After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever | The Boneyard

After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever

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After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever
Jeff Jacobs

Within the next month, he said, The American will be releasing its strategic plan.

"It has got some real meat on it," Aresco said. "It's not just a series of bromides. It has got real goals and benchmarks."

There will be sections devoted to health and safety, student-athlete welfare, revenue generation, to media, new media and TV and what the strategies might be. There will be a section devoted to competitive benchmarks.

"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.

"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."

Aresco said he will be talking to the NCAA and the Power Five conferences about legislative paths to become one of them down the road. He said the real issue, however, doesn't flow through NCAA legislation. Conferences do their own TV deals. The last football season of The American's current deal with ESPN is 2019 and the deal, which includes basketball, runs through 2019-20.

"We need to continue to be extremely competitive and get a better TV deal," Aresco said. "That's critical. We've kept UConn at a certain level in the conference [a $10 million payout last year, with the Big East dissolution deal], knowing that in a few years some of that revenue will disappear. But that's when we'll be negotiating a new deal.

"We're far more valuable than we were three to four years ago. It's night and day, not even close. Our path is to generate competitive and market value so that TV networks, online companies were willing to pay more than they did four years ago. We had anticipated some early discussion with ESPN and my guess is we'll still have them. In fact, we may have them sooner given all that has transpired."

Negotiations start at the beginning of 2019. That makes 2017 and 2018 vital for on-field success.

"I keep telling our schools, 'You need to keep improving and be competitive. Even though you don't have the dollars [the Power Five] have, you have good coaches, the facilities, a TV deal that gives you exposure. You need to schedule really good nonconference games home and away to attract the networks.'

After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever
 
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SubbaBub

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Nice plan, correct plan, but you need a buyer. You need FB playoff access, a dedicated access to the NY6 bowl games.

The next TV deal will be better. Teams will likely get back their T3 rights to sell locally. There is still plenty of space to fill on Saturdays.

But without the ability to say to recruits that our champion has a shot at the CFB, it will never be more than oldest kid at the kiddie table.

To get that you need to have your champ perceived to be as good as the P5 CFP contenders. If Houston runs the table, will they get that kind of ink? Not likely. Until you have a 1 loss champ in the discussion, you aren't there yet.
 
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Nice plan, correct plan, but you need a buyer. You need FB playoff access, a dedicated access to the NY6 bowl games.

The next TV deal will be better. Teams will likely get back their T3 rights to sell locally. There is still plenty of space to fill on Saturdays.

But without the ability to say to recruits that our champion has a shot at the CFB, it will never be more than oldest kid at the kiddie table.

To get that you need to have your champ perceived to be as good as the P5 CFP contenders. If Houston runs the table, will they get that kind of ink? Not likely. Until you have a 1 loss champ in the discussion, you aren't there yet.
He kinda addressed your concerns in the article no?

Look I really, really like Mike Aresco. I think he gets it better than most. I just don't know where he gets the following from:

"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.

"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."

The powers that be have no interest in EVER SAYING "these fellows belong." Why should they? What benefit is it to them?

I like his doggedness, but I don't think that part is grounded in any sort of reality.
 

UCFBfan

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I gotta say, I admire the guys desire to better the confernce. He just had 2/3 of the league fight to get the hell out and he's still looking at how to make it better. I'll be curious what this strategic plan is and hope it works out. He signed on to captain the Titanic yet he's trying his best. I think this article shows it.

Will be interested in the new tv deal as I'm sure more networks might have interest and schools are going to want their Tier 3 rights back.

Hopefully he pulls some rabbits out of his hat. For everyones sake in this conference, we need all we can get.
 

SubbaBub

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He kinda addressed your concerns in the article no?

Look I really, really like Mike Aresco. I think he gets it better than most. I just don't know where he gets the following from:

"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.

"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."

The powers that be have no interest in EVER SAYING "these fellows belong." Why should they? What benefit is it to them?

I like his doggedness, but I don't think that part is grounded in any sort of reality.

The TV deal was not based on the trural value. It had poison pills. The new TV deal will sort itself out. It won't be P5 level but it will put the AAC into its own class above the rest of the G5. They won't be tied to ESPN unless it gives the best deal. They won't need or want to bundle everything into a single contract either.


But the access and the perception that would allow a more level playng field has to come by breaking into the P5. Since the P5 is a cartel and only 4 programs currently in the G5 were ever considered P5 level before, it's unlikely to break that way politically.

The best we can do is hammer lock the G5 bowl bid and push on the field to get into the CFB. It would require beating a lot of top P5 teams in the OOC. It's tough to schedule more than 1 per season.
 

nelsonmuntz

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I have no idea if Aresco is good or not, but he makes a lot of money as a Commissioner of a league that does not make a lot of money. He needs to show us the money.

I think the AAC has to stop playing the same game and hoping for a different outcome. "We want to be P5" is validating the P5's argument that it is better, which undermines the AAC in the negotiation with the networks.

Argue ratings and results on the field, and nothing else. If the ACC is averaging an x.x rating and the AAC is averaging a y.y rating, than we should be getting paid a percentage of x.x, because that is the value we are bringing to the networks.
 
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I have no idea if Aresco is good or not, but he makes a lot of money as a Commissioner of a league that does not make a lot of money. He needs to show us the money.

I think the AAC has to stop playing the same game and hoping for a different outcome. "We want to be P5" is validating the P5's argument that it is better, which undermines the AAC in the negotiation with the networks.

