American Athletic Conference Realignment & Expansion Thread

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Tue Jan 08, 2013 2:57 pm

Quinn wrote:

tkalmus wrote:

fighting muskie wrote:

What worries me about UMass is they could potentially become an island in the New Big East and their football program does not appear ready to move up to the level of competition that will exist in the new Big East. If they were attracting 30,000 a game and slaying MAC opponents left and right it would be one thing but they aren't. I'm not sure where UConn was attendance-wise in 2004 and 2005 but UMass seems to be really hurting to generate interest. Let's look at UMass's attendance this year vs. UTSA:

Texas A&M-Commerce 30,416 Indiana 16,304
Northwestern OK St 25,742 Ohio 8,321
San Jose St 30,862 Bowling Green 10,846
Utah St 23,519 Buffalo 12,649
McNeese St 25,784 Central Mich 6,385
Texas St 39,032

To me this is not indicative of a healthy program. UTSA's worst game attracted 7,000 more people than UMass's best--or to put that in perspective, if you put all the people who were at the Indiana game in Gillette with all the people that watched the CMU game you still wouldn't have as many people who came to see UTSA vs Utah St in person.

With that said, I'm not completely anti-UMass. In a few years, possibly when UConn leaves, if UMass's program has improved and they are MAC contenders on a regular basis and get their attendance up I would like to see them come in to give Temple a rival. I'm also a believer in the maxim "wins build fanbases" and I think UMass needs to get some wins under its belt in the MAC in order to build a fanbase on par with the nBE average.

Not a UMass hater or fan but they aren't playing anywhere near their campus, the attendence issue should be better once the on campus stadium is ready...still UTSA is the attendence gold standard for FCS upgrades in years one, probably not realistic to compare them to that.

Indeed. Much of what we thought about in the past regarding what is a gauge for the attractiveness of a program, has started to change. Look at Georgia St. They became attractive not due to their on field success, attendance, or even market penetration. They were brought in almost solely on potential and the market they are in. A small viewership share in Atlanta has value, a small share in Chattanooga doesn't. So for UMass, I think the only reason they are brought up ever is because of that: potential and market. If UMass football could get anything near the UMass basketball viewership from the 1990's, in todays TV economy, that would be huge. But just being on TV in the Boston AND Western MA region (Springfield) is why they are on the radar. If we were talking Maine in FBS, they wouldn't be in the conversation as Orono just wouldn't cut it.

Brought to you by the same moron that brought NMSU, Idaho to the WAC and attempted "the project" Georgia So., App St. would do more for the SBC than Ga St. plus much less worry of losing Ga Southern and App since they are not in a big market(see Troy).

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7100

Couple of blog articles(Dennis Dodd and Mark Blaudschun)discussing BE realignment and tv deal situation at http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=4671
and at http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... -from-espn

NorwichCat11 · **Joined:** Tue Jan 08, 2013 9:56 pm **Posts:** 73

I am new here, but maybe someone can answer this question for me: Why hasn't the Big East tried to take Ohio U.[b]and [b]Northern Illinois U.[b]?
It seems to me that both of these schools would be a great fit and be competitive at the Big East level.[/b][/b][/b]

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3762

NorwichCat11 wrote:

I am new here, but maybe someone can answer this question for me: Why hasn't the Big East tried to take Ohio U.[b]and [b]Northern Illinois U.[b]?
It seems to me that both of these schools would be a great fit and be competitive at the Big East level.[/b][/b][/b]

Success on the field is secondary to market penetration. Neither of those schools currently does much for the TV value in that respect.

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1043

Quinn wrote:

NorwichCat11 wrote:

I am new here, but maybe someone can answer this question for me: Why hasn't the Big East tried to take Ohio U.[b]and [b]Northern Illinois U.[b]?
It seems to me that both of these schools would be a great fit and be competitive at the Big East level.[/b][/b][/b]

Success on the field is secondary to market penetration. Neither of those schools currently does much for the TV value in that respect.

I've said for years that raiding the MAC for NILL, Ball St, Toledo, Ohio, MiamiOH, and Buffalo would be a great move for a new Northern mid major conference to partner with some combo of Marshall, Temple, UMass, ODU, and upgrades like Liberty/UDel. It would help these schools separate themselves from the MAC who could then expand with schools like YSU.

But I think the MAC is happy and only the schools on the outside (UMass, Buffalo, NILL) are really itching to move.

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7100

Mark Blaudschun blog article discussing tomorrow's BE meeting in Dallas.He says BE is still trying to keep SDSU and is looking at Tulsa.Link at http://ajerseyguy.com/?p=4700

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7100

CBSSports article(previously posted in another thread)discussing SDSU/MWC and todays BE meeting at http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... ks-ongoing

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:15 pm

So according to this guy UConn and Cincy are C7 options even though they weren't on the C7 list of 6 posted yesterday. Went the split happened I believe I remember the C7 schools saying they didn't want those 2 b/c they'd just leave for the ACC when the chance came.

Also said Xavier, SLU, Butler would come w/ them. Isn't that a non starter Xavier and Cincy in the same conf in the same market.
http://ajerseyguy.com/

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:50 pm

here's the counter to the last one
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com ... ting.html/

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7100

Hartford Courant article with comments from UConn AD who discusses yesterday's BE meeting and shoots down rumors of his school going to the Catholic 7 at http://articles.courant.com/2013-01-11/ ... o-big-east

carolinaknights · **Joined:** Sun Oct 09, 2005 6:41 pm **Posts:** 225

Big East should add Nova for FB and that will keep the other C6 schools in the League. Also add Army and So. Miss. The FB schools are all sports members except Army and Navy who will want to remain in the Patriot League for BB and Olympic Sports.

C6 plus:

FB North: Uconn, Cinn, Temple, Nova, Army, Navy, ECU.
FB South: USF, UCF, So. Miss, Tulane, Houston, SMU, Memphis.

BB North: UConn, Temple, Nova, St. Johns, G'Town, Seton Hall, Providence, Marquette, DePaul.
BB South: Cinn, Memphis, USF, UCF, Tulane, Houston, SMU, ECU, So. Miss.

Double round robin for BB and Olympic Sports per division rotating the other division through 4 and 5 every other year.
Seven division games and one rotating divisional opponent every 2 year unless all the other conferences go to 9 conference games then go to 7 and 2 for 9 conference games.

nickp91 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 13, 2011 2:47 pm **Posts:** 16

There are rumblings that Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco will be focused on expanding in the East and abandoning the western expansion targets if San Diego decides not to join

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3762

nickp91 wrote:

There are rumblings that Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco will be focused on expanding in the East and abandoning the western expansion targets if San Diego decides not to join

Yes, hence the Tulsa and UMass discussions.

freaked4collegefb · **Joined:** Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm **Posts:** 7100

Article out of Bonesville discussing future "FB centric" BE at http://bonesville.net/Articles/DannyWhi ... itford.htm

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1510

Great piece !

Only comment is that Army will be reluctant to join for FB, since it is the same CUSA crowd that Army couldn't compete with back in late 1990s / early 2000s....
Army needs to investigate what navy and Air Force do, to at least be mediocre in FBS. Maybe what they need to conside long-term is playing at the FCS level,
with a number of FBS OOC games (Navy, Notre Dame, Syracuse... whomeve their traditional FBS rivals are).

American Athletic Conference Realignment & Expansion Thread

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