Realignment Carousel Spins Up again (USC and UCLA to Big 10)

[SHOCKvalue]

I’m not sure why there’s a discussion regarding the potential add of current MWC schools to the AAC. The MWC is relatively stable, moreso now that the PAC is dead (assuming that comes to be). I doubt the new look AAC has any appeal to the MWC schools. The old AAC yes, but our current iteration may very well prove to be a weaker conference than the MWC.

Speaking personally, if the time zone/geography thing wasn’t a thing, then I’d take the MWC over the new look AAC every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The AAC is now a tiny handful of real recognized brands coupled with a bunch of alphabet schools half the country has never heard of. Aresco terrifically weakened this conference after CSU and AFA turned down the invite. I mean does “AAC loses UCONN, Cincinnati and Houston but builds back with UNCC, UNT and UTSA” sound like a real headline or more like an Onion article?

[WuDrWu]

I’m not sure why there’s is discussion regarding the potential add of current MWC schools to the AAC. The MWC is relatively stable, moreso now that the PAC is dead (assuming that comes to be). I doubt the new look AAC has any appeal to the MWC schools. The old AAC yes, but our current iteration may very well prove to be a weaker conference than the MWC.

Speaking personally, if the time zone/geography thing wasn’t a thing, then I’d take the MWC over the new look AAC every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The AAC is now a tiny handful of real recognized brands coupled with a bunch of alphabet schools half the country has never heard of. Aresco terrifically weakened this conference after CSU and AFA turned down the invite. I mean does “AAC loses UCONN, Cincinnati and Houston but builds back with UNCC, UNT and UTSA” sound like a real headline or more like an Onion article?

I don't disagree with any of your points for the most point, but I'd add this:

1. Much like our move to the AAC, trying is better than not trying. I said from the outset that I felt, eventually, the move would likely end badly for WSU but it was well worth the try. I feel like Aresco has rolled the dice about as well as he could, they just ended up badly. Nothing was keeping UCONN, UCF, UH and Cincy from leaving.

2. There is strength in numbers and somehow joining with the MWC is probably the next best thing that's actually a possibility for the AAC. Not saying it will work long term, but it's worth a shot.

3. For as sharp and well informed as many of you are here, and there are many, none of it matters unfortunately. We're just a flag in the wind without football, praying we get wrapped up in some speeding by pickup that carries us across the finish line.

[SubGod22]

I’m not sure why there’s a discussion regarding the potential add of current MWC schools to the AAC. The MWC is relatively stable, moreso now that the PAC is dead (assuming that comes to be). I doubt the new look AAC has any appeal to the MWC schools. The old AAC yes, but our current iteration may very well prove to be a weaker conference than the MWC.

The AAC still has a higher media value and has an overall better athletic status. Some of our adds may not be national name brands, but some of them are better than some of those name brands on the field/court and have high potential in a conference where they get more money and exposure. The MWC is relatively stable now that the PAC is done. But they were pretty stable before that as the PAC looked down its nose at most of the schools. SDSU wasn't and wouldn't have ever been considered by the PAC had they not lost both LA schools. That was simply a desire to have someone in SoCal move.

Any move by a MWC school would also come down to media dollars. If ESPN was willing to give enough of a bump, they could be persuaded. Also, I believe Colorado State was on board to jump but AFA had some push back from donors and backed out even though the administration was ready to pull the trigger too. They were a package deal and we weren't going to add one without the other, which may have been short-sighted. Could have still added CSU, if they were willing to move without AFA, and then looked to add a Toledo or Buffalo in the East/Midwest. Or I suppose UAB was at the top of the list of the CUSA6 so it could have just been them and CSU, or they could have just not added one of UTSA and Charlotte and still added 6 total. I think Charlotte would have been the odd man out.

[SHOCKvalue]

I don't disagree with any of your points for the most point, but I'd add this:

1. Much like our move to the AAC, trying is better than not trying. I said from the outset that I felt, eventually, the move would likely end badly for WSU but it was well worth the try. I feel like Aresco has rolled the dice about as well as he could, they just ended up badly. Nothing was keeping UCONN, UCF, UH and Cincy from leaving.

2. There is strength in numbers and somehow joining with the MWC is probably the next best thing that's actually a possibility for the AAC. Not saying it will work long term, but it's worth a shot.

3. For as sharp and well informed as many of you are here, and there are many, none of it matters unfortunately. We're just a flag in the wind without football, praying we get wrapped up in some speeding by pickup that carries us across the finish line.

The handicap incurred upon WSU by the lack of football is massive. I’ve said it earlier in the thread, but it’s still true: I’d take a crappy football program over none at all. If you’re applying for a job that requires a college education then no degree at all is a hard stop, but even a University of Phoenix degree gets a foot in the door to sell your other qualifications.

