Pros & Cons of the CUSA/AAC Realignment

shaft · October 14, 2021

At the end of the day realignment (like bowl games) is about having a conference actually extend an invitation. In stead of the playing the endless "what if" game about how we would like realignment to be or what we think it's going to be. Let's break down each scenario one by one. Just the pros and cons of the scenario presented. Not a hypothetical A vs B.

Let's start with the CUSA/ACC regionalization plan. Then we can give the expanded MWC and rebuilding AAC ideas there own threads.

"The western conference would include SMU, North Texas, Rice, UTEP, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, Wichita State, UAB, Memphis and UTSA. The eastern conference would feature East Carolina, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Temple, Marshall, FAU, FIU, South Florida, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and two potential new additions."

akriesman · October 14, 2021

I personally would love that alignment and don't see any cons. It's very regional with 5 Texas teams. We would get to continue our annual games against SMU. Memphis is a nice add.

I just have a hard time believing that the other AAC teams (especially SMU) would go along with that plan, even though it makes perfect sense. The AAC saw themselves as a borderline P5 conference, before losing their marquee programs. Some of those schools will probably continue that mentality even with a diluted conference.

Also, which side gets stuck with Judy (eastern or western) ? That could be a problem for some schools.

Edited October 14, 2021 by akriesman

Texas Stranger · October 14, 2021

Best chance for this scenario to come to fruition might be for ESPN to get involved.

wardly · October 14, 2021

7 hours ago, Texas Stranger said:

Best chance for this scenario to come to fruition might be for ESPN to get involved.

I would think they are, but have no idea what they think about CUSA looking for a life boat.

El Paso Eagle · October 14, 2021

Why do I somehow get the feeling that if this happens and there is a split - we end up with Judy over our new conference.

MeanGreenTexan · October 14, 2021

I'm game.
However, your challenge that attempts to "remove hypotheticals" essentially removes all of these arguments on the whole since nothing is actually happening right now.

Pros:
Conference games against SMU & Memphis (for now?)
"Elevates" the C-USA schools that get to join in, including North Texas!
Lower travel costs as compared to other hypothetical options. Really not much of a change compared to current C-USA costs.
Probably increases revenue shares ~$100-$200k/yr over current C-USA shares.

Cons:
CUSA MUST CONVINCE ALL OF THESE AAC SCHOOLS TO ACTUALLY DO THIS.
Keeps North Texas buried in the "region". Out of sight/out of mind on the national stage (Ask the MAC schools).
Leaves a ton of $$ on the table as compared to other hypothetical options.
Proximity brings opposing fans into Apogee ($-wise this is a small Pro... like maybe $2-10k/football game?, but really, it's a Con because we can & should be filling Apogee with our own fans).

This is a fantastic option, if it materializes, as compared to our current situation. Not the best option of these hypotheticals, IMO.
Looking forward to the other threads!

UNTcrazy727 · October 14, 2021

12 hours ago, shaft said:

At the end of the day realignment (like bowl games) is about having a conference actually extend an invitation. In stead of the playing the endless "what if" game about how we would like realignment to be or what we think it's going to be. Let's break down each scenario one by one. Just the pros and cons of the scenario presented. Not a hypothetical A vs B.

Let's start with the CUSA/ACC regionalization plan. Then we can give the expanded MWC and rebuilding AAC ideas there own threads.

"The western conference would include SMU, North Texas, Rice, UTEP, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, Wichita State, UAB, Memphis and UTSA. The eastern conference would feature East Carolina, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Temple, Marshall, FAU, FIU, South Florida, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky and two potential new additions."

Cons- It's not going to happen.

Now lets move on to getting an invite to the MWC since there's at least a chance of that happening.

wardly · October 14, 2021

The AAC commission just stated that his conference is not interested in realignment and will announce new conference members within a few weeks to a month. He also said that they are not approaching programs that have not first reached out to the AAC. If you believe that then I have some land in East Texas for sale that only gets wet once a year .In my opinion the only good that will come of CUSA's attempt at realignment is if the AAC poaches at least 4 if not more teams from the CUSA and the SBC which forces these two plucked turkeys to restructure there conferences base upon geographic location. Maybe that's enough.

