Blauds: AAC Wants A Seat At Main CFB Table | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Blauds: AAC Wants A Seat At Main CFB Table

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-> In an eight-page letter obtained by Out of Boundsthat was dated May 7, 2021, the members of the American Athletic Conference’s Board of Directors wrote to the Autonomy 5 (A5) conferences – the official name of the Power 5 – to request a meeting to discuss the American’s inclusion in the A5, a meeting that the American requested would include the chairs of the A5 conferences, American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco, select members of the American’s Board of Directors and the board’s chair – a role that University of Cincinnati President Neville Pinto is taking over from the outgoing chair, University of Memphis President Dr. David Rudd.

“We are writing to continue our advocacy and to enlist your support for the inclusion of the American Athletic Conference (the ‘American’) in the autonomy group of conferences,” wrote the members of the American’s Board of Directors, each of whom signed the letter, in the letter’s opening sentence. To cite the merits of their inclusion, the American’s Board of Directors then referenced the conference’s achievements during the last academic year: Houston’s Final Four appearance in the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Cincinnati’s Peach Bowl appearance last season, Memphis’ recent NIT title in men’s basketball, UCF and USF’s appearances in the latest NCAA women’s basketball tournament and the conference-record 19 football players from the American who were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“All are manifestations of the American’s depth and recognized success over the past decade,” the letter stated. A copy of the letter is available at the bottom of this newsletter. <-
 
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The P5 and football..

The AAC set a conference record in 2021 NFL draft with 19....sorta, maybe, in the range.

SEC....65
B1G....44
ACC....42
PAC...28
B12....22

versus all other conferences which maxed out at 4 each at the most.
 

SubbaBub

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The AAC's shot at a NY6 bowl is upgraded to a shot at the CFP opening round, on the road.

Not a huge upgrade in theory, but a huge upgrade in practice. No AAC team is ever getting an at-large unless their champ and Boise are both undefeated.

It's pretty rare for an AAC team to crack the top 12 and not be the best G5 champ, which is what would be needed for an at-large bid. Losing the AAC CCG would drop any at large hopes.

We'll need to see how the money from the extra games is split up, but thr bulk of the new playoff slots are going to the P5, specifically the SEC and B1G. Any ND team with 2 or fewer losses is also guaranteed to be Top 12.
 
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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.
Except culture matters. ODU, Charlotte, and Georgia St are all much better situated than App St.
and yet the Appies have performed much much much better in D1
 
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Hopefully if this new 12 team playoff passes it triggers a new round of expansion. BYU would certainly join a conference (American I assume), and hopefully Notre Dame does as well. Would the Big12 feel threatened by an improving AAC and decide to expand at the AAC's expense?

It now becomes even more imperative for UCONN so start winning (all sports), if a small round of expansion is on the horizon we need to be as attractive as possible.
 
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SubbaBub

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Hopefully if this new 12 team playoff passes it triggers a new round of expansion. BYU would certainly join a conference (American I assume), and hopefully Notre Dame does as well. Would the Big12 feel threatened by an improving AAC and decide to expand at the AAC's expense?

It now becomes even more imperative for UCONN so start winning (all sports), if a small round of expansion is on the horizon we need to be as attractive as possible.

This doesn't drive conference expansion. Why would a BYU join a conference they have less of a chance of winning vs. scheduling a couple good P5 teams an hoping to run the table or sneak in with 1 loss?

If the money gap weren't so huge, you'd have teams like Pitt, Miami, and BC crying to rejoin the Big East.
 
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This doesn't drive conference expansion. Why would a BYU join a conference they have less of a chance of winning vs. scheduling a couple good P5 teams an hoping to run the table or sneak in with 1 loss?

If the money gap weren't so huge, you'd have teams like Pitt, Miami, and BC crying to rejoin the Big East.
By far (it's not even close) BYU's easiest path to the playoff would be to join the MWC, but more likely they join the AAC because the MWC has a terrible TV contract. Getting an at large bid will still be terribly difficult for a G5 school. The P5 has too much power, money and influence. The undefeated independent not named Notre Dame will still lose out to the 2 loss SEC or B1G team almost every time. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason the AAC stopped pursuing Boise is that they know they already have BYU in the bag courtesy of ESPN.
 
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The best of the G5 will get the equivalent of a current bowl...the upside is if they are really, really good, they could slip into the final four and have a shot at the NC...
 

