panama
Legend
Posts: 31,353
Joined: May 2009
Reputation: 633
I Root For: Georgia STATE
Location: East Atlanta Village
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-31-2020 04:41 PM)DeeHee33 Wrote: (08-31-2020 07:57 AM)CoastalJuan Wrote: Can we just stay at 11, or add one football team to get to 12? I could write a whole page of nonsense, but...
Right.. I agree .. replace UCONN by adding either Air Force or Colorado State full members (or both). Let the conference develop and become clear P6 .. AAC does need to be proactive and continue to self promote towards P6 label..
Just keep doing what you're doing and stop pining for far away schools that don't want to play you in conference.
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
|
|
08-31-2020 05:10 PM |
|
oliveandblue
Heisman
Posts: 7,781
Joined: Jan 2013
Reputation: 251
I Root For: Tulane
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
Here's the awful reality about expansion:
Not to self-deprecate, but Tulane was your THIRD TO LAST OPTION (not even the last one on the boat!). Think about that - is there really anything left AVAILABLE in the cupboard that you actually want to take on?
|
|
08-31-2020 05:12 PM |
|
billybobby777
The REAL BillyBobby
Posts: 11,898
Joined: May 2013
Reputation: 502
I Root For: ECU, Army
Location: Houston dont sleepon
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-30-2020 02:42 PM)Penny1 Wrote: If Aresco really wants to make the AAC a legit P6 conference and separate from the "group of 5" then he needs to think outside of the box.
Instead of staying put at 11 or adding a team to get back to 12, why not go BIG by expanding to 16 and become the first nationwide pod super conference?
The best option would be to raid the challenging MWC. Go get San Diego State, Boise State and UNLV as full memberships.
Convince BYU to join as a full member by allowing them to keep their tv deal with ESPN.
Add UAB as a full member who is putting money into football and building a strong program.
UAB is opening a new 50,000 seat stadium next year and wants to join the AAC and have been vocal about it.
Create four regional divisional pods of four teams each.
Atlantic Pod: East Carolina, Temple, UCF, USF
Central Pod: Cincinnati, Memphis, Tulane, UAB
Southwest Pod: Houston, Navy(fb only), SMU, Tulsa (Wichita State for bb)
Pacific Pod: Boise State, BYU, San Diego State, UNLV
In basketball keep the four pod setup.
Each pod group would play home & home with their pod members and just one game against everyone else, resulting in a 18-game conference schedule.
Being in pod groups would also balance out traveling expenses.
ESPN would probably up the payout with more football talent and potential added.
UNLV may not be good in football right now, but they have great potential by moving into the new Raiders stadium.
The basketball side would be upgraded too with additions of SDSU, UNLV (traditionally good), BYU and UAB (also traditionally good). Boise State would have potential to grow their bb program potential by being in a power conference.
With the additional members it would increase our SOS and chance at breaking into the playoffs, which are most likely going to expand to eight in the near future.
I know some want Air Force, but that wouldn't improve our blueprint nor perception much nationally.
They wouldn't move the money needle either. Besides, we already have one military school.
We need markets to expand the AAC brand.
No. Of course it couldn’t be the first.
The first conference to do it did it 24 years ago.
The WAC did pods of 4.
It failed.
|
|
08-31-2020 05:15 PM |
|
GoOwls111
Heisman
Posts: 5,088
Joined: Jan 2019
Reputation: 172
I Root For: No CFP BIAS
Location: 12Team (6+6) Playoff
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
Start by adding SDSU... Then wait to see what else develops, if you can get a western POD of 4 then make it an all sports invite if not, SDSU for football only.
Better than staying at 11. JMO, but I'm not Arsco.
(This post was last modified: 08-31-2020 10:32 PM by GoOwls111.)
|
|
08-31-2020 10:31 PM |
|
jedclampett
All American
Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-31-2020 05:12 PM)oliveandblue Wrote: Here's the awful reality about expansion:
Not to self-deprecate, but Tulane was your THIRD TO LAST OPTION (not even the last one on the boat!). Think about that - is there really anything left AVAILABLE in the cupboard that you actually want to take on?
