Unless BYU or Boise come calling, I don't think there's any reason to expand at all. Our conference is developing an identity, and talk about taking this or that school detracts from it.

(12-14-2015 10:26 AM)cotton1991 Wrote:  Unless BYU or Boise come calling, I don't think there's any reason to expand at all. Our conference is developing an identity, and talk about taking this or that school detracts from it.

This thread is mostly just spitballing. I don't really want any realignment at this time.

(12-13-2015 08:55 PM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:53 AM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:23 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 07:41 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  If we expand west, the Mountain Time Zone would be the first frontier. The Pacific Time Zone would be the final frontier.

Mountain Time Zone Schools
BYU
Air Force
Colorado St
Boise St
New Mexico
Wyoming
Utah St

Pacific Time Zone schools
UNLV
Nevada
San Diego St
San Jose St
Fresno St

[u]Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone[/u
BYU, Air Force (and Army) likely have standing invites.

Colo State is building a $200M football stadium and has the the second best academics in the MWC behind Air Force. Together with Air Force, they would help deliver the Denver/Colo Springs TV markets (1.92M households).

Salt Lake is the next biggest Mountain market (880K), followed by Albuquerque (660K).

San Fran (2.48M) and San Diego (1.06M) are the biggest Pacific markets, followed by Las Vegas (740K) and Fresno (560K).

If we expand with teams not named BYU or Army, then the Air Force/Colo St combo seems to be the logical first move.

It doesn't hurt that AF/Colo St are two of the five "front range" schools which also include Utah, BYU and Wyoming. These five controlled the old WAC. They broke off from the WAC and formed the MWC, inviting New Mex, SDSU and UNLV to join.

Getting AF/Colo St could be the key to convincing BYU.

I like the the Air Force+Col St move as a first step west. Id be fine with AF and New Mexico as well. New Mexico is a state flagship and has great basketball. They also can draw well for football when they are decent. When they had a few years of above average performance they were drawing close to 40K. They might be able to return to that level of performance by playing regularly in the fertile Texas recruiting grounds.

I don't understand the attraction to New Mexico besides geography for the AAC. They don't have a lot to offer. See my post above.

Basically, the state only has 1.5 million folks, so to me, its similar to adding a school in a metro of 1.5 million.

The truth is, I don't think BYU will join. The church elders call the shots and they don't think like traditional AD's or commissioners.

To be honest, Im a supporter of going to a full nationwide footprint--SDSU, Fresno, Boise, AF. I'd be fine if CSU or NM takes Fresno's place---but I think the best configuration puts two schools in the largest population state (with the best western recruiting ground) in the nation. Id also add BYU Olympics and I would also do a scheduling agreement with them. I'd also add Wichita. And that would be my final configuration.

Regarding New Mexico... Exactly! The whole state is 1.5 million & POOR (as an example San Diego County is over 3 million & in general NOT POOR).

I am torn on BYU. They are a strange bunch but without question one of the BEST possible additions even with their myopia & built-in advantages.

If you are looking at the top OVERALL (including location, academics, overall athletic programs) schools in the MWC here is the best schools in order IMO...

BYU - not part of the MWC but still #1

SDSU/COLORADO STATE - these two are very close; I would give SDSU a slight edge due to location & slightly better overall athletics (call me a homer); when the Chargers leave and we build a new SDSU West campus & new stadium the Aztecs will be the clear #1 in the MWC. I would also say that the Aztecs can deliver their market better than the Rams. Both have good markets; even though DENVER is an hour south of Fort Collins. But if both Air Force & CSU are in the same conference I could see how they could claim the Denver DMA; but it largely belongs to the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

BOISE STATE - the Broncos are going to be on a slow decline to mediocrity. Once that fully happens they will lose their "little darling school" status with ESPN. Their days of being the only dominant team in the MWC are coming to an end. When that happens they will fall even lower in these MWC rankings. BSU isn't a great location, academics are terrible, overall athletics have only just recently gotten better and it is a small market (granted RIGHT NOW they are a nationally recognized program; that could change soon).

AIR FORCE - good football, great academics, decent TV draw, terrible Olympic sports OK location.

UNLV - great location, decent DMA, good overall athletics (except terrible football). If/when the Rebels put some money into football & build a new stadium their football program could be really good.

FRESNO STATE - good football, ok academics & athletics. Not a great location besides being in California but they CAN deliver their TV market.

You could probably flip-flop UNLV/FRESNO.

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

If I haven't made it VERY clear; NEW MEXICO is a bottom feeder & dead weight. They have little potential and are not a program worth adding.

