(06-28-2020 09:04 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

(06-28-2020 07:51 PM)UofMemphis Wrote:  

(06-04-2020 10:52 PM)esayem Wrote:  For comparison's sake, let's look at where the teams discussed were before the most recent realignment.

Big East Teams in a Power Conference:

Providence
UConn
St. John's
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
DePaul
Marquette


AAC teams in a Power Conference:

Cincinnati
USF

I think it's pretty clear why the Big East is still considered a power conference.

flip side is Memphis came from CUSA with a TV deal paying 1 million per year to the AAC which will now pay ~6.94 million per year...even if it's not "Power 5" it still puts us in a conference with way more money, better competition, and better TV exposure.

it's not an accident that teams like Memphis, Houston, and UCF weren't ever able to sniff the Cotton/Peach/Fiesta Bowls in CUSA but suddenly start winning in the AAC.

The AAC is basically the same as CUSA circa 2005 -- Central Florida, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa were all in the conference then, and Cincinnati and South Florida had just left.

Except Navy and Temple were never part of CUSA and a chunk of the schools you listed as “being from CUSA” were NEVER in CUSA at the same time. For instance, SMU and Tulsa never spent one second in a league with Cinci and USF.

Basically, the current AAC lineup is a pretty unique combo. Sure, a good chunk of the schools spent time in CUSA, but about 20% of the current AAC league WAS NEVER a member of CUSA (more if you consider Wichita) and another 20% chunks of the CUSA veterans never actually shared time in CUSA together.