Tulane was an excellent addition to the conference in many respects:
1) Former founding member of a power conference, the SEC.
2) The conference's only AAU and "Southern Ivy League" school.
3) R1 school with excellent academics and a large endowment.
4) Location in the one and only New Orleans.
5) Great traditions in several sports, including their victory in the inaugural Sugar Bowl game.
6) Their FB program has been on an upswing, and they've made major investments in their athletic facilities.
|
|
08-31-2020 10:58 PM |
|
jedclampett
All American
Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-30-2020 05:01 PM)GoOwls111 Wrote: East Division:
Atlantic Pod: East Carolina, Temple, UCF, USF
Central Pod: Cincinnati, Memphis, Tulane, UAB
West Division:
Southwest Pod: Houston, Navy(fb), SMU, Tulsa (Wichita State for bb)
Pacific Pod: Boise State, BYU, San Diego State, UNLV
Best in the West plays Best in the East for championship.
Round robin in pods + 4 Cross pod in division, leaving 5 (whatever games).
My Take on your team selection and Division/POD scheduling...
That looks pretty good for FB, although Utah State (better MBB and FB programs than UNLV) or Colorado State (not as distant) might be preferable to UNLV.
BYU could be an all-sports member, but they might prefer to park olympic sports & BB in a regional conference to save $$. Boise would probably have to be FB-only.
Whether or not the $$ would be there to make a 16-team AAC with an all-sports 4-team western pod feasible.
Another possibility would be only include the western pod for AAC FB. The conference would then have the option to simply replace UConn with a Dayton or VCU for BB/olympic sports.
|
|
08-31-2020 11:11 PM |
|
jedclampett
All American
Posts: 3,542
Joined: Jul 2019
Reputation: 149
I Root For: Temple
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-31-2020 10:31 PM)GoOwls111 Wrote: Start by adding SDSU... Then wait to see what else develops, if you can get a western POD of 4 then make it an all sports invite if not, SDSU for football only.
Better than staying at 11. JMO, but I'm not Aresco.
Agree. Failing to replace UConn would send the wrong message, and would make most people doubt whether the AAC is actually serious about becoming a power/autonomy conference.
Replacing UConn with SDSU (FB-only) would be an outstanding move. It would strengthen the conference considerably, boost TV ratings, and expand the conference's broadcasting footprint across four time zones, making it a trans-continental and more broadly "American" conference.
SDSU would benefit by moving their BB/olympic sports into the WCC (Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Pepperdine, UCSD), a better BB conference than the MWC with lower travel costs, and would have a chance to become a FB member of the next power/autonomy conference. If the addition of SDSU and one or two other schools convinces ESPN to lobby the NCAA for elevation to official "power/autonomous" status, with a corresponding increase in compensation to over $20 million/year, SDSU would have the option to become an all-sports member.
The AAC could also replace UConn with one of the top basketball schools near the AAC's current footprint. VCU would expand the broadcasting footprint into the populous mid-Atlantic region, filling much of the gap along the coastline between North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
(This post was last modified: 08-31-2020 11:33 PM by jedclampett.)
|
|
08-31-2020 11:21 PM |
|
CoastalJuan
Business Drunk
Posts: 6,914
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation: 517
I Root For: ECU
Location: Right near da beeach
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-31-2020 04:22 PM)AztecEmpire Wrote: (08-31-2020 02:54 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote: (08-31-2020 01:38 PM)AztecEmpire Wrote: BYU = no Sunday play and a football team that is always older and more physically mature
AFA = Never wins Conf championships, injuries in the trenches for opponents, bad at Olys
BYU may be worth it but they come with a lot of baggage.
Is the Sunday play really a dealbreaker? I can only remember one time in history that we had to play a Sunday game, and it was hurricane-related or something.
FB is not an issue, it's every other sport.