Wow, you really hate New Mexico! I did research a few things after your posts on New Mexico. The state of New Mexico has 2.1 million people according to Wikipedia, not 1.5 mil. U of New Mexico is in the Albuquerque metro, which has a metro area of 1 million, not 660k like you wrote. They do way more Reserach than most the schools in the MWC, including San Diego St by far and a bigger endowment (422 million vs San Diego St's endowment of $192 million) , and New Mexico has a 40k OCS which is decent. I went to the Texas Tech vs New Mexico game in 04. San Diego St doesn't own a stadium and plays in the Chargers stadium. Been there for the Holiday Bowl. Not a nice stadium then but a big stadium in a beautiful town and great weather. I've heard great things about San Diego St's basketball arena but never been there. Have been to New Mexico's legendary venue The Pit, which used to host NCAA tournament games. I noticed you called New Mexico "New Methico" which I'm assuming is a reference to the tv show Breaking Bad. It's obvious you want San Diego St in the AAC, which is nice. Who's the girl from New Mexico that has you going bonkers against them? I see a decent flagship school. Cheers!

(12-14-2015 11:44 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 08:55 PM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:53 AM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:23 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I like the the Air Force+Col St move as a first step west. Id be fine with AF and New Mexico as well. New Mexico is a state flagship and has great basketball. They also can draw well for football when they are decent. When they had a few years of above average performance they were drawing close to 40K. They might be able to return to that level of performance by playing regularly in the fertile Texas recruiting grounds.

I don't understand the attraction to New Mexico besides geography for the AAC. They don't have a lot to offer. See my post above.

Basically, the state only has 1.5 million folks, so to me, its similar to adding a school in a metro of 1.5 million.

The truth is, I don't think BYU will join. The church elders call the shots and they don't think like traditional AD's or commissioners.

To be honest, Im a supporter of going to a full nationwide footprint--SDSU, Fresno, Boise, AF. I'd be fine if CSU or NM takes Fresno's place---but I think the best configuration puts two schools in the largest population state (with the best western recruiting ground) in the nation. Id also add BYU Olympics and I would also do a scheduling agreement with them. I'd also add Wichita. And that would be my final configuration.

Regarding New Mexico... Exactly! The whole state is 1.5 million & POOR (as an example San Diego County is over 3 million & in general NOT POOR).

I am torn on BYU. They are a strange bunch but without question one of the BEST possible additions even with their myopia & built-in advantages.

If you are looking at the top OVERALL (including location, academics, overall athletic programs) schools in the MWC here is the best schools in order IMO...

BYU - not part of the MWC but still #1

SDSU/COLORADO STATE - these two are very close; I would give SDSU a slight edge due to location & slightly better overall athletics (call me a homer); when the Chargers leave and we build a new SDSU West campus & new stadium the Aztecs will be the clear #1 in the MWC. I would also say that the Aztecs can deliver their market better than the Rams. Both have good markets; even though DENVER is an hour south of Fort Collins. But if both Air Force & CSU are in the same conference I could see how they could claim the Denver DMA; but it largely belongs to the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

BOISE STATE - the Broncos are going to be on a slow decline to mediocrity. Once that fully happens they will lose their "little darling school" status with ESPN. Their days of being the only dominant team in the MWC are coming to an end. When that happens they will fall even lower in these MWC rankings. BSU isn't a great location, academics are terrible, overall athletics have only just recently gotten better and it is a small market (granted RIGHT NOW they are a nationally recognized program; that could change soon).

AIR FORCE - good football, great academics, decent TV draw, terrible Olympic sports OK location.

UNLV - great location, decent DMA, good overall athletics (except terrible football). If/when the Rebels put some money into football & build a new stadium their football program could be really good.

FRESNO STATE - good football, ok academics & athletics. Not a great location besides being in California but they CAN deliver their TV market.

You could probably flip-flop UNLV/FRESNO.

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

If I haven't made it VERY clear; NEW MEXICO is a bottom feeder & dead weight. They have little potential and are not a program worth adding.

Wow, you really hate New Mexico! I did research a few things after your posts on New Mexico. The state of New Mexico has 2.1 million people according to Wikipedia, not 1.5 mil. U of New Mexico is in the Albuquerque metro, which has a metro area of 1 million, not 660k like you wrote. They do way more Reserach than most the schools in the MWC, including San Diego St by far and a bigger endowment (422 million vs San Diego St's endowment of $192 million) , and New Mexico has a 40k OCS which is decent. I went to the Texas Tech vs New Mexico game in 04. San Diego St doesn't own a stadium and plays in the Chargers stadium. Been there for the Holiday Bowl. Not a nice stadium then but a big stadium in a beautiful town and great weather. I've heard great things about San Diego St's basketball arena but never been there. Have been to New Mexico's legendary venue The Pit, which used to host NCAA tournament games. I noticed you called New Mexico "New Methico" which I'm assuming is a reference to the tv show Breaking Bad. It's obvious you want San Diego St in the AAC, which is nice. Who's the girl from New Mexico that has you going bonkers against them? I see a decent flagship school. Cheers!

