(03-21-2023 10:57 PM)Ned Low Wrote:  I listened to to the entirety of the Jim Williams (Forbes columnist) 365 interview on Youtube and towards the end he mentioned that he asked Mike Aresco (AAC Commissioner) why The American and MWC did not merge for all sports. I don't believe that he gave a complete answer.

I think that such an arrangement could work, especially if SMU and SDSU leave for the PAC. That would give the merged conferences 24 teams in 5 time zones.

West:

Hawaii
Boise State
Fresno State
SJSU
UNLV
Nevada
Utah State
New Mexico

Central:

Colorado State
Air Force
Navy
Rice
UNT
UTSA
Tulsa
Wyoming

East:

East Carolina
Charlotte
Temple
USF
Florida Atlantic
Memphis
Tulane
UAB

I'd add Army, UConn, and a couple others then break into five 5-team divisions plus the Army-AFA-Navy division. The 9-game football schedule for most teams follows a 4-2-1-1-1 format, with the 4 being intra-division and the 2 coming from a neighboring division and/or the Army-AFA-Navy division.

Army, AFA, and Navy play each other and then rotate through teams as needed, with a preference to regionality. Conference champ is CFP likely.

WEST
Hawaii
Fresno State
SJSU
UNLV
Nevada

MOUNTAIN
Boise State
Utah State
New Mexico
Wyoming
Colorado State

CENTRAL
Rice
UNT
UTSA
Tulsa
Tulane

EAST
Temple
East Carolina
*UConn
*UMass
*Liberty

SOUTH
USF
Florida Atlantic
Charlotte
UAB
Memphis

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF
Air Force
Army
Navy

Olympic Only: Wichita State

(03-21-2023 10:57 PM)Ned Low Wrote:  he asked Mike Aresco (AAC Commissioner) why The American and MWC did not merge for all sports. I don't believe that he gave a complete answer.

He didn't answer the question about supporting an action to eliminate his job?

What a surprise!

Of course a conference commissioner wouldn't come out in favor of a merger even if it was a feasible thing (which I don't think would be the case here).

(03-21-2023 11:32 PM)Ned Low Wrote:  

(03-21-2023 11:22 PM)AztecNation Wrote:  Too many teams spread far across the country and not enough money to justify it.

The travel would actually be less because each team would essentially stay in their own time zones or go one time zone over for most of their travel.

When Fresno State played in Greenville, ... well, then it would be an issue. That would not happen every year, however. When a team plays at Hawaii, they could schedule another home game to make up for the difference or play a buy game at one of the P5 schools if they so choose.

I think its more that its TOO much content for one network. ESPN and/or Fox aren't going to want to have all that content at AAC or MWC rates, and splitting it up a la Big 10 is fine but I think whoever gets the "lesser" matchups is only going to want to pay pennies.

not to mention this is not a great time to negotiate TV contracts for non SEC/Big 10 conferences.

(03-22-2023 09:21 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  It wouldn't make sense to go from two auto-bids to one.

That's a good point, though I don't think its quite that dire. If you lose SDSU, you'd still have 3 MWC teams that made the tournament this year (Nevada, Boise State, and Utah State). The American loses one of its two tournament teams in Houston, but they gain a Sweet 16 school in FAU. Still, I think the MWC and AAC schools would be better off being 1 of 14 or 1 of 10 competing for an auto-bid than 1 of 24.

(03-22-2023 02:43 PM)IWantToTalkToRalphSampson Wrote:  

(03-22-2023 09:21 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  It wouldn't make sense to go from two auto-bids to one.

That's a good point, though I don't think its quite that dire. If you lose SDSU, you'd still have 3 MWC teams that made the tournament this year (Nevada, Boise State, and Utah State). The American loses one of its two tournament teams in Houston, but they gain a Sweet 16 school in FAU. Still, I think the MWC and AAC schools would be better off being 1 of 14 or 1 of 10 competing for an auto-bid than 1 of 24.

You're also splitting those credits farther. If you can get the same number of teams in as a 24 team conference as you did as 2, you're coming out the same. But if not, or if the bids are coming from one group or the other - someone is losing out.

And again - for what? To what end? Can you really drive a harder bargain for your media deal with that much more of the product? Maybe, but that seems pretty risky right now.

And both conference offices are going to drag their feet. Nobody is going to be super motivated to work themselves out of a redundant job. Obviously the conference is the schools and the presidents could force this if they wanted regardless of whichever conference staff are getting left out. But they also have other things to do and no real reason that I can see to bother merging.

It would make more sense to have four divisions and host a conference semifinal:

Pacific:
Hawaii (Gonzaga)
Boise State
Fresno State
SJSU
UNLV
Nevada

Mountain:
Utah State
New Mexico
Colorado State
Air Force
Wyoming
UTSA

South:
Memphis
Tulane
Navy (Wichita State)
Rice
UNT
Tulsa

East:
East Carolina
Charlotte
Temple
USF
Florida Atlantic
UAB