Happy to be sitting here with (let’s be real on this board it’s just UCF UC and UH fans) you all just sipping tea and watching the carnage.

I remember too well what it was like to be on that side of the fence when we were all back in C-USA and we were gutted of teams that "moved up" and we were left behind... felt like we were doomed to be 2nd class citizens forever...

Sucks to be in those shoes, so I feel sympathy for the fans of those teams... I find it hard to joke about their situation.

Yeah, I remember when the Big East fell apart and how that felt, especially on the basketball side. I never believed the AAC was as bad as people said, though. This new AAC on the other hand really is CUSA 3/4.0. Truly a step back for them and feel bad for Memphis, SMU, USF, and Temple to a lesser extent. The rest of the teams were the ones who moved up and didn't do a whole lot with the opportunities they had.

Everything considered, the AAC did the best they could with what they had. Tex is pretty much locked up G5 wise for them. Old schools managed to keep $$ in place, plus will get the exit $$. New schools will get a decent raise. Once the MWC deal fell through, they had to deal with the hand they were given.

They had no homerun choices to make, but avoided the strike out.

Sucks for them but it is what it is. Lol

I definitely have mixed feelings. The Big XII has lost a LOT of history. In this latest round I won’t miss UT, but I will miss OU.

The sad reality is that it’s all about money now. I don’t think that bigger is always better, but that’s the way of the world.

Having said that, I am looking forward to the new Big XII. I like the group coming in - programs with good history and passionate fan bases. It’s gonna be fun.

I wouldn't say it's burning down unless you're UTEP. Maybe FIU. Maybe LA Tech. If anything the Sun Belt is going to be stronger when the dust settles. And the AAC looks suspiciously like ESPN recreating a modern day Metro Conference. Both the AAC and Sun Belt will be fine ultimately and come along on whatever ride happens when March Madness gets stripped away from the NCAA.

C-USA though ... it's very not fine. It could become the east coast WAC conference. I don't think C-USA (or the WAC or literally a dozen other conferences like the NEC, MAAC, MEAC, SWAC, Southland, Big South, OVC, MVC, etc) will be coming along for whatever happens post-NCAA.

CUSA could invite Missouri State, Delaware, NMSU, UConn, Umass, and maybe EKU or Chattanooga

(10-21-2021 11:33 AM)BraveKnight Wrote:  CUSA could invite Missouri State, Delaware, NMSU, UConn, Umass, and maybe EKU or Chattanooga

That sounds considerably more like the world burning down.

(10-21-2021 11:35 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 11:33 AM)BraveKnight Wrote:  CUSA could invite Missouri State, Delaware, NMSU, UConn, Umass, and maybe EKU or Chattanooga

That sounds considerably more like the world burning down.

For CUSA it’s definitely burning down, but FCS callups might be the only way they prevent the ship from completely sinking

Big12 isn't exactly a steady group either. We still don't know if the New Big 12 is considered a Power conference.

The narrative could easily change to 4 Major Conferences, SEC, ACC, B1G and PAC.

We don't know what the tv deal is going to look like. Are the early estimations accurate or is this all fluffed up for realignment purposes?

(10-21-2021 01:20 PM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  Big12 isn't exactly a steady group either. We still don't know if the New Big 12 is considered a Power conference.

The narrative could easily change to 4 Major Conferences, SEC, ACC, B1G and PAC.

We don't know what the tv deal is going to look like. Are the early estimations accurate or is this all fluffed up for realignment purposes?

They are and will continue to be an Autonomous 5 conference. There's no such thing as "Power 5". It's a marketing gimmick.

Assuming CUSA also loses S Miss, Marshall, and ODU----the first thing CUSA needs to do is tell UTEP you can stick around as a "football only" member---but you need to find new olympic home. The WAC or MW would be good options. Then CUSA can rebuild with fairly reasonable geography. Grab Liberty. Thats 5 full members. After that it gets tough. Delaware? VMI? Kennesaw St? Jacksonville? McNeese? N Carolina A&T? Towson? Maine? UMass might be interested in football only. UConn as well. They both suck---but they have great name recognition and would probably improve with a stable conference situation that lands them in more consistent southeastern recruiting grounds. Its easy to get to 10 or 12 with "football only" members--but finding the best available 8 required full members is the real problem.

The American was an okay conference when the Big East collapsed. It sucked losing Louisville & Rutgers too. However, we were in a much better situation than where they are today. We might even be able to catch up to Louisville in money (not Rutgers). I feel bad for Memphis. Cincinnati, Louisville & Memphis are sister schools that have been about at the same level, now the gap between Louisville/Cincinnati & Memphis will be much bigger than the gap was between Louisville & Cincinnati/Memphis.

i have mixed feelings about it but i think the American will be okay. The new teams are hungry and will get the exposure that they need to get them to the next level and the old ones will continue to invest. UCF, Houston, and UC all grinded and continued to get better. I remember reading Houston had poured millions into their facilities and spent money they didn't have hoping for it to pay off. And now it is paying off.

The new American will bring some great teams out into the limelight and continue to hog the NY6 bowls.

With that said Houston should not rest on its laurels. Realignment is coming full circle when the ACC deal expires in about 10 years. Be ready !

The drama over where Marshall will go just makes you realize how small-time CUSA and SBC really are.

(10-21-2021 11:18 AM)BewareThePhog Wrote:  I definitely have mixed feelings. The Big XII has lost a LOT of history. In this latest round I won’t miss UT, but I will miss OU.

The sad reality is that it’s all about money now. I don’t think that bigger is always better, but that’s the way of the world.

Having said that, I am looking forward to the new Big XII. I like the group coming in - programs with good history and passionate fan bases. It’s gonna be fun.

You're going to love/hate/love to hate UC and UCF.

Let's put it this way -- you will develop a strong opinion about both teams/fans.

(10-21-2021 02:25 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  Assuming CUSA also loses S Miss, Marshall, and ODU----the first thing CUSA needs to do is tell UTEP you can stick around as a "football only" member---but you need to find new olympic home. The WAC or MW would be good options. Then CUSA can rebuild with fairly reasonable geography. Grab Liberty. Thats 5 full members. After that it gets tough. Delaware? VMI? Kennesaw St? Jacksonville? McNeese? N Carolina A&T? Towson? Maine? UMass might be interested in football only. UConn as well. They both suck---but they have great name recognition and would probably improve with a stable conference situation that lands them in more consistent southeastern recruiting grounds. Its easy to get to 10 or 12 with "football only" members--but finding the best available 8 required full members is the real problem.

UConn needs to suck it up and go CUSA football only.

(10-21-2021 11:28 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  I wouldn't say it's burning down unless you're UTEP. Maybe FIU. Maybe LA Tech. If anything the Sun Belt is going to be stronger when the dust settles. And the AAC looks suspiciously like ESPN recreating a modern day Metro Conference. Both the AAC and Sun Belt will be fine ultimately and come along on whatever ride happens when March Madness gets stripped away from the NCAA.

C-USA though ... it's very not fine. It could become the east coast WAC conference. I don't think C-USA (or the WAC or literally a dozen other conferences like the NEC, MAAC, MEAC, SWAC, Southland, Big South, OVC, MVC, etc) will be coming along for whatever happens post-NCAA.

I'm very concerned with the MAC. I love the MAC. Very diminished from their hey-day but they've gotten this cool early week niche (MACtion) with exciting offenses and high scoring competitive games. That said, if you looked at the financials for some of these programs, it is simply unsustainable. UC/UH/UCF dumped huge sums of money into their program but there was an obvious payoff. The MAC isn't going to double or triple their money in a new TV deal -- which they would have to do (at least!) to remain viable.