The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The AAC is reeling after losing Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12, and recovering won't be easy.

Parrish Wrote:But, given what Hocutt and Pollard have suggested, it's hard to imagine a scenario where Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State or any other school that might be on the Big 12's radar would leave its current conference for the AAC.

And if you're Coastal Carolina, Arkansas State, UAB, Charlotte, North Texas or some other C-USA or Sun Belt member that likely isn't on the Big 12's radar, is it clear that you should leave your current league to join a greatly diminished AAC that could also eventually lose Memphis, SMU and/or USF if the Big 12 decides to add more American schools.

AAC is reeling.....

What he should have said is ...not CURRENTLY on the Big Twelve's radar. Things can change over the course of five years BUT, the only way for a C-USA or Sun Belt school to even have a chance to get on the Big Twelve's radar is to move up to the AAC (or to a lesser degree the Mountain West). If rumored timelines are to be believed the Big Twelve won't expand again until 2024 at the very earliest, with 2025 or 2026 being more likely...that leaves precious little time to make an argument for inclusion.

The answer for UAB is go...and as soon as July 1 if at all possible. Even if it becomes a lateral move, the leadership of the AAC is light years ahead of C-USA.

https://twitter.com/JMUGameday/status/14...2037928960

JMU GAMEDAY@JMUGameday

Anonymous sources close to decision makers say a move by JMU, Marshall, ODU, & So. Miss to the
@SunBelt is highly likely. Troy would move to the west and the Sun Belt East would be:

JMU
App State
Marshall
ODU
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State

STACKED Conference

Rumblings out of JMU are that Southern Miss, Marshall, Old Dominion and James Madison will join the Sun Belt.

Imagine this:

UAB, FAU, UTSA and Charlotte to AAC

That would leave CUSA with 7 teams, and some of those would have their eyes on the MWC and MAC.

Somebody is gonna get stuck with no chair.

Better not be us.

Say goodbye to CUSA. That's what piss poor leadership gets you. It's a shame what will happen to this once great conference.

(09-12-2021 09:43 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Rumblings out of JMU are that Southern Miss, Marshall, Old Dominion and James Madison will join the Sun Belt.

Imagine this:

UAB, FAU, UTSA and Charlotte to AAC

That would leave CUSA with 7 teams, and some of those would have their eyes on the MWC and MAC.

Somebody is gonna get stuck with no chair.

Better not be us.

The Mountain West is rumored to be eyeing UTEP and North Texas, as well. Appears no one wants La Tech.

(09-12-2021 09:50 PM)blazerjay Wrote:  

(09-12-2021 09:43 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Rumblings out of JMU are that Southern Miss, Marshall, Old Dominion and James Madison will join the Sun Belt.

Imagine this:

UAB, FAU, UTSA and Charlotte to AAC

That would leave CUSA with 7 teams, and some of those would have their eyes on the MWC and MAC.

Somebody is gonna get stuck with no chair.

Better not be us.

The Mountain West is rumored to be eyeing UTEP and North Texas, as well. Appears no one wants La Tech.

This is gonna get crazy if true.

I could see MTSU and WKU begging the MAC for a lifeline.

LA Tech’s refusal to work with the two Louisiana hyphens over the years might come back to bite them.

With that said, if the AAC wants good football and basketball, La Tech plays both better than most of the other prospects

(09-12-2021 09:37 PM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  https://twitter.com/JMUGameday/status/14...2037928960

JMU GAMEDAY@JMUGameday

Anonymous sources close to decision makers say a move by JMU, Marshall, ODU, & So. Miss to the
@SunBelt is highly likely. Troy would move to the west and the Sun Belt East would be:

JMU
App State
Marshall
ODU
Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern
Georgia State

STACKED Conference

For football yes! But because we care about basketball: The only team that was top 100 in NET was Marshall, Sun Belt didn't have one team top 100 last year, C-USA had 5.

Football definitely seems to be the driving force there. I'll admit, that's a very good football conference.

I would rather have Marshall and ODU coming to the AAC instead of Charlotte and FAU. Marshall is decent in both sports and ODU has quality basketball and a good location.

(09-12-2021 10:01 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  I could see MTSU and WKU begging the MAC for a lifeline.

LA Tech’s refusal to work with the two Louisiana hyphens over the years might come back to bite them.

With that said, if the AAC wants good football and basketball, La Tech plays both better than most of the other prospects

I think MTSU and WKU would be a nice fit as a 'southern tier' for the MAC, as the two have comparable to superior football and b-ball... not sure what the MAC media $$$ deal is, but honestly, probably not too far behind CUSA... or perhaps even BETTER than CUSA, as they ARE with ESPN AND CBSSN...

(09-12-2021 09:43 PM)DuelingDragon Wrote:  Rumblings out of JMU are that Southern Miss, Marshall, Old Dominion and James Madison will join the Sun Belt.

Imagine this:

UAB, FAU, UTSA and Charlotte to AAC

That would leave CUSA with 7 teams, and some of those would have their eyes on the MWC and MAC.

Somebody is gonna get stuck with no chair.

Better not be us.

Rice seems to be a big 'yes' for the AAC, to supplant Houston... I'd see UTSA as well, as it is a burgeoning market with only the Spurs as 'competition' for eyeballs and butts in seats during b-ball season. We are in great shape it appears (as a UAB fan, tho, it's not a done deal until a year or so AFTER it's a done deal... ) so, for a fourth, not sure... Charlotte has some upside, but ODU might be in a better spot overall from what I've gleaned... FAU perhaps - hard to see FAU and FIU getting left out, as those are two huge institutions, especially FIU - remember, other factors are also in play with this stuff...

(09-12-2021 10:11 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I would rather have Marshall and ODU coming to the AAC instead of Charlotte and FAU. Marshall is decent in both sports and ODU has quality basketball and a good location.

Very odd choices if true. Georgia State would make more sense than Charlotte.

I don’t believe that report, btw. I think it’s a trial balloon to try to force a panic move.

Dueling, who do you think will end up going to the AAC?

(09-12-2021 10:21 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  

(09-12-2021 10:11 PM)hooverblazer Wrote:  I would rather have Marshall and ODU coming to the AAC instead of Charlotte and FAU. Marshall is decent in both sports and ODU has quality basketball and a good location.

Very odd choices if true. Georgia State would make more sense than Charlotte.

...I think GSU could very well be the top AAC candidate from the SB... it ticks a lot of the boxes UAB does, but in the big ol' ATL market... there are more successful FB programs in the Belt now, but the upside of GSU is strong...

Let’s go independent and be done with it. Nobody cares about the state of our or their hoops program. I’m not willing to put our basketball program on the back burner.

Parrish Wrote:is it clear that you should leave your current league to join a greatly diminished AAC that could also eventually lose Memphis, SMU and/or USF if the Big 12 decides to add more American schools.

Yes, because we are better college sports media market than all three of those and can prove our worth in both major sports to make the case that we should be in that list and not them.

None of those teams that this JMU "source" has stated will go to the Belt until the AAC makes its moves. They can reach out to those schools all they want but those schools are gonna wait to hear from the AAC first...then all hell can break loose and the destruction of what has been a fun CUSA conference for years will begin.