2021-22 Basketball happenings around the American Athletic!

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

What matters in today's environment is media deals and apparel deals (to a lesser degree). Fancy stadiums with lots of attendance doesn't mean what it used to. The demand for that experience just isn't what it once was (unless you are currently a college student or a really recent graduate). In general, people prefer the confines of their homes. That is why you see more and more schools going to smaller stadiums if they do build new.

This creates a dilemma for the 7 of the 8 schools left from the Big (was)12 (then)10 now (8). K-State, KU, Baylor, Iowa State, Texas Tech, OSU, and West Virginia are not in large media driven markets and thus there will be little demand for these schools. Someone might take a shot with them, but it will not be some mass gobbling up of these schools. The B1G has already said that they are not currently looking to expand.

The best thing these schools can do is try to scrape together four other regionally similar schools that play football to try and salvage that dumpster fire of a remaining conference.

In my opinion, this doesn't bode well for WSU because there are a few schools in our conference that fit that mold. Alas, I am re-assured by the fact that Big (was)12 (then)10 now (8) leadership is completely inept and will not do this so I think in the end WSU will be ok.

[ShockerPrez]

Worst case scenario, everything goes wrong and we end up in the A10. I can deal with it. The best case is we bolt for the Big East and pre-empt a potential **** show. But I think it's 60-40 that the AAC ends up on the winning side with the tug of war with the B12.

Without Texas and OU, the B12 will need a lot of quantity. I don't think poaching 4 teams is going to be enough. They would need to get to 16 to make up the revenue from a new TV deal. I don't see that many teams wanting to join them for a few million more immediately. I also don't see all of the B12 teams wanting to stay. But the exit fees might keep them for a while. But then if they leave, they have to pay exit fees too. So who knows.

Baylor, T Tech and OSU fans are gonna need viagra to get excited about playing KState, Iowa St and KU. TCU is a forgettable program. And I can't even remember the other one, but I think there's 1 more.

I think some sort of merger makes sense. But either way, the B12's new TV contract is going to be a paltry sum after OU and Texas bolt.

[BostonWu]

Ever been to a game at Snyder Stadium? Big-time!

Members of power conferences for decades don't just get cancelled. The purpose of Realignment is to further separate the brands from the non-brands. We make fun of KSU, but they are a football brand. And their football program is... "say it with me class"... B I G - T I M E.

Buddy of mine who just happens to be LSU alumn and was stationed at Ft Riley describes Kstate gameday as "cute". Cold, you need to expand your horizons.

[Stickboy46]

Worst case scenario, everything goes wrong and we end up in the A10. I can deal with it. The best case is we bolt for the Big East and pre-empt a potential **** show. But I think it's 60-40 that the AAC ends up on the winning side with the tug of war with the B12.

Without Texas and OU, the B12 will need a lot of quantity. I don't think poaching 4 teams is going to be enough. They would need to get to 16 to make up the revenue from a new TV deal. I don't see that many teams wanting to join them for a few million more immediately. I also don't see all of the B12 teams wanting to stay. But the exit fees might keep them for a while. But then if they leave, they have to pay exit fees too. So who knows.

Baylor, T Tech and OSU fans are gonna need viagra to get excited about playing KState, Iowa St and KU. TCU is a forgettable program. And I can't even remember the other one, but I think there's 1 more.

I think some sort of merger makes sense. But either way, the B12's new TV contract is going to be a paltry sum after OU and Texas bolt.

If enough teams leave .. they don't have to pay exit fees .. they can just vote to dissolve the conference. I don't remember how many are needed but it's not unanimous. They already have 2 of 10 votes for sure.

[ShockerPrez]

If enough teams leave .. they don't have to pay exit fees .. they can just vote to dissolve the conference. I don't remember how many are needed but it's not unanimous. They already have 2 of 10 votes for sure.

It would be funny if that happened and even OU and Texas ended up not having to pay the exit fee.

[Stickboy46]

It would be funny if that happened and even OU and Texas ended up not having to pay the exit fee.

Right .. and what i found was it's 75% of members. So need 8 of 10. If 6 teams have potential landing spots, it could happen.

[BostonWu]

Unfortunately for Wichita State and its fans we are mostly just delegated to spectator status without football and the is probably not going to change. Shockers are pretty much at the mercy of what happens with the rest of the Big XII and with schools in the AAC's most attractive markets which I assume are Houston, UCF, Memphis and Cincinnati.

