(01-11-2014 12:56 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 11:28 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  CUSA becomes a poor man's A10 with programs like ODU, Charlotte, WKU, and MTSU. Add UTEP, UAB, and USM, and it's not that bad a conference for hoops. UMass would definitely beef up the hoops further. Maybe even make it a consistent multi-bid conference?

Have you guys seen the conference rankings in basketball this year? Where is CUSA without Memphis?

It isn't pretty.

Conference USA fans are delusional. I'm still laughing at them when they said they upgraded in basketball this year.

(01-11-2014 04:53 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  Marshall fans are always trying to prop up CUSA. The league sucks, plain and simple and isnt close to the AAC in anything.

It's so funny watching them get so furious about anything related to the AAC. I mean people it's just sports your not the one out there playing. That's why I laugh when someone attempts to make a Sun Belt comment like I actually care. The Sun Belt sucks boo hoo but so does the new conference USA because it is the Sun Belt.

(01-11-2014 07:51 PM)Freshy Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:51 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 02:11 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 01:55 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 01:06 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  That "entity" you speak of is pulling the average from the standard rankings (USA Today and Coaches Poll) to determine which conference champion is the higher ranked school.


The bottom line....if you are in the "Group of Five" and want to reach that BCS bowl game, you better run the table to assure yourself a chance. If you don't run the table and another school from one of the "Group of Five" conferences do then they are certain to get that bid over a 1 loss team.

Nope. If they wanted that they would have stuck with the old BCS ranking systems. They purposely did away with the old system and established a seslection committee which will watch the games if relevant teams ans study statistics of the schools in question. They will consider strength of schedule and injuries. It's not going to be polls by coaches who vote for teams they have never even see play. It's going to be different.

Your fooling yourself if you think a group that studies the stuff isn't going to know that the CUSA champ was manhandled in a bowl against the #9 SEC team. You nuts if you think they are not going to consider that the MAC went 0-5 in bowls and thier near BCS buster was handled by the MW runner up. You crazy if you think that committee won't notice that NIU was blown out in thier BCS bowl and that the AAC champ just beat the #6 ranked Big12 champ. There is a difference.

Yeah---the crap teams in each G5 conference are similar. But the top of the MW and ACC are much better than the top of the other 3 G5s.

And Hawai'i beat Alabama. And Boise State beat Oklahoma. And 2012 NIU would take that spot.

Now you are making my case. Did you change your mind? Hawaii and Boise are in the MW. Like I said, the AAC and MW are going to get the benefit of the doubt. A 12-0 NIU would no longer get the nod over an 11-1 AAC/MW champ---not after the egg NIU laid in their 2012 BCS game and not after the way near 2013 BCS buster NIU got rolled by a G5 runner up. They now have placed doubt about the MAC champs in the eyes of the committee. The committee will need to see NIU wins over multiple P5 conference teams---probably over somebody not from the Big-10. NIU didn't need to win their BCS Bowl to overcome the doubters, but they needed to be more competitive. The MAC going 2-5 in 2012 bowls and 0-5 in 2013 bowls also doesn't do a lot for the conference credibility. Sure, the AAC went a pitiful 2-3, but that was also against all bowl qualified power conference teams--4 of the 5 power conference opponents having won 8 games or more.

And herein lies the biggest point of contention between the AAC schools and everyone else in the group of five: The AAC posters believe they are head and shoulders taller than the rest of us, while the rest of us see only a slightly taller midget.

Here is what that ten point win over Baylor by UCF actually bought you: You will have a ranked team to start next year, which will have some opportunities to win big games early and thus separate the AAC from everyone else. However, they will have to WIN those games against Penn State and Missouri, or else you will find yourselves right back in the pack. You won't get a free pass just for having 'AAC' painted on your fields. Now, maybe ECU can win its big games, or maybe someone else with a tough out of conference schedule can win its big games and thus earn you back that space, but you aren't going to be given a whole lot just because UCF won a big game with last year's players.

Just so we are clear on this, your other bowl winner will be in the ACC next year, one of your losers will be in the B1G, and CUSA's blowout loss to MSU is no less devasting to CUSA than the AAC's blowout loss to Vanderbilt will be to the AAC. You are gaining a team that lost 59-28 to Marshall (yet feels it has the right to talk down to them on this thread...), another that lost its bowl game to the Sun Belt, and a third that finished 3-9. I'm sorry, but to think that the AAC is magically going to be head and shoulders better than CUSA or anyone else next year is outright delusional. You have just as good of a chance of producing a school that has a special season as anyone else in the group of five does.

The number one goal of any Go5 school is to eliminate all doubt by going undefeated. Go take a look at Marshall's OOC schedule and tell me that anyone else with as much coming back next year has as good of a chance of going undefeated as they do.

Priority number two: In lieu of going undefeated, make yourself look as good as possible when losing. Should UCF or ECU lose out of conference, they have an excellent chance of pulling this one off. However, so do teams like Southern Miss. Scheduling challenging P5 opponents isn't magically limited to the AAC.

Priority number three: If you can't win all your nonconference games or look pretty damn good losing one of them, don't lose in conference. This is where the AAC, and the MW for that matter, can hurt themselves the most. That committee full of P5 reps is going to want to see a Go5 team that is head and shoulders above everyone else. For better or for worse, that status is going to be built off of dominating conference members. If you have a conference champion with two losses, is it really going to get them more consideration than, say, a Louisiana-Lafayette that has a real chance of flat out dominating the Sun Belt next year?

