wardly

Actually the aroma smells like horse shit. [Sorry, I meant Mustang shit].

I think it depends on who the interloper is. The Arkansas State fan who occasionally posts, in my opinion, interesting information without beating the Red Wolves drum should be welcomed. SMU 2006 not so much.

Let me revise my original statement. No other university other than SMU can afford to give up all their media rights revenue for 7 or so years. Leaving the AAC you know what it's members are getting which is chump change to what SMU should get at the end of the rainbow. However to the unwashed it makes no sense to add schools who don't increase their media rights revenue, which is why WSU and OSU were left behind. Quite honestly , and I am not being spiteful , I really don't see what the Ponies bring to the table from the ACC's perspective. However I am sure you will enlighten us.

None of the schools mentioned, including Memphis and USF, increase the media rights value of any major conference in the nation. While large markets like Temple in Philadelphia may sound good they don't matter if they have no fan base.In addition no one really wants private schools with 4 to 8,000 undergraduates regardless of location .

Good point. Memphis and USF seem to be likely candidates. I can't see a full merger. If they only lose FSU and Clemson they might not add anyone.

This list is 10 years old. Current members in the ACC,AAC, SEC,and BIG 12 include but are not limited to Duke,UVA,G.T.,North Carolina, Miami, Pitt,Tulane,USF,Rice,Texas,A&M,Florida, Colorado,Arizona,Utah and Kansas.

Just asking, but how do you think the implosion of the ACC will impact UNT? I have not seen us on anyone's wish list.

We bitch about playing Wyoming this year but only drew 20,000 or less for a PAC 12 home opener last year. We didn't play well against the Bears because we were not very good and searching for a starting QB. Also we had the worst defense in the nation which didn't get any better during the season. Having said that we were still just a few plays away from a 7 & 5 record and being invited to bowl game that our fans would not have attended and no one would have watched on tv.

Sounds a lot like UTA.

Unfortunately he did have a real drinking problem that extended into his office.

And go where? Back to the Belt?

Lets drop school teachers, science majors , engineers ,and anyone else who might contribute to society after graduation.

Coaches also want to win 20 games regardless of the competition.

In order to move to a stronger conference UNT must increase in value at least what that conference currently pays out annually to its existing members in media rights. We bring nothing to the table and are lucky be in the AAC.

We were in the 1AA Southland Conference for 12 years from 1983 thru 1994 with average attendance of 12,300 , 60% of Fouts capacity . Hayden Fry was coach for 6 years from 1973 thru 1978 with average attendance of 13,300, still about 60% of capacity. We opened Apogee in 2011 and 13 years later we are averaging about 20,000, just a little over 60% of capacity. Regardless of our level of competition or size of stadium we have not been able to grow our attendance percentage in proportion to our student body and metroplex graduates.

I think the BIG 10 pays out about $8 to $10 million more annually than the SEC. Plus none of possible projections of MWC reaching out to the AAC for members that I have see include North Texas, but all include UTSA. I take the PAC 2 at their word, which is to build the best West Coast Conference that they can. This may change if the ACC implodes and those left behind think OSU/WSU look better than USF and Memphis.

I was under the impression that the BIG 10 wanted Virginia and North Carolina but maybe not. If A&M gets the chance to get away from Texas's shadow once more by going to the BIG 10 they are gone.

They would save $97.5 million and the 6 teams would save a total of $30 million. The PAC would say that all 12 had the opportunity to stay but those who made the decision to leave based upon their inability to meet the minimum athletic budget did so at their own volition. The 6 released teams could add UTEP and New Mexico State and move forward. It's a cut throat world in college football right now.

Agreed, but why spend it if you don't have to?

The buy out costs for MWC programs to move to the PAC 2 on an individual basis is $5 million. The penalty the PAC must pay the MWC for poaching individual teams is $10 million for the first with incremental increases of $2.5 million per program. The total cost to the PAC to cherry pick 6 teams from the MWC is $97.5 million. These are two conditions that the PAC agreed to in order to set a football scheduling agreement for the next two years. If the PAC 2 does a reverse merger and takes all the programs but sets an athletic budget of $60 million that each program must meet within 2 or 3 years they flush out the MWC bottom feeders and it shouldn't cost them any money. However their media contract will be probably be less until that is accomplished. I am guessing that this will occur the 1st quarter of 2025. The situation could become a mute point if Clemson and FSU escape the ACC between now and then and the remaining members decide WSU and OSU look better as replacements than Memphis and USF.

Similar to the BIG 12 when they added Cincy,UCF,Houston and BYU after losing Texas and OU.

A new twist to a reverse merger is that the PAC 2 takes all the MWC teams and avoids any conference or individual school payouts. However they require all programs to increase their athletic budgets to a certain amount within in a defined timeline in order to remain a member. Both WSU and OSU athletic budgets are about $90 million while the closest MWC school is SDSU at about $60 million . The PAC 2 could require all incoming MWC teams to reach $60 million within 2 or 3 years or be dropped from the new PAC. This would probably eliminate the programs that they don't want such as Hawaii, Utah ST. , Nevada , New Mexico, SJSU, and Wyoming and give them an 8 school conference. It would also set the financial bar for any other programs that the new PAC might wish to include at a later date. within 2 or 3 years or be dropped. This should eliminate Hawaii, Utah St.

So FX said they have $25 million for Memphis to use in NIL payments. I doubt UNT has $250,000. While I think a NIL cap for the AAC is a good idea I don't know if UNT could meet the minimum requirement.

Please see the recent "Big Mountain " podcast where the narrators discuss the recent comments by President Schultz of WSU. He states that the goal is to put together the premier conference of the west coast. At present the PAC 2 as an agreement with the WCC for olympic sports thru 2025 , and with the MWC for football thru 2024 with a one year option for 2025. His feeling is that their path needs to be decided in early 2025 for scheduling purposes and media rights on a go forward basis. The take away message from the narrators perspective is that a merger between the PAC 2 and MWC is the best way to accomplish this.

USF's opening for their new stadium is scheduled for 2027 with groundbreaking this year.