There is a lot of talk on the realignment board about possible AAC replacement schools, and Buffalo has gotten a lot of mentions. A couple of other MAC schools (Toledo, NIU) have also been mentioned, as well.

If Buffalo (or Toledo or NIU) fans want your school to be considered by the AAC, your President or AD must contact AAC Commissioner Aresco soon, if they haven't done so yet.

Why?

The AAC has announced that it has an anti-poaching policy, and will not invite any school to join the AAC unless they contact him first to inform him that they would like to become an AAC member.

So any Buffalo (Toledo, NIU, etc.) fans might want to make some phone calls within the next week to make sure that UB will at least be considered as a possible AAC member.

The AAC has already begun considering applications, and there is a general expectation that the conference will probably announce which schools it will be adding at some point in the next few weeks.

Correction: There has been a lot more talk about Buffalo on the AAC message board than on the realignment board.

.

The reasons why Buffalo has gotten a lot of discussion, in particular are:

UB's ~75% FB win pct, past 3 seasons (equivalent to 9.7 FB wins/yr; 2018-2020)

UB has had more NCAA (and NIT) BB teams than any of the other contenders (Marshall, UAB, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, App. St.) except SDSU.

The only contender with a better combination of FB & BB wins is SDSU.

Buffalo is the only contender with strong FB & BB programs that is an R1, top 100, AAU university.

Buffalo is the only strong contender that is a state flagship university (the AAC hasn't had a state flagship school since UConn departed).

.

NOTE: The main commitment that the AAC would want to see would be that UB would use the increased broadcasting revenue (probably $3 to $4 million more than UB currently receives as a MAC school) to improve stadium, facilities, etc., so as to boost UB's brand nationally.

The AAC schools have all benefitted significantly from being members of the American (increased applications, donations, attendance, viewership, etc.), so it would be an overall benefit to UB, as a whole - not just to UB athletics.

I’d be a little wary of joining the AAC right now. Once the PAC take their pick of what they want from the BIG12 (this will happen), I expect the BIG12 to grab the remaining attractive teams from the AAC (SMU, S Florida, Tulane…)

(09-16-2021 08:27 AM)Milwaukee Wrote:  There is a lot of talk on the realignment board about possible AAC replacement schools, and Buffalo has gotten a lot of mentions. A couple of other MAC schools (Toledo, NIU) have also been mentioned, as well.

If Buffalo (or Toledo or NIU) fans want your school to be considered by the AAC, your President or AD must contact AAC Commissioner Aresco soon, if they haven't done so yet.

Why?

The AAC has announced that it has an anti-poaching policy, and will not invite any school to join the AAC unless they contact him first to inform him that they would like to become an AAC member.

So any Buffalo (Toledo, NIU, etc.) fans might want to make some phone calls within the next week to make sure that UB will at least be considered as a possible AAC member.

The AAC has already begun considering applications, and there is a general expectation that the conference will probably announce which schools it will be adding at some point in the next few weeks.

I remember when Buffalo was considered a weak link in the MAC ... how time flies. Institutionally, UB does make more sense than any other MAC school to be an AAC member. The school has strong leadership and strong finances.

The ??? is, does UB have what it takes to be a top tier program in the AAC for the long haul? Hoops look solid for both men and women and FB seems capable. But none is guaranteed. If UB is mid-tier or worse, is it really worth it? I guess the TV money makes it doable.

But UB looks capable of getting a NCAA bid every year, even in the 1-bid MAC. The AAC, after 3/4, there are no guarantees. As for the FB playoff, Cincinnati shows that's no lock either.

As for rivalry ties, there really are none in the MAC for UB.

Finally, NIU has gone to this dance several times in the past with poor results. Toledo has had visions of grandeur for years so this might be UTs last shot at a MAC exit. But the same questions stand here. Can the Rockets be top tier in the AAC, FB & BB, and how long will it take to get there.

As for the MAC, it's still a 1-bid league with or without any of them and still a viable mid-major fb/bb conference. No more, no less.

Buffalo and UT/NIU should be considered for the AAC but probably won't because the AAC is focused on footprint survival at the moment, then C2C if they can pull it off.

MAC will be fine. If schools leave it will open spaces in the conference to grab MVC or CUSA teams. Go back to 12 with Illinois St and WKU for better basketball than before.

The MAC has placed 10 of its 12 schools in the Top 25 over the last 2 decades. It will be fine with some departures.

