(06-25-2015 06:14 PM)Attackcoog Wrote: (06-25-2015 06:02 PM)BE4evah Wrote: Staying at 10 is dangerous in the event that the 10th gets poached.
I can't see nonfootball schools being added. That lesson has been learned.
There is really nobody worth adding. Marshall? just makes us look more like CUSA---besides, Marshall cant compete without using non-qualifiers. S Miss? Some history with the existing AAC schools, but their money issues are concerning. NIU---no attendance and do we really want more games in the snow?
There are a couple of promising young programs that might grow into something--but they are not going anywhere. No reason to gamble and select the wrong one. Let things develop and see who makes the best future add a few years down the road (if we ever need an add). Id rather hold at 10 and hope 6-8 MW schools become more interested in creating a national conference over the next few years.
"SOME" history with existing AAC members? Do your homework, Coog. While Houston's history with Southern Miss began in the mid '90's, our history with many of the teams go back a very long time and our ties are close to the bone. Many of us were Southern Independents, part of the Liberty Bowl Alliance, Metro Conference members, charter members of C-USA.
Our history with Houston is not lacking. Our games with Houston nearly always impacted the upper standings if not the conference title. You must be a newbie fan.
Memphis and Southern Miss grew up together. When minimum numbers of DI games were required to stay in the "Big Boy" division, we played each other twice in the same season at times.
East Carolina and Southern Miss have shared so many struggles that we feel like brothers from a different mother. Our games were always meaningful. The only thing that diminishes our rivalry is our geographic dispersion.
Tulane and Southern Miss are not peer institutions and the series was one-sided, but we share a meaningful history that dates back to the '70's, increased with the Metro Conference, and continued to C-USA.
Cincinnati was with us since the Metro days. We played some meaningful games when they started to field good football teams.
Our relationships with USF/UCF were short on time but not in intensity. Much hate was built in a short time due to some extremely meaningful games played with championship implications.
Many fans of the AAC have very short memories. Lowly old Southern Miss has reached depths never seen before in the last couple of years, but it was not too long ago that many of the AAC teams were openly emulating Southern Miss as a formula to become more that what they were. That strategy worked for many of you and you left Southern Miss in the dust. Southern Miss, by associating with the teams that have passed us by could return to their proper place in the world by returning to competition with our long-time peers. This time we would be playing catch-up, but we would be there in no time flat with the right association.
Southern Miss was a charter member in C-USA for one reason and one reason only: to give the league football credibility. Our struggles are new and they could go away quickly. The tradition could be rekindled quickly. We will never have money, but we had and can have again a recognizable and respectable brand that will add quality and value to a conference.
Short memories some people have.