OT: Should AAC try and get Wichita St?

[UConnTrumbull]

This post isn't backed by any speculation or anything like that. I actually saw someone post this idea on some facebook post (I'm assuming it was a Shocker fan).

Personally, I think Wichita would be a big-time pick up if the AAC could possibly get them - assuming we don't get a P5 invite anytime soon. Here is my rationale:

1. Add them as a basketball-only school: they don't have a football program, there are 11 basketball schools right now and 12 might be better. Football is adding Navy next year as football only, why not basketball?
2. Basketball would improve, obviously: the league is looking better especially if Tulsa and Temple can stay good in the coming years.
3. Wichita is in MVC: usually a good mid-major conference but they're up and down. This year N.Iowa is good, some years it's Drake or S.Illinois or Indiana St. But never a very deep conference.
4. Wichita can have decent rivalries with the schools out west - Tulsa, SMU

Any thoughts?

 

[UCFan1513]

This post isn't backed by any speculation or anything like that. I actually saw someone post this idea on some facebook post (I'm assuming it was a Shocker fan).

Personally, I think Wichita would be a big-time pick up if the AAC could possibly get them - assuming we don't get a P5 invite anytime soon. Here is my rationale:

1. Add them as a basketball-only school: they don't have a football program, there are 11 basketball schools right now and 12 might be better. Football is adding Navy next year as football only, why not basketball?
2. Basketball would improve, obviously: the league is looking better especially if Tulsa and Temple can stay good in the coming years.
3. Wichita is in MVC: usually a good mid-major conference but they're up and down. This year N.Iowa is good, some years it's Drake or S.Illinois or Indiana St. But never a very deep conference.
4. Wichita can have decent rivalries with the schools out west - Tulsa, SMU

Any thoughts?

I don't care what happens to this conference as long as UConn finds a way to get out of it

 

[Dooley]

I don't care what happens to this conference as long as UConn finds a way to get out of it

Seconded.

 

[Jerry1714]

No football no invite.

No chance the league adds any non-football schools.

 

[CallMeBruce]

And there are good basketball schools out there with adequate football programs. La Tech and Western Kentucky come to mind. Old Dominion just entered FBS, but they were decent in CUSA this year, and they've had some really nice wins this year, including over VCU. I believe they were ranked earlier in the season.

 

[Jerry1714]

And there are good basketball schools out there with adequate football programs. La Tech and Western Kentucky come to mind. Old Dominion just entered FBS, but they were decent in CUSA this year, and they've had some really nice wins this year, including over VCU. I believe they were ranked earlier in the season.

ODU and WKU are actually decent options (sad but true).

 

[CallMeBruce]

ODU and WKU are actually decent options (sad but true).

I think all three would be decent options. WKU is a super-underrated program. They've got like 23 NCAA tournament appearances.

 

[Pudge]

I used to think a Non-Football wing would be good - bolsters UConn Basketball. Take VCU & Wichita.

I'm coming to a different point. Maybe we have an intra-regional confederation in our Non Conference. Like Philadelphia & Big 5. Knit together a stream of annual games in Boston - MSG - Philadelphia - DC. Partner with key players (mostly former BE) in a rotation.

Is there a Market?

I feel that the East lost a lot in the last few years. The Syracuse - UNC game doesn't touch it. Nor Rutgers v Illinois. Of course, we need the concurrence of Georgetown & Villanova. But I would never think St Johns is important.

 

[Brochacho]

I guess we could add a basketball school. We have 12 for football and 11 for basketball. But I would rather not add another team, it would just be another inferior program that we lose to causing Kasongo to commit to Oregon, forever sentencing us to this conference, and forcing more of Gampel's tiles to deteriorate.

 

[John]

And there are good basketball schools out there with adequate football programs. La Tech and Western Kentucky come to mind. Old Dominion just entered FBS, but they were decent in CUSA this year, and they've had some really nice wins this year, including over VCU. I believe they were ranked earlier in the season.

a conference game against LA Tech or Western Kentucky, jesus I'd have to freebase in the car before going to the game.