I can see why Buffalo might like to be in the same conference with Temple, but after that it's kind of a random mishmash of G5 schools: East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, and Tulane, for example. The athletic programs at these schools are typically more robust than in the MAC, but even so: Is it worth it to to fly the volleyball team across the country to rub shoulders with these schools instead of Kent State, Bowling Green, Akron, Ohio, and Miami? I question whether the change in conference affiliations would move the needle enough for the university's president, fans, and boosters.

Also, given that Temple is now a Northeast island for the American Athletic, I'm not sure why that conference would willingly make its footprint even weirder. It might make more sense to stick to the South and contain travel costs a bit.

coming off of a covid year would any university in the MAC want to take on extra financial burden at this time? I just do not see any MAC program leaving at this time.

(09-16-2021 09:41 AM)Schadenfreude Wrote:  I can see why Buffalo might like to be in the same conference with Temple, but after that it's kind of a random mishmash of G5 schools: East Carolina, Memphis, South Florida, and Tulane, for example. The athletic programs at these schools are typically more robust than in the MAC, but even so: Is it worth it to to fly the volleyball team across the country to rub shoulders with these schools instead of Kent State, Bowling Green, Akron, Ohio, and Miami? I question whether the change in conference affiliations would move the needle enough for the university's president, fans, and boosters.

Also, given that Temple is now a Northeast island for the American Athletic, I'm not sure why that conference would willingly make its footprint even weirder. It might make more sense to stick to the South and contain travel costs a bit.

Buffalo is a lot closer to the center of the AAC than UConn was, and nobody claimed that UConn made the AAC footprint "weird." Some people saw it as a major strength that the American had a presence in the northeastern U.S., near the NYC metro area. The AAC has lost that, but they'd like to have it back.

The Big Ten added Rutgers for the same reason the AAC valued UConn - to tap into the NYC area viewership. However, as a S.U.N.Y. university, Buffalo could tap the college football viewership around the city more effectively than Rutgers (NJ) and UConn can if they were to go with their NEW YORK branding strategy in big bold letters on its uniforms.

(09-16-2021 09:56 AM)cmufanatic Wrote:  coming off of a covid year would any university in the MAC want to take on extra financial burden at this time? I just do not see any MAC program leaving at this time.

You may be right, but most of the AAC schools found that their financial burden was made lighter, not heavier when they joined the American. Fundraising, donations, ticket sales increased. Broadcasting revenue increased.

(09-16-2021 10:12 AM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-16-2021 09:56 AM)cmufanatic Wrote:  coming off of a covid year would any university in the MAC want to take on extra financial burden at this time? I just do not see any MAC program leaving at this time.

You may be right, but most of the AAC schools found that their financial burden was made lighter, not heavier when they joined the American. Fundraising, donations, ticket sales increased. Broadcasting revenue increased.

good points!

(09-16-2021 10:12 AM)Milwaukee Wrote:  

(09-16-2021 09:56 AM)cmufanatic Wrote:  coming off of a covid year would any university in the MAC want to take on extra financial burden at this time? I just do not see any MAC program leaving at this time.

You may be right, but most of the AAC schools found that their financial burden was made lighter, not heavier when they joined the American. Fundraising, donations, ticket sales increased. Broadcasting revenue increased.

But what happens when you replace their most valuable schools (UCF, UH, and Cincy) with the likes of UAB, Georgia St., Marshall, ODU, Buffalo, etc.? Also, what happens when the Big 12 expands again and takes Memphis? At that point the AAC is nothing more than CUSA 3.0.

Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see Temple bolt and go indy for football and back to the A10 for basketball.

I would be leery of joining the AAC, I am sure Memphis is working hard to find a new conference. I would also bet that the TV contract will decrease in value. That said, UB is an AAU member like Tulane and has over a $1 Billion endowment. UB is also located in a good size media market.

My question is, would UB be interested in moving?

I'd be surprised if any MAC team pursues the AAC now, especially with an attractive and very local Cincinnati out of the picture and the knowledge that the Big XII may not be done feasting on the conference.

A step up in competition or not, I don't see a MAC fanbase's engagement and attendance increasing appreciably when current members Tulane, SMU or USF come to town, let alone a handful of potential CUSA entrants. At least not enough to offset the large uptick in travel costs across the sports.

