The great news continues...

[CalallenStang]

The way I see this development is the Big East trying to play up…grasping for legitimacy. A Big East-AAC series would make more sense and probably provide better games. It would benefit the AAC quite a bit but the Big East not so much. Eventually they'll have to realize there is little to no connection between the modern day Big East and the Big East of old. Going 2-8 or 3-7 against the Big 10 will hasten that realization.

Big East-AAC challenge had no TV home. AAC is an ESPN league; Big East is a Fox league. Big Ten has the Big Ten Network...their partner in that venture is: FOX

[smupony94]

Two games will be played on the first Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of the regular season, played at school home sites -- four at a Big East school, four at a Big Ten school.

Each Big East team will play a minimum of six times during the length of the eight-year deal, and each Big Ten program will participate at least four times.

Individual match-ups will be announced in the spring.

FOX Sports1 will televise the Big East home games; ESPN or the Big Ten Network will carry the home Big Ten contests.

[JasonB]

A conference with UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple and LB is not a mid major. I don't care who the other schools are.

You just proved my point in being a top heavy conference that does not get respect. In our SMU minds we get respect from ourselves but nationally I do not think that is the case as we saw in the tournament selection committee selections. Losing Louisville hurt and adding East Carolina and Tulane did not help. It may even have hurt. The mid major A10 may have more respect than we do as a whole.

Always taking punches at SMU.

The only "Mid-major" team to win an NCAA tourney in the last 30 years was UNLV.

We return the defending national champions in men's and women's basketball. Teams from our conference made the finals in all four major post season tourneys. We ended the season with 5 ranked teams.

In no way are we "mid-major" from a basketball perspective.

[PonySnob]

Take away Louisville, when has a mid major conference ever had four schools ranked? I'd be shock if a mid-major conference ever had three

Didn't our TV contact compared to that of the Big East show that that the AAC was relegated to mid-major status?

[Grant Carter]

There is no official definition of mid-major so unless y'all agree on a definition then you are never going to agree whether the AAC is mid-major since everyone will be working off their own definition.

[CalallenStang]

Take away Louisville, when has a mid major conference ever had four schools ranked? I'd be shock if a mid-major conference ever had three

Didn't our TV contact compared to that of the Big East show that that the AAC was relegated to mid-major status?

No, it showed that TV networks had little confidence that the AAC wouldn't lose more schools. The BE was stable as the core schools were not going anywhere. Couldn't say the same thing about the AAC at the time.

[Rebel10]

A conference with UConn, Memphis, Cincy, Temple and LB is not a mid major. I don't care who the other schools are.

You just proved my point in being a top heavy conference that does not get respect. In our SMU minds we get respect from ourselves but nationally I do not think that is the case as we saw in the tournament selection committee selections. Losing Louisville hurt and adding East Carolina and Tulane did not help. It may even have hurt. The mid major A10 may have more respect than we do as a whole.

Always taking punches at SMU.

Not taking a shot at anybody. But I think that we might be perceived as as mid major conference behind the A10 next year without Louisville. I hope I am wrong.

And according to the final AP Pol we ended the season with 3 ranked teams not 5, one of which is Louisville which is no longer in the conference.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketb ... s/_/poll/1

I have not seen any early rankings with more than 3 AAC teams in it either. Not saying their isn't one out there.

I think lot will depend on how Temple, Cincy, UConn, UH do in this upcoming non conference play. They could earn the conference a lot of respect.

[Rebel10]

You just proved my point in being a top heavy conference that does not get respect. In our SMU minds we get respect from ourselves but nationally I do not think that is the case as we saw in the tournament selection committee selections. Losing Louisville hurt and adding East Carolina and Tulane did not help. It may even have hurt. The mid major A10 may have more respect than we do as a whole.

No. You said we may be a mid-major not top heavy. You can't have it both ways. Our bottom teams hurt but with our top half we are a legit major bball conference

You can be a top heavy conference that is a mid major. I think that is what many may see us as next year. I hope I am wrong but the way we were disrespected this past year it might happen.

[jpe747]

Winning defines strength. We're just a young conference. If we even close to as good over the next two or three years we will be considered one of the elite bb conferences.

[EastStang]

I'd like to see an ACC/AAC series. UConn v. Louisville, SMU v. Duke, Memphis v. UNC., Cincy v. UVA, ECU v. Wake, Houston v. Syracuse, Temple v. BC, FSU v. UCF, Miami v. USF, Tulsa v. GT, Tulane v. Clemson. Could be one heck of a series.

[SMU 86]

Sometimes I wonder if conferences area shunning playing us in a series.

[CalallenStang]

Sometimes I wonder if conferences area shunning playing us in a series.

No.

[SMU 86]

Sometimes I wonder if conferences area shunning playing us in a series.

No.

How do you know? Also, does anyone know if the AAC is even trying to get into a conference series with major conference? Probably won't mean to much if we got into a series with CUSA or the Sunbelt.

[CalallenStang]

Sometimes I wonder if conferences area shunning playing us in a series.

No.

How do you know? Also, does anyone know if the AAC is even trying to get into a conference series with major conference? Probably won't mean to much if we got into a series with CUSA or the Sunbelt.

Sorry, can't give my source on this. But it is a source on the TV side, not the conference or school side. Was told that AAC-Big East would not happen because there were no common TV connections, and ESPN didn't want DePaul @ ECU or Butler @ Tulane. But that is the only situation where AAC had no possibility of scheduling a challenge.

My understanding is that Aresco & Co. are looking into it with ESPN but it is not a priority. At this time, due to the disparity between the top and bottom of the league, the AAC feels like it is better for each team to set their schedule according to what they feel is best. The league does review and approve non-conference matchups, though.

I may have said too much. But I hope it helps.

[smupony94]

[quote="SMU 86"]Sometimes I wonder if conferences area shunning playing us in a series.

No.

How do you know? Also, does anyone know if the AAC is even trying to get into a conference series with major conference? Probably won't mean to much if we got into a series with CUSA or the Sunbelt.

Sorry, can't give my source on this. But it is a source on the TV side, not the conference or school side. Was told that AAC-Big East would not happen because there were no common TV connections, and ESPN didn't want DePaul @ ECU or Butler @ Tulane. But that is the only situation where AAC had no possibility of scheduling a challenge.

My understanding is that Aresco & Co. are looking into it with ESPN but it is not a priority. At this time, due to the disparity between the top and bottom of the league, the AAC feels like it is better for each team to set their schedule according to what they feel is best. The league does review and approve non-conference matchups, though.

I may have said too much. But I hope it helps.[/quote]

Using me as a source now haha