(05-03-2016 03:39 PM)NorCour Wrote: ...
The American Athletic Conference should start branding themselves as America's conference, as they try to reach across the entire US. They're at 12 teams currently, but I believe they should get to 20. Yes, 20. It is whispered about this as a possibility for the B1G, so why not be the pioneers of it? (Side note: feel free to shoot me down about markets and money, I've done none of that research).
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So, I said they should brand to their strength, and I've hinted at it already. Be the American Conference. Cover America. Have all of your schools play across America consistently. Have your championship game in the middle of the conference, the middle of America. Make a big deal out of the geographic divisions, and work for division pride. Have the military academies bolster the idea of it being the "American." You would beat out the B1G by being the first conference to get to 20 teams, stealing the spotlight on the excitement. You would basically embarrass the Big 12 by stealing some of their expansion candidates while having double their numbers. You could brag against the SEC, ACC, and B1G for how your 20 schools play each other every year, but their 14 team conferences don't even come close to doing that. Recruit athletes by telling them that they can experience all the corners of the nation. Eyes in Florida, Ohio, California, North Carolina, Idaho, etc. will all be watching them play in just 3 years.
I believe this would make the AAC the clear 6th best conference, and it could stabilize them during the next expansion chapter. There would absolutely be a separation between the AAC and the other 4 in the "group of 5." And, if the best teams do get poached, you'll be next in line to poach from the group of 5. That's okay. You can't survive if your marketing is based on the quality of teams you have. Make it about the process, the experience, and the patriotism.
I rest my case.
I agree that the AAC is missing out on the opportunity to brand itself as a true American conference. Getting the other military academies involved is a no brainer. So is expanding the footprint.
However, if this is in the context of actually taking a shot at becoming the 5th best conference when the P5 storm comes, there is no way the AAC should expand to 20 right now. That doesn't leave any room for the AAC to pickup Big 12 and ACC leftovers.
Here is what the AAC could do with minimal expansion:
- Add San Diego St. and Boise St.
- Win lots of football games and get the AAC champ to NY6 access bowl every year
- Play Army, Air Force, and BYU as much as possible
- Affiliate with Army and BYU to get more P5-level bowl affiliations, such as an annual bid to the Las Vegas Bowl (v. PAC) and Armed Forces Bowls (v. B12/B1G) and get the ACC to play in St. Petersburg Bowl every year.
- Organize kickoff type events, like your St. Louis example, but with two games at the same location, hosted by the American.
For example, have a doubleheader event in Los Angeles or Las Vegas involving Navy or Boise St. *hosting* an MWC or PAC opponent and then a quality AAC conference matchup, like SDSU v. Houston
OR an event in D.C. or New York area with UConn *hosting* an ACC or B1G team and a quality AAC conference matchup, like Temple v. ECU.
These concepts expand the AAC brand and footprint, but without diminishing the competition or spreading things too thin.
Then, when the Big 12 or ACC leftovers come calling, there's a better chance that the conversation will be which leftovers to incorporate into any expanded AAC, and not the other way around.
If it works, the AAC could wind up adding Louisville, Pitt, Wake Forest, and Miami or Kansas St., Baylor, Iowa St., and WVU instead of getting poached.