All the big win for UCF really bought the AAC for 2014 is the best opportunity to be the one chosen if you finish tied for best record with another Go5 representative. Even this opportunity can be lost if your champion finished poorly in 2013 and has an ugly loss in 2014.

This is not true at all dude. I'm no UCF fan but if UCF managed to beat a ranked Missouri team, Penn State, BYU, then went 12-1 with a loss to say Houston they would still be a ranked team. If a Sun Belt or Conference USA team has one or two conference losses they probably are not getting ranked.

(01-11-2014 07:51 PM)Freshy Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:51 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 02:11 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 01:55 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 01:06 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  That "entity" you speak of is pulling the average from the standard rankings (USA Today and Coaches Poll) to determine which conference champion is the higher ranked school.


The bottom line....if you are in the "Group of Five" and want to reach that BCS bowl game, you better run the table to assure yourself a chance. If you don't run the table and another school from one of the "Group of Five" conferences do then they are certain to get that bid over a 1 loss team.

Nope. If they wanted that they would have stuck with the old BCS ranking systems. They purposely did away with the old system and established a seslection committee which will watch the games if relevant teams ans study statistics of the schools in question. They will consider strength of schedule and injuries. It's not going to be polls by coaches who vote for teams they have never even see play. It's going to be different.

Your fooling yourself if you think a group that studies the stuff isn't going to know that the CUSA champ was manhandled in a bowl against the #9 SEC team. You nuts if you think they are not going to consider that the MAC went 0-5 in bowls and thier near BCS buster was handled by the MW runner up. You crazy if you think that committee won't notice that NIU was blown out in thier BCS bowl and that the AAC champ just beat the #6 ranked Big12 champ. There is a difference.

Yeah---the crap teams in each G5 conference are similar. But the top of the MW and ACC are much better than the top of the other 3 G5s.

And Hawai'i beat Alabama. And Boise State beat Oklahoma. And 2012 NIU would take that spot.

Now you are making my case. Did you change your mind? Hawaii and Boise are in the MW. Like I said, the AAC and MW are going to get the benefit of the doubt. A 12-0 NIU would no longer get the nod over an 11-1 AAC/MW champ---not after the egg NIU laid in their 2012 BCS game and not after the way near 2013 BCS buster NIU got rolled by a G5 runner up. They now have placed doubt about the MAC champs in the eyes of the committee. The committee will need to see NIU wins over multiple P5 conference teams---probably over somebody not from the Big-10. NIU didn't need to win their BCS Bowl to overcome the doubters, but they needed to be more competitive. The MAC going 2-5 in 2012 bowls and 0-5 in 2013 bowls also doesn't do a lot for the conference credibility. Sure, the AAC went a pitiful 2-3, but that was also against all bowl qualified power conference teams--4 of the 5 power conference opponents having won 8 games or more.

And herein lies the biggest point of contention between the AAC schools and everyone else in the group of five: The AAC posters believe they are head and shoulders taller than the rest of us, while the rest of us see only a slightly taller midget.

Here is what that ten point win over Baylor by UCF actually bought you: You will have a ranked team to start next year, which will have some opportunities to win big games early and thus separate the AAC from everyone else. However, they will have to WIN those games against Penn State and Missouri, or else you will find yourselves right back in the pack. You won't get a free pass just for having 'AAC' painted on your fields. Now, maybe ECU can win its big games, or maybe someone else with a tough out of conference schedule can win its big games and thus earn you back that space, but you aren't going to be given a whole lot just because UCF won a big game with last year's players.

Just so we are clear on this, your other bowl winner will be in the ACC next year, one of your losers will be in the B1G, and CUSA's blowout loss to MSU is no less devasting to CUSA than the AAC's blowout loss to Vanderbilt will be to the AAC. You are gaining a team that lost 59-28 to Marshall (yet feels it has the right to talk down to them on this thread...), another that lost its bowl game to the Sun Belt, and a third that finished 3-9. I'm sorry, but to think that the AAC is magically going to be head and shoulders better than CUSA or anyone else next year is outright delusional. You have just as good of a chance of producing a school that has a special season as anyone else in the group of five does.

The number one goal of any Go5 school is to eliminate all doubt by going undefeated. Go take a look at Marshall's OOC schedule and tell me that anyone else with as much coming back next year has as good of a chance of going undefeated as they do.

Priority number two: In lieu of going undefeated, make yourself look as good as possible when losing. Should UCF or ECU lose out of conference, they have an excellent chance of pulling this one off. However, so do teams like Southern Miss. Scheduling challenging P5 opponents isn't magically limited to the AAC.

Priority number three: If you can't win all your nonconference games or look pretty damn good losing one of them, don't lose in conference. This is where the AAC, and the MW for that matter, can hurt themselves the most. That committee full of P5 reps is going to want to see a Go5 team that is head and shoulders above everyone else. For better or for worse, that status is going to be built off of dominating conference members. If you have a conference champion with two losses, is it really going to get them more consideration than, say, a Louisiana-Lafayette that has a real chance of flat out dominating the Sun Belt next year?

