AD Jon Gilbert says ECU is 'in a good place' when it comes to conference expansion

[Tommy Gadberry]

With the AAC having already lost UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to the Big XII, there’s fear from some fans of the 14-football playing schools left that the league could see others poached, and the conference weakened. But with the Pac-4 not having a television deal solidified, the Mountain West Conference having an exit fee of $34 million per school, and the American Athletic Conference offering more TV money (more than $7 million annually per school) than the MWC, the chances of a school leaving the AAC for a league not named the ACC, SEC, Big XII or Big 10 seems unlikely.

“I’m on the phone daily, making sure I have a full grasp of what is going on nationally,” Gilbert said. “Then I also am certainly keeping the chancellor abreast of what is real, what the discussions are, and financially, where everything is. I feel we’re in a good place right now.”

read more:https://247sports.com/college/east-carolina/article/ecu-football-aac-jon-gilbert-conference-expansion-american-athletic-conference-214318419/amp/

[meangreenbob]

A 50,000 seat stadium and although average attendance is down from previous years it is still a number we can only dream of reaching at DATCU. Who knows, maybe this year? 

Edited August 19, 2023 by meangreenbob

[NT80]

Greenville, NC....Pullman, Wash....Corvallis, Oregon.  Large, loyal fan bases in true small college towns.  These used to be desired traits of programs considered for conference expansion. 

Not any more.  Now, it's about being in an urban location with a proven Media Market and potential growth for media eyeballs and $$.