(12-30-2017 10:26 PM)TU4ever Wrote: (12-30-2017 08:39 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote: (12-30-2017 04:44 PM)slhNavy91 Wrote: (12-30-2017 01:11 AM)slhNavy91 Wrote: (12-30-2017 12:36 AM)gulfcoastgal Wrote: Judged by whom? Contrary to some in this forum, bowl performance emphasis (or lack there of) did not originate with the formation of the AAC. And never, in the history of college football has bowl performance been the only consideration for determining conference strength. So, why in the world would that be the sole factor now?
Just look at the media coverage of the regular season vs. bowl season. Bowl performances are only discussed in the current cycle...until the next one comes along. Regular season wins/losses garner far more coverage, and more importantly, carryover with the selection committee. Now, I personally don't think one should be excluded in favor of the other as neither tell a complete story. But, there's no question that outside the CFP, the news cycle for bowls (win or lose) is shorter than the lifespan of regular season games. And, since the media deliver (and in some instances create) narratives, reg. season games consistently offer more opportunities to mold perception.
Of course, this assumes that the conferences in question receive coverage outside of bowl games. Typing out loud here, but that may be where some are coming from as bowls may be the best, or even only chance at affecting perception if reg. season press is poor to non-existent. Bowl games generally generate over 1 mil viewers and very well may be the highest visibility that some teams/conferences receive...perhaps even greater than the highest rated conference games (including championships). If indeed this is the case, then I would probably agree that bowl games may offer the best opportunity to reach eyeballs and build/promote brands in those instances.
gulfcoastgal may be hitting on a point that relates to the G4 fans' wanting to overemphasize AAC-G4 bowl record. I will look at numbers in the morning.
For most G4s, that bowl game is THE most-viewed game they're in. For an AAC team facing a G4 before Christmas, probably not. Navy's bowl game vs ACC UVa will probably be our third most viewed game. USF in Birmingham definitely behind 4.46 million viewers for the war on I4. Memphis in the Liberty, behind AAC championship and maybe others.
I look forward to getting into those numbers.
I went back and looked at ratings - how many million-viewer games do each of the non-contract bowl conferences have - in bowls and otherwise? I started out binning them as CCGs, in-conference games, home or conference controled OOC games, and away OOC games, so there are numbers less than a million: that conference's best in one of those categories. NON-bowl games bolded.
Bottom Line Up Front -- bowl games are more important as signature exposure events for the G4s than they are for the AAC.
AAC 2017
Army-Navy 8.419 million
USF-UCF 4.644
TxTech @ Houston 3.850 (this was a reverse mirror, but that is the number)
Cincinnati @ Michigan 3.693
Birmingham Bowl 3.397
Conf Championship 3.385
UCLA @ Memphis 3.238
ND @ Navy 3.203
Hawaii Bowl 2.086
Military Bowl 2.052
St Pete Bowl 1.597
Temple @ ND 1.580
Illinois @ USF 1.369
Frisco Bowl 1.250
2017 CUSA
Independence Bowl 2.205 million
St Pete Bowl 1.597
Boca Bowl 1.394
New Orleans Bowl 1.327
Frisco Bowl 1.250
New Mexico Bowl 1.212
Camellia Bowl 1.187
UTEP @ Oklahoma 1.111
Bahamas Bowl .882
Arizona @ UTEP .829
Marshall @ MTSU .453
CCG .255
2017 MAC
Quicklane Bowl 2.526 million
Akron @ Penn St 2.332
Dollar General Bowl 1.770
Kent @ Clemson 1.629
Boca bowl 1.394
Bahamas Bowl .882
CCG .652
Toledo - Ohio .471
Kansas @Ohio .195
2017 mwc
Las Vegas Bowl 3.801 million
Armed Forces Bowl 3.485
Hawaii Bowl 2.086
Fresno @ Bama 2.070
Utah St @ Wisconsin 1.760
Colorado St @ Bama 1.613
UVa @ Boise 1.288
Boise @ Washington St 1.265
New Mexico Bowl 1.212
Boise @ UNM 1.053
Boise @ BYU 1.043
CCG .623
2017 Sun Belt
Dollar General Bowl 1.770 million
App State @ UGA 1.718
New Orleans Bowl 1.327
Camellia Bowl 1.187
Okla St @ S.Alabama .966
Ark St vs Ga Southern .421
No CCG but Troy-Ark State that weekend .225
I have 2016 numbers, which include full bowl slate - they show the same thing.
