Louisville officially leaving the AAC after this season

[CBB_Fan]

I'll agree with that in general, but when specifically talking about the AAC (post Louisville), I think the only school in the entire conference that may meet all of that criteria is Cincy, and that's a stretch. To call the AAC a football centered conference is borderline silly--regardless of what its own aspirations are. Sooner or later conference leadership has got to realize that it is below the MWC in football respectability with little hope in improvement, and that it is actually much better in basketball and take that sport more seriously.

The important thing I'm trying to get across is the Wichita State as a football school is bottom rung. Neither MWC or AAC are looking for programs that have just started back up, especially not in an area that doesn't produce a ton of new recruits. If we are competing as a football school, literally every current FBS football program is starting ahead of us. If we compete as just a basketball school we bring no luggage and have both the money and the success to match.

And let's remember the AAC is hardly an intelligent player of the realignment game. They broke up the Big East (with help from the ACC) by constantly valuing football over basketball; why would they stop now that they have their own conference to focus on their love for mediocre football? They've already run themselves into the ground and almost certainly won't stop and say "Yes, basketball is really our future, regardless of the number of far away middling schools we've brought in just for football."

I think that on our end it is far, far preferable to spend all our money on improving our basketball program. If that gets us a chance to jump conferences, perfect. If not, it is still better than losing tons of money in the hope that football would improve anything while simultaneously cutting funding for basketball. I only want to get in a new conference to improve our basketball team's national brand and potential ($$$ and recruits). Adding a football team runs counter to that ideal.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

The important thing I'm trying to get across is the Wichita State as a football school is bottom rung. Neither MWC or AAC are looking for programs that have just started back up, especially not in an area that doesn't produce a ton of new recruits. If we are competing as a football school, literally every current FBS football program is starting ahead of us. If we compete as just a basketball school we bring no luggage and have both the money and the success to match.

And let's remember the AAC is hardly an intelligent player of the realignment game. They broke up the Big East (with help from the ACC) by constantly valuing football over basketball; why would they stop now that they have their own conference to focus on their love for mediocre football? They've already run themselves into the ground and almost certainly won't stop and say "Yes, basketball is really our future, regardless of the number of far away middling schools we've brought in just for football."

I think that on our end it is far, far preferable to spend all our money on improving our basketball program. If that gets us a chance to jump conferences, perfect. If not, it is still better than losing tons of money in the hope that football would improve anything while simultaneously cutting funding for basketball. I only want to get in a new conference to improve our basketball team's national brand and potential ($$$ and recruits). Adding a football team runs counter to that ideal.

I agree with that 100%.

[RoyalShock]

The important thing I'm trying to get across is the Wichita State as a football school is bottom rung. Neither MWC or AAC are looking for programs that have just started back up, especially not in an area that doesn't produce a ton of new recruits. If we are competing as a football school, literally every current FBS football program is starting ahead of us. If we compete as just a basketball school we bring no luggage and have both the money and the success to match.

And let's remember the AAC is hardly an intelligent player of the realignment game. They broke up the Big East (with help from the ACC) by constantly valuing football over basketball; why would they stop now that they have their own conference to focus on their love for mediocre football? They've already run themselves into the ground and almost certainly won't stop and say "Yes, basketball is really our future, regardless of the number of far away middling schools we've brought in just for football."

I think that on our end it is far, far preferable to spend all our money on improving our basketball program. If that gets us a chance to jump conferences, perfect. If not, it is still better than losing tons of money in the hope that football would improve anything while simultaneously cutting funding for basketball. I only want to get in a new conference to improve our basketball team's national brand and potential ($$$ and recruits). Adding a football team runs counter to that ideal.

This. +1. Liked.

It would take 7-10 years MINIMUM from the time a football team first stepped onto the field before it would be at a point of attraction to other conferences. And by then, who knows what shape the basketball program would be in. If WSU were capable of supporting successful football and basketball programs, football would already be back.

The football conversation can be revisited once Bardo reaches his goal of 20,000+ students and a per credit hour fee could reasonably subsidize a FBS-caliber program.

[Kung Wu]

We don't need to start a football team, we need to rent one! Rent the Jacksonville Jaguars next year (should be super cheap), get invited to the Big 12, drop the losers.

[ABC]

The facts are that we just don't have too many options without football. I think we have more options with football, but not a lot more. I agree that WSU with football isn't top rung, but without football what are our options?

The options with a football program are not so great that it is worth the risk of restarting the program, in my opinion.

