(10-15-2019 07:11 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 06:14 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 01:40 AM)Tigersmoke4 Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 09:26 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 04:05 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Sounds like Air Force wants out of the MW and ready to take UConn place.

I'll bet the AFA brass wish their FB coach would shut his mouth....

Maybe he is speaking for them.

I suspect he is not speaking “for them”, but with their permission/encouragement. Not because AFA has decided to get out of MWC, but as a way to test the reaction among media and AFA alums/supporters, and also to send a signal to the rest of the MWC their discontent with the status quo.

Or maybe he's just miffed that he's traveling to Hawaii one week and to Navy two weeks later. If they move to the AAC, they're making 2-3 East Coast trips every year (either Army or Navy, plus 1-2 eastern division road games).

People are very likely making a lot out of very little.

(On the other hand, Air Force has to be looking at the difference in the AAC and MWC TV contracts and TV exposure. Air Force was skeered to go Big 12 with good reason--the AAC doesn't look like such a daunting group.)

Calhoun did sound annoyed about the travel. Another way to interpret his remarks is that he'd prefer that AFA had a independent schedule, one that is more manageable, like Army's.

(10-14-2019 03:18 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  I definitely don't believe that UConn should be expecting anything at all from the AAC. It was UConn's choice to leave and, even though I believe that the school will ultimately be better off for the move, they have to deal with the consequences no matter how painful it might be scheduling-wise for the next couple of years.

On the other hand, I've been continually perplexed by the overconfidence (at least publicly) from Mike Aresco that the NCAA is going to grant the outcome that the AAC truly wants, which is essentially to change the conference championship game qualification rules entirely to allow for something less than a full conference round robin for 11 schools. Even if there is a MAC-type waiver where there are 2 divisions that are playing less than a division round robin, that waiver had always been stipulated as a temporary stopgap. The MAC was clear that they didn't want the situation to be permanent and were looking to change its membership composition. In contrast, the AAC is preemptively stating that they don't want to expand, which would effectively mean that they want whatever waiver that is granted by the NCAA to be permanent. I really don't think the NCAA is going to do that here. Even very recent history (most particularly the rebuffing of the ACC's attempt to remove any divisional requirement for conference championship games) says that the NCAA's membership is much more conservative regarding the conference championship game rules than the fans seem to be.

The upshot is that if the NCAA only grants a temporary waiver (which is the MAC precedent), then the AAC is still going to need to find a 12th football member regardless of whether Aresco and the AAC members want one or not. From that perspective, which 12th football member that the AAC could *realistically* add (e.g. BYU and Army are NOT realistic) that would add or at least maintain financial value? There might be a long list of football *teams* better than UConn out there in the MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt, but we all should know that conference realignment isn't really about on-the-field prowess. Instead, is there really a *school* better than UConn out there, even when we're just talking about a football-only membership? This is where the bridges between UConn and the AAC may not necessarily have been burned.

Look - if I were personally running either UConn or the AAC, I would want the divorce to be final. So, I'm not saying that UConn staying the AAC as a football-only member is a great idea in a vacuum. However, circumstances make strange bedfellows. The AAC can't really know how to move until it actually receives a verification from the NCAA of what the AAC is allowed to do regarding a conference championship game (and it may not be allowed to as much as it would like).

Same the AAC commissioner needs to stop dragging his feet about this. The NCAA should deny this waiver because all they will be doing is green-lighting prolonged instability for 3-4 conferences.

Just add UAB/Boise/Fantasy team. Then let CUSA & UConn work out a deal to replace UAB on the CUSA schedule. Heck, they can even join CUSA as a football only team which would be ideal for them IMO.

(10-15-2019 06:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 04:05 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Sounds like Air Force wants out of the MW and ready to take UConn place.

What makes you say that?

I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

The ECU player looks like he's all "if I sneak in maybe they won't notice before they take the picture." Which is probably also a good way to describe ECU basketball's relationship with the rest of the conference, come to think of it.

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

Wow. I don’t know who set that up, but unless UCONN wanted it that way, that is just trashy to leave them out of the picture.

(10-15-2019 10:30 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 03:18 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  I definitely don't believe that UConn should be expecting anything at all from the AAC. It was UConn's choice to leave and, even though I believe that the school will ultimately be better off for the move, they have to deal with the consequences no matter how painful it might be scheduling-wise for the next couple of years.

