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Full Version: UConn Leaving the AAC
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https://www.espn.com/college-sports/stor...n-big-east

This should be a good conversation starter. Hopefully Frazier has contacted the AAC commissioner
They will probably add UConn FB to the MAC. 04-chairshot
NIU could use a real image / branding reboot and a move to a league like the AAC would be a real differentiator for the school as it struggles to seperate itself from all of the other directional Illinois universities.

With that said though, I doubt NIU has any shot or perhaps even desire to leave the MAC at this point for funding reasons.
It's kinda sad how far down our brand has gone from the the days people called for NIU to be moved up to the big 12. Looking through reddit, I didn't see anyone mention us, as most people are calling for either army, app state, boise or uab to be moved up. If a mac school moved up, it'd most likely be Buffalo.
..u conn may elect FCS for football...Just a thought...

But questions remains about AAC...whats the cost to join? How solvent is the conference?
What rivalries are there that would bring crowds to DeKalb? Transportation to and from games?

Any rumours about other teams leaving? Our last move out of the MAC was a disaster. NIU better do their due diligence

Personally I like U Conn coming to the MAC as football only...
Have to wonder how/if this will impact the AAC's newly inked TV deal. You know that having UConn basketball (men's and women's) in its inventory contributed to the price paid.
All of our weak attendances hold any MAC team back from consideration.

We are all also in small-ish cities (Buffalo excepted) which doesn’t fit well into the AAC’s penchant for urban/metropolis locations (ECU gets a pass due to very good attendance by G5 standards).

Most of us would agree the AAC is a highly attractive destination. But the risk here is the same that happened to CUSA about a decade ago. Top ~4 teams get plucked by a Big XII or similar, and suddenly much of that ‘weight’ is gone.
The most logical path would be to build the MAC footprint. We are not going to another conference anytime soon. U. Conn to the MAC would be a plus with minimal expense. This would be a solid step in the right direction. JMHO.
All I want is the MAC to get rid of the weekday games.
(06-22-2019 04:00 PM)timxlydon Wrote: [ -> ]All I want is the MAC to get rid of the weekday games.


Although most of us would want that too, it won’t happen for many years - if at all. The MAC management has sold the conference to ESPN, which controls our schedule. So nice to have so many games on ESPN+ or ESPN3.
How many looks are we really going to get drawing an average of 750 fans to a men's basketball game? We are stuck in the MAC for many years to come.
(06-22-2019 04:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote: [ -> ]How many looks are we really going to get drawing an average of 750 fans to a men's basketball game? We are stuck in the MAC for many years to come.

Bingo. If this had been 5 years ago, NIU might get looks as a FB-only (where we’d park everything else in Horizon/Summit/WAC - whichever would take us).

But because our BB attendance/performance and FB attendance aren’t up to AAC par, we’d have to annually perform like Boise St to get FB-only consideration.

AAC’s first call (after BYU inevitably rejects them) will be to Army. If Army accepts, they’ll extend a non-FB invite to VCU, Dayton, or Saint Louis.

If Army rejects, they’ll go to the all-sports drawing board. ODU has an AAC-esque budget, good recruiting territory, and constructing a new stadium. UAB is building a 50k seat stadium, has good recruiting territory, and a past history with many conferencemates. I’d imagine it would come down to those 2.

Southern Miss and Marshall lack the markets the AAC has historically looked for in every addition but ECU (who historically has near ACC-like support in FB), so those 2 will probably be out.

Who knows, maybe the AAC adds no one. Or maybe they pluck ODU and Marshall rejoins the MAC directly after.
We argued the NIU-to-the-AAC? back in March when the AAC announced its new TV deal. To draw buyers, you have to have something to sell.

UConn leaving the AAC is a one-act play. They have budget/football facility problems. Football is a poor cousin to their basketball, and why does the MAC have to be a temporary dumping ground? Anyone going to flock to Huskie Stadium for an NIU-UConn game?