Right, but you're not adding every other sport. Just "need" 1 football team to get to 12. Baseball/volleyball/basketball/soccer schedules are fine.
|
|
09-01-2020 07:57 AM |
|
AztecEmpire
2nd String
Posts: 299
Joined: May 2020
Reputation: 28
I Root For: SDSU
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 07:57 AM)CoastalJuan Wrote: (08-31-2020 04:22 PM)AztecEmpire Wrote: (08-31-2020 02:54 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote: (08-31-2020 01:38 PM)AztecEmpire Wrote: BYU = no Sunday play and a football team that is always older and more physically mature
AFA = Never wins Conf championships, injuries in the trenches for opponents, bad at Olys
BYU may be worth it but they come with a lot of baggage.
Is the Sunday play really a dealbreaker? I can only remember one time in history that we had to play a Sunday game, and it was hurricane-related or something.
FB is not an issue, it's every other sport.
Right, but you're not adding every other sport. Just "need" 1 football team to get to 12. Baseball/volleyball/basketball/soccer schedules are fine.
BYU probably won't join unless its for all sports and you add others in their region.
|
|
09-01-2020 09:32 AM |
|
YNot
All American
Posts: 4,672
Joined: May 2014
Reputation: 298
I Root For: BYU
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
I still think the AMERICAN conference would be a fantastic home for all 3 military academies. Great for branding, conference prestige, and bowl relationships.
And, they're contiguous-state and football-only additions.
But, I think it would work best in a deregulated scheduling system, so that you can rotate the academies around such that most other AAC schools only play one per year.
|
|
09-01-2020 10:42 AM |
|
BearcatJerry
Hall of Famer
Posts: 12,101
Joined: Mar 2013
Reputation: 506
I Root For: UC Bearcats
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
I miss "Stay Cool" pimping NIU to the Conference. He was at least a decent and fun guy... Any chance we can trade or realign so as to replace Georgia State with NIU again?
|
|
09-01-2020 10:52 AM |
|
Pony94
Moderator
Posts: 25,677
Joined: Apr 2004
Reputation: 1182
I Root For: SMU
Location: Bee Cave, TX
|
Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 10:52 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: I miss "Stay Cool" pimping NIU to the Conference. He was at least a decent and fun guy... Any chance we can trade or realign so as to replace Georgia State with NIU again?
Seconded
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
|
|
09-01-2020 11:02 AM |
|
CoastalJuan
Business Drunk
Posts: 6,914
Joined: Sep 2014
Reputation: 517
I Root For: ECU
Location: Right near da beeach
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 11:02 AM)Pony94 Wrote: (09-01-2020 10:52 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: I miss "Stay Cool" pimping NIU to the Conference. He was at least a decent and fun guy... Any chance we can trade or realign so as to replace Georgia State with NIU again?
Seconded
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought App State guy was the new StayCool
|
|
09-01-2020 11:18 AM |
|
Pony94
Moderator
Posts: 25,677
Joined: Apr 2004
Reputation: 1182
I Root For: SMU
Location: Bee Cave, TX
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 11:18 AM)CoastalJuan Wrote: (09-01-2020 11:02 AM)Pony94 Wrote: (09-01-2020 10:52 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: I miss "Stay Cool" pimping NIU to the Conference. He was at least a decent and fun guy... Any chance we can trade or realign so as to replace Georgia State with NIU again?
Seconded
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought App State guy was the new StayCool
He's good too. He and StayCool can stay.
|
|
09-01-2020 11:20 AM |
|
panama
Legend
Posts: 31,353
Joined: May 2009
Reputation: 633
I Root For: Georgia STATE
Location: East Atlanta Village
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 10:42 AM)YNot Wrote: I still think the AMERICAN conference would be a fantastic home for all 3 military academies. Great for branding, conference prestige, and bowl relationships.
And, they're contiguous-state and football-only additions.
But, I think it would work best in a deregulated scheduling system, so that you can rotate the academies around such that most other AAC schools only play one per year.
Except that the only schools Air Force cares to play East of the Mississippi are the other two academies and Notre Dame. Why would they give up playing the Mountain and Pacific time zone schools around them?
