Joe,

The AAC / Big East DID add Boise and SDSU. And then they backed out when the BE lost P5 status. What makes you think they’ll go if they’re invited? Boise has a pretty sweet deal with the MWC.

(06-15-2019 12:49 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 12:05 PM)FAU Connoisseur! Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 09:06 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  [quote='WKUYG' pid='16146395' dateline='1560573868']
[quote='Side Show Joe' pid='16146313' dateline='1560565752']
[quote='ESE84' pid='16143972' dateline='1560429191']
[quote='St. H. Gink' pid='16142623' dateline='1560344936']

In C-USA, I think only UAB and North Texas have a chance. None of the others seem to have the right combination of size, location, resources, facilities, leadership, or will.

With all do respect you probably don't know the intricate details of your conference mates to make that conclusion. A lot of us have a lot going on that could put us in position to be the next level. And as much as many of you don't want to admit the next level may be in CUSA. Based on your criteria:

SIZE: FAU(+30kstudents) FIU (+50K) UNC-C (+29K) UNT (+35K) UTSA (+30K) if not close to 30k I excluded.
LOCATION: FAU FIU South Florida area huge recruiting area; MTSU near Nashville; Charlotte major hub; UNT Dallas/Fort Worth; RICE Houston; All the TX schools are good location wise; UAB
RESOURCES: I have no knowledge to comment on, seems like many of us have some special things going on. We have a 70 million academic sports athletic center to completed by the end of the year. Just received a $3mill donation for basketball court naming rights. The new AD Brian White is making relations with our community which is an incredibly wealthy affluent group. UNTAPPED.
FACILITIES: Mentioned above you have no idea what other conferences have going on.
LEADERSHIP: Dr Kelly came from Clemson, driving reason we have Kiffin. He understands that a successful athletic program enhances the entire university. He meets with recruits and tells them why they should "Come to the FAU".
WILL: See Leadership.

I didn't exclude anyone above on purpose, I just don't know what you are doing and nor does SSJ. I like where we are heading. and I think if there is a re-alignment we will be positioned to take advantage of. But I think the next re-alignment will be geographically driven. Cutting cost will be the wave of the future.

Honestly it seems like he went down this list (sorted by budgets) and picked out schools with a the largest budget and who won in FB over the last 2 years.

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

You are not even researching before you post...

UAB had the lower budget in C-USA when last reported ($23.8 million). My opinion of them is based completely on the level of commitment they seem to be reaching now (new stadium, raise for Clark, freedom from Bama), as well as the other natural advantages they enjoy from their size and location.

Another important factor that I believe will be considered is OOC scheduling.

When programs are evaluated, those offering quality home and home P5 series will certainly have an advantage over programs loaded down with P5 body-bag games that offer no media value. I think C-USA programs that are scheduling 2 for 1 deals and body-bag games are eliminating themselves from consideration.

(06-15-2019 12:49 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 12:05 PM)FAU Connoisseur! Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 09:06 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  [quote='WKUYG' pid='16146395' dateline='1560573868']
[quote='Side Show Joe' pid='16146313' dateline='1560565752']
[quote='ESE84' pid='16143972' dateline='1560429191']
[quote='St. H. Gink' pid='16142623' dateline='1560344936']

In C-USA, I think only UAB and North Texas have a chance. None of the others seem to have the right combination of size, location, resources, facilities, leadership, or will.

With all do respect you probably don't know the intricate details of your conference mates to make that conclusion. A lot of us have a lot going on that could put us in position to be the next level. And as much as many of you don't want to admit the next level may be in CUSA. Based on your criteria:

SIZE: FAU(+30kstudents) FIU (+50K) UNC-C (+29K) UNT (+35K) UTSA (+30K) if not close to 30k I excluded.
LOCATION: FAU FIU South Florida area huge recruiting area; MTSU near Nashville; Charlotte major hub; UNT Dallas/Fort Worth; RICE Houston; All the TX schools are good location wise; UAB
RESOURCES: I have no knowledge to comment on, seems like many of us have some special things going on. We have a 70 million academic sports athletic center to completed by the end of the year. Just received a $3mill donation for basketball court naming rights. The new AD Brian White is making relations with our community which is an incredibly wealthy affluent group. UNTAPPED.
FACILITIES: Mentioned above you have no idea what other conferences have going on.
LEADERSHIP: Dr Kelly came from Clemson, driving reason we have Kiffin. He understands that a successful athletic program enhances the entire university. He meets with recruits and tells them why they should "Come to the FAU".
WILL: See Leadership.

I didn't exclude anyone above on purpose, I just don't know what you are doing and nor does SSJ. I like where we are heading. and I think if there is a re-alignment we will be positioned to take advantage of. But I think the next re-alignment will be geographically driven. Cutting cost will be the wave of the future.

