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The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
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b0ndsj0ns Offline
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Post: #21
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:37 AM)chuckk3 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

I agree with this. I believe that when all this happens, there will be some surprises.

I'm becoming more and more convinced Charlotte is going to be one of the schools added. Not saying I want them, but the AAC needs to add schools who view themselves as having the ability to become Power Conference schools if they go all in and aren't "happy" at the level they are currently at. Right now I think Charlotte is one of the few that actually fit that bill.
10-14-2021 09:03 AM
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Kit-Cat Offline
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Post: #22
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
I guess if I'm the AAC here is what I would add 6 and take in some FB schools.

Rice
LaTech
UAB
Marshall
App St
FAU

West: Tulsa, SMU, Rice, LaTech, Tulane, Memphis, Navy
East: Temple, Marshall, ECU, App St, FAU, USF, UAB

-LaTech has been ahead of ULL/ULM and produced more NFL picks. Good on travel for west schools.

-Its good to have 2 of the 3 G5 Florida schools in your conference.

-App State because of its FB program bumps Charlotte here.

-Marshall brings eyeballs at this level which is important.
10-14-2021 09:04 AM
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shizzle787 Offline
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Post: #23
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 09:03 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:37 AM)chuckk3 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

I agree with this. I believe that when all this happens, there will be some surprises.

I'm becoming more and more convinced Charlotte is going to be one of the schools added. Not saying I want them, but the AAC needs to add schools who view themselves as having the ability to become Power Conference schools if they go all in and aren't "happy" at the level they are currently at. Right now I think Charlotte is one of the few that actually fit that bill.
I agree on Charlotte. I also think UAB is a lock. If those are the first two adds, the conference will go to 12 because they need a second TX school for Navy (Rice). The real question is who will #4 be. My guess is Marshall but the other contenders include Buffalo, Old Dominion, and App State.
10-14-2021 09:10 AM
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Kit-Cat Offline
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Post: #24
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:37 AM)chuckk3 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

I agree with this. I believe that when all this happens, there will be some surprises.

LaTech might be a surprise addition.

Georgia St could be in the mix to get App St to move. I don't see GSU as a top 2 add but if the AAC is going 6+ they might find a spot.

They want to build a conference that is going to be bigger/better than what the SBC can put together.
10-14-2021 09:14 AM
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Kit-Cat Offline
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Post: #25
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:15 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.


I would be fine with having Buffalo in the league. Have seen the campus and it's very nice. A quality combo of football, hoops, academic and location.

Buffalo addition is against the move toward regionalism, something the MAC already has. That is one reason for Buffalo not leaving. AAC basketball won't be good enough moving forward to justify the travel.

There was some thought when the AAC was first created that it would be on par with the new big east in basketball. Out of the gate it wasn't bad then it slumped. They added Wichita to help pick up basketball then UConn left. All the additions suggested to the AAC are going to add to the bottom half of AAC basketball.

Its going back to CUSA 2.0 days where Memphis runs away with the conference every year. Better on average than the MAC but not good enough to make the move.
10-14-2021 09:25 AM
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DavidSt Offline
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Post: #26
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
You don't promote a clumsy waitress for a higher position because she is pretty. You would lose business and close down. Rica, UAB, FAU, Charlotte, ODU and Georgia State are the clumsy waitresses in college sports right now, and the AAC will be shooting themselves in the foot if they choose them over schools who have a much better win/lost records over the past 20 years. It is time for the MAC schools get promoted like Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Toledo, Ohio, CMU and WMU. UTSA is striving to be a Power Conference school and is taking their sports more seriously than Rice. All the schools that are being made to be AAC needs major upgrading, and get more serious about their sports. They will just dragged the AAC down below the MAC.
10-14-2021 09:45 AM
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Kit-Cat Offline
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Post: #27
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 09:45 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  You don't promote a clumsy waitress for a higher position because she is pretty. You would lose business and close down. Rica, UAB, FAU, Charlotte, ODU and Georgia State are the clumsy waitresses in college sports right now, and the AAC will be shooting themselves in the foot if they choose them over schools who have a much better win/lost records over the past 20 years. It is time for the MAC schools get promoted like Northern Illinois, Buffalo, Toledo, Ohio, CMU and WMU. UTSA is striving to be a Power Conference school and is taking their sports more seriously than Rice. All the schools that are being made to be AAC needs major upgrading, and get more serious about their sports. They will just dragged the AAC down below the MAC.

I do agree with you in part that the AAC does need to add some FB schools and not exclusively focus on markets.

The MAC is about to trot out P6 stickers when this is all said and done since their FB will be comparable to the other G5 leagues.
10-14-2021 10:03 AM
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b0ndsj0ns Offline
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Post: #28
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 09:14 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:37 AM)chuckk3 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

I agree with this. I believe that when all this happens, there will be some surprises.

