(09-28-2015 07:27 AM)UHRedcat96 Wrote:  The biggest barrier we face compared to the P5 conferences is geographic Incompatability. SMU is our closest team. The next closest is 6.5 hours drive. Tulsa is 10 hours for the UH fan. Forget travel to the other games until I retire. They are just to far.

Houston is about a 7.5 hour drive to Tulsa.

Plus, being in Houston, you can fly anywhere, anytime non-stop.

Good news for UH is there are a lot of local/in-state non-conf games/opportunities in all sports, something many states don't have that same luxury.

Geography no longer matters. If it did, the Southwest Conference would still be here and Miami would never have been in the ACC.

Penn State has done fine in the Big Ten.

Washington or the Arizona teams in the PAC 10. Hell, the Oregon teams for that matter.

Texas Tech to anywhere civilized.

A closer geography IS better for the game, IMHO, but it is no longer essential. Realistically, who would Tulsa align with to avoid an average drive of less than 6 hours? It isn't going to happen.

Greed ruined geographic rivalries.

(09-29-2015 07:07 AM)200yrs2late Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 09:26 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Airport league.

Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Tulsa
Orlando
Tampa
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Hartford (Greater NYC)
Baltimore
Greenville.

Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

JFK or LaGuardia to Hartford is over 100 miles, and you have to deal with the bottleneck at the Throggs Necks bridge. Its actually closer to Logan in Boston than either of the NYC airports and the drive would be much easier.

Bradley International Airport (Hartford) has non stops to, among other places) Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Philly, Raleigh, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago.

(09-28-2015 05:21 PM)Noodles Wrote:  Attackcoog listed 13 schools not named USM.

We really pissed some people off, didn't we?

A bit sensitive there. S Miss works fine as well. I had intended to put an " etc." at the end of both lists. That said, the ultimate conclusion is the same--that kind of expansion would likely cost the league's members more in media/bowl/NCAA credit earnings by splitting the pie than the members would gain in local traveling fan ticket sales.

(09-28-2015 07:27 AM)UHRedcat96 Wrote:  The biggest barrier we face compared to the P5 conferences is geographic Incompatability. SMU is our closest team. The next closest is 6.5 hours drive. Tulsa is 10 hours for the UH fan. Forget travel to the other games until I retire. They are just to far.
I like what is going on with our league, but it is hard to establish rivalries when your average fan can make one or two away games a year.
In the Big XII the horns can day trip it to OU, OSU, BU, TCU. It helps get the rivalries going. SEC and BIG 10 are the same way. Hopefully tv will trump all because it is our one advantage over the G5s.

If ECU fans can make it to Hawaii, you can drag your ars to New Orleans.

(09-29-2015 07:07 AM)200yrs2late Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 09:26 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Airport league.

Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Tulsa
Orlando
Tampa
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Hartford (Greater NYC)
Baltimore
Greenville.

Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

JFK or LaGuardia to Hartford is over 100 miles, and you have to deal with the bottleneck at the Throggs Necks bridge. Its actually closer to Logan in Boston than either of the NYC airports and the drive would be much easier.

So they aren't Greater NYC's team?

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 09:26 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Airport league.

Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Tulsa
Orlando
Tampa
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Hartford (Greater NYC)
Baltimore
Greenville.

Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

Not really

(09-29-2015 07:19 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  Hartford has its own international airport and it ranked 53rd among total passenger boardings in 2014 (higher than Tulsa, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Greenville). FYI.

Thanks Delta!

The point is it isn't hard to get around in this league (except if you are ECU).

I drive 4 hours approximately to attend ECU home games in Greenville, NC from Washington, D.C. Away Games at Navy and Temple are a given for me given their proximity to DC.

After that probably Cincy, UCONN, Memphis, USF, UCF but those would be every few years unless I am traveling for business at the right time :)

SMU, Tulsa, Houston, and Tulane would be once every 5 years probably unless I am on business there.

Just ranting here but Our league looks like geographic fiefdoms. The northern guys, the mid atlantic guys, the Florida guys, and the TexahomaNawlins guys.

