Which 2 Teams should be ousted from the AAC?

[zls44]

I'll bet you my life's savings it's still 10X larger than Greenville, NC in 10 years.

I think Bridgeport will still be 10x larger than Greenville, just saying NOLA is a shrinking market.

 

[amory]

Seriously though, we should boot Tulsa and Tulane. They have no business in this conference and now that we apparently can have a conference championship game without them, the mistake of adding them should be rectified.

I'm not the most informed in these matters, though, and I'm sure that getting rid of them is not going to happen.

 

[Fishy]

Every time I see an AAC roster, I am always startled to see East Carolina.

I never remember that they're here. Or even that they are a school.

 

[BUConn10]

Every time I see an AAC roster, I am always startled to see East Carolina.

I never remember that they're here. Or even that they are a school.

It's like seeing Western Connecticut State on the members list.

 

[zls44]

Every time I see an AAC roster, I am always startled to see East Carolina.

I never remember that they're here. Or even that they are a school.

For the last time, ECU is not in the AAC.

 

[tduconn]

And who do we replace them with to get 12 games a year?

Maine and Maine............or some other no name wishy-washy FBS school that kicks the AAC credibility even more?

The only way I'd go for this is if UConn would become "fillers" on a schedule of two major p5 FBS program.......even if it means the games will be on the road "one and dones". Gotta build the resume somehow

 

[coachcap]

And who do we replace them with to get 12 games a year?

Maine and Maine..or some other no name wishy-washy FBS school that kicks the AAC credibility even more?

The only way I'd go for this is if UConn would become "fillers" on a schedule of two major p5 FBS program..even if it means the games will be on the road "one and dones". Gotta build the resume somehow

We're about 30 years too late to adopt FSU's "Play 'em anytime, anywhere" mantra. As for ditching two, I don't see it. Tulane was picked as filler, but also as a destination site for fan travel. I know that the op's premise is to model the AAC using Big XII logic, but I'd hate to delete 2 weak sisters only to have the Conference backfill with worse drivel.

 

[noeynox]

People are being emotional and thus unnecessarily harsh toward other schools in the league. At the end of the day is no one from the AAC's fault that yesterday's decision/vote went the way it went.

UConn just has to keep grinding and turn in a year or two like Houston this past year or UCF had a few years ago and put the country on notice that our FB team can be great, and get to an upper level bowl with a record indicative of that.

 

[upstater]

And who do we replace them with to get 12 games a year?

Maine and Maine..or some other no name wishy-washy FBS school that kicks the AAC credibility even more?

The only way I'd go for this is if UConn would become "fillers" on a schedule of two major p5 FBS program..even if it means the games will be on the road "one and dones". Gotta build the resume somehow

Huh? The AAC doesn't have round robin. There are 12 teams in the conference. UConn plays 8 of them.

 

[upstater]

We're about 30 years too late to adopt FSU's "Play 'em anytime, anywhere" mantra. As for ditching two, I don't see it. Tulane was picked as filler, but also as a destination site for fan travel. I know that the op's premise is to model the AAC using Big XII logic, but I'd hate to delete 2 weak sisters only to have the Conference backfill with worse drivel.

?????

People. People. This would IMPROVE the schedule in a number of ways.

Did you enjoy the UConn-Memphis game this year? Bet you didn't, because there wasn't one!

 

[hexlub]

I'm sure if the AAC tried this there would some sort of legislation drafted minutes later that won't allow you to decrease your conference size after you already have the championship game. Then once teams bolt from a P5 conference it will get overturned.

That's just the joy of being UConn.

 

[uconnphil2016]

We're too weak of a basketball conference to kick out Tulsa--they are probably our fourth best basketball program behind UConn, Cincy and SMU...if it were up to me, I'd kick out Tulane (that one is obvious) and USF. USF has an atrocious basketball program and their football program is pedestrian. Also, the less times I have to step foot in Florida the better.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Also, I think Tulane may be in the conference solely because they have a pretty high endowment (1.18 billion)

 

[NYUConn]

People are being emotional and thus unnecessarily harsh toward other schools in the league. At the end of the day is no one from the AAC's fault that yesterday's decision/vote went the way it went.

UConn just has to keep grinding and turn in a year or two like Houston this past year or UCF had a few years ago and put the country on notice that our FB team can be great, and get to an upper level bowl with a record indicative of that.

Don't think this thread is born out of a feeling that it's anyone in the AAC's fault that the vote happened yesterday the way it is, but it's the new reality of the college landscape.

A major reason why Tulane, Tulsa, ECU and Navy were added after Louisville and Rutgers bailed and SDSU and Boise announced they weren't coming was to get membership to 12 for the express purpose of hosting a championship game. Aresco was very clear about that from the beginning. Being a TV guy he recognized the value of a championship game.

Now that we could have that game without 12 members, I don't think it's wrong to see some of the programs in the conference as dead weight.