On the other hand, I've been continually perplexed by the overconfidence (at least publicly) from Mike Aresco that the NCAA is going to grant the outcome that the AAC truly wants, which is essentially to change the conference championship game qualification rules entirely to allow for something less than a full conference round robin for 11 schools. Even if there is a MAC-type waiver where there are 2 divisions that are playing less than a division round robin, that waiver had always been stipulated as a temporary stopgap. The MAC was clear that they didn't want the situation to be permanent and were looking to change its membership composition. In contrast, the AAC is preemptively stating that they don't want to expand, which would effectively mean that they want whatever waiver that is granted by the NCAA to be permanent. I really don't think the NCAA is going to do that here. Even very recent history (most particularly the rebuffing of the ACC's attempt to remove any divisional requirement for conference championship games) says that the NCAA's membership is much more conservative regarding the conference championship game rules than the fans seem to be.

The upshot is that if the NCAA only grants a temporary waiver (which is the MAC precedent), then the AAC is still going to need to find a 12th football member regardless of whether Aresco and the AAC members want one or not. From that perspective, which 12th football member that the AAC could *realistically* add (e.g. BYU and Army are NOT realistic) that would add or at least maintain financial value? There might be a long list of football *teams* better than UConn out there in the MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt, but we all should know that conference realignment isn't really about on-the-field prowess. Instead, is there really a *school* better than UConn out there, even when we're just talking about a football-only membership? This is where the bridges between UConn and the AAC may not necessarily have been burned.

Look - if I were personally running either UConn or the AAC, I would want the divorce to be final. So, I'm not saying that UConn staying the AAC as a football-only member is a great idea in a vacuum. However, circumstances make strange bedfellows. The AAC can't really know how to move until it actually receives a verification from the NCAA of what the AAC is allowed to do regarding a conference championship game (and it may not be allowed to as much as it would like).

Same the AAC commissioner needs to stop dragging his feet about this. The NCAA should deny this waiver because all they will be doing is green-lighting prolonged instability for 3-4 conferences.

Just add UAB/Boise/Fantasy team. Then let CUSA & UConn work out a deal to replace UAB on the CUSA schedule. Heck, they can even join CUSA as a football only team which would be ideal for them IMO.

Draggin his feet? He's made his request. He nor the conference has any business doing anything else until the NCAA makes a decision.

(10-15-2019 02:51 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

Wow. I don’t know who set that up, but unless UCONN wanted it that way, that is just trashy to leave them out of the picture.

They are on the group pics, just not that one. You haven't figured out not to believe anything Golden Warrior says about the AAC yet?

(10-15-2019 11:06 AM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 06:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 04:05 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Sounds like Air Force wants out of the MW and ready to take UConn place.

What makes you say that?

I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

What school has the MWC "raided" from the WAC since the last round of realignment?

(10-15-2019 11:01 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:06 AM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 06:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 04:05 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Sounds like Air Force wants out of the MW and ready to take UConn place.

What makes you say that?

I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

What school has the MWC "raided" from the WAC since the last round of realignment?

I think this is just using "since the last round of realignment" as a shorthand for different year than you are thinking of. If it means "since the last round of realignment began" rather than "since the last round of realignment concluded", and if the last round of realignment began when the Big Ten invited Nebraska, that would be 2009.

Seems like four out of five MWC schools added since then have been from the WAC.

(10-16-2019 01:44 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:01 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:06 AM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 06:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 04:05 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  Sounds like Air Force wants out of the MW and ready to take UConn place.

What makes you say that?

I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

What school has the MWC "raided" from the WAC since the last round of realignment?

I think this is just using "since the last round of realignment" as a shorthand for different year than you are thinking of. If it means "since the last round of realignment began" rather than "since the last round of realignment concluded", and if the last round of realignment began when the Big Ten invited Nebraska, that would be 2009.

Seems like four out of five MWC schools added since then have been from the WAC.

Six out of six MWC schools added since 2009 have been from the WAC.

2011: Boise State
2012: Fresno State, Hawaii (FB only), Nevada
2013: San Jose State, Utah State

(10-16-2019 03:13 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(10-16-2019 01:44 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:01 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:06 AM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 06:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  What makes you say that?

I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

What school has the MWC "raided" from the WAC since the last round of realignment?