LaTech might be a surprise addition.

Georgia St could be in the mix to get App St to move. I don't see GSU as a top 2 add but if the AAC is going 6+ they might find a spot.

They want to build a conference that is going to be bigger/better than what the SBC can put together.

I don't see any reasonable way La Tech can double it's budget.
10-14-2021 10:12 AM
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bit_9 Offline
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Post: #29
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
I wish I had more insight or a read on our new President. He just came on board in July and he's been said to be very pro-athletics and has a strong focus on student engagement. He oversaw Radfords medical school merger and I suspect that was another reason for his selection. ODU/EVMS merger in the future. Which would be a huge gain for the school. R1, endowment, etc.

While at Radford he was on the Big South membership committee.
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2021 10:24 AM by bit_9.)
10-14-2021 10:20 AM
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Stugray2 Offline
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Post: #30
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:56 PM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 10:53 PM)Shannon Panther Wrote:  I have nothing against Marshall, but Buffalo makes a lot more sense from a viewership perspective.

Then why does Marshall consistently generate higher national TV viewers than anyone in the C-USA, MAC, or Sun Belt?

Also Marshall has a 38,000 seat stadium and deep FB tradition going back 30 years.

For a school with only 7,029 full time undergrads (US DoE school reported data), it does remarkably well with attendance. What helps is a rural identity and lack of local competition and frankly it's not easy to get to (no major airport). This is the classic "townee" support missing from most urban schools. A throwback to the olden days of college football.

But those are also the drawbacks. They fit a regional conference that focuses on tight local markets, not a national brand with reach. There is little growth potential. It's not a high powered private school with mega wealthy alumni dotting various urban centers, it's not a prestigious flagship with a large student body generating loyalty beyond it's locale. And the secondary value of recruiting, both students and athletes just isn't there. Put another way they look very close to their ceiling not their floor. It's kind of the FBS version of the Murray State issue. We can say much the same about USM (9,650 undergrads ... USM is further crippled by a 65% female student makeup, Marshall is only 57%).

App State is larger and in a larger state, but it is also a bit remote and away from the big recruiting zones. It also has a basketball program problem, which is not close to AAC levels, making it hard to see schools like Memphis, Temple, Tulsa, Wichita State or SMU voting in favor of them. They are basically another ECU with less resources.

Where Marshall and Southern Miss fit is in a local market oriented conference, and that would be the SBC, where similar schools like Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, App State, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Louisiana Lafayette and Troy already reside. These are football centric local audience focused schools. And frankly that is where I see them going.

The American is more about national schools (ECU does not fit) in urban centers. And the primary names thrown out fit that model.

The arguments put forward for Marshall and App State could apply to Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss, Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette. But nobody promotes them for the American.
10-14-2021 12:48 PM
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bullet Offline
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Post: #31
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 09:14 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:37 AM)chuckk3 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

I agree with this. I believe that when all this happens, there will be some surprises.

LaTech might be a surprise addition.

Georgia St could be in the mix to get App St to move. I don't see GSU as a top 2 add but if the AAC is going 6+ they might find a spot.

They want to build a conference that is going to be bigger/better than what the SBC can put together.
La Tech has one of the bottom budgets in CUSA. No chance.
10-14-2021 12:48 PM
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Duke Dawg Offline
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Post: #32
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

J
M
U


We've spent the money to build a 25,000+ seat stadium, that we've already outgrown.... with the skeleton and bones and plans already in place to finish the other side and take it over 40,000
we just spent $100m on a brand new state of the art basketball arena
we commit to other sports like softball that, along with Louisiana, are the only two non P5 programs that are year after year legitimate national players and rubbing arms with the big dogs
we are the 4th all-time winningest program in women's basketball, the 3rd most popular collegiate sport.
we have a student body that is over 21,000+ now (mostly on-campus undergrads) that has strong alumni tentacles all over DC (30,000 alum in the DMV), Richmond, Virginia Beach and across the mid atlantic and nation

if that doesn't spell "committment" to athletics, i dont' know what does.

but yet again, many on here want to get hung up on a 2-year label that has 1 letter different than their own and not think about what's best for the next 20+ years in their league
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2021 01:24 PM by Duke Dawg.)
10-14-2021 01:16 PM
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Gamenole Offline
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Post: #33
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-13-2021 10:53 PM)Shannon Panther Wrote:  I have nothing against Marshall, but Buffalo makes a lot more sense from a viewership perspective. NY is a top 5 state in population. WV is near the bottom. A small percentage of the Buffalo market would trump the entirety of the Huntington, WV market. Buffalo has 260,000 living alumni vs Marshall who has 91,000. Buffalo has a student body of 32,000 vs Marshall's enrollment of 12,000. As far as giving Temple a geographic partner, it is a 6.5 hour drive from Temple to UB. It is 8 hours and 20 minutes from Temple to Marshall. Marshall has had better success athletically, but Buffalo has done well enough that when you look at the entire package, they seem like a good choice.

