The Bishin Cutter wrote:
tkalmus wrote:
Rice to replace Houston
UNT to replace SMU
Other than those SoMiss, UAB, LA Tech, USTA, UNCC, ODU, GA St, Marshall and maybe UMass (though I doubt they'll expand back into the Northeast if UConn leaves).
That would be a horrible mistake, even if the quality isn't there. With choices like Army, UMass, Buffalo, the Ohio schools, and Marshall, I know there are others with more attractive qualities, but the overall viability of that conference with any northeastern membership dramatically decreases the more those members drop off.
I don't expect Navy to be there very long. And even just losing them is going to set back some of those members up north. The conference is simply too south-heavy.
South heavy is fine. The MWC conference has the West. The MAC has the Midwest. The AAC can take the South. Leave the Northeast to the MAC or CUSA.
Let's assume that SMU, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, Cincy and UConn get pulled up into the B12 or ACC and Navy decides to go back to independence.
The only Northern member left is Temple (and even they may be poached).
The AAC could look like this...
West- Tulsa, UNT, UTSA, Rice, LA Tech, SoMiss, and UAB
East- USF, UCF, GA St, ECU, UNCC, ODU, and Temple
Philly to Florida is a good division. Add in UMass and it stretches awkwardly.
MAC+ Marshall, UMass, JMU, and UDel looks better to me than UMass to the AAC.
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