A lot of talk about Aresco shooting to make AAC a power conference.

But, what realistically can he do? Let me hear your thoughts on what he legitimately can do. No AAC bashing, just thoughts about what he can do, and what you would do if you were AAC commish.

Some ideas:

1. Change media perception over time by constantly beating the AAC power drum

2. Get significantly more money in media rights deals, including new social media outlets and online streaming.

3. Get a better bowl for AAC champ by pooling money and buying a better opponent. Or, approach bowls like the Liberty about hosting AAC champ.

4. Long term...get some type of quasi guarantee to a CFP anchor bowl. May have to think outside the box on this one, not sure how he could do this.

(10-19-2016 12:08 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  A lot of talk about Aresco shooting to make AAC a power conference.

But, what realistically can he do? Let me hear your thoughts on what he legitimately can do. No AAC bashing, just thoughts about what he can do, and what you would do if you were AAC commish.

Some ideas:

1. Change media perception over time by constantly beating the AAC power drum

2. Get significantly more money in media rights deals, including new social media outlets and online streaming.

3. Get a better bowl for AAC champ by pooling money and buying a better opponent. Or, approach bowls like the Liberty about hosting AAC champ.

4. Long term...get some type of quasi guarantee to a CFP anchor bowl. May have to think outside the box on this one, not sure how he could do this.

Good thoughts. I particularly like the bowl one because as far as I can tell historically the bowl agreements have been the markers of conference strength. WAC was tied with Holiday Bowl, Big East to Orange Bowl. The Big 12 lost the Fiesta Bowl but was able to move over the Sugar Bowl, probably a net gain. When they lost that tie in, it hurt their perception. It might work the other way.

I'm not sure that an anchor bowl can be guaranteed. In years like this one there is only one remaining at large spot, and its going to be hard to get the current P5 to give it up. On the other hand, the way the Fiesta operated in years past with the TCU/Boise matchup I could see it becoming a guaranteed spot for either the AAC or MWC champ in years that it is not hosting a playoff game.

On 1-2: I'm not sure how effective beating the AAC power drum will be. However more money from a TV contract will definitely improve perception (though its a chicken and egg situation... improving perception will get them more money).

Nothing. There is really nothing he can do. The AAC is a G5 not a P5. And it will take cataclysmic events that he has no control over to change that.

NCAA doesn't decide who is a power conference. It's up to the TV networks, so for the AAC to become a power conference they need to get 30 mil per school. How ever they will convince the tv networks to give that out beats me.

It stems around his ability to negotiate a contract bowl or good spot for the AAC champ if they don't have the access bowl slot.

If it's a bowl with a high payout, then that's a good starting point. It would give respectability. Granted, that is tougher than it seems, but the Cotton, Peach and Fiesta bowls are available. If the American champ can generate the $$$ the bowl needs (in both TV ratings and travelers) then it's possible.

Convince the TV networks and CFP to pay the AAC like they pay the Big 12 and ACC.

Short of that, there is nothing.

(10-19-2016 12:08 PM)BullsFanInTX Wrote:  A lot of talk about Aresco shooting to make AAC a power conference.

But, what realistically can he do? Let me hear your thoughts on what he legitimately can do. No AAC bashing, just thoughts about what he can do, and what you would do if you were AAC commish.

Some ideas:

1. Change media perception over time by constantly beating the AAC power drum

2. Get significantly more money in media rights deals, including new social media outlets and online streaming.

3. Get a better bowl for AAC champ by pooling money and buying a better opponent. Or, approach bowls like the Liberty about hosting AAC champ.

4. Long term...get some type of quasi guarantee to a CFP anchor bowl. May have to think outside the box on this one, not sure how he could do this.

Take the B12's idiocy as an opportunity - be the first to 16 by adding the B12 rejects who are not already AAC members- BYU and Colorado State, namely, and make a big splash about it

Get rid of the sorry teams like Tulane and SMU is holding them back. Tulsa as well since all three are not ratings darlings.
UTSA, UTEP, Rice at times and Southern Mississippi have some good ratings better than those 3.
Look at a couple of MAC teams that have good ratings. Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Toledo, Ohio and Bowling Green have some good ratings at times. Arkansas State does have ratings as well. They are in a duo tv markets.
Get some power basketball teams as well like Wichita State and VCU to make them stronger there.

(10-19-2016 12:44 PM)MplsBison Wrote:  Convince the TV networks and CFP to pay the AAC like they pay the Big 12 and ACC.

Short of that, there is nothing.

This. They are G5 because they're not on the "P5" side of the CFP contracts. For them to move to the other side the contracts between all FBS conferences the, TV networks and the NYD bowls would need to be renegotiated. This won't happen, if the AAC schools were to excel and promote themselves enough for it to be so, the B12 would start adding them and the other existing power conferences as well. They're moving towards consolidation. P4 seems more likely than P6 at this point.

That being said the AAC is the clear #6 at the moment and has some good brands. All the things you list are good for Aresco to be working on but it won't change the fact that the AAC is scrambling for peanuts the same as the rest of the G5. All this talk is just like when ECU made their very public plea to the B12. They knew they wouldn't be chosen, the B12 knew it, everyone knew it. But they wanted to a) let their fans and donors know that they were doing something and b) remind everyone else that they had value

Power conferences are defined by power programs. The B1G has Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska, the SEC has Alabama, Florida, LSU, Auburn, et al., the PAC-12 has USC, UCLA, Oregon and Stanford, the Big 12 has Texas and Oklahoma, and the ACC has Florida State, Clemson and Louisville. If any of these conferences lost their power programs, they would lose their power status - i.e. Big 12 potentially losing Texas and Oklahoma.