I think this is just using "since the last round of realignment" as a shorthand for different year than you are thinking of. If it means "since the last round of realignment began" rather than "since the last round of realignment concluded", and if the last round of realignment began when the Big Ten invited Nebraska, that would be 2009.

Seems like four out of five MWC schools added since then have been from the WAC.

Six out of six MWC schools added since 2009 have been from the WAC.

2011: Boise State
2012: Fresno State, Hawaii (FB only), Nevada
2013: San Jose State, Utah State

Imagine that - the MW Airport meeting left those schools behind and then needed them anyway to survive.

(10-15-2019 08:13 PM)Tigersmoke4 Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 02:51 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

Wow. I don’t know who set that up, but unless UCONN wanted it that way, that is just trashy to leave them out of the picture.

They are on the group pics, just not that one. You haven't figured out not to believe anything Golden Warrior says about the AAC yet?

Only one of us has been banned, bro. Welcome back I guess?

(10-15-2019 02:51 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

Wow. I don’t know who set that up, but unless UCONN wanted it that way, that is just trashy to leave them out of the picture.

No Different to the MAC that drop UMass from their official site even thou we were still playing.

(10-15-2019 03:03 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 10:30 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(10-14-2019 03:18 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  I definitely don't believe that UConn should be expecting anything at all from the AAC. It was UConn's choice to leave and, even though I believe that the school will ultimately be better off for the move, they have to deal with the consequences no matter how painful it might be scheduling-wise for the next couple of years.

On the other hand, I've been continually perplexed by the overconfidence (at least publicly) from Mike Aresco that the NCAA is going to grant the outcome that the AAC truly wants, which is essentially to change the conference championship game qualification rules entirely to allow for something less than a full conference round robin for 11 schools. Even if there is a MAC-type waiver where there are 2 divisions that are playing less than a division round robin, that waiver had always been stipulated as a temporary stopgap. The MAC was clear that they didn't want the situation to be permanent and were looking to change its membership composition. In contrast, the AAC is preemptively stating that they don't want to expand, which would effectively mean that they want whatever waiver that is granted by the NCAA to be permanent. I really don't think the NCAA is going to do that here. Even very recent history (most particularly the rebuffing of the ACC's attempt to remove any divisional requirement for conference championship games) says that the NCAA's membership is much more conservative regarding the conference championship game rules than the fans seem to be.

The upshot is that if the NCAA only grants a temporary waiver (which is the MAC precedent), then the AAC is still going to need to find a 12th football member regardless of whether Aresco and the AAC members want one or not. From that perspective, which 12th football member that the AAC could *realistically* add (e.g. BYU and Army are NOT realistic) that would add or at least maintain financial value? There might be a long list of football *teams* better than UConn out there in the MAC/C-USA/Sun Belt, but we all should know that conference realignment isn't really about on-the-field prowess. Instead, is there really a *school* better than UConn out there, even when we're just talking about a football-only membership? This is where the bridges between UConn and the AAC may not necessarily have been burned.

Look - if I were personally running either UConn or the AAC, I would want the divorce to be final. So, I'm not saying that UConn staying the AAC as a football-only member is a great idea in a vacuum. However, circumstances make strange bedfellows. The AAC can't really know how to move until it actually receives a verification from the NCAA of what the AAC is allowed to do regarding a conference championship game (and it may not be allowed to as much as it would like).

Same the AAC commissioner needs to stop dragging his feet about this. The NCAA should deny this waiver because all they will be doing is green-lighting prolonged instability for 3-4 conferences.

Just add UAB/Boise/Fantasy team. Then let CUSA & UConn work out a deal to replace UAB on the CUSA schedule. Heck, they can even join CUSA as a football only team which would be ideal for them IMO.

Draggin his feet? He's made his request. He nor the conference has any business doing anything else until the NCAA makes a decision.

Yeah, I don't think Aresco is dragging his feet since it's the ball is in the NCAA's court at this point. My main issue with Aresco is his frequent habit of over-promising and under-delivering. His public comments about a waiver make it seem like a simple formality that is essentially guaranteed to get approved, whereas the stark reality is that the ACC was shot down just a couple of years ago for essentially what Aresco is asking for. I don't think he's being transparent with the fans. If anything, the public confidence that he's displaying by stating the AAC is stronger with just 11 football members could work against him. A hardship waiver is less likely to be granted if you're doing everything possible to claim that you don't actually have a hardship and are positioning what is supposed to be temporary waiver to actually be a permanent one in reality. IMHO, Aresco would have been better off stating, "UConn screwed us. We're scrambling for next year, so we need help from the NCAA to make us whole on such short notice."

