(09-04-2022 02:40 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 02:04 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 01:07 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 11:55 AM)goofus Wrote:  This one is pretty easy this year. The AAC has 3 teams headed to the Big 12 and was still strong enough to take 6 teams from CUSA. The sunbelt has no teams that the Big 12 wanted.

To be fair it was a easy exodus from CUSA with its super stretched footprint and bumbling commissioner.

Yup. The only real mystery is why MTSU and WKU passed on what appears to have been a welcoming MAC.

It's been bantered about here for months on end that the MAC would not take WKU without MTSU and MTSU walked away from the table when the MAC required a very long term commitment to the MAC.

Right. I just dont understand why any school would do that when the only other option was hanging out with Sam Houston St, Jackson St and signing onto yet another expensive 1000 mile western road trip (NMSU). It just makes no sense when its clear MTSU's current home was going to take a major step backwards.

(09-04-2022 03:07 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 02:40 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 02:04 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 01:07 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 11:55 AM)goofus Wrote:  This one is pretty easy this year. The AAC has 3 teams headed to the Big 12 and was still strong enough to take 6 teams from CUSA. The sunbelt has no teams that the Big 12 wanted.

To be fair it was a easy exodus from CUSA with its super stretched footprint and bumbling commissioner.

Yup. The only real mystery is why MTSU and WKU passed on what appears to have been a welcoming MAC.

It's been bantered about here for months on end that the MAC would not take WKU without MTSU and MTSU walked away from the table when the MAC required a very long term commitment to the MAC.

Right. I just dont understand why any school would do that when the only other option was hanging out with Sam Houston St, Jackson St and signing onto yet another expensive 1000 mile western road trip (NMSU). It just makes no sense when its clear MTSU's current home was going to take a major step backwards.

The rumored MAC GOR was a deterrent to MTSU and MTSU also wanted to collect the exit fees from all of the departing CUSA members. Maybe after the exit fess have been collected...WKU and MTSU to the MAC can be revisited? And I think I also read that the current MAC media deal ends in a couple years.

Way too early to tell. SBC could be the top conference. So could AAC. MW wasn't impressive by Boise & SD-St losing handily to mediocre P12 teams (SD-St at home, too). But the P12 could have a good year. AAC? Houston wasn't impressive. But is UTSA going to have a breakout year again?

But again, too early to tell. Would be too silly to make judgements until the OOC season's done. They don't make the "official" rankings until about then, for good reason.

IMO though, there's a decent likelihood that there won't be a clear "best" among MW, AAC, and SBC. The bowls will figure that out, though.

I also think MTSU is holding out for an AAC invite if Memphis gets the nod to the B12 or wherever.

My honest opinion is that the SBC is improving every year. Will that lead to us being the "best" G5 conference? Maybe in some years, but it's too soon to say. I'm just happy to see the conference improve.

(09-04-2022 09:32 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Here's the records vs FBS OOC.
MWC 4-7
AAC 3-6 + 1 FCS loss
SBC 3-6
CUSA 1-7
MAC 1-7

Interesting.

vs. P5 teams:

SBC: 1-4 (App. State lost by 2 to UNC)
C-USA: 0-3 (no close games)
AAC: 0-4 (ECU lost by 1 to NC St; Cincy by 7 to Arkansas)
MWC: 0-6 (no close games)
MAC: 0-7 (CMU lost by 12 to Oklahoma St.)

(09-04-2022 09:13 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:32 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Here's the records vs FBS OOC.
MWC 4-7
AAC 3-6 + 1 FCS loss
SBC 3-6
CUSA 1-7
MAC 1-7

Interesting.

vs. P5 teams:

SBC: 1-4 (App. State lost by 2 to UNC)
C-USA: 0-3 (no close games)
AAC: 0-4 (ECU lost by 1 to NC St; Cincy by 7 to Arkansas)
MWC: 0-6 (no close games)
MAC: 0-7 (CMU lost by 12 to Oklahoma St.)

Not all P5 schools are the same. And where these games are played matters, too.

Old Dominion had the good fortune to play an unranked Virginia Tech at home. So did App State against an unranked UNC. Central Michigan played at #12 Oklahoma State and Western Michigan played at #15 Michigan State.

Let's see how App State does this week playing at Texas A&M.

AAC's still got it for this year. But ******* if that Sun Belt Eastern division isn't an absolute hornet's nest for everyone (including the schools within it).

Definitely the most obnoxious

(09-04-2022 09:13 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:32 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Here's the records vs FBS OOC.
MWC 4-7
AAC 3-6 + 1 FCS loss
SBC 3-6
CUSA 1-7
MAC 1-7

Interesting.

vs. P5 teams:

SBC: 1-4 (App. State lost by 2 to UNC)
C-USA: 0-3 (no close games)
AAC: 0-4 (ECU lost by 1 to NC St; Cincy by 7 to Arkansas)
MWC: 0-6 (no close games)
MAC: 0-7 (CMU lost by 12 to Oklahoma St.)

Worst start by the G5 since the coining of the term in 2014?

When was the last SBC team to make the NY6?

How 'bout the CFP?

I'll wait...

(09-04-2022 04:47 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  I also think MTSU is holding out for an AAC invite if Memphis gets the nod to the B12 or wherever.

It seems likely that we're talking "when," rather than "if," when it comes to the next AAC invitation going out at some point in the not-too-distant future.