I'm not sure how much it matters to the AAC, but Buffalo is also an AAU school. I guess we'll see that did carry some real weight with them if Rice & Buffalo are both among their invitees, unless I'm missing somebody they are the only two "gettable" AAU members right now for the AAC.

(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

This makes perfect sense, since they can't have their first choices I think they need to look long and hard at who has the resources & will to compete at a "P6" level, as opposed to teams that have been hot in the last few years or don't/can't spend the money to succeed. Rice for example, has the money to compete but apparently they don't care to expend it on fielding a good football team. Would they be willing to change that if invited to the AAC?

Another thing I think the AAC should consider is a school like Marshall that has built a brand by sustaining success over time despite lesser advantages & resources. If they've been doing it that long with less, they should be able to sustain or ascend to an even higher level with the greater resources in the AAC.
10-14-2021 04:35 PM
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Bull_In_Exile Offline
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Post: #34
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC

Ummm UB's budget is already about 45 million a year on a MAC tv contract, Bowl Payout, and NCAA unit payout. Getting to an "AAC Budget" tier is more doable for Buffalo, than for most of the other schools getting talked about.

Quote:and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs

Honestly if you want to add a school that does not "worry about cost" then you might as well fold up the tent because anyone you do add is going to be a mess. Every school you approach is going to have to look at the benefit / loss of the AAC.

You've lost Cincy, UCF, and let's face is Memphis has a foot out the door. At this point you're Conference USA circa 2012.

All I was saying is being a member of CUSA(2012) Is not going to be worth it to "be on an island". That's why not a single MW school was willing to jump over unless they had partners go with them.

Quote:Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

Again, unless you add from within your footprint any school is going to look at that.
10-14-2021 04:40 PM
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Post: #35
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
I think we could be surprised. Its like the tallest midget. There's not much difference. Maybe Aresco's comment is because he's thinking of MAC schools?

My best guess is 6:
UAB, Rice, FAU, Buffalo, Dayton, St. Louis.

But I wouldn't be surprised if they pick 4 and only UAB from that group is added.

I think you can pretty easily eliminate a number of schools by looking at budgets (like Louisiana Tech and WKU), but that still leaves a lot of candidates.
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2021 05:08 PM by bullet.)
10-14-2021 05:06 PM
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Post: #36
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
One thing most people aren't focusing on is how much they lose in basketball with Cincinnati and Houston (and earlier UConn). They need some strong basketball programs so I think there is a good possibility of a non-football school. Their football candidates are now all in one bid conferences (CUSA, SB, MAC).
(This post was last modified: 10-14-2021 05:10 PM by bullet.)
10-14-2021 05:10 PM
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Post: #37
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 01:16 PM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

J
M
U


We've spent the money to build a 25,000+ seat stadium, that we've already outgrown.... with the skeleton and bones and plans already in place to finish the other side and take it over 40,000
we just spent $100m on a brand new state of the art basketball arena
we commit to other sports like softball that, along with Louisiana, are the only two non P5 programs that are year after year legitimate national players and rubbing arms with the big dogs
we are the 4th all-time winningest program in women's basketball, the 3rd most popular collegiate sport.
we have a student body that is over 21,000+ now (mostly on-campus undergrads) that has strong alumni tentacles all over DC (30,000 alum in the DMV), Richmond, Virginia Beach and across the mid atlantic and nation

if that doesn't spell "committment" to athletics, i dont' know what does.

but yet again, many on here want to get hung up on a 2-year label that has 1 letter different than their own and not think about what's best for the next 20+ years in their league

Inviting an FCS member is a public relations land mine that the AAC can avoid which is why they presumably will. Beyond that JMU is a weak institutional fit and two hours from the nearest major airport. Other than UConn schools in the East transitioning from 1AA/FCS end up in the MAC, CUSA or Sun Belt. If JMU moves to FBS which I hope happens it’s going to be CUSA or SBC.
10-14-2021 05:16 PM
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HawaiiMongoose Offline
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Post: #38
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 01:16 PM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 07:12 AM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:06 PM)bill dazzle Wrote:  shizzle787's assessment seems very solid. However, the "ODU to the Sun Belt" element made me take pause.

Buffalo is an interesting option for the AAC (assuming UB would be interested).

