Conference Realignment

Get ready for some MACtion
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McKinney
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by McKinney » Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:14 am

jpatsfan wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:14 pm The only play here for the AAC is to be a national conference. Add Boise State, SDSU and other random.parts from around the country. Travel will become insane and expensive. For those reasons I think the AAC is done. To bad the A10 doesn't want to bring back FB, what an opportunity they have right now.
Even if there was interest in sponsoring football, there's not a practical way to do it. Current NCAA regulations (20.02.6) prohibit FBS football-only conferences (FCS does not: ie. Ohio Valley Football Conference). In order to sponsor FBS football, 8 of the members must participate "in at least six men's and eight women's conference-sponsored sports, including men's basketball and football and three women's team sports, including women's basketball."

Maybe you could convince some current A10 FCS teams to upgrade to FBS? But keep in mind no one else in the A10 has a stadium that meets FBS standards (most are well below 10,000 seats and none are equipped for FBS media). Can an FBS conference give non-football members the option to play the sport in an FCS league? I'm not sure. The other non-football schools like Wichita State and UA-Little Rock do not sponsor football at all.

Why would the other A10 members look to add 7 schools so that UMass has a football home? I don't think a 21 team A10 is really reasonable, or possible due to scheduling.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by jpatsfan » Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:52 am

McKinney wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:14 am
jpatsfan wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:14 pm The only play here for the AAC is to be a national conference. Add Boise State, SDSU and other random.parts from around the country. Travel will become insane and expensive. For those reasons I think the AAC is done. To bad the A10 doesn't want to bring back FB, what an opportunity they have right now.
Even if there was interest in sponsoring football, there's not a practical way to do it. Current NCAA regulations (20.02.6) prohibit FBS football-only conferences (FCS does not: ie. Ohio Valley Football Conference). In order to sponsor FBS football, 8 of the members must participate "in at least six men's and eight women's conference-sponsored sports, including men's basketball and football and three women's team sports, including women's basketball."

Maybe you could convince some current A10 FCS teams to upgrade to FBS? But keep in mind no one else in the A10 has a stadium that meets FBS standards (most are well below 10,000 seats and none are equipped for FBS media). Can an FBS conference give non-football members the option to play the sport in an FCS league? I'm not sure. The other non-football schools like Wichita State and UA-Little Rock do not sponsor football at all.

Why would the other A10 members look to add 7 schools so that UMass has a football home? I don't think a 21 team A10 is really reasonable, or possible due to scheduling.
Actually 21 teams could lead to a 10 home 10 away schedule with 10 OOC games. Makes scheduling a bit easy and more organized. I don't think the A10 should add football just for UMass. I think they should add football because it raises the profile of the league. The A10 is kind of in a unique spot. It's a multi bid leage that is not a power conference but also not really a mid major.

And last for nostalgic reasons, it would be nice to A10 football back.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by McKinney » Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:21 am

jpatsfan wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:52 am Actually 21 teams could lead to a 10 home 10 away schedule with 10 OOC games. Makes scheduling a bit easy and more organized
Good point! The conference tournament could be interesting. For time's sake, they may have to leave the bottom 5 teams out altogether.
jpatsfan wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:52 am I don't think the A10 should add football just for UMass. I think they should add football because it raises the profile of the league. The A10 is kind of in a unique spot. It's a multi bid leage that is not a power conference but also not really a mid major.

And last for nostalgic reasons, it would be nice to A10 football back.
Does FBS on itself raise the profile of the league? Is MAC or SunBelt basketball considered a higher tier to other one-bid-leagues because they play FBS football? Or is it mainly on the composition of the conference: like if we could convince Temple & Memphis to move their football and basketball to the A10.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by jpatsfan » Wed Sep 15, 2021 1:52 pm

McKinney wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 10:21 am
jpatsfan wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:52 am Actually 21 teams could lead to a 10 home 10 away schedule with 10 OOC games. Makes scheduling a bit easy and more organized
Good point! The conference tournament could be interesting. For time's sake, they may have to leave the bottom 5 teams out altogether.
jpatsfan wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:52 am I don't think the A10 should add football just for UMass. I think they should add football because it raises the profile of the league. The A10 is kind of in a unique spot. It's a multi bid leage that is not a power conference but also not really a mid major.