With its proximity to Nashville, MTSU would be a potential replacement option if Memphis joins the Big XII. Notably, WKU is also within commuting distance from Nashville. Whether the AAC would prefer one or the other would probably depend on the quality of their FB & BB programs at the time.

The list of likeliest replacement schools for the AAC - assuming that ESPN blocks them from adding any SBC or MAC schools - probably includes MTSU, WKU, Louisiana Tech, FIU, Air Force, and Colorado State.

A strong case could also be made for adding North Dakota State as a FB member, since NDSU's football program has been one of the top 35 in the overall (FBS/FCS) football rankings over the past five years, and they have had outstanding viewership. However, this would require visionary leadership on the part of the AAC - - a quality that has been lacking in recent years (e.g., the AAC's failure to replace UConn).

Whether or not the American would seek to add any MWC schools beyond Colorado is very uncertain. It seems pretty unlikely at this point, particularly if the PAC were to add San Diego State and Boise State.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Notably, when ESPN/AAC replaced UC, UCF, and UH, they did so by adding six schools. This was the only way that the AAC remainers could maintain their current revenue stream from ESPN. If this were to hold true, should Memphis be the next to depart, it's possible that a similar "two for one" arrangement might be required.

In such an event, it might be possible that the AAC would expand to 15 if Memphis were to depart, or to 16 if Memphis and SMU (or USF) were both to depart.

.

(09-04-2022 11:12 PM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:13 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:32 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Here's the records vs FBS OOC.
MWC 4-7
AAC 3-6 + 1 FCS loss
SBC 3-6
CUSA 1-7
MAC 1-7

Interesting.

vs. P5 teams:

SBC: 1-4 (App. State lost by 2 to UNC)
C-USA: 0-3 (no close games)
AAC: 0-4 (ECU lost by 1 to NC St; Cincy by 7 to Arkansas)
MWC: 0-6 (no close games)
MAC: 0-7 (CMU lost by 12 to Oklahoma St.)

Worst start by the G5 since the coining of the term in 2014?

Possibly, although one can't judge an entire season based on week 0/1 performance.

Note - AAC teams went 6-13 vs. P5 teams in 2019 and 2021, so they definitely got off to a sub-par start in weeks 0 & 1.

I love the Sun Belt but we aren’t there yet. We need to make a NY6 bowl before we start talking like that amongst a few other steps. We’re closing the gap though in my opinion.

(09-04-2022 11:49 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 11:12 PM)WhoseHouse? Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:13 PM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-04-2022 09:32 AM)stever20 Wrote:  Here's the records vs FBS OOC.
MWC 4-7
AAC 3-6 + 1 FCS loss
SBC 3-6
CUSA 1-7
MAC 1-7

Interesting.

vs. P5 teams:

SBC: 1-4 (App. State lost by 2 to UNC)
C-USA: 0-3 (no close games)
AAC: 0-4 (ECU lost by 1 to NC St; Cincy by 7 to Arkansas)
MWC: 0-6 (no close games)
MAC: 0-7 (CMU lost by 12 to Oklahoma St.)

Worst start by the G5 since the coining of the term in 2014?

Possibly, although one can't judge an entire season based on week 0/1 performance.

Note - AAC teams went 6-13 vs. P5 teams in 2019 and 2021, so they definitely got off to a sub-par start in weeks 0 & 1.

I guess by start I specifically mean week 1 performance, could've made that more specific. Only 1 p5 win and multiple FCS losses seems sub-par by my memory but perhaps its not that out of the norm.

.

Here are the top-60 non-P5 teams after week 0/1, according to the ranking systems that provide rankings for all 131 teams:^

...................ESPN......CBS...........Team..............................Massey
...................(FPI).....Sports....Rankings.Com....Sagarin*....Composite*

SMU.............#23......#44............#23
BYU..............#28......#26.............#16
UCF..............#30......#40.............#32
Cincinnati......#31......#17.............#36
Houston........#47......#22.............#37
Marshall........#53......#76.............#50
UAB.............#54.....#57.............#44
App. St.........#56......#42.............#53
Boise St........#58......#38.............#57
Air Force.......#60......#58.............#62
UTSA...........#62.....#48.............#59
Fresno St......#66......#38.............#60
C. Carolina....#73......#36.............#65
San Diego St.#98......#48.............#97

*Only pre-season rankings were available on the date posted.

AAC . C-USA . MAC . MWC . SBC . INDEPENDENT

^2023 AAC teams are highlighted in bold print. 2023 P5 teams are italicized.

.

(09-04-2022 04:03 PM)toddjnsn Wrote:  ... But again, too early to tell. ...

Quite. One swallow doesn't make a summer. It's fun to speculate based on first week results, but it's only speculation. Every year some teams start stronger than they finish and some teams stumble coming out of the blocks but pull things together, and there is no real telling whether those lie more on the winning side or the losing side of the first week conference W-L.

Too early to tell, but you can't count Cincy, Houston, or UCF... I mean, they are gone to the B12 and I think it's a forgone conclusion that barring an epic crap your pants moment, one of them is NY6. BYU isn't G5 anyway, so they don't matter.

Take them out and what does that leave? Looks like MWC, SBC, and CUSA and the two from CUSA are leaving as well....

After all the realignment dust settles, I think SBC and MWC will be neck and neck.
AAC is taking heavy losses, MWC is solidly consistent, SBC added quality

If they added quality why aren’t they the ones being poached?