All the big win for UCF really bought the AAC for 2014 is the best opportunity to be the one chosen if you finish tied for best record with another Go5 representative. Even this opportunity can be lost if your champion finished poorly in 2013 and has an ugly loss in 2014.

I think that section is instructive. You yourself even admit that its tougher to go undefeated in the AAC/MW. If you can figure that out, why do think a selection committee cant figure it out?

Can a winner come any of the 5 conferneces? Yes. Can a 1-loss AAC member win it over an undefeated G5 member? That answer is also yes. Is it guaranteed? No. It will depend on the situation. But a blanket statement that it wont happen is flat wrong.

Now, admittedly, neither of us knows for sure because we do not know how this committee will look at the data. However, if what we are being told is accurate, then I do think that a 11-1 MW/AAC team with a strong resume could be rated over an undefeated member from another G5 conference. Not always, but it will likely happen more than you think.

(01-11-2014 08:42 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 04:07 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 04:04 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  UMass all sports, Army Football, VCU hoops and Wichita St hoops would make me really happy.

I could live with that. A state flagship, a tradition rich nationally known university, and 2 solid basketball schools with strong attendance. The divisions look like crap though.

howso?

7 team divisions--two naturally eastern schools are going to be screwed over. Maybe add 2 more and do pods if it becomes legal. North/south divisions work, but the northern coaches are not going to like the recruiting ramifications.

East

Army
Navy
UConn
UMass
Temple
ECU
UCF
USF
Cinci


West

Houston
SMU
Tulsa
Tulane
Memphis

(01-11-2014 08:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 09:46 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:13 AM)CoogNellie Wrote:  The AAC champ is almost always going to be in one of the big bowls considering how bad CUSA, Sunbelt, and MAC are. That will be good enough until they expand the playoff.

For now, the AAC and MWC seem to have a slight edge over C-USA on the field. But don't be mistaken. If you look at how the teams that will be in the AAC finished this season, only UCF separated themselves from the top teams in C-USA, and they lose most of their best players. Maybe they can reload. I don't know the team that well. Chances are there will be a drop off. The MWC is also trending down. Boise isn't the team they used to be. Fresno didn't live up to expectations either.

C-USA is not bad. Just like the AAC, 3 of our returning teams finished this season with 9 wins or more. The MWC only had 2 teams do that. As a conference we went 3-3 in our bowl games, posting wins over new BIG10 team Maryland and a blowout of MWC's UNLV, which was our only bowl match-up with the MWC.

When looking at bowl records and assigning them to next seasons line-ups thing look interesting.

C-USA
2-2
Wins- Marshall, North Texas
Loses- Rice, MTSU

AAC
2-3
Wins- #12 UCF, ECU
Loses- Houston, Cincinnati, Tulane

MWC
3-3
Wins- SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State
Loses- Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV

Of all the teams in the 3 conferences, only UCF of the AAC finished the season ranked in the coaches poll, while Cincinnati and ECU received votes. In the MWC Fresno received votes. In C-USA Marshall and North Texas received votes.

I'd say starting next season, any conference could win the G5 spot.

Your assuming that USF, Uconn, Temple, Tulsa are going to remain as bad as they are. Furthermore, conference USA faced absolute jokes compared to what the AAC had in bowl games. Your conference champion got absolutely blown out by a bad SEC team. The Sun Belt, MWC, MAC, and CUSA are close to each other. The AAC is going to be more on the level of the Big 10 and ACC when they get their feet wet.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm pointing out the current reality of what the AAC will be dealing with starting next season. Many of the programs that will be paying in the AAC next season are not of the same quality as they have been in the past. Could they get better by next season? Sure, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aside from the UCF win over Baylor, I don't see a great difference in the quality of bowl wins by the teams that will be in both conferences next season. I doubt the media and opinion makers do either. Rice and Houston both got beat down by SEC teams, and I don't think Houston is that much better then Rice. When they play this season Houston only won the game by 5 points. Actually, after the UCF win, ECU had the best bowl performance of the teams that will be in the AAC next season, but they couldn't win the eastern division of C-USA this year.

C-USA
W- Marshall 31 Maryland (ACC) 20- Military Bowl
W- North Texas 36 UNLV (MWC) 14 Heart of Dallas Bowl
L- Rice 7 Miss State (SEC) 44- Liberty Bowl
L- Middle Tennessee State University 6 Navy (Ind.) 24- Armed Forces Bowl

AAC
W- UCF 52 Baylor (BIG12) 42- Fiesta Bowl
W- ECU 37 Ohio (MAC) 20- Beef O' Brady's Bowl
L- Cincinnati 17 North Carolina (ACC) 39- Belk Bowl
L- Houston 24 Vanderbilt (SEC) 41- BBVA Compass Bowl
L- Tulane 21 University of Louisiana- Lafayette (Sun Belt) 24- New Orleans Bowl

Saying that the new AAC will be closer to the Big10 or ACC seems like a very large assumption based on the facts. The great thing is we will all find out where each conference stands in August. Based on what I've seen from the teams that will be in the various G5 conferences next season, I like C-USA's chances at the access bowl. I think they are as good as any.

