American Athletic Conference

[ShockingButTrue]

I have to agree that there was nothing really new. But I did find a couple of comments interesting:







Not sure if those were hints of what might be coming or just trying reel in expectations a bit in case the status quo remains (or they could be totally irrelevant).

Much more realistic option.

There won't be any shuffling around until the power 5 says so. That's why Creighton go into the Big East.

[1972Shocker]

Maybe it will be like that "major announcement" the MVC was set to make a few years back. Come to find out, the major announcement was the MVC is keeping the tournament in St. Louis...

If I had to bet I don't think we will get much of anything at this point other than we have gathered a lot of facts and are now moving on to the next phase of the evaluation and everything remains on the table.

[1972Shocker]

If FCS happened to be the route I would like to see the following be a league for all sports.

WSU
MSU
ISUr
ISUb
UNI
SIU
SDSU
NDSU

*DBU baseball

Convince Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette that they would be better off in the best FCS football conference and a better basketball conference instead of the worst FBS Football Conference and that might be an interesting 10-team FCS conference.

Whether there is enough interest in FCS football to even consider something along those lines remains to be seen.

[Ta town]

Convince Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette that they would be better off in the best FCS football conference and a better basketball conference instead of the worst FBS Football Conference and that might be an interesting 10-team FCS conference.

Whether there is enough interest in FCS football to even consider something along those lines remains to be seen.

Gross

Lack of quality is not made up with quantity

Valley should be at 9 instead of 10 right now

[1972Shocker]

Gross

Lack of quality is not made up with quantity

Valley should be at 9 instead of 10 right now

No worse then a number of those other 8 teams you listed. Granted we might not ever win another Valley title in baseball with DBU and Louisiana-Lafayette in the conference.

Akansas State had an RPI of 42 in men's basketball last year and Louisana was at 145 better than the Valley average of 172. These RPI's are comparable to what SDSU and NDSU had last year.

Both would have football programs that would be very competitve in the FCS Valley IMHO. So if adding these schools are gross so would be adding SDSU and NDSU plus the weather would be much better at ASU and ULL.

So I guess we would both need to go back to the drawing board.

My personal preference would be to forget football and find a high quality basketball centric league, preferably the Big East, that would take us or that could be assembled. I am just not sure that the odds of that happening are very good.

If we do decide to go with football I would prefer FBS in the AAC although my expectations for success in football would be very modest.

[Ta town]

No worse then a number of those other 8 teams you listed.

A) ASU, ULL would not drop down

B) basketball is my concern not football, adding 2 more teams that are not consistently top 100 is just stupid, 8 is enough for a league. ( please don't take this as me saying the 8 schools I listed as consistently top 100, I'm saying if u r adding more)

[1972Shocker]

A) ASU, ULL would not drop down

My guess is your right, although not sure how big a a drop is form the botton rung of FBS to the top rung of FCS.

B) basketball is my concern not football, adding 2 more teams that are not consistently top 100 is just stupid, 8 is enough for a league. ( please don't take this as me saying the 8 schools I listed as consistently top 100, I'm saying if u r adding more)

8 is okay, 10 would be better but your point is a good one. If we can't find 8 quality basketball programs how are we going to find 10. The biggest issue with a 8-team conference is that you have to try and find 4 more non-conference games per year. That has not seemed to be the easiest thing to accomplish.

[SB Shock]

What if the answer is to bring back football and play in the MVC?

[Dave Stalwart]

What if the answer is to bring back football and play in the MVC?

Honestly I think this is what we will do if anything.

[ShockTalk]

What if the answer is to bring back football and play in the MVC?

If football is to be brought back, this may be the only option, at least initially. Wasn't it stated that a school cannot start at the FBS level? Even if that can be side stepped, I'm not sure an FBS conference is going to add your football sight unseen.

Maybe someone can explain to me why a second level FBS conference would add another school's football team that will more than likely not "add to the pot" for awhile (if much at all), but share in that football pot, over, some of those same conferences having room for another school's basketball program that will likely add to the basketball pot while not sharing in the football pot.

[Shoxtastic]

If football is to be brought back, this may be the only option, at least initially. Wasn't it stated that a school cannot start at the FBS level? Even if that can be side stepped, I'm not sure an FBS conference is going to add your football sight unseen.

Maybe someone can explain to me why a second level FBS conference would add another school's football team that will more than likely not "add to the pot" for awhile (if much at all), but share in that football pot, over, some of those same conferences having room for another school's basketball program that will likely add to the basketball pot while not sharing in the football pot.

A school can bypass the 'FCS Rule' if you will, if they are sponsored by an FBS conference. It's how UTSA did it and became bowl eligible a couple years later I believe (because they qualified for one). Without conference sponsorship I don't think a team can just drive its way to the top. As most of you have noted, there are a LOT of moving parts to this. Bardo might have been seeking that 'sponsorship' or he may have been using his shopping to get the Valley to buy in on football or a number of other factors. But you are dead on, there is not likely to be a conference to sponsor and revenue share with a team just getting its start. It makes no sense. There might be some riders out there for a piece of the pie in year 3,4 or the like.

I think Bardo has been told to expect another shakeup this summer in the conference structure, and this is his move to position Wichita State to be part of those discussions when they trickle down to the American, Big East, Mountain West type levels.

[1972Shocker]

there are a LOT of moving parts to this.

That's a fact, Jack. Makes it really difficult to predict where this might eventually lead.

[ShockdaWorld]

If FCS happened to be the route I would like to see the following be a league for all sports.

WSU
MSU
ISUr
ISUb
UNI
SIU
SDSU
NDSU

*DBU baseball

I will readily admit I am not very familiar with NDSU or SDSU, but how does this list improve our position as far as basketball is concerned?

[MoValley John]

I will readily admit I am not very familiar with NDSU or SDSU, but how does this list improve our position as far as basketball is concerned?

I think the list was for FCS level football. That said, NDSU has been solid in basketball. They are one of those teams that many schools fear scheduling. They've been to the NCAA's a few times since joining D-1, and knocked off Oklahoma in the dance two years ago. Also, their success at football may make them seem a little less mid major, that is just my opinion, though.

[MoValley John]

Also, NDSU has some rabid fans. They are over the top, yet funny. The year they played K-State in football, that douchey K-State fan called the mask tried to troll them on their board, NDSU fans ran him off, then humiliated him after NDSU upset K-State. They are the fun, annoying type of fans that make message boards great!

https://youtu.be/KYbvNT0zcaU