^This!! I was about to say the same thing about the New Mexico population. I don't think they are nearly as bad of an add. Not sure what New Mexico's issue is regarding their football performance. Is it coaching? Is it recruiting? Could an affiliation with the AAC be better for them, as they would have guaranteed trips to Texas every-yr (Houston/SMU). I know New Mexico has had good basketball in the past, which is a plus. If BYU is truly off the table, then All-Sports invites for 2 of New Mexico, Colorado St, or Air Force make the most sense. An olympic only invite to Wichita St or VCU would also be in-line for a 14/14 conference setup. Would definitely help the AAC if there was a raid to take place, plus any additional $$ from NCAA credits, Bowl Tie-ins, etc. As for Flagship, I full expect CSU to get up to the level of Colorado, just like FSU did with UF.

Every time I hear that question I look about three threads down and see a header about conference payouts per team.

Then I think, "why would anyone want to expand a conference where the schools are already underpaid?"

Anyone wanting to expand this conference is peeing on themselves. It's stupid, idiotic, unreasonable, dense, confusing, tired, feeble-minded, dim-witted, exhausting, silly, confounding to intelligence, unwise, dumb, turkey-like, cumbersome in explanation, gooberish, cheesy, thoughtless, and just plain hateful - to quote Patton.

(12-14-2015 11:44 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 08:55 PM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:53 AM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:23 AM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I like the the Air Force+Col St move as a first step west. Id be fine with AF and New Mexico as well. New Mexico is a state flagship and has great basketball. They also can draw well for football when they are decent. When they had a few years of above average performance they were drawing close to 40K. They might be able to return to that level of performance by playing regularly in the fertile Texas recruiting grounds.

I don't understand the attraction to New Mexico besides geography for the AAC. They don't have a lot to offer. See my post above.

Basically, the state only has 1.5 million folks, so to me, its similar to adding a school in a metro of 1.5 million.

The truth is, I don't think BYU will join. The church elders call the shots and they don't think like traditional AD's or commissioners.

To be honest, Im a supporter of going to a full nationwide footprint--SDSU, Fresno, Boise, AF. I'd be fine if CSU or NM takes Fresno's place---but I think the best configuration puts two schools in the largest population state (with the best western recruiting ground) in the nation. Id also add BYU Olympics and I would also do a scheduling agreement with them. I'd also add Wichita. And that would be my final configuration.

Regarding New Mexico... Exactly! The whole state is 1.5 million & POOR (as an example San Diego County is over 3 million & in general NOT POOR).

I am torn on BYU. They are a strange bunch but without question one of the BEST possible additions even with their myopia & built-in advantages.

If you are looking at the top OVERALL (including location, academics, overall athletic programs) schools in the MWC here is the best schools in order IMO...

BYU - not part of the MWC but still #1

SDSU/COLORADO STATE - these two are very close; I would give SDSU a slight edge due to location & slightly better overall athletics (call me a homer); when the Chargers leave and we build a new SDSU West campus & new stadium the Aztecs will be the clear #1 in the MWC. I would also say that the Aztecs can deliver their market better than the Rams. Both have good markets; even though DENVER is an hour south of Fort Collins. But if both Air Force & CSU are in the same conference I could see how they could claim the Denver DMA; but it largely belongs to the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

BOISE STATE - the Broncos are going to be on a slow decline to mediocrity. Once that fully happens they will lose their "little darling school" status with ESPN. Their days of being the only dominant team in the MWC are coming to an end. When that happens they will fall even lower in these MWC rankings. BSU isn't a great location, academics are terrible, overall athletics have only just recently gotten better and it is a small market (granted RIGHT NOW they are a nationally recognized program; that could change soon).

AIR FORCE - good football, great academics, decent TV draw, terrible Olympic sports OK location.

UNLV - great location, decent DMA, good overall athletics (except terrible football). If/when the Rebels put some money into football & build a new stadium their football program could be really good.

FRESNO STATE - good football, ok academics & athletics. Not a great location besides being in California but they CAN deliver their TV market.

You could probably flip-flop UNLV/FRESNO.

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

If I haven't made it VERY clear; NEW MEXICO is a bottom feeder & dead weight. They have little potential and are not a program worth adding.

