There was discussion about Old Dominion being unhappy about Conference USA and that they wanted to be the American Athletic Conference's 12th member. I highly doubt they would be first on their list. So who would be? Who will they add (if anyone at all)? Will it be a football only member or an all sports member?

If it were based on football, Boise State is the obvious dream add. I'm sure the AAC will sign BSU up for football only but I'm not sold on all sports. If I'm Temple, I sure wouldn't want to go to Boise in any other sports, especially in the winter. At least all those long trips to Florida and Texas are to warm weather cities. If Boise State takes a football only membership, they would need a home for all their other sports. They used to be in the Big Sky and WAC although for men's basketball both are huge steps down. The WCC would be an appropriate level for Boise State and Boise isn't too far away from Gonzaga. The WCC has no public universities but the Big East (current version) had no public universities before they added Connecticut. If I'm Boise State and I could do AAC football/WCC men's basketball, I would. I remember hearing there is friction between BSU and the MWC.

BYU could be another option. They are happy in the WCC and they certainly would only need a home for football. It would be a good fit for them in the West Division and Navy in the East.

How about Army? Navy's in the conference and Air Force is in the MWC. Why is Army still an independent? It would make sense for Army and Navy to be conference mates. If Army joined, Army would take UConn's place in the East Division and Navy would be stuck in the West Division. Technically the Army/Navy game could be preserved in its usual December date and be considered a "non conference game" every season to not disrupt the AAC schedule and AAC Championship Game. Both teams would play three other cross divisional games and each other, they would make it so they would never be scheduled vs. each other in the "regular season". Technically they could meet in the AAC Championship Game and play twice in two weeks (or just make the Army-Navy game the AAC Championship instead). Army could then have access to better bowl games than they do now.

If academics were any factor, Rice would be considered. They are geographically friendly and a former SWC member with Houston and SMU putting all SWC members in either the SEC, Big 12, or AAC and it would help with travel. The question is would Houston want their neighbors in the same conference again (and would SMU want another Texas team)? Rice was second in C-USA's revenue list (https://csnbbs.com/thread-896994.html) for 2018-19. Obviously Rice's athletics aren't good.

North Texas would also give the AAC another Texas area school in the Dallas Metroplex although they don't have the SWC history. They're better athletically than Rice but not great. Unlike Rice, a small private school, UNT has a large student body. If the AAC wants to expand in Texas but not duplicate Dallas or Houston, then UTEP or UTSA become options.

In Florida, Florida International has a huge student body, is in the one part of Florida that the AAC isn't (Miami area) and they did knock off the University of Miami in football last year. But their neighbors Florida Atlantic won C-USA two of the last three seasons.

Here's a wild card for you not from Conference USA but from the Sun Belt: Georgia State. It's a market that the AAC doesn't have (Atlanta), a state they don't have (Georgia), a huge student body, and they've won the last two men's basketball Sun Belt championships. As a Temple fan, I'd prefer Georgia State or an Eastern team over another Western team (if you haven't figured out from my posts (Eastern is anything East of the Mississippi and vice versa). They are one of only two R1 universities in the Sun Belt (UT-Arlington is the other and they don't play football).

Another market/state the AAC doesn't have is UAB. Then again, they shut down their football team before reinstating them. Does the AAC want that? Charlotte would probably be a market worth having but of course the AAC has North Carolina already. The best team in football in the Sun Belt recently is probably Appalachian State but they're too close to East Carolina and their market/state doesn't justify two teams.

What a great post. Post of the year, folks.

You friends with ToddRodge?

(04-07-2020 06:09 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  You friends with ToddRodge?

Who?

Southern Miss!!

Old Dominion has the budget, market, and David’s stamp.

(04-07-2020 06:36 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Old Dominion has the budget, market, and David’s stamp.

Tramp Stamp?

They’ll hold at 11 as long as they can.

The move I want is AFA, BYU, and Boise St for 14. That pretty much puts that G5 NY6 bid on lock down.

(04-07-2020 08:29 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  They’ll hold at 11 as long as they can.

The move I want is AFA, BYU, and Boise St for 14. That pretty much puts that G5 NY6 bid on lock down.

So, would your divisions be like this:

East
-----
Cincinnati Bearcats
East Carolina Pirates
Memphis Tigers
South Florida Bulls
Temple Owls
Tulane Green Wave
UCF Knights


West
-----
Air Force Falcons
Boise State Broncos
BYU Cougars
Houston Cougars
Navy Midshipmen
SMU Mustangs
Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Move Memphis and Tulane over to the East. Looks pretty solid.