Likewise, I highly doubt the AAC will pursue any current MAC members. Our relatively weak attendance figures and (outside of Buffalo) smallish, semi-rural campus sites are unappealing compared to the larger, growing population centers down south and out west.

One might view the MAC as stagnant and spinning its wheels in a glass-half-empty viewpoint. That might be fair, but the constant musical chairs of the CUSA-SB-AAC fighting over the same territories may be entertaining, but isn't all that's cracked up to be either.

I was already getting confused as to which conferences some of those newer-to-FBS southern schools were in, and I follow college football closer than the average Joe. And that'll get even more of a mish-mash in the coming few years.

(09-16-2021 10:52 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  I'd be surprised if any MAC team pursues the AAC now, especially with an attractive and very local Cincinnati out of the picture and the knowledge that the Big XII may not be done feasting on the conference.

A step up in competition or not, I don't see a MAC fanbase's engagement and attendance increasing appreciably when current members Tulane, SMU or USF come to town, let alone a handful of potential CUSA entrants. At least not enough to offset the large uptick in travel costs across the sports.

Likewise, I highly doubt the AAC will pursue any current MAC members. Our relatively weak attendance figures and (outside of Buffalo) smallish, semi-rural campus sites are unappealing compared to the larger, growing population centers down south and out west.

One might view the MAC as stagnant and spinning its wheels in a glass-half-empty viewpoint. That might be fair, but the constant musical chairs of the CUSA-SB-AAC fighting over the same territories may be entertaining, but isn't all that's cracked up to be either.

I was already getting confused as to which conferences some of those newer-to-FBS southern schools were in, and I follow college football closer than the average Joe. And that'll get even more of a mish-mash in the coming few years.

Excellent summation, Motown!

(09-16-2021 10:52 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  I'd be surprised if any MAC team pursues the AAC now, especially with an attractive and very local Cincinnati out of the picture and the knowledge that the Big XII may not be done feasting on the conference.

A step up in competition or not, I don't see a MAC fanbase's engagement and attendance increasing appreciably when current members Tulane, SMU or USF come to town, let alone a handful of potential CUSA entrants. At least not enough to offset the large uptick in travel costs across the sports.

Likewise, I highly doubt the AAC will pursue any current MAC members. Our relatively weak attendance figures and (outside of Buffalo) smallish, semi-rural campus sites are unappealing compared to the larger, growing population centers down south and out west.

One might view the MAC as stagnant and spinning its wheels in a glass-half-empty viewpoint. That might be fair, but the constant musical chairs of the CUSA-SB-AAC fighting over the same territories may be entertaining, but isn't all that's cracked up to be either.

I was already getting confused as to which conferences some of those newer-to-FBS southern schools were in, and I follow college football closer than the average Joe. And that'll get even more of a mish-mash in the coming few years.

i agree, well stated

(09-16-2021 10:52 AM)Motown Bronco Wrote:  A step up in competition or not, I don't see a MAC fanbase's engagement and attendance increasing appreciably when current members Tulane, SMU or USF come to town, let alone a handful of potential CUSA entrants.

I think this is what it comes down to.

Do you guys that the AAC media contract will become more MAC like as in the 10-14M range? Asking as would probably make Buffalo a harder choice and Temple perhaps would leave except the AAC buyout will be too expensive.

MAC should be aggressive and invite Temple, UCONN, UMASS, and Marshall. The invite should be all sports or Football only. Could create a nice MAC east division along with Buffalo and Ohio and maybe be enough to entice Army down the road.

(09-16-2021 10:47 AM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  I would be leery of joining the AAC, I am sure Memphis is working hard to find a new conference. I would also bet that the TV contract will decrease in value. That said, UB is an AAU member like Tulane and has over a $1 Billion endowment. UB is also located in a good size media market.

My question is, would UB be interested in moving?

It might be worth it to UB to move on academic reasons alone, rubbing shoulders with more highly rated schools.

The A10 FB idea begins to sound attractive again. UMass, Buff, Ohio, Miami, UT, NIU, WMU and two FCS upgrades like Delaware and Stony Brook. Room for more MAC schools now the Marshall is AAC/SBC bound. Then add UConn and Army FB only. Personally I'd rather try something like this than the AAC playing in a conference with $70 million dollar budgets.

Without UConn, Cincinnati and UCF I have no interest in the AAC. I could not care less about Tulsa, SMU and ECU. They're kidding themselves if they think they're better than C-USA or Sun Belt.