Excitement for the American Athletic Conference

[Drew]

Am I the only one excited for this new conference? I think there are some underrated football programs (SMU, ECU- i know theyre not here until 2014, and UCF really stand out). Really wish we could've kept San Diego St. in the conference though. I think basketball will be incredibly solid between UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, SMU, Memphis. This conference will be a good test for us to see how big time we really are IMO.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

If you're not the only one.....you're one of a select few.

 

[Carl Spackler]

In 1985, if you had told me that UCONN would be playing football regularly IN conference against SMU, I'd have thought you were on angel dust.

Times have changed.

I'm excited for our future because it's a path we have chosen, and it's a path that we have control over, and we do have programs in this conference, that will put us in great recruiting territorities, and expose to new populations and give us great opportunity to grow.

An ideal conference for UCONN, the American Athletic is not. But it is our conference right now, and I want to win it. (and I want to beat SMU.....bad.)

 

[Hoophound]

I get excited periodically but the lack of money just kills my buzz. It isn't a viable long term home financially. No matter how good it ends up being, how can we get $10,000,000 or more per year, per school with members like ECU and Tulane? There just isn't enough juice there to ever merit a payday that will make The American a viable major conference. I sure hope I'm wrong.

 

[whaler11]

This league has existed for decades. It's called Conference USA. Nobody has been excited about CUSA since 1988.

 

[Hoophound]

It is basically CUSA but for some reason I consider it to be better. I guess it's because we're in it.

 

[whaler11]

It is basically CUSA but for some reason I consider it to be better. I guess it's because we're in it.

That is the only difference. And it's a marginal improvement since they lost Louisville.

 

[noeynox]

I'm not excited about the conference, but I'm excited about UConn playing football and basketball again soon.

 

[jbdphi]

I'm not quite throwing up in my own mouth like many others are claiming they are when they look at our schedule.

On the other hand, I'm quite depressed that in what the majority here are calling a crappy conference, we are likely to have a losing record in football this year. I just can't fool myself into thinking we're going to be good this year. It would take a minor miracle.

 

[Drew]

If we could've kept San Diego St and Boise St I think this conference would be getting a lot more respect. Really wish there was a way we could approach those two and BYU and put them in the "west" with Tulane, Memphis, SMU

East:

UConn
Cincinnati
Navy
ECU
USF
UCF
(Memphis)
Temple

West:

Boise St
San Diego St
(BYU)
Tulane
SMU
Tulsa
Houston
(Memphis)

or if its 15 divide it into 3 5 team pods and alternate which teams you play home/away every other year (9 game conference schedule)

Pod A:

UConn
Navy
Temple
ECU
Cincinnati

Pod B:

Boise
BYU
San Diego St
Tulsa
SMU


Pod C:

USF
UCF
Houston
Tulane
Memphis

had to edit due to realizing a flaw in my pod system

 

[Drew]

By the way I just sort of realized this kinda belongs on the conference realignment board so if someone moves it its cool. thought it would get more discussion over here though

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I'm not excited about the conference, but I'm excited about UConn playing football and basketball again soon.

This and only this is going to get me through this CR nightmare.

 

[woomba]

I think one positive would be the rivalry that I think you guys will have with the MWC year-in, year-out.

With the failed addition of SDSU and Boise State the lead the AAC has perception wise as the clear #6 FB conference is a bit slim and with the potential of 3-4 bowls annually against the MWC the AAC bowl teams will chance to prove it on the field.

 

[CTMike]

I appreciate folks positive outlooks, and I won't knock them, but I'm just not there yet. It still pisses me off that we've been demoted from the big boys to the minor leagues, and lost all our traditional rivals in the process. Maybe I'll feel different once I'm at the Rent watching the games.

 

[J187Money]

Win. If we can't routinely be one of the top 3 teams in this conference I'm not sure we deserve to be in a better one.

 

[noeynox]

Win. If we can't routinely be one of the top 3 teams in this conference I'm not sure we deserve to be in a better one.

I can't buy this. Recruiting in our local area just got infinitely harder. Weve basically been dropped down a level from all of our peers perception wise. Temple and umass are our direct competitiors for recruits going forward. It is going to take a dynamic head coach for us to be in the top 3 of this league consisfently, and you gotta hope he doesn't bolt first chance he gets.