Wow, you really hate New Mexico! I did research a few things after your posts on New Mexico. The state of New Mexico has 2.1 million people according to Wikipedia, not 1.5 mil. U of New Mexico is in the Albuquerque metro, which has a metro area of 1 million, not 660k like you wrote. They do way more Reserach than most the schools in the MWC, including San Diego St by far and a bigger endowment (422 million vs San Diego St's endowment of $192 million) , and New Mexico has a 40k OCS which is decent. I went to the Texas Tech vs New Mexico game in 04. San Diego St doesn't own a stadium and plays in the Chargers stadium. Been there for the Holiday Bowl. Not a nice stadium then but a big stadium in a beautiful town and great weather. I've heard great things about San Diego St's basketball arena but never been there. Have been to New Mexico's legendary venue The Pit, which used to host NCAA tournament games. I noticed you called New Mexico "New Methico" which I'm assuming is a reference to the tv show Breaking Bad. It's obvious you want San Diego St in the AAC, which is nice. Who's the girl from New Mexico that has you going bonkers against them? I see a decent flagship school. Cheers!

Yeah, New Mexico has 2.1 million and Nevada has 2.8 million people. So while neither are large, neither has pro competition or even P5 competition. Thus, adding UNLV or New Mexico is like adding a large city where these schools are the primary sports entity. The populations of these states are small---but they compare favorably to schools like Tulsa (Tulsa metro area is 961K) or Tulane (New Orleans metro area is 1.2 million). New Mexico has a 40 million athletic budget. Colorado State has a 29 million dollar athletic budget. I think that tells you something about the commitment to athletics.

I'll sound one other note of caution on Colorado State. The 200+ million dollar stadium they are building is going to be financed largely by debt. That means that stadium will be a significant drain on the financial resources of CSU for years to come. Yes, it should offset that drain with extra income from luxury suites and premium seating---but if there is a downturn in the teams performance, will they find themselves working at a financial disadvantage due to the debt load when the attendance drops of in lean years?

I still think New Mexico makes a lot of sense to pair with Air Force. I just don't think Colorado (population of 5.3 million) is a big enough state to warrant double dipping that market--especially when one considers that it has P5 completion and pro competition.

(12-14-2015 10:20 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  What about Southern Miss? There are problems with their profile, but they could round out a 14/16 team configuration.

Good:
1. They've been in the top flight forever. This is not a call-up program.
2. They usually win in football. The 0-12 season was simply a bad HC hire. They've gotten over that and are back to their 7-8 win average. They've proven that their program isn't declining.
3. Natural rival to Tulane. The AAC could use more natural rivalries.
4. Long-standing history with UC, Tulane, Memphis, UH, and ECU.

Bad:
1. Redundant market.
2. Political issues have hurt this program before. They're being held back from what they really could become.

Thoughts?

Thank you, OliveandBlue!

Let's see how old some of you are. This is really about adding New Mexico.

(12-14-2015 12:13 PM)Once a Knight... Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 11:44 AM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 08:55 PM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 01:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(12-13-2015 11:53 AM)SDSU-Alum2003 Wrote:  I don't understand the attraction to New Mexico besides geography for the AAC. They don't have a lot to offer. See my post above.

Basically, the state only has 1.5 million folks, so to me, its similar to adding a school in a metro of 1.5 million.

The truth is, I don't think BYU will join. The church elders call the shots and they don't think like traditional AD's or commissioners.

To be honest, Im a supporter of going to a full nationwide footprint--SDSU, Fresno, Boise, AF. I'd be fine if CSU or NM takes Fresno's place---but I think the best configuration puts two schools in the largest population state (with the best western recruiting ground) in the nation. Id also add BYU Olympics and I would also do a scheduling agreement with them. I'd also add Wichita. And that would be my final configuration.

Regarding New Mexico... Exactly! The whole state is 1.5 million & POOR (as an example San Diego County is over 3 million & in general NOT POOR).

I am torn on BYU. They are a strange bunch but without question one of the BEST possible additions even with their myopia & built-in advantages.

If you are looking at the top OVERALL (including location, academics, overall athletic programs) schools in the MWC here is the best schools in order IMO...

BYU - not part of the MWC but still #1

SDSU/COLORADO STATE - these two are very close; I would give SDSU a slight edge due to location & slightly better overall athletics (call me a homer); when the Chargers leave and we build a new SDSU West campus & new stadium the Aztecs will be the clear #1 in the MWC. I would also say that the Aztecs can deliver their market better than the Rams. Both have good markets; even though DENVER is an hour south of Fort Collins. But if both Air Force & CSU are in the same conference I could see how they could claim the Denver DMA; but it largely belongs to the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

BOISE STATE - the Broncos are going to be on a slow decline to mediocrity. Once that fully happens they will lose their "little darling school" status with ESPN. Their days of being the only dominant team in the MWC are coming to an end. When that happens they will fall even lower in these MWC rankings. BSU isn't a great location, academics are terrible, overall athletics have only just recently gotten better and it is a small market (granted RIGHT NOW they are a nationally recognized program; that could change soon).

