Markets. Maybe Aresco, who I think is absolutely wired into incremental dollars by Cable viewers, had that.
My thought: What many here argue on current history predicting future results; often, is refuted by the Big East experience in football from 2003-2012. WE THOUGHT ... that Pitt & SU would be powers as BC/Miami/VaTech left. A Cincinnati was nowhere in 2003. I went to our first game out there ... and saw Coach Dantonio eat a Chili-thingy. Their crowd & tailgating & their Depth Chart ... were not near what they became. 3 solid coaches & they are a top 30 Program ON THE FIELD. Rutgers & UConn too; both had a great decade. There is NO reason we can't see that at Memphis. And with Tulane, in a region with abundant talent, can hit the jackpot (maybe its this former NO Saint coach) with a Coach, there is hope. Memphis, because we took our eyes off them, actually won the last 4 games of their season (I think). Coach Fuentes?
Tulane is an outlier. I don't know enough about them to even comment ... except they went through horrendous years following an undefeated year in (LIKE) 1999. I do think that their is this bipolar behavior from Presidents that they flow, like moths to light, to an academic school; far more likely from a Georgetown or a St. John's or a Villanova (or that creep at BC & his academic argument). They still watch $$$ though.
I am as ANTI-CARTEL as I can be. I'd love to see UConn rise to the B1G or ACC; but, I hate the anomalies in this crappy system. A true playoff would praise a Northern Illinois (as the March Madness does) rather than denigrate them for their inability to bring 15000 fans or their "supposed" unqualified stature. (I hope they kick Seminole behind) Therefore, thinking as Aresco, I would take stock in my Assets - primarily the ability to pay 2 - 5 times more today than many of the other Conferences outside the Cartel - and I would go Bold & Big. National? You're already there. You might as well capture the fastest growing markets you can grab. There is a simple reason why San Diego State is not in the Pac12. It is not academic, athletic, market or future stature. Same, IMHO, for UCF & USF. Texas schools?
Looking at a University's Football today (or the last 3 years) is shortsighted. Got to think 2020 & 2030. Thinking that way (in my biased view), you would never take a Syracuse University or Boston College over UConn. And you should take the Universities, nationally, that give you the comparative advantage that gets you Mega-dollars in today's content environment.