UB's "cone of influence" goes to the city's south east. A huge number of our alumni are in the NYC to DC corridor. Depending on who else is added UB would be interested.

I don't think if you're adding the three other schools mentioned it would appeal to UB but if it were Buffalo / Marshall / App State / UAB then I think UB is interested.

I'm starting to become more and more convinced the AAC has to find the group of schools who have the ability to get their budget in line with the AAC and who have the commitment to go all in and aren't worried about travel or costs and are willing to spend beyond their means if necessary to succeed at the highest level. Not saying this as an insult to Buffalo, but not add schools who are like "well we could be interested if you add enough schools to make this comfortable for us". Who are those schools though? I don't know.

J
M
U


We've spent the money to build a 25,000+ seat stadium, that we've already outgrown.... with the skeleton and bones and plans already in place to finish the other side and take it over 40,000
we just spent $100m on a brand new state of the art basketball arena
we commit to other sports like softball that, along with Louisiana, are the only two non P5 programs that are year after year legitimate national players and rubbing arms with the big dogs
we are the 4th all-time winningest program in women's basketball, the 3rd most popular collegiate sport.
we have a student body that is over 21,000+ now (mostly on-campus undergrads) that has strong alumni tentacles all over DC (30,000 alum in the DMV), Richmond, Virginia Beach and across the mid atlantic and nation

if that doesn't spell "committment" to athletics, i dont' know what does.

but yet again, many on here want to get hung up on a 2-year label that has 1 letter different than their own and not think about what's best for the next 20+ years in their league

JMU may join an FBS conference as a part of this round of realignment but I doubt it will be the AAC, and not just because you would be an FCS move-up. You've got an M1 (Master's Colleges & Universities) Carnegie classification and USN&WR considers you to be a regional rather than national university. That's not going to be very appealing to the AAC presidents given their other options.
10-14-2021 05:27 PM
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bill dazzle Offline
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Post: #39
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 12:48 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  
(10-14-2021 08:34 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 11:56 PM)CoachMaclid Wrote:  
(10-13-2021 10:53 PM)Shannon Panther Wrote:  I have nothing against Marshall, but Buffalo makes a lot more sense from a viewership perspective.

Then why does Marshall consistently generate higher national TV viewers than anyone in the C-USA, MAC, or Sun Belt?

Also Marshall has a 38,000 seat stadium and deep FB tradition going back 30 years.

For a school with only 7,029 full time undergrads (US DoE school reported data), it does remarkably well with attendance. What helps is a rural identity and lack of local competition and frankly it's not easy to get to (no major airport). This is the classic "townee" support missing from most urban schools. A throwback to the olden days of college football.

But those are also the drawbacks. They fit a regional conference that focuses on tight local markets, not a national brand with reach. There is little growth potential. It's not a high powered private school with mega wealthy alumni dotting various urban centers, it's not a prestigious flagship with a large student body generating loyalty beyond it's locale. And the secondary value of recruiting, both students and athletes just isn't there. Put another way they look very close to their ceiling not their floor. It's kind of the FBS version of the Murray State issue. We can say much the same about USM (9,650 undergrads ... USM is further crippled by a 65% female student makeup, Marshall is only 57%).

App State is larger and in a larger state, but it is also a bit remote and away from the big recruiting zones. It also has a basketball program problem, which is not close to AAC levels, making it hard to see schools like Memphis, Temple, Tulsa, Wichita State or SMU voting in favor of them. They are basically another ECU with less resources.

Where Marshall and Southern Miss fit is in a local market oriented conference, and that would be the SBC, where similar schools like Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, App State, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Louisiana Lafayette and Troy already reside. These are football centric local audience focused schools. And frankly that is where I see them going.

The American is more about national schools (ECU does not fit) in urban centers. And the primary names thrown out fit that model.

The arguments put forward for Marshall and App State could apply to Coastal Carolina, Southern Miss, Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette. But nobody promotes them for the American.


This is one of the better posts I've read on the board of late. Well framed.
10-14-2021 06:37 PM
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bill dazzle Offline
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Post: #40
RE: The next dominoes (October 13 edition)
(10-14-2021 05:10 PM)bullet Wrote:  One thing most people aren't focusing on is how much they lose in basketball with Cincinnati and Houston (and earlier UConn). They need some strong basketball programs so I think there is a good possibility of a non-football school. Their football candidates are now all in one bid conferences (CUSA, SB, MAC).

I agree fully the AAC needs some quality basketball schools. But again, Bullet, the question I have asked in many previous posts: Why would Dayton, SLU, VCU, etc. join a very unstable AAC when the A10 is extremely stable and, once UC and UH leaves, as good as (if not better than) the AAC? It simply makes no sense.
10-14-2021 06:40 PM
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