AIR FORCE - good football, great academics, decent TV draw, terrible Olympic sports OK location.

UNLV - great location, decent DMA, good overall athletics (except terrible football). If/when the Rebels put some money into football & build a new stadium their football program could be really good.

FRESNO STATE - good football, ok academics & athletics. Not a great location besides being in California but they CAN deliver their TV market.

You could probably flip-flop UNLV/FRESNO.

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

If I haven't made it VERY clear; NEW MEXICO is a bottom feeder & dead weight. They have little potential and are not a program worth adding.

Wow, you really hate New Mexico! I did research a few things after your posts on New Mexico. The state of New Mexico has 2.1 million people according to Wikipedia, not 1.5 mil. U of New Mexico is in the Albuquerque metro, which has a metro area of 1 million, not 660k like you wrote. They do way more Reserach than most the schools in the MWC, including San Diego St by far and a bigger endowment (422 million vs San Diego St's endowment of $192 million) , and New Mexico has a 40k OCS which is decent. I went to the Texas Tech vs New Mexico game in 04. San Diego St doesn't own a stadium and plays in the Chargers stadium. Been there for the Holiday Bowl. Not a nice stadium then but a big stadium in a beautiful town and great weather. I've heard great things about San Diego St's basketball arena but never been there. Have been to New Mexico's legendary venue The Pit, which used to host NCAA tournament games. I noticed you called New Mexico "New Methico" which I'm assuming is a reference to the tv show Breaking Bad. It's obvious you want San Diego St in the AAC, which is nice. Who's the girl from New Mexico that has you going bonkers against them? I see a decent flagship school. Cheers!

^This!! I was about to say the same thing about the New Mexico population. I don't think they are nearly as bad of an add. Not sure what New Mexico's issue is regarding their football performance. Is it coaching? Is it recruiting? Could an affiliation with the AAC be better for them, as they would have guaranteed trips to Texas every-yr (Houston/SMU). I know New Mexico has had good basketball in the past, which is a plus. If BYU is truly off the table, then All-Sports invites for 2 of New Mexico, Colorado St, or Air Force make the most sense. An olympic only invite to Wichita St or VCU would also be in-line for a 14/14 conference setup. Would definitely help the AAC if there was a raid to take place, plus any additional $$ from NCAA credits, Bowl Tie-ins, etc. As for Flagship, I full expect CSU to get up to the level of Colorado, just like FSU did with UF.

Id say its recruiting. The recruiting in New Mexico is horrible. The quality of NM high school football is such that there are virtually no FBS prospects there. NM would likely benefit from the AAC ESPN tv exposure and regular trips to Texas. They have been improving--finished 7-5 this year. They had a nice run in the early 2000's when they were winning 7-8 games a year and were averaging close to 40K in attendance some years.

It seems that everyone expects us to raid MWC as they have the most ready athletic programs. What if (purely for our own fun) instead AAC grew based on TV markets and solidified the central/east coast? I think this would be abetter experience for fans- less travel.

Current teams (TV Market):

UCF (Orlando #19)
CINCI (Cincinnati #34)
UCONN (Hartford #30)
ECU (Greenville-Ashville #36)
Houston (Houston #10)
Memphis (Memphis #48)
USF (Tampa #13)
SMU (Dallas #5)
Temple (Philadelphia #4)
Tulane (New Orleans #53)
Tulsa (Tulsa #61)

So, if we are to focus on keeping the conference to the central/east coast and in top 50 TV markets then we have:

#1 New York (Fordham)
#3 Chicago (NIU, Loyola Chicago)
#7 Boston (UMASS, MIT, NorthEastern)
#8 Atlanta (Emory, Georgia State)
#9 D.C. (GWU, American)
#11 Detroit (Eastern Michigan, Wayne St., Oakland)
#15 Minneapolis
#16 Miami (FIU)
#17 Cleveland
#21 St. Louis (SLU)
#23 Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne)
#24 Charlotte (UNC Charlotte)
#25 Indianapolis (IUPUI, Ball State)
#26 Baltimore (Towson)
#27 Raleigh-Durham
#29 Nashville
#31 Kansas City (UMKC)
#32 Columbus
#35 Milwaukee (UW-Milwaukee)
#37 San Antonio (UTSA)
#38 West Palm Beach
#39 Kalamazoo (Western Michigan)
#40 Brimingham (UAB)
#41 Harrisburg
#43 Norfolk (Old Dominion)
#45 Oklahoma City
#51 Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)



I could see going to 20/24 teams with 2 divisions, maybe even 4 pods. For football, you could do 4 pod games, 3 out of pod conference games and a "semi-final" conference playoff game.