Waquoit

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It now becomes even more imperative for UCONN so start winning (all sports), if a small round of expansion is on the horizon we need to be as attractive as possible.
Which was never going to happen in the AAC. The conference was even hurting our WBB program. A few more years of that and UConn is dead as a brand. Now our women are great again and the men are back in the Top 25 and have their best recruiting class in ions. Baseball won the league. Any AAC remorse caused by this announcement isn't warranted by the facts.
 
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By far (it's not even close) BYU's easiest path to the playoff would be to join the MWC, but more likely they join the AAC because the MWC has a terrible TV contract. Getting an at large bid will still be terribly difficult for a G5 school. The P5 has too much power, money and influence. The undefeated independent not named Notre Dame will still lose out to the 2 loss SEC or B1G team almost every time. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason the AAC stopped pursuing Boise is that they know they already have BYU in the bag courtesy of ESPN.
If they go to 12 the only independent that will ever get a bid is Notre Dame. The Power 5 will make sure of that.
 
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I think this is only a natural progession which will eventually end up in 75 or 85 teams in 3 or 4 big fball playing conferences.
 

SubbaBub

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By far (it's not even close) BYU's easiest path to the playoff would be to join the MWC, but more likely they join the AAC because the MWC has a terrible TV contract. Getting an at large bid will still be terribly difficult for a G5 school. The P5 has too much power, money and influence. The undefeated independent not named Notre Dame will still lose out to the 2 loss SEC or B1G team almost every time. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason the AAC stopped pursuing Boise is that they know they already have BYU in the bag courtesy of ESPN.
How many times has the MWU been the top G5? Instead of locking in a MW strength of schedule, BYU can pick and choose it's opponents from a good list of teams willing to play them. Obv, not at ND level, but far above UConn's and Boise's. If the go 11-1, they will be in without having to worry about if there G5 title is best.

That what people are missing, winning a G5 conference guarantees nothing. Watch how many times the best G5 champ is ranked 15th or how may times they get upset in their CCG and get nothing.

This is about two things, getting in which they couldn't before even if they went undefeated (UCF), and having a shot at an at-large (Cincy and CCar, last year). It's going to be rare, but at least it's possible. Joining the MW or AAC doesn't improve your chances much.
 
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How many times has the MWU been the top G5? Instead of locking in a MW strength of schedule, BYU can pick and choose it's opponents from a good list of teams willing to play them. Obv, not at ND level, but far above UConn's and Boise's. If the go 11-1, they will be in without having to worry about if there G5 title is best.

That what people are missing, winning a G5 conference guarantees nothing. Watch how many times the best G5 champ is ranked 15th or how may times they get upset in their CCG and get nothing.

This is about two things, getting in which they couldn't before even if they went undefeated (UCF), and having a shot at an at-large (Cincy and CCar, last year). It's going to be rare, but at least it's possible. Joining the MW or AAC doesn't improve your chances much.

I don't think you are understanding the new proposal that is supposedly on the table. 6 highest ranked conference champs would be in the tournament so 1 of the G5 champs would always be in. The 6 at large bids would probably be filled exclusively by the P5 19 out of 20 years.
 
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Which was never going to happen in the AAC. The conference was even hurting our WBB program. A few more years of that and UConn is dead as a brand. Now our women are great again and the men are back in the Top 25 and have their best recruiting class in ions. Baseball won the league. Any AAC remorse caused by this announcement isn't warranted by the facts.

I agree with you, (no Big East remorse) our best bet to get a P6 offer is to have elite basketball programs when expansion happens, combined with at least competitive football (just get the program back into the top 60 or 70, showing a pulse).

I do think the MAC for football only becomes more interesting if the new playoff system passes. If we got invited into a newly expanded MAC division with UMASS, Liberty, Army, Buffalo, Ohio, Kent state, Akron, it would be a fun league and there would be something to play for. (just my opinion). If more independent teams start looking to join a conference good luck trying to fill out a schedule as an independent.
 
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SubbaBub

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I don't think you are understanding the new proposal that is supposedly on the table. 6 highest ranked conference champs would be in the tournament so 1 of the G5 champs would always be in. The 6 at large bids would probably be filled exclusively by the P5 19 out of 20 years.

1 G5 champ was always in, just not in the playoff, that is the only thing that's new. They won't be Top 4 so at best they will be playing a team ranked between 7-12, just like they always did. Only now, if they win, they get a shot at the 8 team round and if they win that only then do they get a shot at the current 4 team round.

You need to read between the lines on the fine print.
 