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
|
|
09-01-2020 12:08 PM |
|
ah59396
1st String
Posts: 1,619
Joined: Aug 2011
Reputation: 181
I Root For: App State
Location: Outside
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 11:18 AM)CoastalJuan Wrote: (09-01-2020 11:02 AM)Pony94 Wrote: (09-01-2020 10:52 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote: I miss "Stay Cool" pimping NIU to the Conference. He was at least a decent and fun guy... Any chance we can trade or realign so as to replace Georgia State with NIU again?
Seconded
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I thought App State guy was the new StayCool
Do we have a guy over here?
|
|
09-01-2020 02:20 PM |
|
rebar619
Water Engineer
Posts: 65
Joined: Dec 2017
Reputation: 7
I Root For: San Diego State
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(08-31-2020 11:21 PM)jedclampett Wrote: (08-31-2020 10:31 PM)GoOwls111 Wrote: Start by adding SDSU... Then wait to see what else develops, if you can get a western POD of 4 then make it an all sports invite if not, SDSU for football only.
Better than staying at 11. JMO, but I'm not Aresco.
Agree. Failing to replace UConn would send the wrong message, and would make most people doubt whether the AAC is actually serious about becoming a power/autonomy conference.
Replacing UConn with SDSU (FB-only) would be an outstanding move. It would strengthen the conference considerably, boost TV ratings, and expand the conference's broadcasting footprint across four time zones, making it a trans-continental and more broadly "American" conference.
SDSU would benefit by moving their BB/olympic sports into the WCC (Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Pepperdine, UCSD), a better BB conference than the MWC with lower travel costs, and would have a chance to become a FB member of the next power/autonomy conference. If the addition of SDSU and one or two other schools convinces ESPN to lobby the NCAA for elevation to official "power/autonomous" status, with a corresponding increase in compensation to over $20 million/year, SDSU would have the option to become an all-sports member.
The AAC could also replace UConn with one of the top basketball schools near the AAC's current footprint. VCU would expand the broadcasting footprint into the populous mid-Atlantic region, filling much of the gap along the coastline between North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Its a nice thought, but SDSU is not going to join the WCC. The WCC is a faith based conference and SDSU is anything but that. Sure, the travel would be a lot better than the MWC, but the only school in the WCC that has an arena like SDSU (12,414) is BYU (19,000). All of the other schools play in glorified high school gyms - Gonzaga (6,000) included.
IMO the AAC is a better fit for SDSU than the MWC. The travel would even be better for all sports.
|
|
09-01-2020 03:42 PM |
|
panama
Legend
Posts: 31,353
Joined: May 2009
Reputation: 633
I Root For: Georgia STATE
Location: East Atlanta Village
|
Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
The travel in the AAC would be between than travel in the MWC for SDSU?
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
(This post was last modified: 09-01-2020 03:48 PM by panama.)
|
|
09-01-2020 03:47 PM |
|
Pony94
Moderator
Posts: 25,677
Joined: Apr 2004
Reputation: 1182
I Root For: SMU
Location: Bee Cave, TX
|
Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 03:47 PM)panama Wrote: The travel in the AAC would be between than travel in the MWC for SDSU?
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Why do you care what the AAC does or doesn’t do?
|
|
09-01-2020 03:55 PM |
|
rebar619
Water Engineer
Posts: 65
Joined: Dec 2017
Reputation: 7
I Root For: San Diego State
Location:
|
RE: Could the AAC become the first 'pod' Conference? Aresco should consider it
(09-01-2020 03:47 PM)panama Wrote: The travel in the AAC would be between than travel in the MWC for SDSU?
Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
Absolutely. There are many schools in the MWC that require a plane ride, then a long bus ride to get to. Hawaii, USU, Wyoming, Air Force fall into that category. The few easy trips are UNLV, Nevada, BSU, and SJSU. SJSU isnt worth the jet fuel to get to, so really just UNLB, Nevada and BSU.
On the other hand the AAC is universities in metro areas that have direct flights to San Diego.
|
|
09-01-2020 03:58 PM |
|