Have a progressive membership process where a team may only be basketball/football only until they get their act together in the lacking sport within a certain time frame. Aresco seems to be the real deal for coaching up programs, who would have thought that half the members would be in such good shape just a couple years ago. I would go for UMass, Emory, GWU, FIU, Charlotte, UAB, Fordham. This locks down the Northeast/Southeast. #1,4,5,7,8,9,10 TV markets are represented. Good mixture of state schools and medium sized privates with good academics. If this turns out to be successful and/or teams start being picked off, adding close by schools is easy; midwest pod with NIU, Eastern Michigan, SLU, IUPUI, Milwaukee isn't so bad.


I know this seems crazy and I've definitely had too much coffee today, but as a fan I'd much rather see teams that are actually in our region/I could potentially drive to rather than some west coast school which seems like its on another planet.

(12-14-2015 02:08 PM)STLWAVE Wrote:  It seems that everyone expects us to raid MWC as they have the most ready athletic programs. What if (purely for our own fun) instead AAC grew based on TV markets and solidified the central/east coast? I think this would be abetter experience for fans- less travel.

Current teams (TV Market):

UCF (Orlando #19)
CINCI (Cincinnati #34)
UCONN (Hartford #30)
ECU (Greenville-Ashville #36)
Houston (Houston #10)
Memphis (Memphis #48)
USF (Tampa #13)
SMU (Dallas #5)
Temple (Philadelphia #4)
Tulane (New Orleans #53)
Tulsa (Tulsa #61)

So, if we are to focus on keeping the conference to the central/east coast and in top 50 TV markets then we have:

#1 New York (Fordham)
#3 Chicago (NIU, Loyola Chicago)
#7 Boston (UMASS, MIT, NorthEastern)
#8 Atlanta (Emory, Georgia State)
#9 D.C. (GWU, American)
#11 Detroit (Eastern Michigan, Wayne St., Oakland)
#15 Minneapolis
#16 Miami (FIU)
#17 Cleveland
#21 St. Louis (SLU)
#23 Pittsburgh (Carnegie Mellon, Duquesne)
#24 Charlotte (UNC Charlotte)
#25 Indianapolis (IUPUI, Ball State)
#26 Baltimore (Towson)
#27 Raleigh-Durham
#29 Nashville
#31 Kansas City (UMKC)
#32 Columbus
#35 Milwaukee (UW-Milwaukee)
#37 San Antonio (UTSA)
#38 West Palm Beach
#39 Kalamazoo (Western Michigan)
#40 Brimingham (UAB)
#41 Harrisburg
#43 Norfolk (Old Dominion)
#45 Oklahoma City
#51 Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)



I could see going to 20/24 teams with 2 divisions, maybe even 4 pods. For football, you could do 4 pod games, 3 out of pod conference games and a "semi-final" conference playoff game.

Have a progressive membership process where a team may only be basketball/football only until they get their act together in the lacking sport within a certain time frame. Aresco seems to be the real deal for coaching up programs, who would have thought that half the members would be in such good shape just a couple years ago. I would go for UMass, Emory, GWU, FIU, Charlotte, UAB, Fordham. This locks down the Northeast/Southeast. #1,4,5,7,8,9,10 TV markets are represented. Good mixture of state schools and medium sized privates with good academics. If this turns out to be successful and/or teams start being picked off, adding close by schools is easy; midwest pod with NIU, Eastern Michigan, SLU, IUPUI, Milwaukee isn't so bad.


I know this seems crazy and I've definitely had too much coffee today, but as a fan I'd much rather see teams that are actually in our region/I could potentially drive to rather than some west coast school which seems like its on another planet.

That's a pretty unattractive list. I'd rather just add Wichita and stand pat until better more established choices (like Air Force, BYU, etc) come available.

(12-14-2015 02:08 PM)STLWAVE Wrote:  It seems that everyone expects us to raid MWC as they have the most ready athletic programs. What if (purely for our own fun) instead AAC grew based on TV markets and solidified the central/east coast? I think this would be abetter experience for fans- less travel.

Current teams (TV Market):

UCF (Orlando #19)
CINCI (Cincinnati #34)
UCONN (Hartford #30)
ECU (Greenville-Ashville #36)
Houston (Houston #10)
Memphis (Memphis #48)
USF (Tampa #13)
SMU (Dallas #5)
Temple (Philadelphia #4)
Tulane (New Orleans #53)
Tulsa (Tulsa #61)

...