You saw the AAC's plan to try and stay relevant. Pull the remaining good football teams together in one conference. They're not betting anyone from the Big 5, but they did try and unite Boise, SDSU, BYU, and others with the teams from the East. Unfortunately, nothing got worked out with BYU and Boise St. and SDSU decided it was better in the Mountain West. That was likely there best move and it was only mildly successful.

Moving forward, the AAC should be at or near the top of the remaining conferences, but I'm sure how often they will be the major bowl spot. A good Mountain West team (Boise St, Fresno st), MAC (N. Illinois) o rpossibly even a C-USA team could easily be better in a given year.

(01-11-2014 10:49 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 08:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 09:46 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:13 AM)CoogNellie Wrote:  The AAC champ is almost always going to be in one of the big bowls considering how bad CUSA, Sunbelt, and MAC are. That will be good enough until they expand the playoff.

For now, the AAC and MWC seem to have a slight edge over C-USA on the field. But don't be mistaken. If you look at how the teams that will be in the AAC finished this season, only UCF separated themselves from the top teams in C-USA, and they lose most of their best players. Maybe they can reload. I don't know the team that well. Chances are there will be a drop off. The MWC is also trending down. Boise isn't the team they used to be. Fresno didn't live up to expectations either.

C-USA is not bad. Just like the AAC, 3 of our returning teams finished this season with 9 wins or more. The MWC only had 2 teams do that. As a conference we went 3-3 in our bowl games, posting wins over new BIG10 team Maryland and a blowout of MWC's UNLV, which was our only bowl match-up with the MWC.

When looking at bowl records and assigning them to next seasons line-ups thing look interesting.

C-USA
2-2
Wins- Marshall, North Texas
Loses- Rice, MTSU

AAC
2-3
Wins- #12 UCF, ECU
Loses- Houston, Cincinnati, Tulane

MWC
3-3
Wins- SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State
Loses- Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV

Of all the teams in the 3 conferences, only UCF of the AAC finished the season ranked in the coaches poll, while Cincinnati and ECU received votes. In the MWC Fresno received votes. In C-USA Marshall and North Texas received votes.

I'd say starting next season, any conference could win the G5 spot.

Your assuming that USF, Uconn, Temple, Tulsa are going to remain as bad as they are. Furthermore, conference USA faced absolute jokes compared to what the AAC had in bowl games. Your conference champion got absolutely blown out by a bad SEC team. The Sun Belt, MWC, MAC, and CUSA are close to each other. The AAC is going to be more on the level of the Big 10 and ACC when they get their feet wet.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm pointing out the current reality of what the AAC will be dealing with starting next season. Many of the programs that will be paying in the AAC next season are not of the same quality as they have been in the past. Could they get better by next season? Sure, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aside from the UCF win over Baylor, I don't see a great difference in the quality of bowl wins by the teams that will be in both conferences next season. I doubt the media and opinion makers do either. Rice and Houston both got beat down by SEC teams, and I don't think Houston is that much better then Rice. When they play this season Houston only won the game by 5 points. Actually, after the UCF win, ECU had the best bowl performance of the teams that will be in the AAC next season, but they couldn't win the eastern division of C-USA this year.

C-USA
W- Marshall 31 Maryland (ACC) 20- Military Bowl
W- North Texas 36 UNLV (MWC) 14 Heart of Dallas Bowl
L- Rice 7 Miss State (SEC) 44- Liberty Bowl
L- Middle Tennessee State University 6 Navy (Ind.) 24- Armed Forces Bowl

AAC
W- UCF 52 Baylor (BIG12) 42- Fiesta Bowl
W- ECU 37 Ohio (MAC) 20- Beef O' Brady's Bowl
L- Cincinnati 17 North Carolina (ACC) 39- Belk Bowl
L- Houston 24 Vanderbilt (SEC) 41- BBVA Compass Bowl
L- Tulane 21 University of Louisiana- Lafayette (Sun Belt) 24- New Orleans Bowl

Saying that the new AAC will be closer to the Big10 or ACC seems like a very large assumption based on the facts. The great thing is we will all find out where each conference stands in August. Based on what I've seen from the teams that will be in the various G5 conferences next season, I like C-USA's chances at the access bowl. I think they are as good as any.

The difference between Houston and Rice says a lot about the conferences. Houston beat Rice and came in 4th in the AAC. Rice won CUSA.

(01-11-2014 10:25 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 08:42 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 04:07 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 04:04 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  UMass all sports, Army Football, VCU hoops and Wichita St hoops would make me really happy.

I could live with that. A state flagship, a tradition rich nationally known university, and 2 solid basketball schools with strong attendance. The divisions look like crap though.

howso?

7 team divisions--two naturally eastern schools are going to be screwed over. Maybe add 2 more and do pods if it becomes legal. North/south divisions work, but the northern coaches are not going to like the recruiting ramifications.

East

Army
Navy
UConn
UMass
Temple
ECU
UCF
USF
Cinci


West

Houston
SMU
Tulsa
Tulane
Memphis

Simple solution, put Navy and Army in the west for a quasi-zipper setup. They'd probably prefer to play Tulane and SMU every season anyway. If the ACC gets their way there might not be a need for divisions so there's that.

(01-11-2014 11:23 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 10:49 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 08:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 09:46 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:13 AM)CoogNellie Wrote:  The AAC champ is almost always going to be in one of the big bowls considering how bad CUSA, Sunbelt, and MAC are. That will be good enough until they expand the playoff.

