UCONN gone

[WSUwatcher]

My two word reaction: oh, well.

[Zubcut]

Would still be at least 3x better than the Valley.

Perhaps. But I don't think this is what WSU had in mind when they joined the AAC. All the most high profile teams trying like hell to leave and the league replacing them with mid-majors. Like it or not, UConn, Cincy and Houston made it very hard for people to label the AAC a mid-major conference. Without them, you can't call the AAC anything other than a mid-major. Just look at the teams we have left. If Penny keeps Memphis a top 10 team for a while you can be sure they'll be next to jump ship. I hate to say it, but in this scenario, about the only thing that could save us is the Big East. A non-football league that's emphasis is basketball.

[Shock Top]

I’d like the AAC to thrive and succeed, but of the BE offers WSU to join at the same time as UCONN, they should take it.

Won’t happen, so hopefully they can poach from the MWC instead of the Sun Belt. Aim big; don’t pull a MVC!

This would never happen, but like Vandy would be perfect: great school, major city, solid athletics. They are never a true contender in the SEC, but the SEC is far to lucrative to leave.

An Army Football and VCU, SLU, or Dayton olympic-sports combo would be far from the worst case scenario, but not the best case either.

[Zubcut]

I’d like the AAC to thrive and succeed, but of the BE offers WSU to join at the same time as UCONN, they should take it.

Won’t happen, so hopefully they can poach from the MWC instead of the Sun Belt. Aim big; don’t pull a MVC!

This would never happen, but like Vandy would be perfect: great school, major city, solid athletics. They are never a true contender in the SEC, but the SEC is far to lucrative to leave.

An Army Football and VCU, SLU, or Dayton olympic-sports combo would be far from the worst case scenario, but not the best case either.

The AAC was always going to be the kind of league where the highest profile teams will try to get out, and mid-majors will try to join. Remember Conference USA? Just look at us. When we were in the Valley we were thrilled to go to the AAC. Now we're already trying to figure out how to get to a better league or be stuck in a mid-major level AAC

[StunningSteve]

[QUOTE=Zubcut;n1190728]

The AAC was always going to be the kind of league where the highest profile teams will try to get out, and mid-majors will try to join. Remember Conference USA? Just look at us. When we were in the Valley we were thrilled to go to the AAC. Now we're already trying to figure out how to get to a better league or be stuck in a mid-major level AAC.

The reason this happened now is because the gap closed between the new big east and the American.

So if the American is mid major then so is the big east, because UConn has done nothing recently to say they'll be improved.

Bottom line is the American still makes double what Fox is paying them.

UConn leaving for that deal was a special case, rooted in years of inferiority complex after the old league died.

No one else is going anywhere. It makes no financial sense.

[Stickboy46]

The AAC was always going to be the kind of league where the highest profile teams will try to get out, and mid-majors will try to join. Remember Conference USA? Just look at us. When we were in the Valley we were thrilled to go to the AAC. Now we're already trying to figure out how to get to a better league or be stuck in a mid-major level AAC

Who said we are trying to get to a better league. We lost the 8th place team. AAC will be fine

[StunningSteve]

Perhaps. But I don't think this is what WSU had in mind when they joined the AAC. All the most high profile teams trying like hell to leave and the league replacing them with mid-majors. Like it or not, UConn, Cincy and Houston made it very hard for people to label the AAC a mid-major conference. Without them, you can't call the AAC anything other than a mid-major. Just look at the teams we have left. If Penny keeps Memphis a top 10 team for a while you can be sure they'll be next to jump ship. I hate to say it, but in this scenario, about the only thing that could save us is the Big East. A non-football league that's emphasis is basketball.

The American is at the tippy top of the pay scale under the "P5"

No one is leaving, short of a lottery ticket. There simply isn't another rung on the ladder.

[Zubcut]

I'd love for us to go to the Big East with UConn. They need to add one more to make 12. But I don't see it with several Catholic Schools in their geographic footprint that would seem to fit their profile better than WSU. I'm thinking of St Joseph's, St Bonaventure, LaSalle, Dayton, etc. I even heard Gonzaga is a possibility. No one has mentioned us.

[Zubcut]

The American is at the tippy top of the pay scale under the "P5"

No one is leaving, short of a lottery ticket. There simply isn't another rung on the ladder.

The top pay scale stuff is all because of football. If they lose their top football schools everything changes. I've heard Big 10 wants Cincy and Big 12 wants Houston. USF to the ACC. If true, they would all leave in a second. In a football based league, which the AAC is, almost everything comes down to football. If the top football schools leave, the TV money leaves with them.

https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/06/...rce=apple-news

[Stickboy46]

I've heard Big 10 wants Cincy and Big 12 wants Houston. If true, they would both leave in a second.

https://bustingbrackets.com/2019/06/...rce=apple-news

Lol. No way would Ohio State allow Cincy in the big 10

[Zubcut]

What

Lol. No way would Ohio State allow Cincy in the big 10

You're dreaming. Ohio State can't stop it if the rest of the league wants it. What's THE Ohio State University going to do, take their ball and go join the Missouri Valley?

[lostshocker]

what does cincy add that they already dont have with tOSU? everything i read involves them taking oklahoma and possibly a second big12 school, most likely KU. the B1G still values academics as well when looking at who they add too.

[Zubcut]

Who said we are trying to get to a better league. We lost the 8th place team. AAC will be fine

If the exodus ends with UConn, I agree with you completely. I'm just afraid this is only the beginning. Also, as mediocre as UConn has been lately, they are still considered a "big name" school that prestige wise will be hard to replace. You're also losing the top women's BB program in the country.

[Stickboy46]

What

You're dreaming. Ohio State can't stop it if the rest of the league wants it. What's THE Ohio State University going to do, take their ball and go join the Missouri Valley?

Most of these things require unanimous votes to add members.

To be honest, it sounds like you are dreaming. Trying to dream up that worst case scenario based on no facts

[Zubcut]

Most of these things require unanimous votes to add members.

To be honest, it sounds like you are dreaming. Trying to dream up that worst case scenario based on no facts

I'm not the one dreaming it up. I linked to the article. I don't know how much of it is realistic, but I do know it is already a conversation that is happening and not just on fan message boards.

[SB Shock]

I'd love for us to go to the Big East with UConn.

Big East is meh. WSU doesn’t fit there. Given the choice between them or AAC, I would choose AAC.

if I was going to have my dream conference move it would be the big 12, but that isn’t happening.