Argue ratings and results on the field, and nothing else. If the ACC is averaging an x.x rating and the AAC is averaging a y.y rating, than we should be getting paid a percentage of x.x, because that is the value we are bringing to the networks.

I'm guessing it's more complicated than that, but that should be the first bullet point no matter what you want I argue in the next tv negotiations
 

Alum86

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Get us off CBS Sports Network and back onto ESPN or even Fox Sports 1 and we'll start listening to you.
Oh god, this. 1000%. But we made ESPN News this wknd.
 
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I gotta say, I admire the guys desire to better the confernce. He just had 2/3 of the league fight to get the hell out and he's still looking at how to make it better.


Which 1/3 wanted to stay?
 
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The TV deal was not based on the trural value. It had poison pills. The new TV deal will sort itself out. It won't be P5 level but it will put the AAC into its own class above the rest of the G5. They won't be tied to ESPN unless it gives the best deal. They won't need or want to bundle everything into a single contract either.


But the access and the perception that would allow a more level playng field has to come by breaking into the P5. Since the P5 is a cartel and only 4 programs currently in the G5 were ever considered P5 level before, it's unlikely to break that way politically.

The best we can do is hammer lock the G5 bowl bid and push on the field to get into the CFB. It would require beating a lot of top P5 teams in the OOC. It's tough to schedule more than 1 per season.
I'm not convinced the TV deal is going to blow away the other G5 leagues. I mean it might in the sense that they get 4 million a year or something similar but not enough to seriously close the gap on the lowest paid p5.

I hope im wrong.
 
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I'm not convinced the TV deal is going to blow away the other G5 leagues. I mean it might in the sense that they get 4 million a year or something similar but not enough to seriously close the gap on the lowest paid p5.


And the bowl affiliation won't be much better. Mike Aresco seems like a nice guy, but he's like that youngest brother trying to hang out with his cooler, older brothers who see no need to bring him along on their next venture.

His strategy had better include a requirement that all those tens of millions the commuter schools promised the B12 they'd spend to upgrade their facilities actually happens.
 

MattMang23

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@gioff23 Tulsa. They were the only full member AAC school not to be identified as a school that reached out to the Big XII.
 

HuskyHawk

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Nice plan, correct plan, but you need a buyer. You need FB playoff access, a dedicated access to the NY6 bowl games.

The next TV deal will be better. Teams will likely get back their T3 rights to sell locally. There is still plenty of space to fill on Saturdays.

But without the ability to say to recruits that our champion has a shot at the CFB, it will never be more than oldest kid at the kiddie table.

To get that you need to have your champ perceived to be as good as the P5 CFP contenders. If Houston runs the table, will they get that kind of ink? Not likely. Until you have a 1 loss champ in the discussion, you aren't there yet.

Do you think most recruits care about the CFB championship? None of those kids going to South Carolina, UCLA or Iowa think they are really going to win a title, let alone the lesser P5 schools. I think they want to play against good competition, in front of big crowds, on national TV and be on a winning team. In theory some programs in the American could offer them enough in that regard. But none of them are in a position to take recruits away from tOSU, Michigan, Alabama, LSU, Penn State, Florida, FSU etc. Until you can put 70k plus in the stands every game you will be disadvantaged against the biggest players.
 
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After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever
Jeff Jacobs

Within the next month, he said, The American will be releasing its strategic plan.

"It has got some real meat on it," Aresco said. "It's not just a series of bromides. It has got real goals and benchmarks."

There will be sections devoted to health and safety, student-athlete welfare, revenue generation, to media, new media and TV and what the strategies might be. There will be a section devoted to competitive benchmarks.

"The first steps in getting back to where the old Big East once was, in the BCS, the power constellation, is to convince the media and the public competitively we belong there," Aresco said. "Once that happens, there's a critical mass and you try to create a fait accompli, so the-powers-that-be says these fellows belong.

"There's a prestige factor that means a lot. People probably thought it was a pipe dream when I talked about us in the P6 conversation. I don't think they think that anymore. The P6 affects recruiting, donations, the amount of media coverage."

Aresco said he will be talking to the NCAA and the Power Five conferences about legislative paths to become one of them down the road. He said the real issue, however, doesn't flow through NCAA legislation. Conferences do their own TV deals. The last football season of The American's current deal with ESPN is 2019 and the deal, which includes basketball, runs through 2019-20.

"We need to continue to be extremely competitive and get a better TV deal," Aresco said. "That's critical. We've kept UConn at a certain level in the conference [a $10 million payout last year, with the Big East dissolution deal], knowing that in a few years some of that revenue will disappear. But that's when we'll be negotiating a new deal.

"We're far more valuable than we were three to four years ago. It's night and day, not even close. Our path is to generate competitive and market value so that TV networks, online companies were willing to pay more than they did four years ago. We had anticipated some early discussion with ESPN and my guess is we'll still have them. In fact, we may have them sooner given all that has transpired."

Negotiations start at the beginning of 2019. That makes 2017 and 2018 vital for on-field success.

"I keep telling our schools, 'You need to keep improving and be competitive. Even though you don't have the dollars [the Power Five] have, you have good coaches, the facilities, a TV deal that gives you exposure. You need to schedule really good nonconference games home and away to attract the networks.'

After Avoiding Disaster, A Classy Mike Aresco Vows To Make AAC Stronger Than Ever

Got pushed down timeline after yesterday's circus. FWIW

Tom Schad@Tom_Schad 20 hours ago
Aresco said he plans to meet with ESPN in December to talk TV deal. "We're far more valuable than what we're being paid. We know that."
 

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