This might be a pretty unpopular post, but something I've been thinking about.


If Louisville leaves the AAC, and competes immediately in football at the top of the ACC (heck, let's say they get the playoff game next year- or whatever auto bid game the ACC gets) does that reflect well for us? I know the talking heads of the P5 will spin it in their favor

In the end, (deep down) do all of the real sports fans/knowledgeable people in the industry say "Damn, Louisville just came from The AAC and blasted us"? or spin it as something of them having BCS access - blah blah blah.

I was just thinking maybe some reasonable people might look at it as "Wow, any of these teams from a lesser conference could step up and kick our ass." Especially if UL does not win the AAC this year.

Thoughts? Dish out whatever you feel, I've got thick skin.

It would not make a difference. Really.

In 2005, Louisville stepped into the Big East from C-USA and went 9-3 and 12-1, culminating in an Orange Bowl win.

C-USA got no credit for it.

West Virginia 2012.
Pitt + Syracuse this year.
TCU 20-whatever.

Neither the Big East nor MWC got any substantial credit.

(10-01-2013 12:07 AM)Kruciff Wrote:  West Virginia 2012.
Pitt + Syracuse this year.
TCU 20-whatever.

Neither the Big East nor MWC got any substantial credit.

I figured someone would say that. They are sucking in their new conferences though. I agree with others the AAC probably wouldn't get credit, we really need to win OOC.

Conferences become power conferences for one reason and one reason only, teams in those conferences over an extended period of time play for a national title and occasionally win. All this beat one team from a P-5 conf. occasionally does not reflect on either conf. one way or another. Win a title or start competing regularly and you gain credibility.

It is never the conference that does anything! Dude it is the individual program that excels. Now, with that said, the better the conference, the easier it 9s for each individual team to recruit.

It will not, I have always maintained it should, but history proved me wrong. Basketball was always underrated nationally in the pre 2005 CUSA. I brought it up that Marquette Louisville and Cincy came in and not only competed but were top players in the tough Big East and I got crickets. Nobody would give credence to the past CUSA teams even though they were final four winners and were doing well in the Big East people said we had always won against weak CUSA competition. Nationally they recognize that individually we had success but never saw the value of the whole. St Louis, UNC Charlotte, Southern Miss all had some great teams, as well as Marquette, Memphis, Cincinnati, and Louisville. But you would have thought we were the Sun Belt the way the talking heads and Old Guard spoke of our past.

(10-01-2013 05:20 AM)CincyBro Wrote:  Conferences become power conferences for one reason and one reason only, teams in those conferences over an extended period of time play for a national title and occasionally win. All this beat one team from a P-5 conf. occasionally does not reflect on either conf. one way or another. Win a title or start competing regularly and you gain credibility.

Exactly! The Big East didn't really have a regular NC contender once Miami left, and wasn't considered as strong as the other AQs. The only NCs in the Big East 2.0 configuration were the number that Pitt claimed (most recent 1976) and Syracuse (1959). Ancient History.

(09-30-2013 11:32 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  This might be a pretty unpopular post, but something I've been thinking about.


If Louisville leaves the AAC, and competes immediately in football at the top of the ACC (heck, let's say they get the playoff game next year- or whatever auto bid game the ACC gets) does that reflect well for us? I know the talking heads of the P5 will spin it in their favor

In the end, (deep down) do all of the real sports fans/knowledgeable people in the industry say "Damn, Louisville just came from The AAC and blasted us"? or spin it as something of them having BCS access - blah blah blah.

I was just thinking maybe some reasonable people might look at it as "Wow, any of these teams from a lesser conference could step up and kick our ass." Especially if UL does not win the AAC this year.

Thoughts? Dish out whatever you feel, I've got thick skin.

What would make the conference look strong is for another school other than Louisville and Rutgers to become the American's first champ and blowout its BCS opponent. Hopefully, Louisville becomes the ACC champ the following year and Rutgers somehow hits the lottery again by winning the B10....

(09-30-2013 11:32 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  If Louisville leaves the AAC, and competes immediately in football at the top of the ACC (heck, let's say they get the playoff game next year- or whatever auto bid game the ACC gets) does that reflect well for us? I know the talking heads of the P5 will spin it in their favor

There will be no positive benefit for the AAC.

(09-30-2013 11:32 PM)ncbeta Wrote:  If Louisville leaves the AAC, and competes immediately in football at the top of the ACC (heck, let's say they get the playoff game next year- or whatever auto bid game the ACC gets) does that reflect well for us? I know the talking heads of the P5 will spin it in their favor

You scenario would only have a chance of being true if one of the current/future AAC teams beat Louisville this year. Otherwise, it wouldn't matter even under your scenario, because just being on someone's schedule is not good enough for your "rub" to play out. You'd have to win.

That said, no it won't. Case in point when Miami, VPI, and BC went to the ACC. Virginia Tech and Boston College have both been winners in their divisions in the ACC, and really did not win much in the Big East. Likewise in basketball Virginia Tech and Miami were doormats for years in the Big East and went to the ACC and competed and were generally middle of the pack. None of this ever reflected on the Big East, football or basketball.

I heard you out and the answer is not only no, but hell no. The AAC will not get any credit in any way shape or form if Louisville does exceptionally well next year. No matter what happens. Short of winning a national championship consistently, the AAC will always be perceived as "lesser". See CUSA basketball 1996-2005 and MWC football 2004-2010. The announcers were piling on about how bad the Mountain West was even while watching Utah curb stomp Alabama in the Sugar Bowl that year.....