Honestly it seems like he went down this list (sorted by budgets) and picked out schools with a the largest budget and who won in FB over the last 2 years.

https://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances

(06-15-2019 03:01 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 02:13 PM)JHS55 Wrote:  The AAC is the flagship of the g5 conferences
“ who’s your daddy”, well that’s the American Athletic Conference “
Come on now, everybody stand up, clap your hands together and Sing along

The grass IS greener in the AAC and where the hell is Marshall located anyway ?

I would tread carefully if I were you. You are on our board contributing absolutely nothing except inflammatory drivel.

Ask Case Keenum if he knows where Marshall is.

Indeed...

(06-15-2019 03:08 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Joe,

The AAC / Big East DID add Boise and SDSU. And then they backed out when the BE lost P5 status. What makes you think they’ll go if they’re invited? Boise has a pretty sweet deal with the MWC.

I remember that. In hindsight, the AAC probably should have offered the same deal for San Diego State, Air Force, and Fresno State. I think they would have gone as a group, and the AAC would be in an even better position right now. The MWC is in a slow decline now, but would be significantly worse had those three programs jumped over to the AAC. If Navy and Air Force were in the AAC, I believe Army would have given serious thought to signing up too.

As for down the road... I think the better large public universities in the MWC are going to get tired of the Boise State sweetheart deal, especially if the new MWC deal regresses from their current payout. In the end, I think conference alignment is all about expanding each university's profile and earning money.

clt says water, sunlight and fertilizer will make the grass greener. Beware of Bermuda creep tho

(06-15-2019 02:51 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 11:22 AM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 09:06 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(06-14-2019 11:44 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  [quote='Side Show Joe' pid='16146313' dateline='1560565752']

revenues $32,150,203
expenses $36,363,381

No. It is not just about football, but football is the driving force in conference realignment. Any that thinks different are kidding themselves. By the way, this past season every North Texas program finished with a winning record, so it isn't like all we care about is football.

As for your FIU comparison... FIU has several of the qualities needed to be a candidate too. But, until they begin to actually get some fans into their stadium, I don't see them as a real option. The large AAC programs we are talking about regularly place 30 to 40 thousand in their stadiums for games. Yes UNT and UAB have some work to do in that column, but not as much as FIU or the other large public universities in C-USA. Since joining C-USA, FIU's attendance has been stagnant regardless of their success on the field.

FIU
2018 (9-4) 15,685
2017 (8-5) 14,286
2016 (4-8) 16,789
2015 (5-7) 15,381
2014 (4-8) 11,966
2013 (1-11) 15,452

A large piece of FIU tickets were UCF fans who had to buy season tickets to get tickets ahead of FIU game. Till F_Us can gain a loyal sizeable fanbase they would be hindered by moving up. Marshall has the huge issue of their better recruits are NQs or partial qualifiers which AAC does not allow.

The only schools with any realistic option of moving up are ODU and UAB. Perhaps UTEP if there’s an opening in the MWC (very unlikely but one can only hope). The rest have very few things going on for them like market overlap, anemic fan support, so so facilities, small markets, etc.

ODU reminds me of UCF ten years ago. They’ll be the school that has the better chance in leaving this conference.

(06-15-2019 08:19 PM)Sideshow2313 Wrote:  Marshall has the huge issue of their better recruits are NQs or partial qualifiers which AAC does not allow.

You need to find a new line... there's been no such thing as a partial qualifier in Division I since 2005. This past March, Carnegie classified Marshall to a National Research University.

(06-15-2019 02:43 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  Like the Navy fan stated, the AAC would have been better served by adding San Diego State and Boise St. If there is not P5 expansion, those large public universities in the AAC may finally unite with Boise, San Diego St, and a few others.

Yeah, I could see Boise/San Diego joining AAC, if the money is right.

Eh, I see Boise staying right where they are until they either fall into mediocrity or the MWC cant uphold their sweetheart deal. They are too disconnected from the AAC.

(06-15-2019 12:05 PM)FAU Connoisseur! Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 09:06 AM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  [quote='WKUYG' pid='16146395' dateline='1560573868']
[quote='Side Show Joe' pid='16146313' dateline='1560565752']
[quote='ESE84' pid='16143972' dateline='1560429191']
[quote='St. H. Gink' pid='16142623' dateline='1560344936']

In C-USA, I think only UAB and North Texas have a chance. None of the others seem to have the right combination of size, location, resources, facilities, leadership, or will.

With all do respect you probably don't know the intricate details of your conference mates to make that conclusion. A lot of us have a lot going on that could put us in position to be the next level. And as much as many of you don't want to admit the next level may be in CUSA. Based on your criteria:

SIZE: FAU(+30kstudents) FIU (+50K) UNC-C (+29K) UNT (+35K) UTSA (+30K) if not close to 30k I excluded.
LOCATION: FAU FIU South Florida area huge recruiting area; MTSU near Nashville; Charlotte major hub; UNT Dallas/Fort Worth; RICE Houston; All the TX schools are good location wise; UAB
RESOURCES: I have no knowledge to comment on, seems like many of us have some special things going on. We have a 70 million academic sports athletic center to completed by the end of the year. Just received a $3mill donation for basketball court naming rights. The new AD Brian White is making relations with our community which is an incredibly wealthy affluent group. UNTAPPED.
FACILITIES: Mentioned above you have no idea what other conferences have going on.
LEADERSHIP: Dr Kelly came from Clemson, driving reason we have Kiffin. He understands that a successful athletic program enhances the entire university. He meets with recruits and tells them why they should "Come to the FAU".
WILL: See Leadership.

