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

[BostonWu]

I’m not sure any of the A-10 schools would leave to be hoops only here.

I’d like to see Boston U added. Huge enrollment, great academic and research school, and a lot like Rice where if we can get the alumni engaged and then commit to sports they could be very solid.

I'm a BU alumn. They only care about hockey.

[shock]

I'm a BU alumn. They only care about hockey.

Sounds like a good school. Sign em up

[Kung Wu]

Sounds like a good school. Sign em up

[pogo]

Looks like it was NC State that voted in favor of the additions that allowed the three teams to join the acc. Wonder if they were looking down the road to a time when FSU and Clemson opt to leave for the sec. The disparity between the payouts of the sec/big and the acc will force a change in the membership in the acc

[C0|dB|00ded]

So contracting to your original point, SMU selling their souls for a group of schools that want to get out might not be worth trading our first-borns for after all.

SMU will be the Rutgers of the ACC.

The ones who've been mentioned as wanting to jump (for football) would still leave a basketball conference 3 million times better than where we're at. Yeah... I'll take Duke over Rice, Syracuse over ECU, Louisville over Tulsa. I would go on, but I literally couldn't recite the full membership of the AAC to save my life. A bunch of no-name directional University of Phoenix hopefuls.

[TrackSuitAndTie]

Some are suggesting Army might actually be interested in the AAC this time because the conference isn't as strong as it was before. I guess they originally went Indy in part because they didn't like getting caved in every conference game.

Army would be more valuable conference member (media/brand wise) than SMU if Aresco can swing it.

[Stickboy46]

Some are suggesting Army might actually be interested in the AAC this time because the conference isn't as strong as it was before. I guess they originally went Indy in part because they didn't like getting caved in every conference game.

Army would be more valuable conference member (media/brand wise) than SMU if Aresco can swing it.

Give me Army/VCU combo .. then use the Army/Navy combo to pull in AFA/CSU.

[BOBB]

The level of copium in here.

“Maybe we can get Northeast Westsouth Nebraska added for a real powerhouse conference.” It’s going to get worse before it gets better. Several more shakeups coming down the pike with the possibility of WSU getting bounced from the conference in the next decade. If you don’t see this you are willfully blind.

[ShockerFever]

The ones who've been mentioned as wanting to jump (for football) would still leave a basketball conference 3 million times better than where we're at. Yeah... I'll take Duke over Rice, Syracuse over ECU, Louisville over Tulsa. I would go on, but I literally couldn't recite the full membership of the AAC to save my life. A bunch of no-name directional University of Phoenix hopefuls.

Our SOS would certainly be through the roof. Not sure about our record though.

Id rather not be Rutgers.

[Maizerunner08]

With all due respect to our military, adding Army would be a super meh addition imo. I’ll caveat that by saying if it was an Army/good basketball school combo, I’d be more for it.

[1972Shocker]

With all due respect to our military, adding Army would be a super meh addition imo. I’ll caveat that by saying if it was an Army/good basketball school combo, I’d be more for it.

You are thiniking mostly in terms of the on the field of play success of a program plus what's good for Wichita State. However, what is driving realignment is primarily broadcast media money and what is attractive to those players. Now what is attractive to them are generally strongest teams in term of on the field success but those teams are not really in play for the AAC. However, what teams like Army, Navy and Air Force bring to the table is a national following. If it's good for the AAC it should be good for Wichita State, although whether or not it is good for Wichita State is not a factor.

That said I agree that getting Army would definitely be enhanced if paired with a good basketball school. And if that strengthens the Wichita State/Navy pairing that's a plus for Wichita State.

If an Army/VCU-type combo would open the door to perhaps attracting Air Force and Colorado State into the AAC fold then that would be something to pursue as well I would think. The big challenge there might be the MWC buyouts.

[ShockerLane316]

I think that we're headed to a MWC/AAC/P12 merger of the best teams. I don't know who will be in that final league or how big it will be but 12-14 is my guess. If it goes 16 maybe they try to add Gonzago too and we could be another basketball only school.

[Stickboy46]

I think that we're headed to a MWC/AAC/P12 merger of the best teams. I don't know who will be in that final league or how big it will be but 12-14 is my guess. If it goes 16 maybe they try to add Gonzago too and we could be another basketball only school.

Don't think the money is there for that. The P2 schools don't bring anything to the table. AAC schools leaving would be paying 20+ million to leave for next year. MWC schools would be paying 34 for this year and 17 for next year. That's a lot of money to go to a league that likely isn't bringing a ton more than the AAC is already making (putting together a bunch of schools worth 7 million in the AAC or 4 million in the MWC isn't going to magically make them worth 15+ million each just because they paired with 2 school no other conference wanted)

[Stickboy46]

You are thiniking mostly in terms of the on the field of play success of a program plus what's good for Wichita State. However, what is driving realignment is primarily broadcast media money and what is attractive to those players. Now what is attractive to them are generally strongest teams in term of on the field success but those teams are not really in play for the AAC. However, what teams like Army, Navy and Air Force bring to the table is a national following. If it's good for the AAC it should be good for Wichita State, although whether or not it is good for Wichita State is not a factor.

That said I agree that getting Army would definitely be enhanced if paired with a good basketball school. And if that strengthens the Wichita State/Navy pairing that's a plus for Wichita State.

If an Army/VCU-type combo would open the door to perhaps attracting Air Force and Colorado State into the AAC fold then that would be something to pursue as well I would think. The big challenge there might be the MWC buyouts.

You just take them in 2025 or 2026. 2025 lowers the buyout to 17 million. 2026 they no longer have a media deal so no buyout at all. Or you just take the large chunk of money that SMU is going to dump to the AAC to help pay to move them right now.

[ShockerLane316]

Don't think the money is there for that. The P2 schools don't bring anything to the table. AAC schools leaving would be paying 20+ million to leave for next year. MWC schools would be paying 34 for this year and 17 for next year. That's a lot of money to go to a league that likely isn't bringing a ton more than the AAC is already making (putting together a bunch of schools worth 7 million in the AAC or 4 million in the MWC isn't going to magically make them worth 15+ million each just because they paired with 2 school no other conference wanted)

I see most of the MWC voting to disband (75 percent of the schools) and rebrand the PAC 12 for the power five autonomy. If they vote to disband, there is no exit fee. Your probably right about the AAC exit fee though and no one willing to pony that up.