Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[pepband99]

It is amazing how many AAC fans this board still has.

Your usual schtick aside, the consolidation of conferences into larger groups, and the increasing count of conference-only scheduled games, is a real problem for independents not named Notre Dame.

 

[JohnFSilver]

They bring the Dallas market, although that's like saying BC brought the Boston market and Syracuse and Rutgers brought the NYC market. Also some inroads into recruiting in Texas.

With streaming however, schools will have to demonstrate there own media value down the road.

Is this 2008? Where carriage is guaranteed? Lol.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I know you're being sarcastic, but it is definitely true that the University has no control over boosters. The only threat there was that they could hurt the program, which they did. Now everybody wants those boosters setting up NIL. It's wild how much has changed.

You likely don't know the entire story (understandable as it was four decades ago).

Unlike most cases where there was an attempt at plausible deniability and while many within the school with a wink and a nod attempted to give the appearance that they didn't know kids were getting paid or who was paying them, SMU had regular "board meetings" with the board being the school's president, a couple other high level school officials (including members of the athletic department) and some high powered boosters (who sourced the money). The meetings were designed to improve the effectiveness of recruiting players to be able to compete with the best teams in the country.

Part of what blew up in SMU's face was that the president, while running for some elected office (I think governor but it may have been senator) in a TV interview (not long before the death penalty) claimed (as there had been recent sanctions) that he had no knowledge of booster payments, only to be shown a letter to a player, with his stationary (as SMU's president) and signature thanking the kid for choosing SMU and including a copy of the check that was enclosed in the letter.

That is what led the NCAA to take steps that they never felt they would have to take.

 

[superjohn]

You likely don't know the entire story (understandable as it was four decades ago).

Unlike most cases where there was an attempt at plausible deniability and while many within the school with a wink and a nod attempted to give the appearance that they didn't know kids were getting paid or who was paying them, SMU had regular "board meetings" with the board being the school's president, a couple other high level school officials (including members of the athletic department) and some high powered boosters (who sourced the money). The meetings were designed to improve the effectiveness of recruiting players to be able to compete with the best teams in the country.

Part of what blew up in SMU's face was that the president, while running for some elected office (I think governor but it may have been senator) in a TV interview (not long before the death penalty) claimed (as there had been recent sanctions) that he had no knowledge of booster payments, only to be shown a letter to a player, with his stationary (as SMU's president) and signature thanking the kid for choosing SMU and including a copy of the check that was enclosed in the letter.

That is what led the NCAA to take steps that they never felt they would have to take.

They also never stopped paying the kids after they were caught and they knew the stiffest possible penalties were on the table. It was massive cheating from the top down.

Dickerson is from my buddy's hometown Sealy, Texas and he used to drive the gold trans-am all over town and would still drive it to the high school football games. My buddy was the star QB and his best friend and running back was Dickerson's nephew. He was supposed to be as good as Dickerson but he tragically died in a car accident when he was a senior in high school. His son Ricky Seals-Jones currently plays in the NFL. Insane amount of talent in that tiny town.

 

[Seamus84]

SMU’s “momentum” was a direct result of the activities that earned them the death penalty.

I don't disagree, but you could apply that statement to every school in TX and we'd be naive to think they were the only school doing it, then or since. Their problem was they were the right size for the NCAA to make an example and not have to expose the big offenders and kill the golden goose. I think we can relate.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Your usual schtick aside, the consolidation of conferences into larger groups, and the increasing count of conference-only scheduled games, is a real problem for independents not named Notre Dame.

You have convinced me. Let's join the Big 10.

Given UConn's realistic options, burning all of our sports to the ground so football can play North Texas and Charlotte in conference games seems like a bad trade.

The best option appears to be waiting this out until FBS football has to break off from the NCAA or streaming forces leagues to re-evaluate their revenue sharing.

 

[John]

You have convinced me. Let's join the Big 10.

Given UConn's realistic options, burning all of our sports to the ground so football can play North Texas and Charlotte in conference games seems like a bad trade.

The best option appears to be waiting this out until FBS football has to break off from the NCAA or streaming forces leagues to re-evaluate their revenue sharing.

does the football program have that long?

 

[ZooCougar]

the reality is that school presidents and athletic directors are often as shallow as the fanbases

And less people informed.

That Michael Crow guy sounds like an idiot. He called Apple TV 23rd Century Star Trek technology. What a clown.

 

[ZooCougar]

does the football program have that long?

I think we will see football only conferences or a deal with a conference for football only. But it might be better to just stay Indy if we can put great schedules together.

 

[noeynox]

I think we will see football only conferences or a deal with a conference for football only. But it might be better to just stay Indy if we can put great schedules together.

