https://soundcloud.com/knightline-podcas...ike-aresco
Says he has been waiting 5 years for the War on I4 to be a huge game. Says it the only "real deal" as far as AAC rivalries go.
Doesnt think the extra few days USF got to prepare due to playing on Saturday is a big issue. Said they tried to offset it some by making sure UCF played an early Sat game. Said we have a certain number of Thursday games to provide so its unavoidable.
Rankings--Agree's that UCF isnt getting it due. Said he programmed the P5 for years, so he knows UCF fits. Says just look at the number of players we are sending to the NFL. The committee needs to recognize that quality. Was stunned to see a 3-loss team that struggled against UMass and Arkansas ahead of UCF. Talked about the big wins the AAC has had in the last few years. Talks about how Navy almost beat Notre Dame last week--but UCF isnt given much credit for that win. Wants to know when the committee is going to give the league credit for its level of play. He was pretty wound up on this topic and spoke at length about it. Talked about USF not being ranked.
When asked what would it take for us to be in the playoff--said it would almost take a "perfect storm". Said 2016 might have been that situation for Houston if they had been undefeated. Says we' have to be undefeated. Says the odds are long.
Says he is becoming more aggressive on this issue now that we have built a resume as a quality conference. We have largely separated ourselves from the rest of the G5 due to our record against the rest of the G5 and our performance against the P5 (mostly on the road). We want the P6 campaign to push the narrative we deserve to be viewed as seperate from the G5. Very important we get a guaranteed contract bowl. Want to find a legislative way to get in the autonomous conference. Want to find a way to get a contract bowl when the CFP is renegotiated.
Not much we can do about coaches using AAC jobs as stepping stones due to the financial disadvantage. Believes some of that will be fixed by a better tv deal. Thinks coaches could build dynasties in the AAC if they choose to stay. Doesnt blame the coaches. Hope we continue to bring in great new up and coming replacments. Important that we continue building programs.
Streaming--Have a relationship with the Silicon Valley companies. Trying to get them interested in the AAC. Amazon is interested in our digital network. Believes we are the only conference offering this level of football quality coming up for renewal anytime soon and doesnt believe we are being paid what we are worth. Doesnt want to poke ESPN in the eye as they have been a good broadcast partner.