MeanGreenTexan · October 14, 2021

24 minutes ago, wardly said:

The AAC commission just stated that his conference is not interested in realignment and will announce new conference members within a few weeks to a month. He also said that they are not approaching programs that have not first reached out to the AAC. If you believe that then I have some land in East Texas for sale that only gets wet once a year .In my opinion the only good that will come of CUSA's attempt at realignment is if the AAC poaches at least 4 if not more teams from the CUSA and the SBC which forces these two plucked turkeys to restructure there conferences base upon geographic location. Maybe that's enough.

Sadly, this is true. We can now put this entire hypothetical to bed:
https://www.smudailycampus.com/sports/aac-commissioner-mike-aresco-responds-to-c-usa-letter-realignment-and-murky-future-for-conference

And you'd better believe President Smatresk knows how to play these games and probably chatted with Aresco prior to sending the letter out letting him know NT was interested in joining the AAC outright. There is NO WAY he was going to put all of his eggs in that basket. NO WAY.
I do worry he may have gotten himself in trouble with the other AAC Presidents by attaching his name to this letter though. I suppose we'll see. NT makes a whole lot of sense in joining the AAC.

Now, @shafton to the next threads!

untbowler · October 14, 2021

if AAC swipes from CUSA, then Sun Belt and CUSA need to regionalize, but I would comment ULM needs to drop to FCS along with NMSU, they have chosen not to fund their departments appropriately and should be moved down to the WAC and Southland respectively.

akriesman · October 14, 2021

Aresco is a real commissioner. He has done a good job with the AAC. He gets his name out there. They are nowhere near a P5 conference. But, he thinks big and that is a good thing IMO.

Judy on the other hand......

Edited October 14, 2021 by akriesman

eppy4life · October 14, 2021

I see no cons here

WanderingEagle · October 14, 2021

The AAC, MWC and Sun Belt all have mega million deals with ESPN for broadcasting. CUSA doesn't. That's the only pro that matters. Get into a conference where people can watch our games.

PlummMeanGreen · October 14, 2021

Arkansas State should replace Wichita State. No “basketball only” schools.

Billings · October 14, 2021

32 minutes ago, WanderingEagle said:

The AAC, MWC and Sun Belt all have mega million deals with ESPN for broadcasting. CUSA doesn't. That's the only pro that matters. Get into a conference where people can watch our games.

MWC TV deals are with FOX and CBS. Not an ESPN conference

MeanGreenTexan · October 14, 2021

20 minutes ago, Billings said:

MWC TV deals are with FOX and CBS. Not an ESPN conference

Hello Billings,
I see you're new around here. Welcome!
Are you a fan of a MWC school? If so, who? (Assuming due to what you're choosing to post about, and Billings being in Montana, deep in the heart of MWC country... maybe I'm off)
Does the idea of adding North Texas interest you? Can you speak to the pulse of other MWC fans regarding the same?
Do your media deals with CBSSN & Fox appease everyone, or are there regrets not going with ESPN? Does it affect bowl placements, since ESPN owns a lot of those?

Billings · October 14, 2021

1 hour ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Hello Billings,
I see you're new around here. Welcome!
Are you a fan of a MWC school? If so, who? (Assuming due to what you're choosing to post about, and Billings being in Montana, deep in the heart of MWC country... maybe I'm off)
Does the idea of adding North Texas interest you? Can you speak to the pulse of other MWC fans regarding the same?
Do your media deals with CBSSN & Fox appease everyone, or are there regrets not going with ESPN? Does it affect bowl placements, since ESPN owns a lot of those?

I am a Wyoming alumni and fan who has just retired from Montana to Hawaii and I have been watching/attending WAC and MWC games since the 60's. I have seen a lot of changes since the Arizona Schools left the WAC.

