New schools 2014-15

[LA_Mustang]

So, only Tulsa and Tulane are being added in hoops? ECU is football only? Not sure I understand the logic in Tulane over ECU in hoops. I get that New Orleans is New Orleans and that helps Tulane's appeal, but they add absolutely nothing to our conference in the way of competitiveness and profile to either revenue sport. Like last year when the western schools were considering joining - San Deigo St and Boise. Weren't they both going to be football only? SDSU would've been a great bball addition, as high profile as Boise in football. I've always read and believed the biggest factor/appeal in a conference adding a school is TV market (see Rutgers and Maryland) but I guess in the AAC it was just about adding worm bodies?

[GiddyUp]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_A ... Conference

ECU, Tulsa, Tulane = full members

[malachi896]

So, only Tulsa and Tulane are being added in hoops? ECU is football only? Not sure I understand the logic in Tulane over ECU in hoops. I get that New Orleans is New Orleans and that helps Tulane's appeal, but they add absolutely nothing to our conference in the way of competitiveness and profile to either revenue sport. Like last year when the western schools were considering joining - San Deigo St and Boise. Weren't they both going to be football only? SDSU would've been a great bball addition, as high profile as Boise in football. I've always read and believed the biggest factor/appeal in a conference adding a school is TV market (see Rutgers and Maryland) but I guess in the AAC it was just about adding worm bodies?

The problem with basketball is travel, which is why these schools were not going to join for bball. It's ok for SDSU/Boise to join for football since you make a trip out a few days before the game and then fly right back home. Though it sucks to travel 6 hours from San Diego to NY for a Rutgers football game its a one and done shot. With basketball, since you have to play every team on the road once the logistics of scheduling your away games in such far flung places are near damn impossible and very cost prohibitive. This is also why the Big East schools broke away from the American. Those schools do not play football and didn't want to be dictated by football. Why fly out to Texas and Florida once a year for basketball when you can keep a competitive, NE only bball conference and avoid the travel headaches? LB talks about it all the time when he says how he hates what football is doing to all of the other sports.

[LA_Mustang]

That makes sense regarding the travel.

[Big12Mustang]

So, only Tulsa and Tulane are being added in hoops? ECU is football only? Not sure I understand the logic in Tulane over ECU in hoops. I get that New Orleans is New Orleans and that helps Tulane's appeal, but they add absolutely nothing to our conference in the way of competitiveness and profile to either revenue sport. Like last year when the western schools were considering joining - San Deigo St and Boise. Weren't they both going to be football only? SDSU would've been a great bball addition, as high profile as Boise in football. I've always read and believed the biggest factor/appeal in a conference adding a school is TV market (see Rutgers and Maryland) but I guess in the AAC it was just about adding worm bodies?

Only Navy is Football only.

[OhioBrownFan]

Completely serious, I wouldn't mind seeing SMU go to the Mountain West. I think it's typically a very strong bball conference, down this year, but won't be for long. They also play good football and schools that make more sense geographically. Probably in the minority since it doesn't have UConn but I think the overall profile of the conference would be better than the AAC and fit what the Ponies are doing better. Top 5 teams in that conference in basketball are pretty good, SMU would be a 6th. And the teams in the conference are recruiting at a high level, UNLV will be back next year. They got hit hard by transfers this year, two of their best players left the program after last year but they have a good influx of new talent coming in this coming year. SDSU and New Mexico are good teams as well.

The other thing is that I think it's more stable. UConn and UC will undoubtedly jump if they ever get an offer to join the ACC or B10, I don't like that personally. Better conference than Mountain West with Louisville in but I think the Mountain West may be better moving forward.

Any thoughts?

[PonyKai]

Any thoughts?

1.) Having seen TV exposure before we were an ESPN product, and after, I'm very happy with being in the AAC due to the fact that it sold its rights to the World Wide Leader and the exposure - not the TV dollars - have been great. We've gone from having one crack addict with the shakes holding a shoulder cam under the basket to every game on ESPN in some format. That's just great.