For now, the AAC and MWC seem to have a slight edge over C-USA on the field. But don't be mistaken. If you look at how the teams that will be in the AAC finished this season, only UCF separated themselves from the top teams in C-USA, and they lose most of their best players. Maybe they can reload. I don't know the team that well. Chances are there will be a drop off. The MWC is also trending down. Boise isn't the team they used to be. Fresno didn't live up to expectations either.

C-USA is not bad. Just like the AAC, 3 of our returning teams finished this season with 9 wins or more. The MWC only had 2 teams do that. As a conference we went 3-3 in our bowl games, posting wins over new BIG10 team Maryland and a blowout of MWC's UNLV, which was our only bowl match-up with the MWC.

When looking at bowl records and assigning them to next seasons line-ups thing look interesting.

C-USA
2-2
Wins- Marshall, North Texas
Loses- Rice, MTSU

AAC
2-3
Wins- #12 UCF, ECU
Loses- Houston, Cincinnati, Tulane

MWC
3-3
Wins- SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State
Loses- Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV

Of all the teams in the 3 conferences, only UCF of the AAC finished the season ranked in the coaches poll, while Cincinnati and ECU received votes. In the MWC Fresno received votes. In C-USA Marshall and North Texas received votes.

I'd say starting next season, any conference could win the G5 spot.

Your assuming that USF, Uconn, Temple, Tulsa are going to remain as bad as they are. Furthermore, conference USA faced absolute jokes compared to what the AAC had in bowl games. Your conference champion got absolutely blown out by a bad SEC team. The Sun Belt, MWC, MAC, and CUSA are close to each other. The AAC is going to be more on the level of the Big 10 and ACC when they get their feet wet.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm pointing out the current reality of what the AAC will be dealing with starting next season. Many of the programs that will be paying in the AAC next season are not of the same quality as they have been in the past. Could they get better by next season? Sure, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aside from the UCF win over Baylor, I don't see a great difference in the quality of bowl wins by the teams that will be in both conferences next season. I doubt the media and opinion makers do either. Rice and Houston both got beat down by SEC teams, and I don't think Houston is that much better then Rice. When they play this season Houston only won the game by 5 points. Actually, after the UCF win, ECU had the best bowl performance of the teams that will be in the AAC next season, but they couldn't win the eastern division of C-USA this year.

C-USA
W- Marshall 31 Maryland (ACC) 20- Military Bowl
W- North Texas 36 UNLV (MWC) 14 Heart of Dallas Bowl
L- Rice 7 Miss State (SEC) 44- Liberty Bowl
L- Middle Tennessee State University 6 Navy (Ind.) 24- Armed Forces Bowl

AAC
W- UCF 52 Baylor (BIG12) 42- Fiesta Bowl
W- ECU 37 Ohio (MAC) 20- Beef O' Brady's Bowl
L- Cincinnati 17 North Carolina (ACC) 39- Belk Bowl
L- Houston 24 Vanderbilt (SEC) 41- BBVA Compass Bowl
L- Tulane 21 University of Louisiana- Lafayette (Sun Belt) 24- New Orleans Bowl

Saying that the new AAC will be closer to the Big10 or ACC seems like a very large assumption based on the facts. The great thing is we will all find out where each conference stands in August. Based on what I've seen from the teams that will be in the various G5 conferences next season, I like C-USA's chances at the access bowl. I think they are as good as any.

The difference between Houston and Rice says a lot about the conferences. Houston beat Rice and came in 4th in the AAC. Rice won CUSA.

You're putting way too much stock into one game.

Using your logic: Because ECU was blown out by Marshall, they should have been blown out by Ohio, who beat Marshall. However, in reality, they beat Ohio.

I'd add UMass in a heart beat, if UMass sorts out its faculty and administrative support. Didn't most faculty protest against Football?

UMass need to invest heavily in football program. They have many works to do.

But I saw UMass's grand plan. It looks exciting...

An AAC fan opinion

Sure, if the AAC or MWC Champ goes undefeated, there in. But those leagues will be hard to finish undefeated in. An undefeated team from any G5 league would stand a good shot at getting the access spot. As long as the OOC wins are decent enough to get attention.

UMass makes no sense in the AAC. That football program stinks right now.

(01-12-2014 01:50 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Sure, if the AAC or MWC Champ goes undefeated, there in. But those leagues will be hard to finish undefeated in. An undefeated team from any G5 league would stand a good shot at getting the access spot. As long as the OOC wins are decent enough to get attention.

UMass makes no sense in the AAC. That football program stinks right now.

UCF stinked when they first moved to Mid American conference. Actually they went 0-11

It seems like UMass is investing on the football program. Give them some time. UConn was once FCS before Big East.

(01-11-2014 11:23 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 10:49 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 08:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 09:46 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 03:13 AM)CoogNellie Wrote:  The AAC champ is almost always going to be in one of the big bowls considering how bad CUSA, Sunbelt, and MAC are. That will be good enough until they expand the playoff.

For now, the AAC and MWC seem to have a slight edge over C-USA on the field. But don't be mistaken. If you look at how the teams that will be in the AAC finished this season, only UCF separated themselves from the top teams in C-USA, and they lose most of their best players. Maybe they can reload. I don't know the team that well. Chances are there will be a drop off. The MWC is also trending down. Boise isn't the team they used to be. Fresno didn't live up to expectations either.