(10-16-2019 08:24 AM)panite Wrote:  

(10-16-2019 03:13 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(10-16-2019 01:44 AM)BruceMcF Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:01 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:06 AM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  I suspect this is just posturing for leverage in TV negotiations.

That said, travel was one of the big reasons Air Force stuck with the MWC during the last round of realignment. The Falcons didn't have a natural home for Olympic sports. WAC was too unstable. WCC & Big West are both CA-centric. The Front Range schools are dominant in the MWC, making it a cozy fit.

Since then, the MWC has tilted west by raiding the WAC. Summit has shed Oakland & the IUPU schools then replaced them with the Dakota schools, Denver & Omaha. You may sneer at the low-population Dakotas. But Air Force doesn't. Those states host multiple major Air Force installations.

What school has the MWC "raided" from the WAC since the last round of realignment?

I think this is just using "since the last round of realignment" as a shorthand for different year than you are thinking of. If it means "since the last round of realignment began" rather than "since the last round of realignment concluded", and if the last round of realignment began when the Big Ten invited Nebraska, that would be 2009.

Seems like four out of five MWC schools added since then have been from the WAC.

Six out of six MWC schools added since 2009 have been from the WAC.

2011: Boise State
2012: Fresno State, Hawaii (FB only), Nevada
2013: San Jose State, Utah State

Imagine that - the MW Airport meeting left those schools behind and then needed them anyway to survive.

Only three of those were in the Super-WAC. The others were in the Big West.

Also, what other conference would the MW raid for members? There werent many FBS conference in the late 2000s.

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

You know what? I've put up with a lot of the crap coming out of UConn and their fans about how the AAC "ruined" their program's prestige and reputation. I understand; I don't much like the AAC either. But have you ever considered that perhaps not having UConn in a group picture might be about that and it might even be mutual?

UConn doesn't want to "part of this group." They have said so without any reservation. They are not leaving, saying "Well, gosh...we really love the AAC but we just can't do it anymore." They waited just long enough to get the last of the BE Basketball $$$ and then they said "Yeah, we're done." WHICH IS FINE.

But then don't be all shocked, surprised, and outraged when the remaining conference members "leave you out." If they could have, UConn would have jumped to the BE THIS YEAR. They hold the rest of us in contempt...and you know what, the feeling is mutual as far as I'm concerned.

UConn can belly ache all they want about being left out of the ACC and how it was unfair but the fact still remains that if they had fielded a football program that was better than Louisville’s they would have gotten picked.

It’s not the members of the AAC’s fault they are where they are. UConn could have invested more in football but didn’t. If UConn had any decency they should have left with the Catholic 7 when they left and took their football program independent.

Instead they hung around like a wet blanket and soaked up exit fee payments.

(10-16-2019 10:26 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(10-15-2019 11:16 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Considering the AAC did not want UConn in their media pictures yesterday, it would be incredibly shocking to see them "allow" UConn to remain in the AAC if their waiver is denied.

You know what? I've put up with a lot of the crap coming out of UConn and their fans about how the AAC "ruined" their program's prestige and reputation. I understand; I don't much like the AAC either. But have you ever considered that perhaps not having UConn in a group picture might be about that and it might even be mutual?

Bottom line is, UConn will be playing hoops in the AAC this year, so should be part of the AAC picture. Keeping them out is just petty spite on the part of Aresco, etc.

Unless of course UConn themselves refused to be part of the picture, LOL.

(10-16-2019 09:35 AM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  Yeah, I don't think Aresco is dragging his feet since it's the ball is in the NCAA's court at this point. My main issue with Aresco is his frequent habit of over-promising and under-delivering.

And this is at the heart of why the C7 broke away when it did. The Basketball Schools were sold on a promise that the expanded media markets (Houston, Dallas, Orlando, New Orleans, Memphis) would be able to replace the lost value from departed athletic programs in Syracuse, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Rutgers and Louisville. When it became quickly apparent that this would not be coming true, they started considering breaking away themselves, and the rest is history.

The Big East hit a home run with Val Ackermann. She has been a phenomenal commissioner.