I could see going to 20/24 teams with 2 divisions, maybe even 4 pods. For football, you could do 4 pod games, 3 out of pod conference games and a "semi-final" conference playoff game.

...

Here's a better scenario for the 24-team AAC:

EAST: UConn, Temple, Cincinnati, ECU

SOUTH: UCF, USF, Memphis, Tulane

CENTRAL: Navy, Houston, SMU, Tulsa

NORTH: Army, Buffalo, UMass, NIU

MOUNTAIN: Air Force, BYU, CSU, Boise St.

PACIFIC: SDSU, Fresno St., UNLV, one of New Mexico/Nevada/Hawaii

This adds the most of the best candidates from football competition, TV ratings, support, and resources perspectives. It also provides real and legitimate claims to:

- 7 of the top-10 DMAs (70% of markets with 2 million + TV households);
- 16 of the top-40 DMAs (40% of markets with 750k+ TV households);
- 21 of the top-60 (one-third of markets with at least 500K TV households):

#1 New York (Army, UConn)
#3 Chicago (NIU)
#4 Philadelphia (Temple, Army/Navy)
#5 DFW (SMU)
#7 Washington, DC (Navy, Army)
#8 Boston (UMass)
#10 Houston (U of Houston)
#11 Tampa (USF)
#17 Denver (CSU, Air Force)
#19 Orlando (UCF)
#26 Baltimore (Navy)
#28 San Diego (SDSU, Navy)
#30 Hartford (UConn)
#34 Salt Lake City (BYU)
#36 Cincinnati (U of Cincinnati)
#40 Las Vegas (UNLV)
#50 Memphis (U of Memphis)
#51 New Orleans (Tulane)
#53 Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)
#54 Fresno (Fresno St.)
#60 Tulsa (Tulsa)

(12-14-2015 12:28 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Let's see how old some of you are. This is really about adding New Mexico.

Why would anyone spend 2 million on a 60k a year job unless he planned to steal it all back. Montie Brewster. Yes im old

(12-14-2015 12:23 PM)Rasta Wrote:  Every time I hear that question I look about three threads down and see a header about conference payouts per team.

Then I think, "why would anyone want to expand a conference where the schools are already underpaid?"

Anyone wanting to expand this conference is peeing on themselves. It's stupid, idiotic, unreasonable, dense, confusing, tired, feeble-minded, dim-witted, exhausting, silly, confounding to intelligence, unwise, dumb, turkey-like, cumbersome in explanation, gooberish, cheesy, thoughtless, and just plain hateful - to quote Patton.

Yes, of course, we're spit-balling. But we're all imagining a moment when, with a media partner, something proactive can be done to create further separation from the rest of the G5 and/or get control of better bowls. It goes without saying that nothing happens until the money is shown.

The conference will continue to have standards regarding academics and level of establishment of athletic programs, as well as media market. That's why SDSU, CSU and UNM are possible but Fresno/Boise/UNLV are not (they are not ranked national universities).

Apart from BYU/MWC, the rest of the G5 can continue to be a proving ground for other schools that might be added down the road - IF they are ranked national universities and IF they develop good fan bases in sizable markets. I would put Georgia State and NIU on this list. But none are ready for prime time yet.

(12-14-2015 02:28 PM)YNot Wrote:  Here's a better scenario for the 24-team AAC:

EAST: UConn, Temple, Cincinnati, ECU

SOUTH: UCF, USF, Memphis, Tulane

CENTRAL: Navy, Houston, SMU, Tulsa

NORTH: Army, Buffalo, UMass, NIU

MOUNTAIN: Air Force, BYU, CSU, Boise St.

PACIFIC: SDSU, Fresno St., UNLV, one of New Mexico/Nevada/Hawaii

This adds the most of the best candidates from football competition, TV ratings, support, and resources perspectives. It also provides real and legitimate claims to:

- 7 of the top-10 DMAs (70% of markets with 2 million + TV households);
- 16 of the top-40 DMAs (40% of markets with 750k+ TV households);
- 21 of the top-60 (one-third of markets with at least 500K TV households):

...

9-game schedule includes 3 intra-division games and one neutral site game.

The neutral site games would be part of an All-AAC weekend. Each season the AAC would host a weekend of 12 all-AAC games at 3 or 4 neutral sites, held at major city venues. Each venue would feature 3 or 4 games (some starting on Friday night).

This balances out the home-road schedules, but also creates some AAC hype in the top-10 or 20 television markets.