I didn't exclude anyone above on purpose, I just don't know what you are doing and nor does SSJ. I like where we are heading. and I think if there is a re-alignment we will be positioned to take advantage of. But I think the next re-alignment will be geographically driven. Cutting cost will be the wave of the future.

Size: I don't think a large student body is really what they will care about. Example: Tulane and Tulsa. Having 30k students and still having poor attendance at all sporting events doesn't look good.
Location: Being in FL can be just as bad as good. The the AAC didn't lose UCF or USF, why would they add a 3rd school from FL?

I think after ODU gets their new stadium, they will be at the top of the list if the AAC ever needs/wants to expand.

Tulsa doesnt have 30k students and neither does Tulane. Both are private schools with immense endowments a la Rice and boost the academic profile of the AAC.

(06-16-2019 12:10 AM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Tulsa doesnt have 30k students and neither does Tulane. Both are private schools with immense endowments a la Rice and boost the academic profile of the AAC.

Yes, that was my point. Having 30k students doesn't really matter.

(06-16-2019 12:15 AM)va-eagle Wrote:  

(06-16-2019 12:10 AM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Tulsa doesnt have 30k students and neither does Tulane. Both are private schools with immense endowments a la Rice and boost the academic profile of the AAC.

Yes, that was my point. Having 30k students doesn't really matter.

Yeah, i think tulsas enrollment is 4k and change. Many fewer alumni to fill a stadium, but then n a whole id say more wealthy which keeps donations up.

(06-15-2019 04:06 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 03:08 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Joe,

The AAC / Big East DID add Boise and SDSU. And then they backed out when the BE lost P5 status. What makes you think they’ll go if they’re invited? Boise has a pretty sweet deal with the MWC.

I remember that. In hindsight, the AAC probably should have offered the same deal for San Diego State, Air Force, and Fresno State. I think they would have gone as a group, and the AAC would be in an even better position right now. The MWC is in a slow decline now, but would be significantly worse had those three programs jumped over to the AAC. If Navy and Air Force were in the AAC, I believe Army would have given serious thought to signing up too.

As for down the road... I think the better large public universities in the MWC are going to get tired of the Boise State sweetheart deal, especially if the new MWC deal regresses from their current payout. In the end, I think conference alignment is all about expanding each university's profile and earning money.

Huh? Navy is in the AAC...…

As for SDSU or even Fresno, no thanks. Nothing against them, I just think the cost and logistics of having Orlando, Storrs, and San Diego in the same conference don't make sense. Also I prefer not having UCF traveling out west multiple times a year and getting stuck with a 10 pm kickoff time EST like almost every MWC game is.

(06-16-2019 12:10 AM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Tulsa doesnt have 30k students and neither does Tulane. Both are private schools with immense endowments a la Rice and boost the academic profile of the AAC.

Academic profiles for conferences stopped mattering more than 20 years ago. Probably closer to 50 years ago.

A 4 year old zombie thread? Count me in!

(06-16-2019 08:52 AM)ThunderingHerdFan Wrote:  

(06-16-2019 12:10 AM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Tulsa doesnt have 30k students and neither does Tulane. Both are private schools with immense endowments a la Rice and boost the academic profile of the AAC.

Academic profiles for conferences stopped mattering more than 20 years ago. Probably closer to 50 years ago.

WHAT? Lmfao! No they didnt. The Big10 requires all schools in the conference to be R1 institutions. That’s why they added Nebraska and Maryland instead of other schools.

(06-16-2019 08:18 AM)The Knight Time Wrote:  

(06-15-2019 04:06 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  I think the better large public universities in the MWC are going to get tired of the Boise State sweetheart deal, especially if the new MWC deal regresses from their current payout. In the end, I think conference alignment is all about expanding each university's profile and earning money.

As for SDSU or even Fresno, no thanks. Nothing against them, I just think the cost and logistics of having Orlando, Storrs, and San Diego in the same conference don't make sense. Also I prefer not having UCF traveling out west multiple times a year and getting stuck with a 10 pm kickoff time EST like almost every MWC game is.

SSJ is right about the other MWC members getting sick of Boise’s status as the precious darling. One way or the other, that will end.

As far as having 2 or 3 western teams in AAC? Maybe. The $$$ has to work out right. If it does, then late kick-offs will suddenly become more acceptable. If it doesn’t, then the expansion won’t happen anyway, and no harm done.