C-USA is not bad. Just like the AAC, 3 of our returning teams finished this season with 9 wins or more. The MWC only had 2 teams do that. As a conference we went 3-3 in our bowl games, posting wins over new BIG10 team Maryland and a blowout of MWC's UNLV, which was our only bowl match-up with the MWC.

When looking at bowl records and assigning them to next seasons line-ups thing look interesting.

C-USA
2-2
Wins- Marshall, North Texas
Loses- Rice, MTSU

AAC
2-3
Wins- #12 UCF, ECU
Loses- Houston, Cincinnati, Tulane

MWC
3-3
Wins- SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State
Loses- Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV

Of all the teams in the 3 conferences, only UCF of the AAC finished the season ranked in the coaches poll, while Cincinnati and ECU received votes. In the MWC Fresno received votes. In C-USA Marshall and North Texas received votes.

I'd say starting next season, any conference could win the G5 spot.

Your assuming that USF, Uconn, Temple, Tulsa are going to remain as bad as they are. Furthermore, conference USA faced absolute jokes compared to what the AAC had in bowl games. Your conference champion got absolutely blown out by a bad SEC team. The Sun Belt, MWC, MAC, and CUSA are close to each other. The AAC is going to be more on the level of the Big 10 and ACC when they get their feet wet.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm pointing out the current reality of what the AAC will be dealing with starting next season. Many of the programs that will be paying in the AAC next season are not of the same quality as they have been in the past. Could they get better by next season? Sure, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aside from the UCF win over Baylor, I don't see a great difference in the quality of bowl wins by the teams that will be in both conferences next season. I doubt the media and opinion makers do either. Rice and Houston both got beat down by SEC teams, and I don't think Houston is that much better then Rice. When they play this season Houston only won the game by 5 points. Actually, after the UCF win, ECU had the best bowl performance of the teams that will be in the AAC next season, but they couldn't win the eastern division of C-USA this year.

C-USA
W- Marshall 31 Maryland (ACC) 20- Military Bowl
W- North Texas 36 UNLV (MWC) 14 Heart of Dallas Bowl
L- Rice 7 Miss State (SEC) 44- Liberty Bowl
L- Middle Tennessee State University 6 Navy (Ind.) 24- Armed Forces Bowl

AAC
W- UCF 52 Baylor (BIG12) 42- Fiesta Bowl
W- ECU 37 Ohio (MAC) 20- Beef O' Brady's Bowl
L- Cincinnati 17 North Carolina (ACC) 39- Belk Bowl
L- Houston 24 Vanderbilt (SEC) 41- BBVA Compass Bowl
L- Tulane 21 University of Louisiana- Lafayette (Sun Belt) 24- New Orleans Bowl

Saying that the new AAC will be closer to the Big10 or ACC seems like a very large assumption based on the facts. The great thing is we will all find out where each conference stands in August. Based on what I've seen from the teams that will be in the various G5 conferences next season, I like C-USA's chances at the access bowl. I think they are as good as any.

The difference between Houston and Rice says a lot about the conferences. Houston beat Rice and came in 4th in the AAC. Rice won CUSA.

We know the SEC is a very strong conference, and no team out of C-USA or the AAC would fair well in those bowl. Again, we are talking about the teams that will be in the AAC next season. In those standings Houston finishes behind ECU, which couldn't win their division.

AAC
1. UCF (12-1)- loses most of their players, including their QB
2. ECU (10-3)- finished 3rd in C-USA
3. Cincinatti (9-4)- lost their bowl to the same North Carolina team ECU beat
4. Houston (8-5)- dominated by an SEC team, just like Rice
5. Tulane (7-6)- beaten by ULL in their bowl game

C-USA
1. Rice (10-4)- dominated by an SEC team just like Houston
2. Marshal (10-4)- beat ECU for their division title
3. North Texas (9-4)
4. MTSU (8-5)
5. WKU (8-4)- beat Navy, and Arkansas St., but ASU went to Go Daddy Bowl.
6. UTSA (7-5)- still in transition, but beat Tulane
7. FAU (6-6)- 2-1 versus future AAC teams

I really don't see much difference between the conferences.

(01-12-2014 09:38 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 11:23 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 10:49 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 08:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-11-2014 09:46 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  For now, the AAC and MWC seem to have a slight edge over C-USA on the field. But don't be mistaken. If you look at how the teams that will be in the AAC finished this season, only UCF separated themselves from the top teams in C-USA, and they lose most of their best players. Maybe they can reload. I don't know the team that well. Chances are there will be a drop off. The MWC is also trending down. Boise isn't the team they used to be. Fresno didn't live up to expectations either.

C-USA is not bad. Just like the AAC, 3 of our returning teams finished this season with 9 wins or more. The MWC only had 2 teams do that. As a conference we went 3-3 in our bowl games, posting wins over new BIG10 team Maryland and a blowout of MWC's UNLV, which was our only bowl match-up with the MWC.

When looking at bowl records and assigning them to next seasons line-ups thing look interesting.

