SMU2006

Its not just UNLV that's desperate. The PAC is going to be the "best of the rest" conference. That's going to create a sense of desperation for every program in the AAC and MWC.

West - SDSU, Wazzu, Oregon State, Boise State, CO State, Fresno State, UNLV East - Memphis, UNT, UTSA, Texas State, Tulane, East Carolina, USF Problem solved 🙂

If you think they don't want to destroy the MWC (while taking some of their most valuable properties) you don't understand how these things work. The PAC literally is a carcass of its former self b/c it was picked apart by other conferences. They will pillage anything and everything they can to remain alive. IMO, the invites to the four schools is meant to create panic and urgency by the other MWC schools as well as potential targets in the AAC. If you're Memphis do you really want to sit back and wait for an ACC/Big 12 invite that is never going to happen or do you act now to make sure you are in the "best of the rest" G5 league? Same goes for USF who will no doubt need to have a geographic bridge with likely Tulane, UTSA, and UNT. You could have a conference with a footprint in San Diego, Denver(ish), Las Vegas, DFW, Memphis, San Antonio, New Orleans, and Tampa. That "should" be enough to get a media partner interested.

I think the best bet is to go in tandem with UTSA and Tulane. Try to sell the PAC on having a footprint in DFW, San Antonio, and New Orleans. That might be enough to get it done. The PAC needs media markets in the worst way. Wazzu, Oregon State, Fresno State, and Boise State are complete non-starters. SDSU at least is in a major market. CO State is close enough to Denver you could make the argument. UNLV, Memphis, UNT, UTSA, Tulane, and USF are all in major markets. That should be the play.

Agreed. Set up divisions or (at very least) three or four conference games against teams that are regional. Cuts down on travel costs and maintains at least a few annual rivalries. Something to consider though is how desperate are some of the leftover MWC to get that PAC invite? I got a feeling the PAC is going to leverage the fear of being left in the lurch to incentive potential expansion candidates to forego media revenue and/or "pay" to join. If you're UNLV right now you are probably willing to do just about anything not be left out of the PAC. Same goes for the other MWC teams. Will that have a trickle down effect to schools like Memphis, Tulane, and USF?

There is a zero percent chance that CAL and Stanford are risking ACC litigation and forfeiture of roughly $150m over the next decade so they can play Fresno State and Boise State (two schools they turned their noses up at while a member of the PAC). Stanford/CAL love the academic fit in the ACC. I do think eastward expansion is the only choice for the PAC. Some combination of Memphis, Tulane, UNT, UTSA, Texas State, and USF.

Eastward expansion is the only viable solution for a new PAC-12. The schools you cited do absolutely nothing from a TV perspective except UNLV. If the PAC is being proactive and strategic they will target Memphis, UNT, UTSA, Tulane, Navy, and USF. Kill the AAC and have coast to coast content which should be attractive to the TV suits.

None of what you post here has any chance of happening. None of it.

Best of luck to North Texas. The American is still a good conference with some intriguing teams. I do not think we will play in football again, however. Hope I'm wrong but as Denton accurately pointed out the ACC is pushing every school to only schedule other P4's with one FCS so the Safeway Bowl may finally be at an end 😞

Yes. All reasonable people know this (including FSU and Clemson). Not only did FSU and Clemson sign the initial GOR they released statements at the time about how great it was the stability of the league and how it ensures, as the FSU president wrote, "no can leave". Not only did they sign the initial GOR but they resigned it. TWICE. Good luck getting a NC judge (ACC headquarters in Charlotte) to buy that they were tricked into the deal. Its simply not going to work. The lawsuits are red meat for their fanbases that are mad about the money gap between the ACC and the B1G/SEC. Nothing more.

I think North Texas would be included. I think the eventual endgame would be an East/West "merger" of the MWC/Pac-2 and AAC. West - Washington State, Oregon State, San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, Boise State, UNLV, Colorado State, Air Force East - North Texas, UTSA, Rice, Tulane, South Florida, East Carolina, Memphis, Navy, Army

There is a zero percent chance A&M leaves the SEC. Zero. And there is a better chance of Texas Tech dropping football than getting an SEC invite.

Vanderbilt backed out of a home and home b/c their coaching staff is on the hot seat. SMU wasn't notified until late spring and Nevada was one of only a few schools willing to play week zero. Return game in Dallas is 2028 but I doubt that happens given P4 scheduling is all but assuredly going to do away with G5 OOC matchups.

You'd rather have poor, sad, irrelevant energy?

P4's are already informing schools that any open OOC will be against other P4's. In the next 5-7 years there won't be any G5 v P4 games at all.

UNT would've walked a mile over broken glass to have at least made some kind of impact on college football. Not being ranked for five decades with a Dollar Store budget for NIL isn't exactly screaming relevance is it?

What's UNT's record against SMU again?

UNT has 5x the undergrads and they can't be bothered to walk across campus to watch a football game at a really nice and still new stadium. Says a lot doesn't it.

Kinda seems like you don't pay for sh*t but expect different results.

attendance smack from a school with nearly 40k undergrads and has never had a single sellout....

The Jags are no joke but I do expect North Texas to win.

Hard to fill seats with opponents no one has heard of and/or cares about in a sports market like Dallas. As illustrated by three sellouts already (TCU, BYU, FSU) if teams that actually matter are coming that gets people interested.

Memphis academics are a 100% non-starter for the SEC. They are prime Big 12. Mediocre media market and poor academics will align well there. USF and Tulane are intriguing. USF especially given their financial commitment and AAU status. FAU, ECU, Charlotte, and Temple have a better chance of going to the NFC East than the ACC.

SMU is closing in on 20k season tickets sold and hasn't played a down of football in the ACC. Try again.