and BB teams, but if that does not = more $$$, Why bother.

(04-05-2015 01:21 PM)goodknightfl Wrote:  First on TV deal. With Boise and SD state in hand, our TV was going to be what it is. I don't think you gain anything of TV deal by adding MWC.

You could argue we would have more good FB and BB teams, but if that does not = more $$$, Why bother.

Agreed. If the average value of the new schools isn't greater than the average value of the existing schools, the per-school value of the TV deal won't go up so it's pointless. And I don't believe that the average value of the MW schools is any greater than the average value of our schools.

And on top of that there would be big logistical issues traveling the country. And if we're not going to travel the country, if all the current AAC schools will just play each other and same for the MW schools, there's no point in adding a layer of conference bureaucracy over it.

TBH I think the #1 thing that is going to increase the revenue gained by our TV deal isn't more teams or markets but stability.

This conference had everything but stability when we were negotiating our tv deal. With evidence that people attend and watch (our higher profile games at least), moreso than, say, the Big East who gets twice as much for half as much, there's no way we don't make more money.

That's why we're sitting on our laurels, and not even adding members for bball only. We want to see how important that stability factor is, imo.

Id ask this... How is taking two conferences that make almost identical money and merging them going to get you more money?


The truth is, the only way to increase our income under the currerent situation is to basically kill the AAC and form a whole new conference. That would get us out of our current tv contract.

Then we would need to keep the best pieces of the AAC and merge them with the most valuable pieces of the MWC. Essentially, we need to devalue what is left of the MWC and make a clear cut #6 conference. This would decrease what is available on the market and we could squeeze a bit more out of the contract.

Given, I dont think it would be much. Maybe $3-4 million a year, which isnt enough to get BYU to switch sides. The main positive I can see is getting nationwide exposure and moving this conference into being a clear cut top notch basketball conference. Adding SDSU, NM, CSU, UNLV and others... In theory, on good years we could have 7-9 bids. (assuming traditional AAC power teams get things back on track)

At that point, youre looking at making $3 million a year in just NCAA credits. That would make it worthwhile.

(04-05-2015 01:12 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  I threw this out in another thread and wanted to have a chance to talk about it more fully...

In my mind the ONLY thing that would add true value to the AAC would be to merge the MW and AAC. It would create a true tweener conference and would at least be the undisputed hands down best G5 conference. I would hope we could renegotiate our TV deal and bowl line ups. I also bet we could get BYU to bite.

Small issue--BYU would be _less_ likely to bed down with a MWC + AAC group than they are with the AAC group. The whole point of BYU being indy is that it sets them apart from Colorado State and Utah STate and New Mexico and UNLV and Boise and SDSU and UTEP. Joining the AAC, they'd at least be in a different, "better" (if you ask this board, and if you ask BYU folks after they join) conference from the MWC.

Renegotiating the TV deal? There's no strong evidence that the combination gets any more money per school than you get now.

Yes, you'd reopen the bowls, but since the pecking order (P5 > AAC, MWC > CUSA, MAC, SBC) is the same, the outcome is about the same (There weren't a whole lot of bowl spots that MWC and AAC were both gunning for.) AAC might end up with fewer P5 bowls, since they're sharing the pot with MWC.

Quote:We could also have an East vs West CCG in football meeting somewhere in the middle and same with the conference basketball tourney.

As a fan, I wouldn't consider this a dumpster fire conference

Put that in the "Pro"s column on the white board

Quote:and at least would be fairly satisfied with home games that featured BYU, Boise, AF, Fresno, SDSU, UCF, and ECU.

But how often would you see any of them? You're talking about a 24-team football conference, 22 for hoops.

Quote:I'd like to discuss this (I know, again) and get some other folks take on it.
Why wouldn't it work? What would be the biggest issues one would have to work through?

Too many schools. With 24 football schools, if the CCG rule doesn't change, you're talking about an 11 game in-division schedule. Let's imagine that The Powers That Be green-light a change to the CCG rules that DOESN'T result in a raid on your Big Happy Family. How the heck are you going to schedule this? 4 6 team divisions? 6 4 team divisions?

NOTE: I forgot about BYU. 5 divisions, 5 teams each?

Quote:I would be willing to bet most fans in this forum wouldn't mind home games featuring the teams I've named.

With 24 teams, and an 8 game conference schedule, you'd see host each conference mate an average of once every 6 years. (Assuming no divisions and just random rotation, because you have to assume something.)

Quote:We could then add a non fb school to balance Navy (like Wichita St).

That may be a great idea, terrible idea, or anything in between, but you could to that anyway. MWC or AAC could invite Wichita State tommorrow to balance Navy or Hawaii, or AAC could invite VCU or Dayton or St Johns or Florida Gulf Coast.