For instance, one season the all-AAC weekend venues would be in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as follows:

NEW YORK
Fri, 6pmET - CSU v. Buffalo
Sat, 12pm ET - Tulane v. Army
Sat, 3:30pmET - BYU v. UConn
Sat, 8pm ET - USF v. Temple

CHICAGO
Fri, 9pm ET - Tulsa v. New Mexico/Nevada/Hawaii
Sat, 1pmET - UCF v. NIU
Sat, 5pm ET - Navy v. Cincinnati
Sat, 9pm ET - Boise St. v. Memphis

LOS ANGELES
Fri, 9pm ET - UMass v. Fresno St.
Sat, 3:3opm ET - Houston v. Air Force
Sat, 7pm ET - ECU v. SDSU
Sat, 10:30pm ET - SMU v. UNLV

(12-14-2015 02:41 PM)YNot Wrote:  9-game schedule includes 3 intra-division games and one neutral site game.

The neutral site games would be part of an All-AAC weekend. Each season the AAC would host a weekend of 12 all-AAC games at 3 or 4 neutral sites, held at major city venues. Each venue would feature 3 or 4 games (some starting on Friday night).

This balances out the home-road schedules, but also creates some AAC hype in the top-10 or 20 television markets.

For instance, one season the all-AAC weekend venues would be in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, as follows:

NEW YORK
Fri, 6pmET - CSU v. Buffalo
Sat, 12pm ET - Tulane v. Army
Sat, 3:30pmET - BYU v. UConn
Sat, 8pm ET - USF v. Temple

CHICAGO
Fri, 9pm ET - Tulsa v. New Mexico/Nevada/Hawaii
Sat, 1pmET - UCF v. NIU
Sat, 5pm ET - Navy v. Cincinnati
Sat, 9pm ET - Boise St. v. Memphis

LOS ANGELES
Fri, 9pm ET - UMass v. Fresno St.
Sat, 3:3opm ET - Houston v. Air Force
Sat, 7pm ET - ECU v. SDSU
Sat, 10:30pm ET - SMU v. UNLV

The following year, the All-AAC weekend could feature games in DFW, Orlando, and Denver:

ORLANDO
Fri, 6pmET - Fresno St. v.ECU
Sat, 12pm ET - UMass v. Cincinnati
Sat, 3:30pmET - USF v. Air Force
Sat, 8pm ET - SDSU v. UCF

DFW
Fri, 9pm ET - UNLV v. Tulane
Sat, 1pmET - UConn v. Houston
Sat, 5pm ET - NIU v. SMU
Sat, 9pm ET - Navy v. Memphis

DENVER
Fri, 9pm ET - Buffalo v. New Mexico
Sat, 3:3opm ET - Army v. Boise st.
Sat, 7pm ET - Temple v. BYU
Sat, 10:30pm ET - Tulsa v. CSU

This works and looks good. But the original premise was to try and figure out a way to add teams on market size + proximity to existing teams aka no western teams.

(12-14-2015 02:59 PM)STLWAVE Wrote:  This works and looks good. But the original premise was to try and figure out a way to add teams on market size + proximity to existing teams aka no western teams.

In that case, just remove the two western divisions. So, you're adding Army, Buffalo, UMass, NIU - in an attempt to lure Army and get a better step into New York, plus Chicago and Boston. That's three top-10 markets. You would still have 70% of the top 10 markets (ie, markets with 2 million+ TV households).

#1 New York (Army, UConn, Buffalo)
#3 Chicago (NIU)
#4 Philadelphia (Temple, Army/Navy)
#5 DFW (SMU)
#7 Washington, DC (Navy, Army)
#8 Boston (UMass)
#10 Houston (U of Houston)
#11 Tampa (USF)

(12-14-2015 03:02 PM)YNot Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 02:59 PM)STLWAVE Wrote:  This works and looks good. But the original premise was to try and figure out a way to add teams on market size + proximity to existing teams aka no western teams.

In that case, just remove the two western divisions. So, you're adding Army, Buffalo, UMass, NIU - in an attempt to lure Army and get a better step into New York, plus Chicago and Boston. That's three top-10 markets. You would still have 70% of the top 10 markets (ie, markets with 2 million+ TV households).

#1 New York (Army, UConn, Buffalo)
#3 Chicago (NIU)
#4 Philadelphia (Temple, Army/Navy)
#5 DFW (SMU)
#7 Washington, DC (Navy, Army)
#8 Boston (UMass)
#10 Houston (U of Houston)
#11 Tampa (USF)

Other than imagining all the new East coast asshats without balancing some southern/midwestern decent people I think this could be very good. Would prefer this to a West Coast push which stretches the brand too far IMO.

(12-14-2015 02:32 PM)Thegoldstandard Wrote:  

(12-14-2015 12:28 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  Let's see how old some of you are. This is really about adding New Mexico.

Why would anyone spend 2 million on a 60k a year job unless he planned to steal it all back. Montie Brewster. Yes im old

Right there with you. Loved that movie