From a Wyo perspective, and I believe most front range schools, an add in Texas is fine. CSU and Air Force really want a Texas presence. TCU was a valuable member in the MWC and is missed. SMU is the preferred add but they are not joining and everyone knows that. UNT and UTSA are who I hear discussed most often. Tulsa and Rice get some mentions. I used to watch Don Haskins bring his great UTEP Basketball teams into Laramie so I have a soft spot for UTEP but I don't hear much support for them.

We get a few ESPN games but most Wyo fans do not miss them as the main TV partner. Yes the exposure was a bit better but ESPN was famous for crappy game starting times. Local attendance suffered as ESPN wanted so many early AM, very late games, and weeknight games. Witness how the MAC sold its soul to ESPN and it has not really helped them. Home crowds are better with CBS and Fox while exposure is Ok. Boise fans might disagree with that but they have more ESPN coverage then the rest of the conference.

MWC always seems to get 5-6 teams in bowl games and I don't think there is a real problem there. So many bowls these days.

I post regularly on the MWC board and UNT is mentioned as an expansion candidate. Frankly, I don't think most MWC fans know much about UNT. Unlike Aresco, Thompson is quiet and works behind the scenes. Their management styles cannot be more different as conference commissioners.

Edited October 15, 2021 by Billings

Jonnyeagle · October 15, 2021

19 minutes ago, Billings said:

I am a Wyoming alumni and fan who has just retired from Montana to Hawaii and I have been watching/attending WAC and MWC goes since the 60's.

From a Wyo perspective, and I believe most front range schools, an add in Texas is fine. CSU and Air Force really want a Texas presence. TCU was a valuable member in the MWC and is missed. SMU is the preferred add but they are not joining and everyone knows that. UNT and UTSA are who I hear discussed most often. Tulsa and Rice get some mentions. I used to watch Don Haskins bring his great UTEP Basketball teams into Laramie so I have a soft spot for UTEP but I don't hear much support for them.

We get a few ESPN games but most Wyo fans do not miss them as the main TV partner. Yes the exposure was a bit better but ESPN was famous for crappy game starting times. Local attendance suffered as ESPN wanted so many early AM, very late games, and weeknight games. Witness how the MAC sold its soul to ESPN and it has not really helped them. Home crowds are better with CBS and Fox while exposure is Ok. Boise fans might disagree with that but they have more ESPN coverage then the rest of the conference.

MWC always seems to get 5-6 teams in bowl games and I don't think there is a real problem there. So many bowls these days.

I post regularly on the MWC board and UNT is mentioned as an expansion candidate. I don't think most MWC fans know what is coming. Unlike Aresco, Thompson is quiet and works behind the scenes. Their management styles cannot be more different as conference commissioners.

Thank you for spending time with us. Would you personally be ok with UNT joining or would you be against it? I have no problem either way just interested in your personal perspective.

Billings · October 15, 2021

Here is a press release on the MWC TV deal just for information from a Casper Wyo paper.

https://trib.com/sports/college/wyoming/football/mountain-west-strikes-six-year-270-million-tv-media-rights-deal/article_71eded22-561e-5ba1-81da-ffc9913fe301.html

Edited October 15, 2021 by Billings

Billings · October 15, 2021

25 minutes ago, Jonnyeagle said:

Thank you for spending time with us. Would you personally be ok with UNT joining or would you be against it? I have no problem either way just interested in your personal perspective.

I have always thought the WAC or MWC was better with a Texas presence like UTEP or TCU. The WAC 16 went overboard and had too much concentration in Texas making divisions difficult to achieve. I do support an expansion of 1-2 teams in Texas. Partly to help balance the conference and partly as a buffer if Boise and another school leaves..

I know little about UNT at this point and that is why I joined to listen and see your viewpoints. I know UTSA was briefly courted by the MWC a few years ago but they turned the MWC down was the thought at the time.