(04-07-2020 08:49 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 08:29 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  They’ll hold at 11 as long as they can.

The move I want is AFA, BYU, and Boise St for 14. That pretty much puts that G5 NY6 bid on lock down.

So, would your divisions be like this:

East
-----
Cincinnati Bearcats
East Carolina Pirates
Memphis Tigers
South Florida Bulls
Temple Owls
Tulane Green Wave
UCF Knights


West
-----
Air Force Falcons
Boise State Broncos
BYU Cougars
Houston Cougars
Navy Midshipmen
SMU Mustangs
Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Move Memphis and Tulane over to the East. Looks pretty solid.

I like it! Very strong conference ... definitely power 6

(04-07-2020 08:49 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 08:29 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  They’ll hold at 11 as long as they can.

The move I want is AFA, BYU, and Boise St for 14. That pretty much puts that G5 NY6 bid on lock down.

So, would your divisions be like this:

East
-----
Cincinnati Bearcats
East Carolina Pirates
Memphis Tigers
South Florida Bulls
Temple Owls
Tulane Green Wave
UCF Knights


West
-----
Air Force Falcons
Boise State Broncos
BYU Cougars
Houston Cougars
Navy Midshipmen
SMU Mustangs
Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Move Memphis and Tulane over to the East. Looks pretty solid.

Yes. I think it’s a pretty solid set up and way better than anything the other G Leagues have.

The MWC, down 2 full members, stays pat.

I'm not exactly sure whom I would want yet. Navy will definitely want to stay in the West. They recruit Texas heavily and want to be there as much as they can.

I would be over the moon with adding BSU, AF, and BYU to the West and moving Memphis and Tulane to the East. I'd love to play Memphis every year in football. There's a lot of animosity from bball that would carry over to football for that rivalry. As a conference, we would have the NY6 pretty much locked up.

If we are adding only one and it's in the East? That's tough. App State has done well in football but their athletics budget is incredibly small and they are already in a state we occupy. FAU has been successful but again, we have two teams already in Florida. I'm sure UCF and USF would not want another Florida school. UAB, Georgia St, and Buffalo are "sensible" adds. As in, I could see a pro or two with adding them. They all 3 are in states where we don't have a presence. Any school east of the Mississippi is pretty much going to be a project school. A school where we are going to have to look at what they could become, not what they currently are.

(04-07-2020 09:32 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 08:49 PM)ChrisLords Wrote:  

(04-07-2020 08:29 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  They’ll hold at 11 as long as they can.

The move I want is AFA, BYU, and Boise St for 14. That pretty much puts that G5 NY6 bid on lock down.

So, would your divisions be like this:

East
-----
Cincinnati Bearcats
East Carolina Pirates
Memphis Tigers
South Florida Bulls
Temple Owls
Tulane Green Wave
UCF Knights


West
-----
Air Force Falcons
Boise State Broncos
BYU Cougars
Houston Cougars
Navy Midshipmen
SMU Mustangs
Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Move Memphis and Tulane over to the East. Looks pretty solid.

Yes. I think it’s a pretty solid set up and way better than anything the other G Leagues have.

As far as expense and travel cost I agree.

Why are UTEP and UTSA even on this list?

For my very own selfish reasons I’m gonna day give Tulane and travel partner and add Louisiana.

(04-07-2020 10:32 PM)Cattidude Wrote:  I'm not exactly sure whom I would want yet. Navy will definitely want to stay in the West. They recruit Texas heavily and want to be there as much as they can.

I would be over the moon with adding BSU, AF, and BYU to the West and moving Memphis and Tulane to the East. I'd love to play Memphis every year in football. There's a lot of animosity from bball that would carry over to football for that rivalry. As a conference, we would have the NY6 pretty much locked up.

If we are adding only one and it's in the East? That's tough. App State has done well in football but their athletics budget is incredibly small and they are already in a state we occupy. FAU has been successful but again, we have two teams already in Florida. I'm sure UCF and USF would not want another Florida school. UAB, Georgia St, and Buffalo are "sensible" adds. As in, I could see a pro or two with adding them. They all 3 are in states where we don't have a presence. Any school east of the Mississippi is pretty much going to be a project school. A school where we are going to have to look at what they could become, not what they currently are.