It would actually be in UConn's best interest to dump two of Tulsa, Tulane or ECU. Not only are you getting rid of RPI poison in basketball but you'd be saving hundreds of thousands in travel expenses annually.

All that said, this is a hypothetical dream world that will never actually happen, so don't take it too seriously.

 

[upstater]

Also, I think Tulane may be in the conference solely because they have a pretty high endowment (1.18 billion)

??? You might be the first to explain to me what an endowment has to do with anything.

 

[NYUConn]

??? You might be the first to explain to me what an endowment has to do with anything.

It's a consideration for membership in the sense that you don't want to invite a school that has the potential to not afford it's sports in a few years, but this is the first time I've ever heard of a conference making a membership decision on endowment alone.

 

[Kolumbo]

The three privates have the smallest enrollments: Tulsa, SMU, Tulane. They each have over $1 billion endowments. We get to play in Oklahoma, Dallas, NOLA. Tulane is AAU. They each have value so lets get used to it.

 

[NYUConn]

The three privates have the smallest enrollments: Tulsa, SMU, Tulane. They each have over $1 billion endowments. We get to play in Oklahoma, Dallas, NOLA. Tulane is AAU. They each have value so lets get used to it.

First of all, LOL at the idea that playing in Tulsa, Oklahoma is "adding value."

Secondly, endowments mean nothing except as an insurance policy that the school you're inviting can sustain their athletic programs and invest in upgrades in the future.

Thirdly, what about ECU?

They were a top 25 football program when we invited them, my guess is without Ruffin they are a 4-6

Tulane and SMU bring the conference Dallas and NOLA respectively. Eyeballs matter in TV deals as our good friends at Rutgers have shown.

 

[upstater]

It's a consideration for membership in the sense that you don't want to invite a school that has the potential to not afford it's sports in a few years, but this is the first time I've ever heard of a conference making a membership decision on endowment alone.

Most endowment money is not fungible. People that donate large sums to universities have strings attached.

Second, in the current environment, where endowments are shrinking, where schools are about to fight to the death for students (there will be fewer students in the next 10 years, why pay Tulsa $40k when you can go to Oklahoma St.?) those endowments will be used either exclusively for the programs the money is attached to or else in order to defray costs to give students scholarships. This endowment thing is totally irrelevant. Private schools are going to start to go belly up all around the country.

As for eyeballs, have you seen the ratings for SMU in Dallas? Football games get 20k viewers. Some of the basketball games get 1k viewers between the ages of 18-49. Tulane in New Orleans is even worse.

 

[NYUConn]

Most endowment money is not fungible. People that donate large sums to universities have strings attached.

Right, but I imagine in a 10 figure endowment there is a good amount of it that is designated for athletics or "student activities." Furthermore large endowments on the academic side have the ability to divert tuition and student fees towards the athletic department.

 

[upstater]

Right, but I imagine in a 10 figure endowment there is a good amount of it that is designated for athletics or "student activities." Furthermore large endowments on the academic side have the ability to divert tuition and student fees towards the athletic department.

Actually, if you look at athletic budgets, even on the USA Today website, those endowments are part of the athletic department's revenues. They are already accounted for, so you already see it in the budget.

 

[NYUConn]

Actually, if you look at athletic budgets, even on the USA Today website, those endowments are part of the athletic department's revenues. They are already accounted for, so you already see it in the budget.

Unless I'm looking at a different link, that USA Today list is only for public schools. Tulane and Tulsa are private and weren't included on the list...

 

[upstater]

Unless I'm looking at a different link, that USA Today list is only for public schools. Tulane and Tulsa are private and weren't included on the list...

Yes, but it would be the same thing. Money from the academic endowment doesn't go to the AD. Contributions from donors who give money for sports are kept as part of the ADs revenues. I'm assuming these private schools have separate budgets. It would be insane if they didn't.

 

[NYUConn]

Yes, but it would be the same thing. Money from the academic endowment doesn't go to the AD. Contributions from donors who give money for sports are kept as part of the ADs revenues. I'm assuming these private schools have separate budgets. It would be insane if they didn't.

Right, but that gets to my post earlier that I'd be willing to bet a decent percentage of the endowment is intended for the AD and that the endowment money for academics has the effect of freeing up tuition and student fee money for athletics.

 

[upstater]

Right, but that gets to my post earlier that I'd be willing to bet a decent percentage of the endowment is intended for the AD and that the endowment money for academics has the effect of freeing up tuition and student fee money for athletics.

It would stun me if Tulane was thinking this way. Tulane is one of the schools that need to look at the overall bottom line. Defraying tuition costs with endowment money in order to remain competitive in a cutthroat coming environment. Schools are going to start shuttering. Some well known private schools like Antioch in Ohio are already well into that process. Tulane is probably looking closely at New York U. at this point. It seems reckless to me for these schools to be thinking of the endowment as being a cushion at all for sports.

But the main point is that most of the endowment money is not fungible. What is left is used to defray tuition.