Shifting gears, I know Aresco had to do SOMETHING, I’m just terrifically perplexed why it needed to be such a large volume of adds. Why not add back the minimum and sit back and wait for something like our current events to shake out again. I’m not THAT upset about some of the new adds - UAB is solid, FAU surprised everyone, and sure grab one of those schools from TX if you have to, but SIX adds and one of them includes UNCC? I mean… what in the actual eff? As it stands today, the AAC stuffed its face and gorged on junk food, now a steak dinner is potentially rolling around.

[WINGdingBALLfling]

The handicap incurred upon WSU by the lack of football is massive. I’ve said it earlier in the thread, but it’s still true: I’d take a crappy football program over none at all. If you’re applying for a job that requires a college education then no degree at all is a hard stop, but even a University of Phoenix degree gets a foot in the door to sell your other qualifications.

Shifting gears, I know Aresco had to do SOMETHING, I’m just terrifically perplexed why it needed to be such a large volume of adds. Why not add back the minimum and sit back and wait for something like our current events to shake out again. I’m not THAT upset about some of the new adds - UAB is solid, FAU surprised everyone, and sure grab one of those schools from TX if you have to, but SIX adds and one of them includes UNCC? I mean… what in the actual eff? As it stands today, the AAC stuffed its face and gorged on junk food, now a steak dinner is potentially rolling around.

Aresco locked the MWC out of Texas with the latest round of additions and for WSU that's a positive opening additional recruiting ground for athletes and students. It was a chess move for the future. The CUSA adds are investing heavily in their programs. I think I was most down on FAU and Charlette with the move, but after some research was amazed to find out that UNCC has 11 NCAA tournament appearances. They were basically good while WSU's program slumbered in the 90's. Maybe they can catch lightning in a bottle again someday soon.

[BostonWu]

AFA would bring a lot of prestige as a service academy with high standards. Wouldn't bring much to the court and I'm not sure how much they bring to the gridiron as they seem to ride quite the roller-coaster there. But AFA alone would still probably give the conference a bump in pay just because they're a service academy and you know the thought of Navy v Air Force for football would sell.

You're dead wrong about USAFA football. They're the model of consistency, routinely churning out 9-10 win seasons under Troy Calhoun. No one wants to play them.

[BostonWu]

Also if they are comparing AAC vs MWC, Stanford and Cal are much more likely to want to be aligned from an academics standpoint with Rice, Tulane, Navy, USF and SMU than any single school in the MWC

Except for Air Force

[Shockm]

From what has been written, the MWC isn't even a possibility until their television deal runs out (several years).

[molly jabali]

I don't disagree with any of your points for the most point, but I'd add this:

1. Much like our move to the AAC, trying is better than not trying. I said from the outset that I felt, eventually, the move would likely end badly for WSU but it was well worth the try. I feel like Aresco has rolled the dice about as well as he could, they just ended up badly. Nothing was keeping UCONN, UCF, UH and Cincy from leaving.

2. There is strength in numbers and somehow joining with the MWC is probably the next best thing that's actually a possibility for the AAC. Not saying it will work long term, but it's worth a shot.

3. For as sharp and well informed as many of you are here, and there are many, none of it matters unfortunately. We're just a flag in the wind without football, praying we get wrapped up in some speeding by pickup that carries us across the finish line.

What a fantastic finishing line.....:)

[Stickboy46]

Except for Air Force

Good call, i forget they exist in the MWC

[Shocker_Power]

3. For as sharp and well informed as many of you are here, and there are many, none of it matters unfortunately. We're just a flag in the wind without football, praying we get wrapped up in some speeding by pickup that carries us across the finish line.

The outcome would have been the same for us, if not worse, had we had football.

[BAShocker]

Did I read somewhere that U of Cal athletic department was like $400MM in debit? I may have dreamed that too. If its true, they have virtually no leverage, imo.

[JVShocker]

No public school in the country has more athletics debt than the University of California-Berkeley. It is operating significantly in the red, to the point that the university is paying back some of the athletic department’s debt to help ease the burden and make it look like it was operating in the green.

[Stickboy46]

Did I read somewhere that U of Cal athletic department was like $400MM in debit? I may have dreamed that too. If its true, they have virtually no leverage, imo.

Yup, https://www.outkick.com/cal-stanford...nnual%20income.

They pay 18 million a year in INTEREST alone on the financing for their football stadium.

[Stickboy46]

No public school in the country has more athletics debt than the University of California-Berkeley. It is operating significantly in the red, to the point that the university is paying back some of the athletic department’s debt to help ease the burden and make it look like it was operating in the green.

SDSU going 322 million in debt when you have a 4 million a year TV deal is impressive.