Anyway, no big moves will come until the P5 TV contracts start rolling around in 2024-25, and then there may be a new TV strategy and players in the market. See these links if you're interested:
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017...zon-google
https://thespun.com/big-12/west-virginia...x-tv-deals

By the way, I forget, when does the ESPN/MAC tv contract expire?
(06-22-2019 09:02 PM)pvk75 Wrote: [ -> ]We argued the NIU-to-the-AAC? back in March when the AAC announced its new TV deal. To draw buyers, you have to have something to sell.

UConn leaving the AAC is a one-act play. They have budget/football facility problems. Football is a poor cousin to their basketball, and why does the MAC have to be a temporary dumping ground? Anyone going to flock to Huskie Stadium for an NIU-UConn game?

Anyway, no big moves will come until the P5 TV contracts start rolling around in 2024-25, and then there may be a new TV strategy and players in the market. See these links if you're interested:
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017...zon-google
https://thespun.com/big-12/west-virginia...x-tv-deals

By the way, I forget, when does the ESPN/MAC tv contract expire?

In the year 2525......
(06-22-2019 09:19 PM)thxjoenovak Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-22-2019 09:02 PM)pvk75 Wrote: [ -> ]We argued the NIU-to-the-AAC? back in March when the AAC announced its new TV deal. To draw buyers, you have to have something to sell.

UConn leaving the AAC is a one-act play. They have budget/football facility problems. Football is a poor cousin to their basketball, and why does the MAC have to be a temporary dumping ground? Anyone going to flock to Huskie Stadium for an NIU-UConn game?

Anyway, no big moves will come until the P5 TV contracts start rolling around in 2024-25, and then there may be a new TV strategy and players in the market. See these links if you're interested:
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017...zon-google
https://thespun.com/big-12/west-virginia...x-tv-deals

By the way, I forget, when does the ESPN/MAC tv contract expire?

In the year 2525......

Yet another contract extension we don't hear about until it's done.
(06-22-2019 09:02 PM)pvk75 Wrote: [ -> ]We argued the NIU-to-the-AAC? back in March when the AAC announced its new TV deal. To draw buyers, you have to have something to sell.

UConn leaving the AAC is a one-act play. They have budget/football facility problems. Football is a poor cousin to their basketball, and why does the MAC have to be a temporary dumping ground? Anyone going to flock to Huskie Stadium for an NIU-UConn game?

Anyway, no big moves will come until the P5 TV contracts start rolling around in 2024-25, and then there may be a new TV strategy and players in the market. See these links if you're interested:
https://www.si.com/college-football/2017...zon-google
https://thespun.com/big-12/west-virginia...x-tv-deals

By the way, I forget, when does the ESPN/MAC tv contract expire?

There might not be any big moves until the 2025 contracts but this move could start a ripple effect. Even If say Buffalo leaves, that means the Mac looks for a school to bring up. Would make sense to bring in a rival for us to compete against. Mac got rid of temple for being football only so I don’t see UConn joining. If they did, that would be good for basketball since the Mac could work in basketball games vs UConn.
(06-22-2019 04:00 PM)timxlydon Wrote: [ -> ]All I want is the MAC to get rid of the weekday games.

That is all it will take to regrow the fanbase again. AAC makes no sense for NIU, a near lateral move with just a huge amount of travel costs against schools no one outside of the AAC gives a damn about. You just need to give the product back to the fans in the MAC and it will prosper again
(06-23-2019 12:39 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-22-2019 04:00 PM)timxlydon Wrote: [ -> ]All I want is the MAC to get rid of the weekday games.

That is all it will take to regrow the fanbase again. AAC makes no sense for NIU, a near lateral move with just a huge amount of travel costs against schools no one outside of the AAC gives a damn about. You just need to give the product back to the fans in the MAC and it will prosper again

Totally wrong. I believe fans would care more about games vs teams like Cincinnati, Houston, Navy, ucf,USF etc. All teams with national name brand recognition. Please don’t compare those schools with Mac teams that are constantly rated in the lower 1/3 of all college football including teams that are consistently among the worst in all fbs.
(06-23-2019 06:00 AM)Dtownboys Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-23-2019 12:39 AM)MaddDawgz02 Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-22-2019 04:00 PM)timxlydon Wrote: [ -> ]All I want is the MAC to get rid of the weekday games.