And last for nostalgic reasons, it would be nice to A10 football back.
Does FBS on itself raise the profile of the league? Is MAC or SunBelt basketball considered a higher tier to other one-bid-leagues because they play FBS football? Or is it mainly on the composition of the conference: like if we could convince Temple & Memphis to move their football and basketball to the A10.
Adding Memphis, Temple, USF and Wichita State would clearly raise the BB profile of the A10. Having FBS football would allow the conference to renegotiate their TV contract because of a substantial change in membership.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by Steve81 » Wed Sep 15, 2021 2:42 pm

Please come down to earth. The A10 media contract is for 5M and was kicked down the road and is for 14 teams. Do you think it makes financial sense for those teams. The CFP will have to be changed for a new conference and believe it will be slicing up the something like 27% among 6 conferences instead of 5. Not sure it would get the votes for a change. To make ball park guesses will have to see what happens to the AAC media contract after the teams leave. Yes it sounds good. but..

Not to mention the A10 never had an interest in football. When Fordham joined they left the football team in the Patriot league. Richmond was the swing vote for the CAA in taking over the football and an A10 member. Richmond was not discourage from voting for the CAA. The A10 does not want football, period. Do you really think you can get 75% of the teams, 11 to approve adding football. Not to mention going FBS.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Wed Sep 15, 2021 3:26 pm

So many "What If..." scenarios here I feel like I'm watching a Marvel show on Disney+.


Does anyone here have any legitimate insight into the types of conversations our Athletic Department is having with conferences or other schools about conference affiliation?

I'll wait.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by jpatsfan » Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:02 pm

Steve81 wrote: Wed Sep 15, 2021 2:42 pm Please come down to earth. The A10 media contract is for 5M and was kicked down the road and is for 14 teams. Do you think it makes financial sense for those teams. The CFP will have to be changed for a new conference and believe it will be slicing up the something like 27% among 6 conferences instead of 5. Not sure it would get the votes for a change. To make ball park guesses will have to see what happens to the AAC media contract after the teams leave. Yes it sounds good. but..

Not to mention the A10 never had an interest in football. When Fordham joined they left the football team in the Patriot league. Richmond was the swing vote for the CAA in taking over the football and an A10 member. Richmond was not discourage from voting for the CAA. The A10 does not want football, period. Do you really think you can get 75% of the teams, 11 to approve adding football. Not to mention going FBS.
1) I am already down to earth. In fact I'm pretty cool guy.

2) It is an opinion that what makes this message board so much fun. We express opinions.

3) To your point about the A10 not wanting football, that adds to the growing list of reasons why we should leave that league and focus on what's good for UMass.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:16 pm

More dominoes:


https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... alignment/


AAC targeting Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and UAB.


FYI - tons of detail in the piece, including about their media contract with ESPN.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by McKinney » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:01 pm

Not great news for Mountain West. They'll be down to 7 members, non-compliant with FBS standards. Would they look to add New Mexico State or maybe an FCS call up?
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by e_parade » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:05 pm

InnervisionsUMASS wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:16 pm More dominoes:


https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... alignment/


AAC targeting Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and UAB.


FYI - tons of detail in the piece, including about their media contract with ESPN.
Not really dominoes actually - the MWC are rumored as being targeted, but the article itself points out that they might not even want to move.
For now, if the AAC can't get its top choices listed above, there is an additional group of 10-12 teams that would be considered, sources said.
This is just confirmation that they want to try and grab MWC schools, but there's no indication that its reciprocal, especially since the Big 12 might grab another 2 once Oklahoma and Texas are gone - the top candidates would need to pay exit fees twice in short order to go from the MWC to the AAC to the Big 12.


And here's toward the bottom:
Other considerations

Mountain West: North Texas and Tulsa are under consideration by the MWC. That could be a proactive move if the AAC takes some MWC teams. However, depending on which way realignment moves, the Mountain West could become the dominant Group of Five conference itself if it stays intact as there may be no combination of schools for the AAC that could make up for losses of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
Last edited by e_parade on Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by jpatsfan » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:06 pm

InnervisionsUMASS wrote: Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:16 pm More dominoes:


https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... alignment/


AAC targeting Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and UAB.


FYI - tons of detail in the piece, including about their media contract with ESPN.
The travel costs for a footprint extending coast to coast could be a lot for all involved. This could be a really bad development for UM football.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by InnervisionsUMASS » Thu Sep 16, 2021 2:08 pm

All domino pieces... whether they fall or not is still in question.
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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by Roadtrip » Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:57 pm

Or what is the sound of no dominoes falling.

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by e_parade » Fri Sep 17, 2021 3:47 pm

Roadtrip wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 1:57 pm Or what is the sound of no dominoes falling.
Dominoes will fall, just not necessarily the ones listed in the article (the AAC wouldn't meet the minimum number of full conference members if they pick no one up).

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Re: Realignment: Texas/OK->SEC; UCF, BYU, Ciny,Houston->BigXII-dominos

Post by econalum » Fri Sep 17, 2021 7:30 pm

AAC conference would be a LOSER for UMass given the distances and lack of 'draw' teams involved.
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