Don't sleep on UAB.

On the facilities front UAB has a new $175M, 45k seat stadium on the way in 2021, opened a $23M football operations facility in 2017 with a covered practice field, just built new facilities for soccer & track, renovated olympic sports weight room, and will start the process on a new basketball practice facility in November.

For recent success in football (which drives the bus), UAB won CUSA and its bowl game last year with an 11-3 record and has averaged over 25k fans since football's return in 2017 (led CUSA in attendance in 2017). We signed Bill Clark to a new 5 year contract in November that pays $1.45M in 2019 and goes to $1.65M in year 5.

Throw in other factors like Birmingham's market (#1 football watching market in America for the last 15 years), basketball history, geographic location, and profile as a strong urban research university (#23 in federal research funding) and I think we make a strong case.

**** Pete Thamel.

Lumping Memphis with Tulane and East Carolina.

“The Huskies lost their geographic relevance in basketball by leaving the Big East, as organic rivals like Providence, St. John’s and Syracuse were replaced by strangers like Tulane, East Carolina and Memphis.” From his Article.

Well our women's basketball program just got better by 2-3 games a year.

I see an VCU basketball+ invite and Army football invite ... For now.

Maybe the Precious Achiuwa diss was the last straw !!

(06-22-2019 11:37 AM)JRR_IV Wrote:  **** Pete Thamel.

Lumping Memphis with Tulane and East Carolina.

“The Huskies lost their geographic relevance in basketball by leaving the Big East, as organic rivals like Providence, St. John’s and Syracuse were replaced by strangers like Tulane, East Carolina and Memphis.” From his Article.

We were strangers...We had no history

(06-22-2019 11:13 AM)ksigtigerdood Wrote:  Peace out. Their men’s basketball program has gone to **** and their football team has always sucked

They were good for a few years at least, played in a BCS bowl, then the coach went to Maryland. Edsall, I think he's back as their coach. He only lasted a few years at Maryland.

(06-22-2019 11:31 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Don't sleep on UAB.

On the facilities front UAB has a new $175M, 45k seat stadium on the way in 2021, opened a $23M football operations facility in 2017 with a covered practice field, just built new facilities for soccer & track, renovated olympic sports weight room, and will start the process on a new basketball practice facility in November.

For recent success in football (which drives the bus), UAB won CUSA and its bowl game last year with an 11-3 record and has averaged over 25k fans since football's return in 2017 (led CUSA in attendance in 2017). We signed Bill Clark to a new 5 year contract in November that pays $1.45M in 2019 and goes to $1.65M in year 5.

Throw in other factors like Birmingham's market (#1 football watching market in America for the last 15 years), basketball history, geographic location, and profile as a strong urban research university (#23 in federal research funding) and I think we make a strong case.

Your maybe my second choice ... The major metro area is huge. I wish we'd drop ECU and add UAB myself. Won't happen though.

(06-22-2019 11:42 AM)steves Wrote:  Well our women's basketball program just got better by 2-3 games a year.

I see an VCU basketball+ invite and Army football invite ... For now.

Maybe the Precious Achiuwa diss was the last straw !!

That would be interesting

Also if we add Boise wouldn’t it be reasonable for AAC to get autobid for NY6

(06-22-2019 11:30 AM)Sundanceuiuc Wrote:  

(06-22-2019 11:16 AM)Memphis Yankee Wrote:  

(06-22-2019 10:50 AM)Sundanceuiuc Wrote:  I mean, bye.

I like the program, but football is the thing and they're an awful football program.

I'd prefer they stay, but if they leave, invite Army FB only and call it a day.

Army football, Gonzaga basketball sounds good to me.

Great program, but way too far for olympic travel.

You're probably right.

This will put the AAC at:

Temple (Philadelphia), Cincinnati, East Carolina, Central Florida, South Florida (really in central FL)

Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, Houston, SMU, Navy (FB)

I guess the option of Army FB only in the East is not horrible.

Add Louisiana Tech and move Navy to East maybe. LA Tech would be decently competitive in FB now and with the bigger name conference could garner more support from potential mega-boosters Terry Bradshaw and Karl Malone for possible improvements to help entice BB recruits and money for a coach. (I have no idea, they may well have a fine coach now.)

UAB might not be bad from a rankings standpoint for FB & BB, but has the stigma of another "initials" school. We've got 4 already.

I don't know how competitive Old Dominion football has gotten in C-USA, and again, is another "initials" school. Good location.

Marshall maybe. Good location, competitive in FB right off the bat, not a complete dog in BB I don't believe.

UNC-Charlotte has rebranded themselves as Charlotte and would be good location-wise but might not be strong enough athletically to compete.

I wont miss them, they were never a good fit.

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UNBELIEVABLE

(06-22-2019 10:46 AM)roachman48 Wrote:  IMHO, this is lousy news for American conf. (and us). UCONN has excellent basketball tradition including national championship tradition.
From a basketball stand point, it will be MOST DIFFICULT to replace UCONN with an equal.

But to be clear, this is 'lousy"'. It is not 'sky is falling'.

Football moves the bus mate and they hold zero resonance.

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How about take a swing at Villanova?

(06-22-2019 12:43 PM)Trapper John Wrote:  How about take a swing at Villanova?

Why on earth would they leave the Big East?

(06-22-2019 12:49 PM)snowtiger Wrote:  Surely Aresco can do better than Army.

And I have to wonder if Army is in satisfied with staying independent. They left one conference to do just that.

I couldn’t care less. UCONN stopped being relevant soon after Jim Calhoun left... its not the fault of the conference. We hit a similar skid after Cal.

Bye

They do realize Syracuse and Pitt are gone right?
And that later adds Louisville and Cincy are also gone right?

And even later add Memphis is gone too right?

F UConn.

Wichita will add football and that will be that.

I have always looked at Mtorg as a neighborhood bar and we're all patrons. Seems several of us have already had a few too many !!!