Blauds: AAC Wants A Seat At Main CFB Table | The Boneyard

Blauds: AAC Wants A Seat At Main CFB Table

Drew

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Mike Aresco knows how to work a room and a sport as well everyone.

The current American Athletic Conference commissioner and former TV marketing executive is spending most of his time lobbying the Power 5 conferences to include the AAC as a sixth member with a guaranteed CFB playoff spot when the next round of expansion happens.

That time is rapidly approaching, but Aresco knows he needs something more to close the deal, which is why sources throughout the AAC say that Aresco is not ruling out any plan which could get the AAC a seat at the adult table.

Aresco's task is huge because the Power 5 is reluctant to give up any of its "power'' at large slots in any kind of playoff, whether it is a four, eight, or, what seems likely a 12 team format.

Aresco might have to go outside of the box--by expanding to a super size 14 team, two division, coast to coast conference.

Although Aresco strongly denies that any conference expansion talk has been more than casual, here's a plan that might get some response from the Power 5 as well as ESPN.

The current AAC would expand from 11 to 14 teams, with a Western based expansion which would include Colorado State, San Diego State and Boise State.
 

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Nothing changes the fact that this is really ESPN's call. Do they want to let this happen and up the current AAC media deal or do they gently decline it? The AAC can't shop, they are beholden to whatever ESPN will bless under their current 900 year deal. I don't see ESPN upping the ante for product that ultimately wont produce materially higher ratings or significant new markets. Colorado St vs Tulsa and SD St vs Tulane will still do whatever lower end ratings it does now as an OOC match up.

If anything, ESPN would like to see the P5 become a P4 rather than a P6.

Hard to make this happen when ESPN has no motivation.
 
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CL82

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Hard to make this happen when ESPN has no motivation.

Oh ESPN has plenty of motivation unfortunately for Aresco in the AAC it’s motivation to keep getting content at bargain prices.
 

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Wow, that revealed more than I would have expected.

So - the Boise St move to the AAC collapsed for one of the principal reasons we left - making all other sports work in a far flung conference.

Two other takeaways;
1) No discussion in this story about a 13th and 14th member (ie San Diego, Colorado St or others).
2) No real discussion in here about the payout other than the mention that the AAC contract might add $4MM over their current deal in the MW. As I have stated before, be very curious just how willing ESPN would have been to pay any sort of bump for this move as they already control AAC and that already gives them enough content/markets to supplement their college football line up centered on the SEC and ACC.

Anyway - the move looks dead again. Maybe hypersonic jets will change things (sarcasm).
 

Chin Diesel

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Wow, that revealed more than I would have expected.

So - the Boise St move to the AAC collapsed for one of the principal reasons we left - making all other sports work in a far flung conference.

Two other takeaways;
1) No discussion in this story about a 13th and 14th member (ie San Diego, Colorado St or others).
2) No real discussion in here about the payout other than the mention that the AAC contract might add $4MM over their current deal in the MW. As I have stated before, be very curious just how willing ESPN would have been to pay any sort of bump for this move as they already control AAC and that already gives them enough content/markets to supplement their college football line up centered on the SEC and ACC.

Anyway - the move looks dead again. Maybe hypersonic jets will change things (sarcasm).

Hypersonic? Not yet. Supersonic? United is already buying them.

Boom - Supersonic Passenger Airplanes (boomsupersonic.com)

Exclusive look at designs for US supersonic presidential jet | CNN Travel
 

Drew

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This is a blessing in disguise for the AAC in the long run. Boise is so isolated compared to the rest of that league- way more than UConn was which is insane to think- and not in a major recruiting hotbed. Not a good academic institution, low population state, doesn’t enhance a TV deal, etc. They’ve already fallen back pretty heavily from the Kellen Moore days, despite being one of the best programs in the MWC.

The AAC if it is forced to add a 12th school for conference championship games should look at someone like JMU or another school in either the Southeast or Southwest that fits their geographic foot print. JMU creates a nice pack of mid-Atlantic schools with Navy, Temple, ECU and is a solid academic fit as well. Expandable stadium with easy access off 81 and a history of successful football- they’re basically what App State was when they moved to FBS in terms of a prospect but much better off as a university.
 

CL82

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Expandable stadium
Is it? It is built up on one side and and has a building on the other, or am I thinking about the wrong stadium?
 

Chin Diesel

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This is a blessing in disguise for the AAC in the long run. Boise is so isolated compared to the rest of that league- way more than UConn was which is insane to think- and not in a major recruiting hotbed. Not a good academic institution, low population state, doesn’t enhance a TV deal, etc. They’ve already fallen back pretty heavily from the Kellen Moore days, despite being one of the best programs in the MWC.