Purely form an athletic program fit the Big East is clearly the best fit for Wichita State. In fact, I thing the primary catalyst for the break up of the Big East was not because the Catholic 7 were catholic, but because none of them had football. I think the was as much, if not more of, a common bond than the fact that they were Catholic institutions.

The Big East currently has 11 members. Adding Wichita State would balance out the league with a heathen on each end of the conference. UConn on the East and WSU on the West. Besides WSU has more than a few students that are Catholic. This would allow the Big East to go to a divisional setup if they desired to do that. Especially for the non-revenue producing sports, which is pretty much everything except basketball, where they could play home and home every year vs their division and a single game every year against each of the other divisions alternating home and away every year.

West Division:
Wichita State
Creighton
Marquette
DePaul
Butler
Xavier

East Division:
Georgetown
Villanova
Seton Hall
St. Johns
Providence
UConn

Clearly, a lineup of conference opponents that would get the juices of Shocker fans going far more than the current lineup of AAC Teams and especially what might be left of the AAC if the 4 teams above get poached.

I think Wichita State's academic profile is on the rise with the addition and continued growth of the Innovation Campus.

I suppose membership in an AAC that ends up adding a few Big XII schools would be good but without football we would always be a 2nd class citizen. Perhaps that would be the case in the Big East as well but not to the same degree. I can live with some self-appointed elite snobs looking down their noses at us as long as they let us in.

This might be the only option the Shockers have where they can, without football, at least try to be proactive. Otherwise, we have to be prepared the possibility of having to BOHICA.

A tour of the Newman Center might just tip the scales...

[WuTheOne]

If enough teams leave .. they don't have to pay exit fees .. they can just vote to dissolve the conference. I don't remember how many are needed but it's not unanimous. They already have 2 of 10 votes for sure.

there's something in the B12's charter to the effect that any school who has contacted other conferences isn't allowed to vote on any dissolution matters. That will leave the vote being 0-0.

I don't think UT and OU are just going to pull out their checkbooks and write checks for $50 mill. I think they'll be writing checks to their lawyers instead. They can outspend the B12 on legal fees.

It's been estimated by analysts that OU and UT account for 50 - 75% of the TV revenue in the B12. Both Fox and ESPN have clauses in their contracts that they can renegotiate the payments if any schools leave. The revenue to pay off all those pretty new stadiums just moved to the SEC.

[Kung Wu]

Tiny 12 has a ring to it. T12.

[C0|dB|00ded]

Buddy of mine who just happens to be LSU alumn and was stationed at Ft Riley describes Kstate gameday as "cute". Cold, you need to expand your horizons.

I was down on the field for that drubbing the Kittens put on nationally ranked OU a couple years back. It was pretty serious. LSU alum is entitled to their own opinions.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Tiny 12 has a ring to it. T12.

I like it.

How about "The Conference of Misfit Teams"

[C0|dB|00ded]

[C0|dB|00ded]

"Rushed the field" lol

I didn't feel near as dirty as if I'd been at a K|Uck game.

Decked out in Shocker B&G of course. Glaring at any and all.

[C0|dB|00ded]

So sad to look at those photos.... pre-Covid era...

[1972Shocker]

The best thing these schools can do is try to scrape together four other regionally similar schools that play football to try and salvage that dumpster fire of a remaining conference.

In my opinion, this doesn't bode well for WSU because there are a few schools in our conference that fit that mold. Alas, I am re-assured by the fact that Big (was)12 (then)10 now (8) leadership is completely inept and will not do this so I think in the end WSU will be ok.

I think that is they key dynamic that will impact Wichita State. Does the Big XII stay alive and poach the cream of the AAC football media markets or does the Big XII total implode with the AAC picking off a couple of Big XII schools. Either way I would still prefer to somehow finagle our way into the Big East although not holding my breath that will happen.

The big question for Wichita State is if the Big East is not an option and the Big XII survives and poaches, say Houston, Memphis, Cincy and UCF, what do the Shockers do. At that point the AAC is left with Navy/WSU, Tulsa, SMU, Tulane, Temple, ECU and USF. Certainly, not worth the price of admission WSU paid.

I guess the rooting has to be for the Big XII to go away with or without any leftovers for the AAC to consume.