C-USA
2-2
Wins- Marshall, North Texas
Loses- Rice, MTSU

AAC
2-3
Wins- #12 UCF, ECU
Loses- Houston, Cincinnati, Tulane

MWC
3-3
Wins- SDSU, Utah State, Colorado State
Loses- Fresno State, Boise State, UNLV

Of all the teams in the 3 conferences, only UCF of the AAC finished the season ranked in the coaches poll, while Cincinnati and ECU received votes. In the MWC Fresno received votes. In C-USA Marshall and North Texas received votes.

I'd say starting next season, any conference could win the G5 spot.

Your assuming that USF, Uconn, Temple, Tulsa are going to remain as bad as they are. Furthermore, conference USA faced absolute jokes compared to what the AAC had in bowl games. Your conference champion got absolutely blown out by a bad SEC team. The Sun Belt, MWC, MAC, and CUSA are close to each other. The AAC is going to be more on the level of the Big 10 and ACC when they get their feet wet.

I'm not assuming anything. I'm pointing out the current reality of what the AAC will be dealing with starting next season. Many of the programs that will be paying in the AAC next season are not of the same quality as they have been in the past. Could they get better by next season? Sure, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Aside from the UCF win over Baylor, I don't see a great difference in the quality of bowl wins by the teams that will be in both conferences next season. I doubt the media and opinion makers do either. Rice and Houston both got beat down by SEC teams, and I don't think Houston is that much better then Rice. When they play this season Houston only won the game by 5 points. Actually, after the UCF win, ECU had the best bowl performance of the teams that will be in the AAC next season, but they couldn't win the eastern division of C-USA this year.

C-USA
W- Marshall 31 Maryland (ACC) 20- Military Bowl
W- North Texas 36 UNLV (MWC) 14 Heart of Dallas Bowl
L- Rice 7 Miss State (SEC) 44- Liberty Bowl
L- Middle Tennessee State University 6 Navy (Ind.) 24- Armed Forces Bowl

AAC
W- UCF 52 Baylor (BIG12) 42- Fiesta Bowl
W- ECU 37 Ohio (MAC) 20- Beef O' Brady's Bowl
L- Cincinnati 17 North Carolina (ACC) 39- Belk Bowl
L- Houston 24 Vanderbilt (SEC) 41- BBVA Compass Bowl
L- Tulane 21 University of Louisiana- Lafayette (Sun Belt) 24- New Orleans Bowl

Saying that the new AAC will be closer to the Big10 or ACC seems like a very large assumption based on the facts. The great thing is we will all find out where each conference stands in August. Based on what I've seen from the teams that will be in the various G5 conferences next season, I like C-USA's chances at the access bowl. I think they are as good as any.

The difference between Houston and Rice says a lot about the conferences. Houston beat Rice and came in 4th in the AAC. Rice won CUSA.

We know the SEC is a very strong conference, and no team out of C-USA or the AAC would fair well in those bowl. Again, we are talking about the teams that will be in the AAC next season. In those standings Houston finishes behind ECU, which couldn't win their division.

AAC
1. UCF (12-1)- loses most of their players, including their QB
2. ECU (10-3)- finished 3rd in C-USA
3. Cincinatti (9-4)- lost their bowl to the same North Carolina team ECU beat
4. Houston (8-5)- dominated by an SEC team, just like Rice
5. Tulane (7-6)- beaten by ULL in their bowl game

C-USA
1. Rice (10-4)- dominated by an SEC team just like Houston
2. Marshal (10-4)- beat ECU for their division title
3. North Texas (9-4)
4. MTSU (8-5)
5. WKU (8-4)- beat Navy, and Arkansas St., but ASU went to Go Daddy Bowl.
6. UTSA (7-5)- still in transition, but beat Tulane
7. FAU (6-6)- 2-1 versus future AAC teams

I really don't see much difference between the conferences.

You keep saying things that are wrong and presenting them as fact. Rice played a SEC team and lost 41-7. Yes, Houson also lost by a lopsided score to an SEC school--but at the end of the 3rd quarter the Houston-Vandy game was tied 24-24. Houston also played thier bowl game without their offensive coordinator/QB coach and thier offensive line coach (both offered promotions elsewhere). So Houston, the 4th place finisher in the AAC, not only beat Rice head-to-head---it also out performed Rice vs a similar opponent despite losing major coaching components. Houston has a very young group and virtually returns the entire team next year. They will be better next year. You said UCF loses almost everyone--actually, they return most everyone---including 6 injured defensive starters who didn't even play in the Fiesta Bowl. I agree that losing Bortles and Johnson will hurt.

I'm sure CUSA will have several 9-12 game winners next year--but the rest of the 14 teams will be dreadful. To an extent, the AAC also has a bad bottom. UConn and Temple were terrible. Memphis and USF at least showed signs of life.

Look---im sure CUSA will fill its bowls, but the bowl qualified teams that come from the bottom 10 teams in CUSA---they are getting the vast majority of their bowl qualifing wins over other bottom 10 CUSA schools. That has much more to do with the fact that somebody HAS to win when two bad teams play one another than with CUSA being a deep league. Tulane will struggle to get bowl qualified next year. Would UTSA be bowl qualified in the AAC? Probably not--especially since they lose their solid Sr QB. I think ECU will find the AAC is way tougher than the schedule they had in CUSA. Basically, CUSA next year is Marshall, Rice, and N Texas now that ECU has left.