 

[Waquoit]

Are they done crying about the 2010 Maui Invitational yet?

 

[pj]

The goal here is to add programs with the potential to compete at very high levels and dominate valuable TV markets, so that in time the AAC could grow into a "P6". Schools like Houston (old football power, Phi Slamma Jamma basketball), SMU, Tulane, Navy have all had histories of success and capturing large fan bases.

Wichita is the #66 DMA which is not bad, it is near Tulsa, but could be better: http://www.tvb.org/media/file/TVB_Market_Profiles_Nielsen_Household_DMA_Ranks2.pdf. For example, Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News VA where ODU is located is #44. Richmond VA where VCU is located is #57.

 

[pj]

I think all three would be decent options. WKU is a super-underrated program. They've got like 23 NCAA tournament appearances.

WKU is in Kentucky.

 

[John]

if just 5 years ago you had told me we'd be having serious conversations about having conference mates like WKU or LA Tech, I'd have said that you are batshyt insane. But here we are 5 years later having that conversation.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I think all three would be decent options. WKU is a super-underrated program. They've got like 23 NCAA tournament appearances.

Since I have a been made an honorary Murrary State Racer.
(I pretty much lived in Western Ky back in the 90's.)
WKU is not on my list. I think Murray hammered them this year.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

First of all, we are not adding any more teams until we hopefully get the hell out of this dumpster fire conference.

Second, if Aresco got a case of the stupid and decided to expand it would not be a basketball only school.

There's no value in expanding. The TV money for this conference is peanuts and why on earth would we want more mouths to feed? How much more money is adding Wich St worth and would that be worth dividing up that ching 12 ways? No way.

 

[Adios]

ODU is ECU/WVU/etc in the making. Just in a much better location. Cool stadium, too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreman_Field_at_S.B._Ballard_Stadium

 

[Husky25]

This post isn't backed by any speculation or anything like that. I actually saw someone post this idea on some facebook post (I'm assuming it was a Shocker fan).

Personally, I think Wichita would be a big-time pick up if the AAC could possibly get them - assuming we don't get a P5 invite anytime soon. Here is my rationale:

1. Add them as a basketball-only school: they don't have a football program...

Stopped reading right there.

I don't give a what the AAC does after UConn is absorbed by a p5 conference. In fact, Wichita St may be a good fit. They are a city school. UConn is the outlier. I don't think I'm the only who has noticed, but I don't think it's been stated that UConn is the only institution in the conference representing an entire state. Every other school is either regional/directional (USF, UCF, ECU, or city based (all others).

 

[businesslawyer]

Not that anyone here cares, but WSU isn't leaving the Valley, where it plays football as well as basketball, to join a slightly better basketball conference that is far worse for their non-revenue sports and leaves their football program out in the cold.

The thread is the equivalent of wondering if the Nationals will trade Straousberg to your favorite team for a minor leager.

 

[Palatine]

OT: Should AAC try and get Wichita St?

Yes, to replace us as we move up.

 

[Pudge]

Not that anyone here cares, but WSU isn't leaving the Valley, where it plays football as well as basketball, to join a slightly better basketball conference that is far worse for their non-revenue sports and leaves their football program out in the cold.

The thread is the equivalent of wondering if the Nationals will trade Straousberg to your favorite team for a minor leager.

I thought YOU might have breaking news ...

Wichita State hasn't played football since 1986. In fact, they are most famous for the Team going down in a fiery plane crash in 1970. We have posters who weren't born in 1986 ... and posters who weren't born by 1970. I think you are in neither set.

 

[businesslawyer]

LIve and learn. I thought everyone in the Valley played I-AA football.

So let me do what I wish was done here much more often -- I was apparently totally wrong and apologize for wasting people's time and criticizing the original post for no reason.

 

[Pudge]

Gosh ... you're fast

 

[pnow15]

BYU.

 

[deedougie]

I couldn't help but notice looking at the map of the AAC schools when ESPN flashed it during the game:

This is really a Southeast USA conference (besides UConn, Temple and I guess Cincy). We need to get out of it and into another conference.