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New contract could be 3X-4X larger than the previous one, but it will likely have an uneven revenue distribution and require a GOR. Would SMU be okay with that or would they want to roll the dice on a better opportunity emerging in the near future? https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jou ... s/AAC.aspx

Interesting decision.

Not a single mention of SMU in the entire article though! Not surprising unfortunately.

I couldn't help but think that a strong bball season from UCF is really going to have the Big XII interested in adding the Florida market to their footprint and that Cincy and Memphis are the most likely 12th members to get that conference back to it's namesake. Sorry Houston, but you aren't going to help deliver a "new" market to the Big XII. I do know that West Virginia has wanted expansion to add some eastern time zone partners.

Not sure what SMU's future looks like if Aresco can't make this deal happen. I've always thought it only fair for the stronger programs (and the ones the network wants to showcase) to be getting a larger share of revenue and would only hope revenue share would be adjusted annually depending on demand any given school might generate.

DanFreibergerForHeisman wrote:Not a single mention of SMU in the entire article though!

Which indicates SMU would be with ECU, Tulsa, Tulane, etc. in receiving relatively smaller distributions. It still would be a significant increase over what SMU currently receives, but would SMU sign on knowing UCF & UH get significantly more?

Charleston Pony wrote:I've always thought it only fair for the stronger programs (and the ones the network wants to showcase) to be getting a larger share of revenue and would only hope revenue share would be adjusted annually depending on demand any given school might generate.

Annual adjustments may be a bit much. Unless every school was guaranteed a base distribution (they could live with), budgeting would be chaotic if revenue could swing wildly from year-to-year. Adjustments based on a 2-3 year performance window may be more realistic.

I would bet SMU signs on, if only for the increase in money and some stability.

The problem with uneven sharing is that we do not have any anchor programs in this conference so the lead programs in one snapshot will be vastly different the next cycle. Just look at Cincinnati in football, SMU in basketball, UCF in football, etc.

the commissioner of the AAC states that this is incorrect - we will not share disproportionately - this is not us

It will be interesting to see if some of these 'higher profile' schools are willing to sign a GOR. If not then this whole deal could just vanish in smoke.

Wishful thinking at best for the bottom feeders in the conference. UCF will never do that.

If I were at the bargaining table representing an AAC institution, I would agree to a GOR contract if the conference office was able to meet or exceed a certain pre-agreed-upon figure with ESPN.

In reality, the P5 vs. P6 argument hinges almost entirely upon the relative size their media rights deal. So, just as an example, if Aresco were able to negotiate a contract that was larger than the current Big XII deal, would the AAC truly become a P6 in reality as well as in (attempted) brand positioning?

PerunaPunch wrote:In reality, the P5 vs. P6 argument hinges almost entirely upon the relative size their media rights deal. So, just as an example, if Aresco were able to negotiate a contract that was larger than the current Big XII deal, would the AAC truly become a P6 in reality as well as in (attempted) brand positioning?

The new deal won't be THAT much bigger. IIRC, the current Big 12 deal is about 10X the current AAC deal yet the discussed increase will be in the 3X-4X range.

One Trick Pony wrote:Wishful thinking at best for the bottom feeders in the conference. UCF will never do that.

What is UCF going to do, join BYU as an independent?

Digetydog wrote:

One Trick Pony wrote:Wishful thinking at best for the bottom feeders in the conference. UCF will never do that.

What is UCF going to do, join BYU as an independent?

They were an independent for 6 years.
They beat Alabama too! They were always playing Big Time football schools. They got the paycheck but they did need a conference.

They would fit nice into the Atlantic Coast Conference.

I’m sure they can workout a merit based payment schedule: NYE bowl winner gets x share, and conferences champion contenders make y and bowl games make z, something like that. This would incentivize all the schools to keep trying to build their programs and in turn build the conference. I’m sure a socialist will shoot me down for this thought...

If by some miracle UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Houston sign this, SMU would be crazy not to sign as well. On the other hand, if those schools bail first, we'd be crazy to sign.