The AAC if it is forced to add a 12th school for conference championship games should look at someone like JMU or another school in either the Southeast or Southwest that fits their geographic foot print. JMU creates a nice pack of mid-Atlantic schools with Navy, Temple, ECU and is a solid academic fit as well. Expandable stadium with easy access off 81 and a history of successful football- they’re basically what App State was when they moved to FBS in terms of a prospect but much better off as a university.

If you are thinking JMU, might as well just add ODU which has already upgraded to D1 and is in a bigger metro area with plentiful recruiting for HS prospects.
 
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Waquoit

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I think if we win out we might just get a seat at the table if they go to 12 next year. HCRE will have all his guys in place.

Aug. 27 at Utah State Aggies Maverik Stadium, Logan, UT
Sep. 3 CCSU Blue Devils Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Sep. 10 Syracuse Orange Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Sep. 17 at Michigan Wolverines Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Sep. 24 at NC State Wolfpack Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
Oct. 1 Fresno State Bulldogs Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Oct. 8 at FIU Panthers Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, FL
Oct. 15 at Ball State Cardinals Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
Oct. 29 Boston College Eagles Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Nov. 12 Liberty Flames Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Nov. 19 at Army Black Knights Michie Stadium, West Point, NY
 
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I think if we win out we might just get a seat at the table if they go to 12 next year. HCRE will have all his guys in place.

Aug. 27 at Utah State Aggies Maverik Stadium, Logan, UT
Sep. 3 CCSU Blue Devils Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Sep. 10 Syracuse Orange Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Sep. 17 at Michigan Wolverines Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
Sep. 24 at NC State Wolfpack Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh, NC
Oct. 1 Fresno State Bulldogs Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Oct. 8 at FIU Panthers Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, FL
Oct. 15 at Ball State Cardinals Scheumann Stadium, Muncie, IN
Oct. 29 Boston College Eagles Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Nov. 12 Liberty Flames Rentschler Field, East Hartford, CT
Nov. 19 at Army Black Knights Michie Stadium, West Point, NY

they’ve been lifting!
 
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If Aresco and AAC can pull this off, it would be a huge accomplishment for them. Aresco essentially would get the old BE seat back. It would be a solid football conference if they can add those 3 schools to create a nationwide America conference.
 
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If Aresco and AAC can pull this off, it would be a huge accomplishment for them. Aresco essentially would get the old BE seat back. It would be a solid football conference if they can add those 3 schools to create a nationwide America conference.

they’re not pulling it off
 

CL82

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If Aresco and AAC can pull this off, it would be a huge accomplishment for them. Aresco essentially would get the old BE seat back. It would be a solid football conference if they can add those 3 schools to create a nationwide America conference.
Would that be "the old Big East?" In many ways it is kind of the antithesis of the OBE. To be fair though being the OBE has never been Aresco's goal. If it were he never would have sold the name and would have looked at additions on the East Coast.
 
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they’re not pulling it off

I think if they can get a seat at the table with this new league, and keep the current TV deal or get something better, Aresco can pull this off. You forget both SDSU and Boise almost joined the BE at one time.
 
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Would that be "the old Big East?" In many ways it is kind of the antithesis of the OBE. To be fair though being the OBE has never been Aresco's goal. If it were he never would have sold the name and would have looked at additions on the East Coast.
Doesn't matter what you want to call it, the old BCS had BE at the table. Aresco been trying to get that seat back for some time now.
 

CL82

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Doesn't matter what you want to call it, the old BCS had BE at the table. Aresco been trying to get that seat back for some time now.
Gotcha. I read past the word "seat" in your quote. I agree it would have been quite a coup had they pulled off the expansion and gotten a seat at the big boy table. They weren't successful in the expansion. I guess we will have to see about the playoff spot.
 

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Seat at what table? The only table is the one run by ESPN because they control almost all of the bowl games and post season media in College Football. Its ESPN's table and they will decide with their "partners" in the P5 what the deal is on a new college playoff and who gets what seats.

The P5 will agree to a new post season format only if ESPN agrees to nice new payout and part of that conversation will be how to ensure the P5 retains as much of that nice new pay out as possible. No new seats will be granted.
 
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Seat at what table? The only table is the one run by ESPN because they control almost all of the bowl games and post season media in College Football. Its ESPN's table and they will decide with their "partners" in the P5 what the deal is on a new college playoff and who gets what seats.

The P5 will agree to a new post season format only if ESPN agrees to nice new payout and part of that conversation will be how to ensure the P5 retains as much of that nice new pay out as possible. No new seats will be granted.
Agreed with this. G5 will have to file a massive lawsuit if they want anything close to fair. This P5 hoarding all the money game has gone on forever. I personally would like to see conferences just all fall apart and have individual schools do rights on their own to all the streaming platforms out there. ESPN having way too much control over college sports is just not good business for many schools.
 

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