(09-14-2021 12:41 PM)bull_trojan Wrote:  If it helps, Hawaii currently is forced to pay travel costs for every team that comes to the island in both their Mountain West and Big West deals.

I'm sure Hawaii would be willing to continue that for AAC teams to prevent getting left out.

Plus the 13th game

(09-14-2021 11:14 AM)mtmedlin Wrote:  Theres an answer that is way easier than what is being posted everywhere.

The AAC and MWC merger.

MWC bylaws state that any conference structural changes must have a 75% vote. 8 out of 12 must vote to to make any substantial change... like dissolving the conference.

We have 8 teams in the AAC and the MWC needs 8 members to leave, and vote for conference dissolution.

Love me some Hawaii, but that is an expensive trip.

The two newest members are Utah State and San Jose State. I Believe these two have the least likely chance to be added. Better options.

Nevada is small. UNLV is the larger market. U of Nevada would be cut.
Wyoming, New Mexico, CSU and Air Force kind of have long history and want to stay together.


Its EASY, its perfectly balanced. It has 4 geographic zones for Pods, it keeps existing rivalries, it spans every time zone equally and best of all.... NO EXIT FEES.

This is by far the easiest path forward and assembled a large conference that would be slightly insulated if more members leave.

Map below.

A couple of corrections are in order:

1. UNLV has been a net drag on the MWC. They've had very little success in FB and BB in recent years

2. Nevada has by far the strongest FB and BB programs in the State of Nevada.

3. Nevada also has some of the strongest FB and BB programs in the entire conference

Regarding Utah State:

Utah State has had one of the strongest basketball programs in the MWC in recent years.

1. Utah State won an average of 27 games per year in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

2. Utah State has played in 5 NCAA tournaments since 2008-09

3. Utah State has had three nationally-ranked teams in the past decade, two of which finished their seasons in the Final AP Top 25.

4. Utah State won an average of 9.25 FB games/yr betwee 2011 and 2015 and an average of 8 FB games/yr between 2017 and 2019, and an average of 7 games/yr between 2011 and 2019.


Summary: It would clearly be a mistake not to add Nevada and Utah State in an AAC/MWC merger.


.

Fortunately, it's not necessary to pick and choose among the MWC schools.

Why? Because it make even more sense for there to be a complete merger of the AAC and MWC.

(09-14-2021 12:32 PM)Fishpro10987 Wrote:  I think this OP is indicative of the poor position the AAC is in. The MWC schools have little reason to merge. They are just fine as is. The AAC is desperate to add known brands, otherwise the league's future is bleak to meh.

Yup!

Complete merger.
Bring in Gonzaga or VCU if Gonzaga won't.
20 football, 20 basketball/Olympics.
Inventory for network across all time zones.
2 Academies
Several state flagships
Football brands
Basketball brands
Baseball brands
Mostly major markets
Recruiting in California, Texas and Florida
No one gets kicked out, everyone stays
Still a good league if few teams get poached in future
Work out interesting matchups instead of divisions or pods for football Boise vs Memphis, SDSU vs Navy....
19 conference games in basketball.
Set up challenges with Big 12
FB champ game Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, Tampa

I assume this would not be a new league but a continuation of the AAC or renamed AAC. Otherwise you lose continuity benefits like basketball tournament AQ.

Practical concerns:
Lose a tournament AQ spot - likely this conference would be good enough to get an at large but it has to be conisdered
All MWC bowl contracts would become void. Would the merged conference keep all bowls?
Lose a conference worth of G5 playoff distribution. This would hit especially hard if there are years the conference doesn't get the NY6 bowl. (If this is kept under new playoff structure)

If you are going to go more than 16 than it would be better just to pool the TV rights

Unfortunately AAC has a long term deal with ESPN that makes that unfeasible.

If you are going to merge, I would argue it would be better to merge under the MWC umbrella as their TV contract is up much sooner

(09-14-2021 01:25 PM)NTXCoog Wrote:  I assume this would not be a new league but a continuation of the AAC or renamed AAC. Otherwise you lose continuity benefits like basketball tournament AQ.

Practical concerns:
Lose a tournament AQ spot - likely this conference would be good enough to get an at large but it has to be conisdered
All MWC bowl contracts would become void. Would the merged conference keep all bowls?
Lose a conference worth of G5 playoff distribution. This would hit especially hard if there are years the conference doesn't get the NY6 bowl. (If this is kept under new playoff structure)

I would not be completely surprised if you see the 5 G5 conferences consolidate down to 3 20-24 team leagues , to prevent being completely cut out of new CFP contract.

(09-14-2021 01:37 PM)hk25 Wrote:  

(09-14-2021 01:25 PM)NTXCoog Wrote:  I assume this would not be a new league but a continuation of the AAC or renamed AAC. Otherwise you lose continuity benefits like basketball tournament AQ.

