American Athletic conference 2016

East:

UConn
Temple
Navy (Football only)
UMass*
Army (Football only)*
ECU
USF

VCU (non-football member)*

West:

Houston
Cincinnati 
Tulane
Tulsa 
SMU
Memphis
UCF

Wichita State (non-football member)*

*further expansion
12 full members, 2 olympic members and 2 football only (service academies) I think this is the most realistic expansion plan the American could do to solidify its self as a power conference. Certainly not a P5 conference but above and beyond the rest of the G5. Very strong basketball and football has some good brands. Having the Army-Navy Game as an AMERICAN game will be huge.

Basketball:
18 game conference schedule. Schools play their division a home and home except for one or two schools. Cross division match-ups will be at random. All 12 teams make the Conference Tournament.

Football:
9 game conference schedule. Playing all 6 opponents in your division. The other 3 games will rotated each year from the other division.

Non-revenue sports:
Schools will not be required to schedule conference members for opponents but will be encouraged to play within their division.

Thoughts?

This all hinges on if the Big East grabs Dayton and SLU and not VCU. And if Army accepts an invitation. The hybrid concept won't if the balance is not there.

I know AAC fans like the idea of adding VCU to balance out the basketball membership but what is in it for VCU?

The basketball played in the American and A10 is roughly of equivalent grade right now and VCU would face an uptick in travel costs in the American.

I just can't see the AAC as a move VCU would favor when right now they have a nice conference situation with Davidson, Richmond, George Mason and George Washington. A nice set of schools that VCU likes to stack up to.

St. Louis would be a better idea for the AAC since they could put them in the West division with Memphis and Tulsa. That is something I could see them biting on because it may be a while before the Big East expands. Today's A10 geography doesn't work for SLU at all.

How about BYU and UTSA at the 2016 TV contract look in?

West: BYU, UTSA, Houston, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, Memphis
East: Navy, UConn, Temple, Cincy, UCF, East Car, USF

Having BYU in the American automatically positions them one step above the MWC out West because that is the best recruiting school.

It would be good for BYU because instantly they become one of the biggest BCS buster programs around.

UMass will have to get its stadium done before they are brought in for football, and even then we'd have to see how the TV contract breaks down. I'd be happy to see them and/or VCU join for Olympic sports right now but not sure that any of the current AAC members want to do that.

Army could join for football-only if they wanted to, but Army had a very painful experience in C-USA (9-41 conference record over 7 years) and probably doesn't want to join another football-conference unless/until it can improve its competitiveness on the field. Understandable.

Not feeling it with Wichita State. I loved their F4 run but they're just too small, too far away, and viewed (unfairly) as too irrelevant in the media.

I don't see that happening by 2016. Too many mouths to feed on a puny TV deal.

The current TV deal is up in 2019. You might see some movement around then.

The exception being if the American is raided. If the Big 10 takes UConn, we'll replace with UMass, etc.

As to Kittonheads point, the impetus for VCU to leave the A10 would be the raid of the A10 by the Big East.

(12-10-2013 06:51 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  I don't see that happening by 2016. Too many mouths to feed on a puny TV deal.

The current TV deal is up in 2019. You might see some movement around then.

The exception being if the American is raided. If the Big 10 takes UConn, we'll replace with UMass, etc.

As to Kittonheads point, the impetus for VCU to leave the A10 would be the raid of the A10 by the Big East.

I still don't like that move by VCU because even if they take St. Louis and Dayton its still going to be a very good geographic fit.

As to UMass.......people keep thinking they are going to get into the AAC on Football merit/market value but I think if they get in it will be on Basketball merit if anything. They go on a nice run of Top 20 basketball for 5 years and the AAC will be compelled to add them.

IMO their best expansion candidates are

rice
buffalo
army
umass

otherwise im not seeing it.....

as much as people are a proponents of basketball schools like VCU, the reality is they simply dont add enough to the pot to warrant the pot being split one more way

The AAC will have competing interests just like the old BE. I think the AAC should nix Navy and invite the following schools:

(1) UMass
(2) Buffalo
(3) Ohio Athens
(4) No Illinois

I tend to think that VCU has a pretty sweet thing going with the A10 anyway.

(12-10-2013 09:49 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  The AAC will have competing interests just like the old BE. I think the AAC should nix Navy and invite the following schools:

(1) UMass
(2) Buffalo
(3) Ohio Athens
(4) No Illinois

i dunno. I think the MAC schools (with the exception of umass) are pretty happy where they are now. maybe suny buffalo but even that is a longshot.

theres no clearly cut top g5 conference anymore. the MWC, MAC, & AAC are all practically on the same level and will have a very hard time poaching each other unless its an outlier school.

while NIU, buffalo & ohio might look good in the aac the intangibles in terms of cultural identity, history, alumni demographics, and recruiting make the MAC much more attractive

(12-10-2013 09:49 AM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  The AAC will have competing interests just like the old BE.

I just don't see that at all. I see 11 schools rowing in the same direction. One or more might -- Might -- get the chance to row in a faster boat in a few years, but that (even if it happens) won't affect the AAC's basic mission or unity.