The AAC does not have a current power program. They do, however, have programs that have the potential to become really big national programs, similar to Boise State and TCU/Utah before before called up to a power conference. Houston is currently that way. UCF had the makings of that a few years ago. East Carolina always has had the fan base to drive that. USF has the resources to get that. Cincinnati was up there before Tommy Tuberville came along. UConn had a solid run under Edsall. SMU was up there 30 years ago. All of the current schools have potential, which is what drives the marketability of the league - schools that are putting resources into their potential success and programs that want to compete on the national level.

Unfortunately, unless the AAC gets a "power program", they will never be considered a power conference. I would argue that Aresco should stop trying to be like the power conferences and create something strong and unique that isn't compared to the P5. The American could be something really special for all of the schools outside of the P5, and there is definitely a demand/viewership for that (despite what ESPN currently values the AAC at).

The AAC can change the perception & achieve #2-4 by performance on the field & by TV viewer data. This can be achieved by putting more distance between the other G conferences & the AAC. The AAC is clearly the best of the G conferences based upon the last several years performance on the field of the AAC top to bottom. This separation needs to be made permanent by adding the top 4 MW schools. This would make the separation from the other G conferences permanent & begin the debate in earnest that the AAC is a peer conference to the B12 (OOC wins shows that now) & top to bottom there is already such an argument. Adding the 4 best MW schools would fuel that debate & that is what Aresco needs to push his P6 agenda & narrow the gap with the auto-5 conferences. The AAC along with the top 4 MW schools takes the discussion from being part of the G group & legitimizes the discussion of the AAC inclusion with the auto conferences. The AAC with the top 4 MW schools (or tope 3 & BYU) are much closer to the auto conferences than the G conferences. And the AAC with the top 4 MW schools present a much stronger argument than apart.

Aresco can't do anything. The presidents / chancellors can try to help raise the perception of the league by funding the programs appropriately as well as forming a commitment to the conference and each other.

Hope that one of the less stable power conferences (B12 or ACC) implode. Then maybe if that happens, schools leave for B1G and SEC, and the leftovers absorb the AAC and name Aresco commish if he begs hard enough.

Go to a 16 team league.

EAST: UConn, Temple, UCF, USF, ECU, UC, Navy, Memphis

WEST: SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Houston, COLORADO ST, BOISE ST, BYU, CUSA's best

9 game football conference schedule. Seven in division and two from the other division.

Other sports, you play home and home in division and one game against the other division. 22 game conference schedule for basketball, etc.

(10-19-2016 01:39 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  Go to a 16 team league.

EAST: UConn, Temple, UCF, USF, ECU, UC, Navy, Memphis

WEST: SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Houston, COLORADO ST, BOISE ST, BYU, CUSA's best

9 game football conference schedule. Seven in division and two from the other division.

Other sports, you play home and home in division and one game against the other division. 22 game conference schedule for basketball, etc.

Move Memphis to the west, and add either UMass (for UConn's travel partner) or Old Dominion from C-USA.

Add Texas and Oklahoma, minus that not a dang thing.

Add BYU for all sports and Army or Air Force for football. Those are the three "biggest" chasers out there. We know Boise and SDSU won't bring the pull, and AFA alone isn't enough.

(10-19-2016 01:49 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(10-19-2016 01:39 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  Go to a 16 team league.

EAST: UConn, Temple, UCF, USF, ECU, UC, Navy, Memphis

WEST: SMU, Tulane, Tulsa, Houston, COLORADO ST, BOISE ST, BYU, CUSA's best

9 game football conference schedule. Seven in division and two from the other division.

Other sports, you play home and home in division and one game against the other division. 22 game conference schedule for basketball, etc.

Move Memphis to the west, and add either UMass (for UConn's travel partner) or Old Dominion from C-USA.

DavidSt, While Navy in the east seems logical, Navy prefers to play in the west, it was a contractual issue when Navy joined the AAC. Memphis would likely not prefer to play in the west unless compensated for travel. Also the east needs some balance. And not CUSA anything, add AFA.

I don't agree that nothing can be done. It certainly won't be easy and it won't happen overnight, but history has shown that you can absolutely change your status.

However, you have to earn it on the field. Nobody is going to give you the benefit of any doubt. You're not going to do it through gimmickry or marketing, it has to happen through results. That is the only thing that can keep the wolves at bay.

So keep investing in your facilities and winning those high profile OOC games. Also, you need not one or two teams to raise their game, you need a bunch of teams to make the jump and it has to be a consistent thing. It can't be a one or two year spike followed by a 7-10 year decline. It has to be demonstrable sustained growth and it has to be on multiple fronts.

Houston's performance against Florida State last year was a good first step. They followed that up with a high profile neutral field win over Oklahoma. However, then they stumbled against Navy. Now, you need to do it again… And again… And again.

Also, it would be best for the conference if it wasn't Houston again this year. It'd be great if it were Navy or someone else. The next year would be great if it was Temple that won it's BCS game. The year after that, East Carolina. Then UCF or USF or Memphis, etc.

That's what that conference needs to do to change its status. As I said, it will definitely take years to get there but it could happen. You'll have to be good, you'll have to be lucky, and you'll have to be very committed. It's not a sure bet by any means but that's what you need to have happen.

If you win enough of these OOC games and major bowl games against respected competition, people have no choice but to shut their mouth's about you and grin and bear it. See Boise State as a product sample of that.

Nothing.
Look at the makeup of the power conferences. They are mostly made up of flagship and land-grant colleges. The AAC is mostly private and colleges that are 3rd to 6th in the pecking order of there respective state.

The MW is in a better position to become a power conference before the AAC.