American Athletic Conference

[GoShockers89]

If the University fails to leverage this run into a move, I am going to be very, very sad and disappointed. The clock is ticking.

[Snapshot9]

I wouldn't get too excited, ADES seems to be more of a status quo type person than an innovator. Even if we did make a move, it would probably be below everyone's expectations, much like Elgin adding Loyola.

[tropicalshox]

I wouldn't get too excited, ADES seems to be more of a status quo type person than an innovator. Even if we did make a move, it would probably be below everyone's expectations, much like Elgin adding Loyola.

I don't think anybody has enough information to come to that conclusion. Didn't he do a great job in his last post with WSU? Was that with a status quo approach?

[giskard]

I don't think anybody has enough information to come to that conclusion. Didn't he do a great job in his last post with WSU? Was that with a status quo approach?

Not to mention that a conference change would probably be driven by President Bardo at least as much as if not more than ADES.

[Shox21]

I think ADES' next great decision will be baseball coach. I'm withholding my personal judgment on him (as if I have the right to judge) until that plays out. It really will be the first major test he has to face on his own. Adding Loyola was a group decision and do we even know how he voted?

[tropicalshox]

That vote was by President Bardo and it was reported he voted yes. It has already been discussed why he might of voted that way.

[Aargh]

I think ADES' next great decision will be baseball coach. I'm withholding my personal judgment on him (as if I have the right to judge) until that plays out. It really will be the first major test he has to face on his own. Adding Loyola was a group decision and do we even know how he voted?

I don't know if my source is a knowlegeable insider, but I know for certain that he is very well-connected. His report is that the next baseball coach has already been selected and has agreed to accept the position. I know he goes to Gregg Marshall's house on a regular basis, but only to retrieve errant golf balls.

[proshox]

That vote was by President Bardo and it was reported he voted yes. It has already been discussed why he might of voted that way.

He voted yes because it was the best long term option.

[Aargh]

He voted yes because it was the best long term option.

I suspect there was no check box titled "None of the above" on the ballot.

[Rlh04d]

He voted yes because it was the best long term option.

He might have voted yes because he thought that. However, in no scenario would have voted no, because being the lone dissenting vote has absolutely no benefit.

You find out how the other Presidents are going to vote before it ever happens. If seven are strongly inclined to voting for them, you don't oppose them. University Presidents have political capital just like a politician, and you don't blow your political capital (ability to influence people) on a protest vote.

[Rlh04d]

It's been talked about before, but if they only add one nonfootball, it would be VCU. But some of their fans who support this think they should add three such members in which we'd be one.

I'm not entirely certain about that. VCU is located in a cluster of AAC schools already ... once Louisville is gone, six of the schools will be in that area. Politically, it's in the long-term interests of the other guys (Tulsa, SMU, UCF, USF, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, Houston) to prevent the conference from becoming predominantly clustered together in the mid-to-north-east area -- because the more of them there are, the more likely they are to favor expansion that benefits their geographic concerns.

Those other guys, all things even, should support schools that are outside of that cluster to maintain the strength of the conference as national in scope.

I could definitely see the three team thing, though. VCU would benefit the northeast members, WSU would benefit the Oklahoma/Texas/Louisiana crowd. I'd imagine a third would be wanted around the southeast for the Florida schools to not be stranded. I wonder if they'd want to capitalize on the FGCU bandwagon in that scenario? I don't know what other southeastern schools would be a good add in that sense.

I hear a lot of people arguing that the basketball only schools destabilized the old Big East. And I'll keep saying that the Big East turned basketball success into football relevance, and was brought down by the FBS schools abandoning the league until there was no one left but the basketball schools who had their contract watered down. Rejecting basketball-only schools is rejecting the model that provided the old Big East with an identity, success, and stability, based on a failure of logic that blames seven schools for killing a conference that only had three football schools left in it. Insane that the blame is placed on the Big Priest guys rather than the football schools who quit first (Rutgers, WVU, Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville, VT, Boston College, Miami, not to mention TCU, Boise, and SDSU that never even made it in). Football killed a basketball conference, and to argue the reverse is illogical.

[SubGod22]

I'm not entirely certain about that. VCU is located in a cluster of AAC schools already ... once Louisville is gone, six of the schools will be in that area. Politically, it's in the long-term interests of the other guys (Tulsa, SMU, UCF, USF, Memphis, Tulsa, Tulane, Houston) to prevent the conference from becoming predominantly clustered together in the mid-to-north-east area -- because the more of them there are, the more likely they are to favor expansion that benefits their geographic concerns.

Those other guys, all things even, should support schools that are outside of that cluster to maintain the strength of the conference as national in scope.

I could definitely see the three team thing, though. VCU would benefit the northeast members, WSU would benefit the Oklahoma/Texas/Louisiana crowd. I'd imagine a third would be wanted around the southeast for the Florida schools to not be stranded. I wonder if they'd want to capitalize on the FGCU bandwagon in that scenario? I don't know what other southeastern schools would be a good add in that sense.

I hear a lot of people arguing that the basketball only schools destabilized the old Big East. And I'll keep saying that the Big East turned basketball success into football relevance, and was brought down by the FBS schools abandoning the league until there was no one left but the basketball schools who had their contract watered down. Rejecting basketball-only schools is rejecting the model that provided the old Big East with an identity, success, and stability, based on a failure of logic that blames seven schools for killing a conference that only had three football schools left in it. Insane that the blame is placed on the Big Priest guys rather than the football schools who quit first (Rutgers, WVU, Pitt, Syracuse, Louisville, VT, Boston College, Miami, not to mention TCU, Boise, and SDSU that never even made it in). Football killed a basketball conference, and to argue the reverse is illogical.

Does the AAC have anyone in VA? I don't think they do and that's why VCU would be chosen over us if there were just one opening.

[kcshocker11]

We go deep in the tourney again, I look 4 more opportunities to come our way. We must prove were not a flash in the pan. 2 deep runs will erase any negatives other conferences preceive

[ShockTalk]

Does the AAC have anyone in VA? I don't think they do and that's why VCU would be chosen over us if there were just one opening.

I'm not sure a single, quality basketball would go to the AAC. Adding 3 gives much more security to basketball stability I would think. Those 3 schools plus Memphis,Cincinnati, and Temple would still be a very strong basketball conference if/when UConn leaves.

[SubGod22]

I'm not sure a single, quality basketball would go to the AAC. Adding 3 gives much more security to basketball stability I would think. Those 3 schools plus Memphis,Cincinnati, and Temple would still be a very strong basketball conference if/when UConn leaves.

I agree. Then you also have schools like Tulsa and Houston that I'd think have the potential to at least be competitive down the road and help add to the strength. It could be a solid basketball conference for sure. I'm not sure who the 3rd basketball school would be though.