Look, if your point is we are not a P5 level league, I agree. We are not a P5 league top to bottom. Thats not really a question anymore. The question is--are we significantly better than CUSA and is our champ capable of competing with power conference schools? I do believe that is true. Is it harder to be undefeated in the AAC than in CUSA? I also believe that is true and I think the selection committee will be smart enough to recognize that fact.

(01-12-2014 11:44 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 09:38 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  We know the SEC is a very strong conference, and no team out of C-USA or the AAC would fair well in those bowl. Again, we are talking about the teams that will be in the AAC next season. In those standings Houston finishes behind ECU, which couldn't win their division.

AAC
1. UCF (12-1)- loses most of their players, including their QB
2. ECU (10-3)- finished 3rd in C-USA
3. Cincinatti (9-4)- lost their bowl to the same North Carolina team ECU beat
4. Houston (8-5)- dominated by an SEC team, just like Rice
5. Tulane (7-6)- beaten by ULL in their bowl game

C-USA
1. Rice (10-4)- dominated by an SEC team just like Houston
2. Marshal (10-4)- beat ECU for their division title
3. North Texas (9-4)
4. MTSU (8-5)
5. WKU (8-4)- beat Navy, and Arkansas St., but ASU went to Go Daddy Bowl.
6. UTSA (7-5)- still in transition, but beat Tulane
7. FAU (6-6)- 2-1 versus future AAC teams

I really don't see much difference between the conferences.

You keep saying things that are wrong and presenting them as fact. Rice played a SEC team and lost 41-7. Yes, Houson also lost by a lopsided score to an SEC school--but at the end of the 3rd quarter the Houston-Vandy game was tied 24-24. Houston also played thier bowl game without their offensive coordinator/QB coach and thier offensive line coach (both offered promotions elsewhere). So Houston, the 4th place finisher in the AAC, not only beat Rice head-to-head---it also out performed Rice vs a similar opponent despite losing major coaching components. Houston has a very young group and virtually returns the entire team next year. They will be better next year. You said UCF loses almost everyone--actually, they return most everyone---including 6 injured defensive starters who didn't even play in the Fiesta Bowl. I agree that losing Bortles and Johnson will hurt.

I'm sure CUSA will have several 9-12 game winners next year--but the rest of the 14 teams will be dreadful. To an extent, the AAC also has a bad bottom. UConn and Temple were terrible. Memphis and USF at least showed signs of life.

Look---im sure CUSA will fill its bowls, but the bowl qualified teams that come from the bottom 10 teams in CUSA---they are getting the vast majority of their bowl qualifing wins over other bottom 10 CUSA schools. That has much more to do with the fact that somebody HAS to win when two bad teams play one another than with CUSA being a deep league. Tulane will struggle to get bowl qualified next year. Would UTSA be bowl qualified in the AAC? Probably not--especially since they lose their solid Sr QB. I think ECU will find the AAC is way tougher than the schedule they had in CUSA. Basically, CUSA next year is Marshall, Rice, and N Texas now that ECU has left.

Look, if your point is we are not a P5 level league, I agree. We are not a P5 league top to bottom. Thats not really a question anymore. The question is--are we significantly better than CUSA and is our champ capable of competing with power conference schools? I do believe that is true. Is it harder to be undefeated in the AAC than in CUSA? I also believe that is true and I think the selection committee will be smart enough to recognize that fact.

I'm representing the facts as best I know them. The truth is, I didn't bring up coaching loses because Rice suffered them too. Rice lost their offensive coordinator right after the C-USA championship game. Aside from losing the head coach, that is a pretty big coaching loss, and would explain the lack of Rice offense in the Liberty Bowl.

I think it will be hard to go undefeated in every G5 conference, and I don't believe the selection committee sees a great difference between any of us.

How anyone can really say CUSA is close to as good as the AAC with a straight face is delusional.

(01-12-2014 03:27 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  How anyone can really say CUSA is close to as good as the AAC with a straight face is delusional.

Whatever makes them feel better.

(01-12-2014 02:04 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  I'm representing the facts as best I know them.

The only facts that matter when comparing the 2 leagues: AAC basketball is a hell of a lot better. UCF just won the Fiesta Bowl. And the AAC has 7 of the last 9 CUSA football champs and 14 of the last 18 division champions.

(01-12-2014 03:58 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(01-12-2014 02:04 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  I'm representing the facts as best I know them.

The only facts that matter when comparing the 2 leagues: AAC basketball is a hell of a lot better. UCF just won the Fiesta Bowl. And the AAC has 7 of the last 9 CUSA football champs and 14 of the last 18 division champions.

Who is talking basketball? We were talking about next football season.

With UCF losing their QB, do you really think they will repeat as AAC champions and beat a top 10 team in the access bowl?... I didn't think so either.

The AAC lost Louisville and Rutgers. It's just not the conference it was supposed to be. It's just a different configuration of C-USA,... only with U Conn and Temple.

When C-USA fans said the AAC wouldn't get P5 media money,... we were called delusional.
When C-USA fans said the AAC wouldn't get P5 bowl deals,... we were called delusional.

The AAC fans that still believe they are closer to the P5s then they are to the G5,... are the ones being delusional. And, I'll stick to my statement. Any conference could grab the access spot next season. The AAC doesn't have the inside track to it.