 

[CL82]

Am I the only one excited for this new conference? I think there are some underrated football programs (SMU, ECU- i know theyre not here until 2014, and UCF really stand out). Really wish we could've kept San Diego St. in the conference though. I think basketball will be incredibly solid between UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, SMU, Memphis. This conference will be a good test for us to see how big time we really are IMO.

Nah, you are just the only UConn fan who is excited about the conference. I'm sure Eastern Carolina fans are stoked...eh, probably not.

 

[Hoophound]

I can't buy this. Recruiting in our local area just got infinitely harder. Weve basically been dropped down a level from all of our peers perception wise. Temple and umass are our direct competitiors for recruits going forward. It is going to take a dynamic head coach for us to be in the top 3 of this league consisfently, and you gotta hope he doesn't bolt first chance he gets.

Winning will put butts in the seats which will excite recruits more than anything else. We have the facilities working for us that nobody else in the region can match. We also have a big brand name due to basketball. We have no excuse not to do well in this conference.

The best thing a major donor could do right now is earmark several million per year for UCONN to hire a coach and pay him until we get out of the AAC or the AAC gets a better contract that allows us to compete.

 

[UConnDan97]

Am I the only one excited for this new conference? I think there are some underrated football programs (SMU, ECU- i know theyre not here until 2014, and UCF really stand out). Really wish we could've kept San Diego St. in the conference though. I think basketball will be incredibly solid between UConn, Cincinnati, Temple, SMU, Memphis. This conference will be a good test for us to see how big time we really are IMO.

I'm excited about the new league also, and I think that it is going to be better than most are giving it credit for. I'm still up at night clicking "refresh", praying for the news that we got into the B1G, but I believe that this will be a solid conference.

For those that think it is just C-USA, we've essentially taken that conference and switched out UAB/Marshall/UTEP for UConn/Cincy/USF. If people believe that is just a trivial switch, they are kidding themselves. (and in two years, you can add Rice for Navy)

Finally, I do agree that we would be better off with SDSU and Boise, even if it meant more travel. But that ship has sailed, like many other ships that we tried to get on board. I still believe that this ship will get us to our desired destination, barnacles and all...

 

[J187Money]

I can't buy this. Recruiting in our local area just got infinitely harder. Weve basically been dropped down a level from all of our peers perception wise. Temple and umass are our direct competitiors for recruits going forward. It is going to take a dynamic head coach for us to be in the top 3 of this league consisfently, and you gotta hope he doesn't bolt first chance he gets.

So if we end up 7-5 (5-3) in this new conference every year, we should expect to get a bid to the ACC or B1G? I won't hold my breath on that one.

 

[UConn Dan]

We need to dominate and I think we will dominate.

 

[Waquoit]

Once the games start, the AAC will be my favorite conference. Heck, my favorite used to be the Yankee Conference.

 

[Jimdish255]

I think there's some upside for football, despite the fact we belong in the B1G. Win and make the best of it. New travel destinations could be fun too. Did I mention win?

 

[freescooter]

Excitement is too strong a word. but I have to admit a certain amount of fascination, perhaps, with the football side of the league. Mostly, I admit because I don't know much about the some of the teams and it will be interesting to see how we match up.

On the basketball side, blech! There are maybe 4 teams that have any sort of program, us, Temple, Memphis, and Cincinnati. The rest are programs that nobody cares about, nobody watches and that are generally awful. Outside the top 4, they don't draw flies to their games. Generally speaking they are bad programs at schools that don't care about basketball. Aresco can say whatever he wants, it will take far more effort than they are willing to spend to become good. Of the additions, only Memphis, Temple and UCF draw more than the NCAA average of 4994/game. SMU and Tulane are 2013 and 2252, so whoever is anticipating a great rivalry with the Mustangs, don't worry about getting a ticket. For most of these schools their only hope of getting to the Dance is to buy a ticket.

 

[Adios]

I am excited about the Hockey East. Can't believe it took a school in the state of CT this long to win a championship in hockey.