[Perezident]

Do any of you know what is driving all of this conference realignment? I know it's money and football, but that's a bit too abstract for me. Which teams/conferences are making this happen and what is their desired end-game?

From my perspective it would appear we are heading towards four super-conferences that hold all the big time football programs. There is clearly no place for us in that framework, nor will there ever be, imo. I don't really have a solution to offer, but it would appear things are going to continue to get shaken up. Hopefully we can navigate our way through this morass and end up in a more favorable position for our basketball program.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

There's been talk of the BCS conferences breaking away from the NCAA tournament, but I don't see that happening. What could happen instead is NCAA Div 1 basketball splits into two subdivisions, like football. That is the reason I think we NEED to position ourselves as at least attractive to other conferences, because as it is I'm not convinced the MVC would be included in the equivalent of Div I-A for basketball if that happened.

[shocker3]

There's been talk of the BCS conferences breaking away from the NCAA tournament, but I don't see that happening. What could happen instead is NCAA Div 1 basketball splits into two subdivisions, like football. That is the reason I think we NEED to position ourselves as at least attractive to other conferences, because as it is I'm not convinced the MVC would be included in the equivalent of Div I-A for basketball if that happened.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Some day that split is going to happen and probably sooner than later. And right now I think the MVC would fall barely on the wrong side of the cut. Either the other MVC teams need to greatly increase what they spend on basketball very fast or we need to find a new conference. I don't think we want to end up on the wrong side of the split.

[shocker3]

The facts are that we just don't have too many options without football. I think we have more options with football, but not a lot more. I agree that WSU with football isn't top rung, but without football what are our options?

The options with a football program are not so great that it is worth the risk of restarting the program, in my opinion.

I agree with ABC except that I do think WSU needs to seriously look at bringing back football. I am not sure we really have any options without it. And if the other MVC schools don't increase their committment to basketball and FAST, we may end up on the wrong side of the split in basketball when it happens.

The only real option I see without adding football is the BIG EAST. And right now they don't appear to be adding any public schools. With football, the MWC and the AMERICAN become opitons. I see the BIG EAST, MWC and AMERICAN falling on the right side of a basketball split right now and the MVC on the wrong side. So adding football could make all the difference in the world. I know it is a big risk but I am not sure we have any other choices right now.

I think that these are issues that need to be seriously considered.

[Kung Wu]

Sometimes leaders have to make hard decisions ... like dropping schools from the MVC that won't spend the money on the marquee sport, and replace it with one that will.

[ShockerFever]

I'm sure glad the Valley passed up on Belmont in favor of their Illinois hard-on Crapoyola pick.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

I'm sure glad the Valley passed up on Belmont in favor of their Illinois hard-on Crapoyola pick.

There is a method to their madness. They see Wichita State and Missouri State leaving. With Creighton already gone, it makes travel easy as they will probably add UIC and another Illinois/Indiana school to replace us. Travel costs go down, mediocrity ensues.

[Kung Wu]

There is a method to their madness. They see Wichita State and Missouri State leaving. With Creighton already gone, it makes travel easy as they will probably add UIC and another Illinois/Indiana school to replace us. Travel costs go down, mediocrity ensues.

Damn you're good.

[Aargh]

I've run the numbers on getting WSU FB in place and on a course to join a good FB conference. I've got an Accounting degree and have done business plans and financial projections for NYSE-traded companies.

Start with $100 mill. That will get you the coaching staff, recruiting resources, and other basics to compete with some lower-level FBS teams, and enough reserve cash to maintain that through enough years to begin being competitive with some mid-level BCS teams. That's 5 - 7 years after startup.

Then get another $50 - $100 mill for a new (or renovated) stadium. Without a TV contract, it's going to require about 50K butts in seats spending $40 - $60 per butt in ticket price and concessions to pay for the program while getting to a point where an invite to a league with a TV contract is conceivable.

I'm not happy with the Valley. It's a dead-end league, but...

...While in that dead-end league, we've managed to pay a coach $1.75 mill base, charter recruiting trips and away games, rebuild the arena, renovate the arena, get an NIT championship, get a F4 banner. Keep that up and we'll be able to get our own TV deals without worrying about our league affiliation. Keep that up and we don't need to worry about joining FB conference. Keep that up and we'll be generating enough TV revenue that we will be attractive to other leagues.

Show that you're a player and the players will want you to join them, but you've got to prove it before it can happen.

[AZ Shocker]

Pretty close Aargh!!! Pretty damn close!!! :)