Didn't think about looking up the MAC in my original post. Buffalo would be like UAB and Georgia State, a "future" pick and not a "present" pick. They had some men's basketball success recently with back to back wins in the NCAA Tournament. Buffalo would bring a fairly large city and the state of New York but it's upstate New York and I don't think that will help much with NYC. From Temple's point of view they would be better geographically than most other teams I listed but most of the AAC is in the south so I don't know if they'd be down with a northern team, trips to Buffalo in the winter aren't going to be pretty for UCF or Houston.

(04-07-2020 11:52 PM)BraveKnight Wrote:  Why are UTEP and UTSA even on this list?

Like many of the others. for their markets. I don't know if El Paso is really a market worth getting and from Temple's point of view they would be the furthest away but UTEP has historically been a higher level than many other schools on the list although they probably aren't now.

On the list, BYU and Boise State are probably the home run adds although both are probably football only adds (in the case of BYU that's no problem as they'll probably only want a football only add but BSU could be an issue). I think if the Army/Navy game issue can be resolved then Army would be near the top of the list. Other than that, the only team from another G5 that might be added for football would be Appalachian State but they're weak in other areas. I'd probably rather go for a school stronger in other areas than take App State. Assuming BYU, Boise State, and Army aren't available, my next choice probably would be Georgia State for the Atlanta market/Georgia followed by one of the two Miami area schools.

I’d actually enjoy them taking a serious look at Rice purely for the entertainment value of watching UH fans, who will go on for hours and hours about the vast conspiracy against them by the TX B12 members to keep them out of the Big 12, do the exact same thing to Rice and be totally oblivious to the irony that almost every argument they make against the Owls is the same arguments the B12 schools make against the Coogs.

(04-08-2020 09:26 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  I’d actually enjoy them taking a serious look at Rice purely for the entertainment value of watching UH fans, who will go on for hours and hours about the vast conspiracy against them by the TX B12 members to keep them out of the Big 12, do the exact same thing to Rice and be totally oblivious to the irony that almost every argument they make against the Owls is the same arguments the B12 schools make against the Coogs.

It's amazing how little you know about your "own" program and the other schools in Texas.

I think the AAC holds firm at 11 for at least the next several months, if not longer. However, it is inevitable that they eventually replace UConn - either because a program can add current value to the conference, or a program overtime adds value to itself in the coming future where it can be added to the conference.

IMO, the Boise State/Air Force/San Diego State/Colorado State collective, or as individual candidates, is just a pipe dream. The Boise State/San Diego State/Big East Football marriage was doomed before it ever began, and ESPN (or other networks) simply did not find additional value/content in creating a coast-to-coast national conference. Regardless of the past several years ago, it is without a doubt that if the AAC could add a brand like BYU, Boise State or Air Force (or all three has a collective), it would have absolutely done so already. The reason it hasn't occurred is because ESPN hasn't made the financial offer necessary to pull those schools a part from the MWC, and because those schools likely still find more value staying pat than making a larger move. To be clear, value in this sense is not just a financial term, but also the value - in fan/student/institutional perspective - in aligning with geographic and historical associations, rather than brand new ones across the country.

For the same reasons, BYU and Army are similarly pipe dreams. Again, if BYU and/or Army wanted-in to the AAC, they would already have accepted an invitation - as the AAC would have added either program in a heart-beat. Both of these programs find more value in their independence, as well as their ability to schedule freely on a national scale. In BYU's case, they will never accept a non-P5 conference invite as long as Utah is in the PAC. Just like in UConn's case, there is clearly more value in these programs remaining independent than joining a G5 conference.

Who does that leave? Well, an overwhelming majority of schools in the AAC were all elevated from the same place: C-USA. The MAC is geographically and institutionally aligned. Few, if any, schools are desiring to move up into a P5 conference, and each of the programs have been together historically for a long-time. Which schools have had a prior association with the current collective of the AAC? UAB, Southern Mississippi, Marshall, Rice and UTEP.

UAB has a solid athletics program, in a very strong recruiting market, is a national university and is located in a major metropolitan market and is perfectly situated within the footprint. They would add value to men's basketball (especially with Andy Kennedy's hiring, attendance and past success), and would be an immediate upgrade to UConn Football as well. Their new football stadium opens in 2021 in downtown Birmingham. Under the AAC banner, they could definitely add value to the rest of the league.

Vassar placed in East