Quote:I think the AAC should nix Navy and invite the following schools:

(1) UMass
(2) Buffalo
(3) Ohio Athens
(4) No Illinois

Northern Illinois is a possibility, but any new expansion will hinge on getting a better TV contract in place. Unless and until that happens, there is no room at the inn except (IMHO) for Army/Air Force on a football-only basis, or else BYU.

No school will be invited to any conference nor will any invited school accept any conference invitation until the Maryland law suit is over and BiG makes/does not make its move.

(12-10-2013 09:30 AM)john01992 Wrote:  IMO their best expansion candidates are

rice
buffalo
army
umass

otherwise im not seeing it.....

as much as people are a proponents of basketball schools like VCU, the reality is they simply dont add enough to the pot to warrant the pot being split one more way

What is your fascination with Rice?.......

I can live with UMass and Army for a few reasons but Buffalo? Rice? Yeah that won't fly.

You can get better options now why take them.

As for what would be best any list that does not include BYU is a joke. Yeah I doubt they come but you said "best expansion candidates"

We are both ESPN partners so it is possible even thought it is unlikely.

AAC expansion needs to get more media exposure in major markets. NIU offers the biggest with Chicago. Buffalo is also a major market. Rice doesn't make sense since you already have Houston. Ohio is in a small market. I think the best adds for the AAC would be NIU and Buffalo. That said, I don't think anything will happen until the law suits are settled and any other moves like Cincy and UConn are resolved.

(12-10-2013 04:29 AM)Jganon93 Wrote:  American Athletic conference 2016

East:

UConn
Temple
Navy (Football only)
UMass*
Army (Football only)*
ECU
USF

VCU (non-football member)*

West:

Houston
Cincinnati 
Tulane
Tulsa 
SMU
Memphis
UCF

Wichita State (non-football member)*

*further expansion
12 full members, 2 olympic members and 2 football only (service academies) I think this is the most realistic expansion plan the American could do to solidify its self as a power conference. Certainly not a P5 conference but above and beyond the rest of the G5. Very strong basketball and football has some good brands. Having the Army-Navy Game as an AMERICAN game will be huge.

Basketball:
18 game conference schedule. Schools play their division a home and home except for one or two schools. Cross division match-ups will be at random. All 12 teams make the Conference Tournament.

Football:
9 game conference schedule. Playing all 6 opponents in your division. The other 3 games will rotated each year from the other division.

Non-revenue sports:
Schools will not be required to schedule conference members for opponents but will be encouraged to play within their division.

Thoughts?

I like what you've done here, but my personal preference would be an 8-game conference schedule so everyone has the same number of home/road conference games.

If a 9-game conference schedule is required for some reason (like difficulty finding OOC opponents if all other conferences go to 9 games), then I would propose only divisional conference games count towards the conference standings (there would be 3 home/3 road divisional games), with the 3 cross-division games counting as OOC games.

Also, I assume you mean "all 14 teams make the Conference Tournament."

Byu, ,Army football only, and let it go.

The AAC has absolutely no plans to expand. The only changes will occur if one of our schools is plucked from above, which is very unlikely. UConn's chances of going to the Big 10 are about 5%. If UConn FB takes off under a new head coach, those odds go up to about 15% or 20%.

I don't see any changes in the AAC membership for the foreseeable future.

(12-10-2013 10:41 AM)GO Coogs GO!!! Wrote:  

(12-10-2013 09:30 AM)john01992 Wrote:  IMO their best expansion candidates are

rice
buffalo
army
umass

otherwise im not seeing it.....

as much as people are a proponents of basketball schools like VCU, the reality is they simply dont add enough to the pot to warrant the pot being split one more way

What is your fascination with Rice?.......

I can live with UMass and Army for a few reasons but Buffalo? Rice? Yeah that won't fly.

You can get better options now why take them.

As for what would be best any list that does not include BYU is a joke. Yeah I doubt they come but you said "best expansion candidates"

We are both ESPN partners so it is possible even thought it is unlikely.

Well, the presidents who make these expansion decisions are very concerned with academic reputations, and Rice is a highly regarded school.

The fact that the AAC already has a school in Houston and already has a tiny school (Tulsa) are probably two strikes against the Owls. But I think Buffalo would be a very real possibility.

(12-10-2013 10:41 AM)GO Coogs GO!!! Wrote:  

(12-10-2013 09:30 AM)john01992 Wrote:  IMO their best expansion candidates are

rice
buffalo
army
umass

otherwise im not seeing it.....

as much as people are a proponents of basketball schools like VCU, the reality is they simply dont add enough to the pot to warrant the pot being split one more way

What is your fascination with Rice?.......

I can live with UMass and Army for a few reasons but Buffalo? Rice? Yeah that won't fly.

You can get better options now why take them.

As for what would be best any list that does not include BYU is a joke. Yeah I doubt they come but you said "best expansion candidates"

We are both ESPN partners so it is possible even thought it is unlikely.

well mainly ==> academics. they rock the boat and promote a conference just as well as football does.

rice solidifies the texas market, gives more texas games (recruiting) to aac members.

Umass/buffalo thats more a move to weaken the mac and gives the aac at least a chunk of NY with a team in the two largest cities in that state (if army is already in).