That is all it will take to regrow the fanbase again. AAC makes no sense for NIU, a near lateral move with just a huge amount of travel costs against schools no one outside of the AAC gives a damn about. You just need to give the product back to the fans in the MAC and it will prosper again

Totally wrong. I believe fans would care more about games vs teams like Cincinnati, Houston, Navy, ucf,USF etc. All teams with national name brand recognition. Please don’t compare those schools with Mac teams that are constantly rated in the lower 1/3 of all college football including teams that are consistently among the worst in all fbs.

+ 10. Boise State, UCF, USF, Marshall, Houston, etc. did not build their reps on conferences. As for the MAC/ESPN tv contract, it is what it is; we're not going to change it.

If anyone thinks Northern can piggyback on MAC success on the national stage, it's a faulty viewpoint. The MAC is 16-41 in bowl games in the past 10 years, including 6 years where MAC teams won one or no games. Northern's last win was in January 2012 over (whoopee!) Arkansas State; 0-6 since then.

As for "big-name" opponents, the MAC has had bowl chances in that 10-year period against Brigham Young, Duke, Wisconsin, Mississippi State, Minnesota, Boise State, Air Force (2), Pittsburgh, Florida State and UCLA ... and lost all but one, (Toledo win over Air Force, 2011). That's a 1-10 record against the "big boys."

THE ANSWER, imo??? Frazier (yes, him) and THammock have it right ... get more boneyard wins, win the MACC, win some bowls, get to the NY6/Access Bowl. FOCUS ON OUR OWN.

By the way, just read an AAC roundtable on what the conference should do when UConn leaves. NO ONE mentioned Buffalo as a potential member; one person mentioned Toledo, but they are a Cincinnati fan looking for an in-state rivalry.
(06-22-2019 06:38 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote: [ -> ]
(06-22-2019 04:35 PM)NIU75 Wrote: [ -> ]How many looks are we really going to get drawing an average of 750 fans to a men's basketball game? We are stuck in the MAC for many years to come.

Bingo. If this had been 5 years ago, NIU might get looks as a FB-only (where we’d park everything else in Horizon/Summit/WAC - whichever would take us).

But because our BB attendance/performance and FB attendance aren’t up to AAC par, we’d have to annually perform like Boise St to get FB-only consideration.

AAC’s first call (after BYU inevitably rejects them) will be to Army. If Army accepts, they’ll extend a non-FB invite to VCU, Dayton, or Saint Louis.

If Army rejects, they’ll go to the all-sports drawing board. ODU has an AAC-esque budget, good recruiting territory, and constructing a new stadium. UAB is building a 50k seat stadium, has good recruiting territory, and a past history with many conferencemates. I’d imagine it would come down to those 2.

Southern Miss and Marshall lack the markets the AAC has historically looked for in every addition but ECU (who historically has near ACC-like support in FB), so those 2 will probably be out.

Who knows, maybe the AAC adds no one. Or maybe they pluck ODU and Marshall rejoins the MAC directly after.

Not at all, you guys are way off. Basketball attendance would be like the 12th factor the AAC looks at. Besides Tulane and South Florida aren't doing much better.

The billion dollar question (literally, because that's what the AAC's TV deal is worth) is what school will help that TV deal and bring in revenue in other ways for the conference members to share. The TV deal is helped by adding a big market, and technically DeKalb is in the Chicago media market. NIU generally draws decent TV numbers. Obviously, Buffalo is in a major market too so there is a lot of potential there.

https://www.thevab.com/wp-content/upload...MA-Map.pdf

Another huge piece of the puzzle is whether the program they add will win games and solidify their status as the #1 G5 conference. The most important reason for this is because the G5 conferences divvy up a slice of the College Football Playoff money and the one with the best computer numbers gets the biggest share. Also, getting that Access Bowl slot is worth more millions. We're talking millions of dollars for the conference based on on-field performance and you think they're going to make their decision on basketball attendance and hot dog sales??

I know a lot of people on here have bad memories from NIU leaving the MAC in the 90s but NIU is the red headed stepchild of the conference even though we've won like 4 titles in 8 years. Frazier should absolutely try to get NIU in a conference with major revenue and a major profile. Oh and one that doesn't play on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
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