Practical concerns:
Lose a tournament AQ spot - likely this conference would be good enough to get an at large but it has to be conisdered
All MWC bowl contracts would become void. Would the merged conference keep all bowls?
Lose a conference worth of G5 playoff distribution. This would hit especially hard if there are years the conference doesn't get the NY6 bowl. (If this is kept under new playoff structure)

I would not be completely surprised if you see the 5 G5 conferences consolidate down to 3 20-24 team leagues , to prevent being completely cut out of new CFP contract.

Consolidate into smaller reginal conferences yes, most likely 10-12 max... AAC maybe as high as 16, you know, P6...

Might as well do a full merger, especially if the B12 is expected to add 2 more when Texas and Oklahoma actually leave.

(09-14-2021 12:32 PM)Fishpro10987 Wrote:  I think this OP is indicative of the poor position the AAC is in. The MWC schools have little reason to merge. They are just fine as is. The AAC is desperate to add known brands, otherwise the league's future is bleak to meh.

That depends on what the American’s TV contract is worth. If we stay at $7M, that incentivizes MW teams to join. If we are cut 50% to $3.5M, which is about equal to the current MW, the merger could be sold as a bulwark against future raids. The merged AAC-MW would also have an opportunity to prove themselves just as the American did. Remember, we were ‘C-USA’ 2.0 until we proved otherwise. Could happen again. I like the idea, though I am not optimistic about anything like this happening.

(09-14-2021 01:14 PM)40smokingcannon Wrote:  Complete merger.
Bring in Gonzaga or VCU if Gonzaga won't.
20 football, 20 basketball/Olympics.
Inventory for network across all time zones.
2 Academies
Several state flagships
Football brands
Basketball brands
Baseball brands
Mostly major markets
Recruiting in California, Texas and Florida
No one gets kicked out, everyone stays
Still a good league if few teams get poached in future
Work out interesting matchups instead of divisions or pods for football Boise vs Memphis, SDSU vs Navy....
19 conference games in basketball.
Set up challenges with Big 12
FB champ game Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, Tampa

Like I said, I like it.

(09-14-2021 11:55 AM)T-Moar Wrote:  75% of 12 is 9, not 8. That throws a wrench in things. Do you go to 17 teams? 18? At that point, you might as well do a full 20-team merger.

I was told it was 8 votes. MWC friends said that Colorado College and Hawaii are both single sport "Affiliate Members". I need to double check but from what they said, it takes 8 votes.

I am on record as ready to support a full merger between AAC and MWC. Keep the AAC name. Use pods. It could work.

What would a merged conference plus Gonzaga or VCU bring to the table?

7 national championships (4 football, 2 baseball, 1 basketball)
14 final four appearances
2 NY 6 Bowl games
3 Heisman trophies
40,523 average football capacity
10,510 average basketball capacity
3 top 10 tv markets, 5 top 20, 11 top 50

Dr. Rudd, the President of the University of Memphis, stated the AAC “needs to move quickly, to expand, and to stabilize in response to the losses of those three schools. It needs to do so in an aggressive, bold fashion. We need to think about what the next iteration of college athletics is going to look like and not to be constrained by traditional perspectives. It should all be on the table. Any and all ideas should be on the table.”

The consolidation of the best AAC and MWC elements into one entity would certainly fall within the scope of his statement.

(09-14-2021 03:56 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  Dr. Rudd, the President of the University of Memphis, stated the AAC “needs to move quickly, to expand, and to stabilize in response to the losses of those three schools. It needs to do so in an aggressive, bold fashion. We need to think about what the next iteration of college athletics is going to look like and not to be constrained by traditional perspectives. It should all be on the table. Any and all ideas should be on the table.”

The consolidation of the best AAC and MWC elements into one entity would certainly fall within the scope of his statement.

I think a lot of schools are thinking this way and its why I think schools that were traditionally against change may be way more open now.

Aresco is a smart guy and I have faith in him. I know here at USF we have a great AD who was the former Senior Associate Commissioner of the ACC and the COO of the College football playoff.
Aresco isnt alone in all of this. The AAC has some really strong ADs and Presidents who can assist him.

Not a bad plan. You have to win the G5 access every year. Letting it go back and forth is bad for both conferences.

(09-14-2021 02:30 PM)Chappy Wrote:  Might as well do a full merger, especially if the B12 is expected to add 2 more when Texas and Oklahoma actually leave.

Still say AAC takes 6 or 7 MW teams.

Start with SDSU and BSU, if both say no take 6 Nevada, Fresno, Utah State, Colorado State, Air Farce, and one from New Mexico/UNLV and pause...

Then go back to SDSU and BSU and then move on if the decide to rebuild a conference from Wyoming, San Jose, Hawaii, and New Mexico/UNLV

On paper this sounds easy. In reality its probably the most complicated, herding the cats.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

In Merging with the Mtn West or Adding 8 of their members, most people stress about travel costs. But if you have 8 teams in a West division and 8 teams in an East division it would work. Olympics sports only play teams within your division.