That said, Our games being on TV every week certainly makes it easy to stay home.
TV exposure is the dagger and death blow to regional conferences. Long live the regional and fan friendly conference...:(.

We are the AMERiCAN !!

(09-29-2015 01:19 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  Bradley International Airport (Hartford) has non stops to, among other places) Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Philly, Raleigh, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago.

What conference member is near Atlanta or Chicago?

(09-29-2015 02:58 PM)TforTempleU Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

Not really

I was just making a comparison, I know Philly is very much distinct from New York.

(09-29-2015 03:07 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  The point is it isn't hard to get around in this league (except if you are ECU).

Raleigh to Grenville is an easy 1 hour drive. My guess is it takes longer than that to get from some of those metro airports to the nearby universities.

(09-28-2015 08:07 AM)shere khan Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 07:51 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 07:27 AM)UHRedcat96 Wrote:  The biggest barrier we face compared to the P5 conferences is geographic Incompatability. SMU is our closest team. The next closest is 6.5 hours drive. Tulsa is 10 hours for the UH fan. Forget travel to the other games until I retire. They are just to far.
I like what is going on with our league, but it is hard to establish rivalries when your average fan can make one or two away games a year.
In the Big XII the horns can day trip it to OU, OSU, BU, TCU. It helps get the rivalries going. SEC and BIG 10 are the same way. Hopefully tv will trump all because it is our one advantage over the G5s.

Cincinnati's closest "rival" is Memphis, and that's an eight hour drive. At least we're not UConn.

Cincy is a good fit for the Mac

Memphis would rule the Sunbelt.

(09-29-2015 04:46 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 01:19 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  Bradley International Airport (Hartford) has non stops to, among other places) Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Philly, Raleigh, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago.

What conference member is near Atlanta or Chicago?

(09-29-2015 02:58 PM)TforTempleU Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

Not really

I was just making a comparison, I know Philly is very much distinct from New York.

Just making sure haha some people seem to not know that

(09-29-2015 04:46 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 01:19 PM)UpStreamRedTeam Wrote:  Bradley International Airport (Hartford) has non stops to, among other places) Baltimore, Cincinnati, Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Philly, Raleigh, Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago.

What conference member is near Atlanta or Chicago?

(09-29-2015 02:58 PM)TforTempleU Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 11:31 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  Greater NYC--my behind. If Hartford is near New York, it's also close to Boston. For that matter, Philadelphia is greater New York.

Not really

I was just making a comparison, I know Philly is very much distinct from New York.

There are no conference members in Atlanta or Chicago, but the teams that aren't a direct flight to Hartford would connect out of one or the other I would imagine.

(09-28-2015 09:26 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Airport league.

Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Tulsa
Orlando
Tampa
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Hartford (Greater NYC)
Baltimore
Greenville.

I think we have an airport

And you have a hole in your map

Kirk Out

(09-29-2015 07:50 PM)dawgitall Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 03:07 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  The point is it isn't hard to get around in this league (except if you are ECU).

Raleigh to Grenville is an easy 1 hour drive. My guess is it takes longer than that to get from some of those metro airports to the nearby universities.

No way. 30 min max.

(09-29-2015 10:30 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-28-2015 09:26 PM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Airport league.

Houston
Dallas
New Orleans
Memphis
Tulsa
Orlando
Tampa
Cincinnati
Philadelphia
Hartford (Greater NYC)
Baltimore
Greenville.

I think we have an airport

And you have a hole in your map

Kirk Out

I agree. Trade Tulsa.

I have no problem with our AAC partners. However, if it was up to me, all conferences would be somewhat geographical based. 12-16 team conferences, and grouped based on geography.
For example, group all the FL, GA, ALA teams in one conference, and so on. Would actually be a bigger benefit to the eastern teams than western teams due to distances.

(09-28-2015 07:51 AM)BearcatsUC Wrote:  Cincinnati's closest "rival" is Memphis, and that's an eight hour drive. At least we're not UConn.

I think it would be pretty neat if Cincinnati, Louisville, Pitt, and Marshall would all play each other in the same season every 4 years or so and have like an Ohio River rivalry series.