2016 numbers - with the added advantage over 2017 data of being complete - show the same thing: bowl games are only two of the top ten-viewed AAC games, but the distribution is the opposite for the G4s.
2016 AAC
Army-Navy 7.940 million viewers
Oklahoma - Houston 5.713
Tulsa at OSU 4.016
Las Vegas Bowl 3.744
Houston Memphis 3.093
UCF @ Michigan 2.863
FSU @ USF 2.557
Louisville @ Houston 2.432
ND @ Navy 2.420
Armed Forces Bowl 2.341
Birminham Bowl 2.308
Houston Cincinnati 2.159
Military Bowl 2.100
CCG 2.050
Boca Raton Bowl 1.581
Connecticut Houston 1.421
TCU @ SMU 1.357
USF Temple 1.300
Miami Beach Bowl .794
2016 CUSA
WKU @ Bama 2.467 million
Armed Forces Bowl 2.341
Heart of Dallas Bowl 1.615
Boca Raton Bowl 1.581
Baylor @ Rice 1.454
New Mexico Bowl 1.391
Bahamas Bowl 1.371
Hawaii Bowl 1.359
New Orleans Bowl 1.335
CCG .926
2016 MAC
Cotton Bowl 5.442 million
Dollar General Bowl 2.512
St Petersburg Bowl 2.045
Camellia Bowl 1.483
CCG 1.358
Bahamas Bowl 1.371
Miami Beach Bowl .794
Toledo-WMU .665
Toledo @ BYU .579
2016 mwc
Las Vegas Bowl 3.744 million
Nevada @ ND 2.451
Poinsettia Bowl 2.380
Cactus Bowl 2.282
Hawaii @ Michigan 2.135
New Mexico Bowl 1.391
HawaiiBowl 1.359
Potato Bowl 1.143
Wyoming @ Nebraska 1.126
CSU @ Colorado 1.073
BYU @ Boise .986
UNLV @ Boise .763
CCG .713
2016 Sun Belt
Dollar General Bowl 2.512 million
Camellia Bowl 1.483
New Orleans Bowl 1.335
Potato Bowl 1.143
Miami (FL) @ App St .955
Ark St @ Ga Southern .497
no CCG
You know what I noticed we have more games with more than 2 million viewers then the other conferences combined for both years. Also the mwc has three total games over 3 million and the Mac has one (cotton bowl) over the last two years. AAC has thirteen so far. Will be fourteen after peach. And liberty bowl should be 2 million plus.
Right. Before the 2017 Liberty Bowl and Peach Bowl
'16-'17 total games over 3 million viewers: AAC 13, mwc 3, MAC 1
'16-'17 total games over 2 million viewers: AAC 24, CUSA 3, MAC 5, mwc 9, SBC 1
'16-'17 total games over 1 million viewers: AAC 32, CUSA 17, MAC 11, mwc 21, SBC 8
'16-'17 non-bowl games over 3 million viewers: AAC 11, G4s 0
'16-'17 non-bowl games over 2 million viewers: AAC 17, CUSA 1, MAC 1, mwc 3
'16-'17 non-bowl games over 1 million viewers: AAC 22, CUSA 3, MAC 3, mwc 11, SBC 1
'16-'17 conference controlled games over 3 million viewers: AAC 6, G4s 0
'16-'17 conference controlled games over 2 million viewers: AAC 10, G4s 0
'16-'17 conference controlled games over 1 million viewers: AAC 14, CUSA 1, MAC 1, mwc 2
The first block shows the overall disparity that TU4Ever noted.
The second block shows the point that I was making once gulfcoastgal's post turned a light bulb on for me: G4 fans want to talk about bowl games to the exclusion of regular season or CCG games because they don't get the viewers that the AAC does until mid-December. Bowl games aren't even half of the AAC's resume for national perception.
The third block shows why a lot of fans on this board expect the next round of media deals to be markedly different for the AAC and for the G4 conferences. Those are intra-conference games , CCG, and home games vs Playoff-5 conference teams. Doesn't count away paycheck games that the conference doesn't own and sell rights; doesn't count Army-Navy; doesn't count Navy's home games vs ND. As opposed to five years ago, when we were trying to sell a dead conference, we have a proven record of ratings. Gotta have a competitive bidding environment (cmon NBC and CBS!!!) but we start out in a completely different position from the last round, and a completely different position from any G4 in the current round.
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AAC Bowl Performance----6-5 vs P5 in CFP Era