Edited October 15, 2021 by Billings

untjim1995 · October 15, 2021

8 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Sadly, this is true. We can now put this entire hypothetical to bed:
https://www.smudailycampus.com/sports/aac-commissioner-mike-aresco-responds-to-c-usa-letter-realignment-and-murky-future-for-conference

And you'd better believe President Smatresk knows how to play these games and probably chatted with Aresco prior to sending the letter out letting him know NT was interested in joining the AAC outright. There is NO WAY he was going to put all of his eggs in that basket. NO WAY.
I do worry he may have gotten himself in trouble with the other AAC Presidents by attaching his name to this letter though. I suppose we'll see. NT makes a whole lot of sense in joining the AAC.

Now, @shafton to the next threads!

There was a negative chance that the AAC was ever gonna do this.

Smatresk and Judy were doing this to get the SBC on board. That’s their only hope.

It appears as if the MWC has decided to hold steady until someone else gets picked off by the Big XII or PAC 12. That could be years away. I suspect that AAC will add Army (football only), and three of the following CUSA teams (Charlotte, UAB, MUTS, FAU, and I guess UTSA or Rice). And I bet the SBC adds Marshall and USM. And we get stuck with an even more watered down CUSA.

untjim1995 · October 15, 2021

6 minutes ago, Billings said:

I have always thought the WAC or MWC was better with a Texas presence like UTEP or TCU. The WAC 16 went overboard and had too much concentration in Texas making divisions difficult to achieve. I do support an expansion of 1-2 teams in Texas. Partly to help balance the conference and partly as a buffer if Boise and another school leaves..

I know little about UNT at this point and that is why I joined to listen and see your viewpoints. I know UTSA was briefly courted by the MWC a few years ago but they turned the MWC down was the thought at the time.

If UTSA turned down the MWC or the AAC, they deserve CUSA forever…

Billings · October 15, 2021

18 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

If UTSA turned down the MWC or the AAC, they deserve CUSA forever…

it was 2013 and here is an article. rumor was they did not engage with the MWC at all at the time. But who really knows what happened behind the scenes. Like I said Thompson is quiet and not a carnival barker like Aresco.

San Diego State did not join the Big East and expansion never happened

https://www.mwcconnection.com/2013/1/8/3849464/mountain-west-expansion-tulsa-ut-san-antonio

Edited October 15, 2021 by Billings

Billings · October 15, 2021

20 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

There was a negative chance that the AAC was ever gonna do this.

Smatresk and Judy were doing this to get the SBC on board. That’s their only hope.

It appears as if the MWC has decided to hold steady until someone else gets picked off by the Big XII or PAC 12. That could be years away. I suspect that AAC will add Army (football only), and three of the following CUSA teams (Charlotte, UAB, MUTS, FAU, and I guess UTSA or Rice). And I bet the SBC adds Marshall and USM. And we get stuck with an even more watered down CUSA.

I believe Army already told them no

MeanGreenTexan · October 15, 2021

1 hour ago, Billings said:

I have always thought the WAC or MWC was better with a Texas presence like UTEP or TCU. The WAC 16 went overboard and had too much concentration in Texas making divisions difficult to achieve. I do support an expansion of 1-2 teams in Texas. Partly to help balance the conference and partly as a buffer if Boise and another school leaves..

I know little about UNT at this point and that is why I joined to listen and see your viewpoints. I know UTSA was briefly courted by the MWC a few years ago but they turned the MWC down was the thought at the time.

Wow! That would be a shock. They’d be really stupid to turn that offer down if true. TCU had just parlayed their time in MWC to a big12 invite. Why wouldn’t they want to try & do the same? Crazy Roadrunners.

Thanks for chiming in & I look forward to hearing more from you.

IMO, and I think it’s shared by many here, UNT would be a fine add to the MWC because we have just about everything going well for us. Our b-ball team just won a tournament game, and all of our Olympic sports are very good! We’re positioned to do even more… sadly, we just happen to suck at football in this critical juncture! Our HC is one of the top paid in all of G5, so we believe this problem could be fixed rapidly with a good hire.

Yall must be so proud of this years NFL MVP, Josh Allen. He’s incredible!