UCF was really dominant last night IMO. Baylor, the #6 team in the country, who had stormed through the Big 12 wasn't even close to UCF in talent and preparation IMO. Last nights performance will open up a lot of talk about the AAC being the "next" batter up outside the Big 5 conferences for a playoff spot and will certainly open some talk about an expanded playoff of at least 8 teams or possibly more with bracketing IMO.

UCF will be our conference brothers now in the AAC and I think they are the team to beat. My hope is that, because of geography, we won't see UCF in our side of the conference. If it is done geographically, this would be the most sensible:

East
Temple
UCONN
ECU
Navy
Cinncinnati
UCF

West
TU
Tulane
SMU
Houston
Memphis
USF

USF is closer to New Orleans and Memphis and the rest of us than UCF. As bad as we were last year in FB, we would be more competitive with USF as the Florida team in the west than UCF.

There is a possibility that Cincy could go west, but I think that would be unlikely for a couple of reasons. First is that they have rivals already in place on that side of the league and the only AAC opponent closer in the west to them would be Memphis. So if USF isn't that 6th team in the west, I'd be surprised.

Also, since TU alum Lovie Smith is the new coach at Tampa Bay, he could come see that TU/USF game wo traveling. But of course that isn't much of a reason for the conferences alignment.

What I saw as my son and I watched that game was how Tulsa has slipped.....didn't take advantage of some really good years to continue to move forward. UCF is a team we beat......we were one of the few teams in C-USA, UCF repected and even liked when we weren't playing them. There is no reason Tulsa shouldn't still be going toe to toe with them in the new AAC.....that's how far we've slipped.......they're in a BCS Bowl beating the #6 team in the nation and we've been beating up on them for most of the last few years in CUSA........now were losing to UTSA, UNT and the like........that isn't slipping......that's a MAJOR fall.

Of course a lot could change by 2015, but from what I've read, the top 3 choices to join Tulsa, SMU, Houston, Tulane & Memphis in the west division of the American are : 1. Navy 2. UCF 3. Cincinnati The "old guard" of the conference supposedly prefer USF, Cincinnati & UCONN together in a division.

Regardless of divisions, Tulsa better step up it's game as quickly as we fell, if we plan on competing for a divison title !