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The AAC deserves to be considered with the P5 based on performance. They have had top 10 teams multiple years in a system that is weighted against them. They’ve had multiple top 25 teams. They’ve beaten P5 teams and lots of them are scared to schedule AAC teams. On the basketball side they are coming along. Had their first Final Four team and likely will have others again in a system that is stacked against them.
 
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12 teqm playoff...An improvement, for sure.

The same teams, the same cities, the same coaches ... every year. If you don't live in like a five-state radius in the Southeast, your team isn't going to win a national championship. Your team isn't likely to ever make the playoffs either. That's the current perception.

This 12-game playoff format won't exactly fix that first issue. The pool of teams who can actually win a national championship will remain about the same, at least in the short term.

Under this new plan, San Diego State can maybe make a playoff. Or Central Florida. Or Houston. Or anyone from the Pac-12.

And no matter how this 12-team playoff finally gets organized, it promises not to be boring. Because you'll actually have some different teams participating.

So far, in the seven years of the College Football Playoff, there have been a total of 11 teams who have participated. That's less than 10 percent of the total FBS teams in the country.

Yes, it takes away the do-or-die feel of a regular-season college football game. I will mourn that aspect lost.

I still expect, in the short run of my lifetime, for the glass slippers of Cinderella to be smashed by the Alabama's (as basketball's seeds 9-12 are smashed by #1-3 seeds)....but it will be more interesting.
 
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I am concerned about the impact this will have on scheduling for independents. Not sure if it makes scheduling easier or harder. My guess is the latter.
 
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I am concerned about the impact this will have on scheduling for independents. Not sure if it makes scheduling easier or harder. My guess is the latter.

Losses to a non conference team will not affect those competing for the conference champion AQ...

But, teams who are on the hunt for an at large invite, might not take the chance on a loss by an independent that can beat you...

I'd expect that the new format might affect the scheduling of an independent who proves that they can be a spoiler.
 
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In truth though having the same big teams in the final isn't a terrible thing.. so long as there is "hope" for the lessor lights. The Basketball tournament works by selling hope and those upsets carry the ratings in the early rounds, but by the late rounds the ratings bear out that if you don't have the heavyweights, you don't keep the viewers. People like the story of Coastal Carolina having a shot against the big boys.. but if it ever came down to having to watch a Coastal Carolina - Iowa final, you'd see the worst ratings in national title history.

Where the current final has failed.. is there is next to no hope for several of the major conferences coming into the season. They've lost something to play-for. That's what 12 solves. Smartly naming it the top-6 conference champions also makes it seem less exclusionary to the G5 schools.. even when in practice it becomes the P5 champions and a 12th seed.
 

CL82

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12 teqm playoff...An improvement, for sure.
Lol, what did I miss? It seems like you were writing posts essentially calling any playoff expansion the apocalypse and now it is an improvement.

FWIW, I agree with you it is an improvement.
 
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Lol, what did I miss? It seems like you were writing posts essentially calling any playoff expansion the apocalypse and now it is an improvement.

FWIW, I agree with you it is an improvement.

As I said...I'll mourn the life or death every weekend aspect of the old system...but I have come around to the fact that, like basketball, the possibility of winning will allay some of the complaining....

It will be like basketball...the Cinderella glass slippers eventually get shattered....the big guys will rumble on...and the any complaints will be met with..."like basketball, you just have to win the games".
 

CL82

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As I said...I'll mourn the life or death every weekend aspect of the old system...but I have come around to the fact that, like basketball, the possibility of winning will allay some of the complaining....

It will be like basketball...the Cinderella glass slippers eventually get shattered....the big guys will rumble on...and the any complaints will be met with..."like basketball, you just have to win the games".
Ahhh, I think I understand your point. For the biggest of the big boys, a single loss, or perhaps two, may not be fatal. Still, I think the best of the best didn't get there by losing games. I suspect that they will compete every weekend. For the rest of the teams though, every weekend likely becomes more meaning since it will mean the difference between getting a shot at one of 12 spots or not.
 
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Ahhh, I think I understand your point. For the biggest of the big boys, a single loss, or perhaps two, may not be fatal. Still, I think the best of the best didn't get there by losing games. I suspect that they will compete every weekend. For the rest of the teams though, every weekend likely becomes more meaning since it will mean the difference between getting a shot at one of 12 spots or not.

Well...losing a game won't mean as much if you are a conference champ or even vying for an at large slot....as the SEC coach said...this allows us to play better teams in OOC, bolster our SOS, and not worry about losing a game since a strong schedule will be more valuable than a loss or two.

His thoughts...
 

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