Big East would probably never go for it, but the perfect opportunity to put together a hybrid conference again, starting with the PAC 12 remnants. They'd probably get more money overall.

 

[pepband99]

You have convinced me. Let's join the Big 10.

Given UConn's realistic options, burning all of our sports to the ground so football can play North Texas and Charlotte in conference games seems like a bad trade.

The best option appears to be waiting this out until FBS football has to break off from the NCAA or streaming forces leagues to re-evaluate their revenue sharing.

Why do you think i was disagreeing with you? My statement was 100% factual, and had very little to do with the AAC.

 

[nadav]

Why do you think i was disagreeing with you? My statement was 100% factual, and had very little to do with the AAC.

You’re forgetting his schtick.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Really? In SMU's heyday before the death penalty, they had a hard time attracting 30k fans per game unless they were playing Texas or Texas A&M. The poor fanbases at TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice is why they were left behind when the Big 12 was formed.

BTW, SMU averaged 25k fans per game last season and they have ~7k undergraduates. What do they bring to a conference?

Let’s put 25k in context
They was a great documentary on the NCAA killing the program
They were among the top teams in in country in the early 1980’s Were talking the heyday of that Conference but before the NCAA.Destruction
1979 - 85 they were 40-10 in conference
They’re program was shutdown 1986-88
From 1988-95 merger the won 3 conference games . I believe scholarships were limited
A disgruntled player turned them in because they cut his payment and they were put on probation
They then panicked and decided to continue to pay the other others players for fear those players would turn them in When they were caught again the program was shutdown completely until they played 1AA UConn
If they were still getting 25k a game in those dismal years that’s very impressive.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

There should be a rule that there can only be X number of consecutive comments without a relevant tweet

 

[ZooCougar]

There should be a rule that there can only be X number of consecutive comments without a relevant tweet

There really aren’t any UConn relevant realignment tweets. We’re not even on the radar.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Why do people keep suggesting the Big East merge with a football conference? Do some of you just not know the history or what?

 

[Urcea]

Why do people keep suggesting the Big East merge with a football conference? Do some of you just not know the history or what?

In theory it may be possible if the football conference in question is all very strong hoops brands

 

[JohnFSilver]

They also never stopped paying the kids after they were caught and they knew the stiffest possible penalties were on the table. It was massive cheating from the top down.

Dickerson is from my buddy's hometown Sealy, Texas and he used to drive the gold trans-am all over town and would still drive it to the high school football games. My buddy was the star QB and his best friend and running back was Dickerson's nephew. He was supposed to be as good as Dickerson but he tragically died in a car accident when he was a senior in high school. His son Ricky Seals-Jones currently plays in the NFL. Insane amount of talent in that tiny town.

SMU.

Awful fact, the first win after the death penalty was was vs UConn. Tom Jackson team just collapsed in a horrible way in 4th quarter.

They call it the Miracle on Mockingbird down there. Famous game for their fans. Go figure.

 

[Waquoit]

SMU.

Awful fact, the first win after the death penalty was was vs UConn. Tom Jackson team just collapsed in a horrible way in 4th quarter.

I still remember where I was when I watched that debacle.

 

[hoopsfan22]

In theory it may be possible if the football conference in question is all very strong hoops brands

It has nothing to do with how strong or not strong the hoops is.

 

[Urcea]

It has nothing to do with how strong or not strong the hoops is.

They're not saying no if Cuse and Duke come knocking

 

[hoopsfan22]

They're not saying no if Cuse and Duke come knocking

It's a small religious school conference that wants to play basketball and a few other olympic sports with geographically convenient schools. Their Athletic Depts aren't interested in trying to compete with those of the P5. What makes you think they want more football schools when they worked so hard to get away from them the first time?

 

[History Geek]

I still remember where I was when I watched that debacle.

Me too. In my Celeron Square apartment watching it on TV. I was in grad school.

 

[noeynox]

I still remember where I was when I watched that debacle.

Ugh! I was kid home watching on Channel 8 and a lightning storm (i think knocked out the power or cable, don't remember) i couldn't believe it when i picked up the paper in the morning. Had to buy the noon paper as well to confirm they had lost. They were up like 30-7.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Really? In SMU's heyday before the death penalty, they had a hard time attracting 30k fans per game unless they were playing Texas or Texas A&M. The poor fanbases at TCU, Houston, SMU, and Rice is why they were left behind when the Big 12 was formed.

BTW, SMU averaged 25k fans per game last season and they have ~7k undergraduates. What do they bring to a conference?

A recruiting base in the largest state for football talent in the US and access to the country's 5th largest TV market in DFW, which happens to think football is a scared religion.