That has nothing to do with an AAC-MWC merger.

Quote:Hey, at least I'd stop calling UC's conference a dumpster fire at that point!

And everyone else would start.

Did you mean taking the best 12 or 14 G5 teams? Because if so, say so. That's not nearly as stupid unworkable.

(04-05-2015 01:14 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  no one cares what you call the AAC...you and John Marinatto are the only one's who want such a thing...and considering that grand plan got him fired, and ended up destroying the BE...I think not.

Say what you want about Marinatto, and there's a lot to say, but he wanted no part of Thompson and Bannowski's SuperConference MW-C-USA thingy.

Like this and think this would not only be a good idea, but would all but render Conf Usa, Sun Belt and Mac FCS staus.

I wish the mods would ban this clown already.

I get the idea of probably not more TV money...maybe.


but what about as a fan? I would love to have some of those MWC teams come in to Nippert.

(04-05-2015 02:44 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  I wish the mods would ban this clown already.

????? I want to talk about an AAC/MWC merger and I'm a clown?

Please explain

You do nothing but troll and trash the AAC and the schools in it.

(04-05-2015 05:14 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  You do nothing but troll and trash the AAC and the schools in it.

you sir are out of line


this thread was started as a discussion and to explore the idea of bettering our conference.

Id say this, I dont think its coincidence that ESPN set the BYU, MWC and AAC contract to expire about the same time. For those of us who were in the Big East, we can tell you that the second we told ESPN no is when all hell began to break loose.

If the AAC are good boys and we dont rock the boat too hard, then I can see ESPN possibly trying to help us out down the road, "IF" we can prove to be the dominant 6th conference. If the MWC is able to take that position, then they may choose them.

Long term I have always believed that ESPN will try to get the P5 to break away. If they do, they need a bit more inventory. 65 teams just inst enough. If you add in one more conference with 16-18 teams, then your somewhere around 81-83 teams and that works.

It would not shock me at all that around 2019 when all of our contracts are expiring that magically the realignment wheels get to turning again. I think you might see 2-4 teams move to the Big 12, which will cause either the MWC or AAC to fall apart and a new entity will appear. That entity will be a consolidation of the best and most profitable pieces of the MWC, AAC and BYU.... and possibly the academies.

The P5 can afford to throw the 6th conference a bone and allow them to have a decent amount of money because I also believe they will expand the playoff about that time, which can generate another half billion dollars. In the end, youll have the top 2 conferences (Big 10 and SEC) making $35-40 million a year, then the next tier will be the Pac12, Big 12 and ACC making $30-35 million and the new 6th conference probably closer to $15-20 million.

(04-05-2015 06:20 PM)mtmedlin Wrote:  Id say this, I dont think its coincidence that ESPN set the BYU, MWC and AAC contract to expire about the same time. For those of us who were in the Big East, we can tell you that the second we told ESPN no is when all hell began to break loose.

If the AAC are good boys and we dont rock the boat too hard, then I can see ESPN possibly trying to help us out down the road, "IF" we can prove to be the dominant 6th conference. If the MWC is able to take that position, then they may choose them.

Long term I have always believed that ESPN will try to get the P5 to break away. If they do, they need a bit more inventory. 65 teams just inst enough. If you add in one more conference with 16-18 teams, then your somewhere around 81-83 teams and that works.

It would not shock me at all that around 2019 when all of our contracts are expiring that magically the realignment wheels get to turning again. I think you might see 2-4 teams move to the Big 12, which will cause either the MWC or AAC to fall apart and a new entity will appear. That entity will be a consolidation of the best and most profitable pieces of the MWC, AAC and BYU.... and possibly the academies.

The P5 can afford to throw the 6th conference a bone and allow them to have a decent amount of money because I also believe they will expand the playoff about that time, which can generate another half billion dollars. In the end, youll have the top 2 conferences (Big 10 and SEC) making $35-40 million a year, then the next tier will be the Pac12, Big 12 and ACC making $30-35 million and the new 6th conference probably closer to $15-20 million.

^ Classic battered fan syndrome

(04-05-2015 05:14 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  You do nothing but troll and trash the AAC and the schools in it.

Some of us remember your past JH. Lets not throw stones.

this thread is not a troll attempt

I am very interested in a mwc/aac merger

at least it would be a half way decent conference all around

(04-05-2015 08:05 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  this thread is not a troll attempt

I am very interested in a mwc/aac merger

at least it would be a half way decent conference all around

Yeah, the top half would be decent. The other half.....

Just like the current AAC and MWC, so what is the point?