2.) The AAC is the only "non-P5 conference" to publicly and clearly state that it will do anything and everything it can to stay with the P5; Aresco has said it will mirror/mimic their actions.

3.) Although losing Louisville hurts in hoops - a lot - I think that Houston/USF/Temple will be strong conference mates moving forward. The AAC can consistently be a 4-5 bid league.

I prefer the AAC for those reasons.

[OhioBrownFan]

Good points. AAC definitely gets the much better exposure. Now that I'm thinking more along your lines, I also like the fact that a lot of the teams are East Coast. Always an EC bias for a number of reason but the biggest to me is voters see those teams more often than the late games out west. I really worry about UConn and Cinci leaving and then scrambling for a new conference. That's my biggest b*tch right now.

[FriscoChuck]

I want the most visibility.. Currently that is AAC. However, I would think there would be a lot of visibility to be aligned to Pac-10 teams. Maybe some day these teams will see the value of having a team in Dallas.

[PonyKai]

Good points. AAC definitely gets the much better exposure. Now that I'm thinking more along your lines, I also like the fact that a lot of the teams are East Coast. Always an EC bias for a number of reason but the biggest to me is voters see those teams more often than the late games out west. I really worry about UConn and Cinci leaving and then scrambling for a new conference. That's my biggest b*tch right now.

Without any insider information whatsoever, I have zero worries that UCONN will be going anywhere. It's a one trick pony; it's very difficult to sustain a high-level football program in that part of the country, and realignment has been (for the most part) driven by football. With the ACC as its only viable option, they've already gobbled up quite a few premier hoops programs with mediocre to awful football programs. Would they really make a stab for another easdt coast hoops first state school that adds no new markets and does nothing to increase football visibility and generate additional revenue? Cincy is kicking and screaming and oh-so-badly wants to go to the Big 12, but why would that happen in the next 36 months? And, hey, DeLoss Dodds retired, so SMU's chances of going to the Big 12 went from 0.00% to 0.02% percent.

[GiddyUp]

I think we are in the best situation we can. If only June could hold his part of the bargain but he cant..

[East Coast Mustang]

Losing UL and adding crap programs like ECU and Tulane will hurt our conference significantly. Hopefully Tulsa can step up (used to be a solid program) and Temple will be back to where they're normally at next year.

So if I'm not mistaken we will have 11 bball schools with Navy being FB only? I wonder if it would make sense to add one bball school to the equation for an even twelve: Wichita State? Saint Louis? VCU?

[LA_Mustang]

ECM, I think adding all three schools you mentioned makes a lot of sense. I believe the ACC is also at 14. As long as we have Cincy, UConn, Memphis and Temple, the AAC is still one of the big boys but adding Wichita St, SL and VCU in hoops would really strengthen the conference.

[OhioBrownFan]

ECM, I think adding all three schools you mentioned makes a lot of sense. I believe the ACC is also at 14. As long as we have Cincy, UConn, Memphis and Temple, the AAC is still one of the big boys but adding Wichita St, SL and VCU in hoops would really strengthen the conference.

I agree with those 3. They'd be great. Especially St. Louis, great market, good program. Another good place to hold conference tourney too even though Memphis is more central and ideal.

So nobody likes the idea of Mountain West it sounds like

[East Coast Mustang]

ECM, I think adding all three schools you mentioned makes a lot of sense. I believe the ACC is also at 14. As long as we have Cincy, UConn, Memphis and Temple, the AAC is still one of the big boys but adding Wichita St, SL and VCU in hoops would really strengthen the conference.

I agree with those 3. They'd be great. Especially St. Louis, great market, good program. Another good place to hold conference tourney too even though Memphis is more central and ideal.

So nobody likes the idea of Mountain West it sounds like

No to MWC, terrible exposure compared to American