Four AAC teams ranked in the Top 25

[Pony Boss]

You guys aren't very good at the strategy thing. Power 5 is not gonna let another conference get a seat at the buffet table. If our conference starts consistently winning, they'll just pluck the best team or 2 and knock our [deleted] right back down......

You act as if the "power 5" are all friends and in collusion. They hate each other more than they hate the g5 and would all relish when Big 12 and ACC die. Big East got gutted because it had 100 basketball schools and 8 football schools and demanded big time money. Not enough Football value to be a viable conference. Infighting between hoop and football schools ended that league. American is in the driver's seat, just win and get ESPN to pay you.

[RGV Pony]

But ESPN is running out of $ after overpaying for NBA and NFL

[Rebel10]

You guys aren't very good at the strategy thing. Power 5 is not gonna let another conference get a seat at the buffet table. If our conference starts consistently winning, they'll just pluck the best team or 2 and knock our [deleted] right back down......

You act as if the "power 5" are all friends and in collusion. They hate each other more than they hate the g5 and would all relish when Big 12 and ACC die. Big East got gutted because it had 100 basketball schools and 8 football schools and demanded big time money. Not enough Football value to be a viable conference. Infighting between hoop and football schools ended that league. American is in the driver's seat, just win and get ESPN to pay you.

Sorry Pony Boss but they won't add another P5 conference. They are trying to get down to 4 conferences now and everyone in the AAC knows it. That is why most AAC schools are trying to get out of the AAC now. SMU just has to win to try to get to the a P5 conference.

[JasonB]

He who shall not be named always thought it would get to 4 conferences.

The question I would ask is this: Is there more money in it to squeeze the conferences to 4? I am not so sure. If the SEC expands further, are they really going to get an even bigger TV deal? I think at this point it probably has more to do with the market of College Football than getting more teams into an already loaded conference. Sure, the Big 12 could stand to spread east and get more of a presence in that time zone. The ACC could go west, and the Pac 12 could go east. But there are so many power schools in each of the 5 conferences already that cannibalizing another conference won't really up the ante too much. The ACC schools get 20 million and Big 12 get 20 millions, but I don't think by combining the two conferences each school gets 40 million. They probably still get 20-25, but tick off the customer base by killing rivalries. This isn't a situation where they are moving from 8 per year to 25.

The other question is why cherry pick? The only conference who needs to add is the big 12 to get to a championship game. They will pick up 2 schools at some point, but the point in doing so will be for a bigger audience. So, they are going either east or west. UCF, Cincy, BYU. My guess would be Cincy and BYU. In that case, the AAC just goes and gets Boise as a replacement, or a MAC school.

Does the AAC have a shot at being a P6 school? Maybe... once the P5 is full, they don't care about the arrangements. Adding a sixth conference to the mix - is that REALLY going to impact their revenue either way? No it won't, they will still have the same TV contracts. The AAC isn't going to pull money away from them... the conference will just be a step lower from a revenue concept. As long as the AAC is willing to play on a level playing field with paying stipends, there is really no reason to not include them.

[blackoutpony]

s long as the AAC is willing to play on a level playing field with paying stipends, there is really no reason to not include them.

That's a foolish and naive statement. The pressure to win, win, win is impossibly high in college football. You don't make it harder on yourself by adding more teams. That's just that many more teams you have to beat out for players, TV time, and win games against.

You think Tennessee wants Memphis to be on a even playing field them? You think Aggie and Bevo want two more power schools in Texas, that aren't in terrible cities, to steal recruits away from them in SMU and Houston? In what world would FSU, Miami, and Florida all sit down and say, "Yeah USF and UCF, be our equals, no biggie!". Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, and Big State U wants to keep it all for themselve$$$$$.

Is it doable? The Mountain West with Utah, TCU, BYU, SDSU and Air Force was a solid conference, but then they got raided. It's doable, but it's hard. Very very effing hard. Just thinking we should be included "because" is ridiculous. It will takes years like this where we consistently have 3-4 ranked teams before the AAC will get real respect. I'm talking 4-5 years, to prove it's not a fluke, and by that point, we just have to hope we don't get raided, and if we do, that it's us.

So WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

[JasonB]

Like I said, Maybe... I wasn't saying it would happen. Regardless of whether or not the AAC is a Power Conference, Memphis will never be on a level playing field with Tennessee. The money in the SEC will always be far greater and then alumni support is far greater. That has way more impact than a P5/G5 label.

[Rebel10]

Like I said, Maybe... I wasn't saying it would happen. Regardless of whether or not the AAC is a Power Conference, Memphis will never be on a level playing field with Tennessee. The money in the SEC will always be far greater and then alumni support is far greater. That has way more impact than a P5/G5 label.

Regarding Memphis, I think he may have been saying that Tennessee would not want them in the SEC or any P5 conference. Memphis would be on a level playing field if they were admitted to the SEC or Big 10 etc. Don't think the SEC has the highest paying conference.

[friarwolf]

You guys aren't very good at the strategy thing. Power 5 is not gonna let another conference get a seat at the buffet table. If our conference starts consistently winning, they'll just pluck the best team or 2 and knock our [deleted] right back down......

You act as if the "power 5" are all friends and in collusion. They hate each other more than they hate the g5 and would all relish when Big 12 and ACC die. Big East got gutted because it had 100 basketball schools and 8 football schools and demanded big time money. Not enough Football value to be a viable conference. Infighting between hoop and football schools ended that league. American is in the driver's seat, just win and get ESPN to pay you.

Hating each other stops when its time to collect those huge checks. You watch how quickly those wagons circle up when someone tells the P5 they need to split that money with another conference. If you think otherwise, I don't know how to help you. In that same vein, if you think ESPN wants to willingly hand out another 240MM a year to an additional conference that they are now paying peanuts to for content...........

[ponyboy]

You guys aren't very good at the strategy thing. Power 5 is not gonna let another conference get a seat at the buffet table. If our conference starts consistently winning, they'll just pluck the best team or 2 and knock our [deleted] right back down......

Not a problem if we're the best team or two.

[Hoop Fan]

Here's the question. Did ESPN/ABC essentially get that Notre Dame-Temple primetime game for FREE by paying the AAC peanuts for rights to televise our home games? What about Memphis-Ole Miss? I think that was on ABC in a nice Saturday afternoon slot. Notre Dame vs. Navy next year? Heck, Baylor at SMU? Bet that had some viewers. If ESPN is a monopoly, you are right, they will never pay us. If NBC, Fox, CBS or anybody else want games too and we have good games, we should get some value.

[Pony Boss]

You guys aren't very good at the strategy thing. Power 5 is not gonna let another conference get a seat at the buffet table. If our conference starts consistently winning, they'll just pluck the best team or 2 and knock our [deleted] right back down......

You act as if the "power 5" are all friends and in collusion. They hate each other more than they hate the g5 and would all relish when Big 12 and ACC die. Big East got gutted because it had 100 basketball schools and 8 football schools and demanded big time money. Not enough Football value to be a viable conference. Infighting between hoop and football schools ended that league. American is in the driver's seat, just win and get ESPN to pay you.

Hating each other stops when its time to collect those huge checks. You watch how quickly those wagons circle up when someone tells the P5 they need to split that money with another conference. If you think otherwise, I don't know how to help you. In that same vein, if you think ESPN wants to willingly hand out another 240MM a year to an additional conference that they are now paying peanuts to for content...........

You assume TV market is a zero sum game. Paying a conference does not diminish the value of the others...it's not the power 5s money it's ESPN/Fox/NBCs money. As another poster said, create demand for American FB games and get a better tv deal by winning games, gaining viewership/attendance, etc.

[Stallion]

yes ESPN or ABC gets those P5 teams for peanuts when the G5 team is a home team. In fact, its the only way some networks can get certain P5 teams on their network at all-like Notre Dame which has a contract with NBC

[MustangStealth]

I'll bet Fox is pissed that they won't get to air SMU-Liberty.

[Pony Boss]

I'll bet Fox is [deleted] that they won't get to air SMU-Liberty.

No network enjoys airing FCS games unless forced to by contact...games picked up by third tier or just webcast those games.

[Charleston Pony]

I'll bet Fox is [deleted] that they won't get to air SMU-Liberty.

No network enjoys airing FCS games unless forced to by contact...games picked up by third tier or just webcast those games.

"filler" games for the Ocho