Will B12 additions free UCONN to join Big East?

[Bill Marsh]

The AAC schools are definitely getting more exposure and TV time. However, no recruit and/or fan wants to see their prospective/interested school get dominated by better competition week-in and week-out. AAC schools are a combined 4-20 against P5 competition. 4 wins and 20 losses. Winning just 16% of your games against superior competition will do absolutely nothing to the notion that you are not a power conference (which the league is not, and probably never will be) to the average fan. The AAC is also 17-26 in out-of-conference matchups, meaning they are just 13-6 against FCS, Sun Belt, MAC, Independent and C-USA schools - not exactly a glowing endorsement for an entity looking to separate itself from the rest of the pack.

If the AAC is happy getting more eye-balls on their poor, below-average product, that's perfectly fine - but it certainly won't be good for recruits looking to attend well-known football programs in premier conferences. There is no question that Cincinnati, UCONN and USF football programs have suffered since transitioning to the AAC, as their records reflect that and their quality of recruits reflect that.

Who are the power basketball conferences who are better than the ?Big East?

[Bill Marsh]

No, all of Tulsa games I said are on one of ESPN's tv networks. And yes- ratings wise, ESPNU got better ratings last year than FS1. So yes, Tulsa is getting way better exposure this year compared to last . It's not even remotely close.

Also- this year- FS1 has cut back on the # of OOC games they are showing. Last year FS1 had 49 OOC Big East home basketball games. This year that's down to only 42. More games are on FS2 or FSN this year. And you are delusional if you think a game on FS2 is anything remotely close to anything ESPN(even ESPN3). Fios doesn't even have it in HD. There was a reason last week when MLB had the overrun on baseball they moved the UFC to FX rather than FS2.

Does anyone care?

Fans watch their own teams during the season. People have busy lives. Only junkies are watching wall to wall hoops. I get to see all. The Big East games I want and the Big East gets the biggest revenue of any non-P5 league in the country - by far. The casual fans tune in for March and never has a problem getting any games they want to see.

I'm sorry but you and others on here are just too focused on the $$$. You don't think having 17 games on ESPN networks will help Tulsa's recruiting at all? That's just bunk. Of course it will. Last year they had 4 of their 16 conference games on tv(not including CSS that no one gets just about- 2 games there). This year- all 18 conference games are televised. To act like that exposure is meaningless is really a joke. It's going to help programs like Tulsa, ECU, UCF, etc. grow fast.

No, I don't think that having 17 games on ESPN is going to improve Tulsa recruiting. They have systemic problems that TV exposure is going to do much to change.

1. They're a small school of 3000 students, smaller tha even the smallest Big East school.
2. They are located in a smaller city that is not a hot bed of basketball recruiting .
3. The larger State-wide market is dominated in basketball by Oklahoma State and Oklahoma.
4. Their history and tradition has done nothing to make them a household name.
5. Unless they have a break through season, their games are likely to be relegated to lower tiers of ESPN.

I would compare Tulsa's situation to Fairfield University, a school of similar size located in greater Bridgeport in southern Connecticut, a state of similar size to Oklahoma. No matter how many MAAC titles they might win, does anyone think for a moment that they would be a good candidate for the Big East? For the AAC? Would exposure on ESPN enable them to compete with UConn who already dominates interest in the state?

Adding Tulsa was a bad decision by the AAC. Because of their history in CUSA, they had support from other former CUSA schools in the AAC. It was a football based decision, but even in that respect, they were a poor choice, their football attendance averages 20,000 and they have neither the alumni base nor the local fan base to change that very much. The AAC was overly concerned with football credibility and Tulsa was one of the few candidates with history and a reasonably good record lately. As bad a choice as they were in football, they were an especially bad choice in basketball.

A far better candidate for the AAC would have been UMass despite the poor state of their football program. Their size, lack of tough instate competition, the size of their state,the level lf their basketball program, and their ability to renew their rivalry with UConn would Al have brought more to the conference.

The difference between Tulsa and the big East schools - even the smaller ones - is that they're located in major metro markets where they have in the past and continue to have the ability to build interest among non-alumni college basketball fans, where they are the de facto #1 local option for potential recruits in high school basketball hot beds, they have little local competition, and they have the history and traditions to give them a high profile in college basketball at least within their large local markets. Tulsa has none of that going for them.

You think I'm too focused on $$$? You're too focused on exposure. ESPN will feature AAC matchups among UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, Temple,and SMU. That isn't going to help Tulsa because they do nothing to move the meter at ESPN.

[BEhomer]

right. and espn exposure is doing wonders for ACC schools like boston college and clemson. when it comes to recruiting first thing the recruits consider is coach. and it helps to have tv $$$ to keep top coaches in your program. exposure helps when recruits are not familiar with your program. i don't think any of BE teams will have that problem.

[Bluejay]

You do understand Bill that Tulsa will be on TV more this year than they have been in the last 4-5 years by a wide margin. That's something you want to completely ignore. That's something that just can't be ignored. People here always want to bring up the money, but the exposure is far more important for programs like Tulsa. On one of the ESPN's at least 17 times this year. 4 more on CBSSN. Think about that. Last year they were on TV(to include conference final) 11 times. So this year will be DOUBLE what they got last year. That will help their recruiting big time. Same with programs like UCF, ECU, etc.

I think one thing also that shows is how poor the Big East TV deal was for us a few years ago. The AAC's deal is better than what the Big East had. By a mile.

Tulsa also has a brand new coach. Their NCAA tourney birth, which was the first in a long time, was earned with all of Danny Manning's recruits. Now Danny Manning is elsewhere (Wake Forest I believe) and Tulsa will struggle recruiting again.

[HoosierPal]

Adding Tulsa was a bad decision by the AAC.

Adding Tulsa has a huge upside for the AAC. You are forgetting that this is all about football. Basketball, to the rest of the nation outside of the Big East and A-10, is second fiddle to football. Tulsa solidifies the AAC's presence in the Texas - Oklahoma area which is one of the top three recruiting hotbeds in the country, along with Florida and S Cal. The AAC members will have a better chance at getting those second and third tier football players from those areas than they would have had before. History has shown that some of those second and third level TX/OK, FL and CA recruits can turn out to be top notch and go on to have NFL careers. Sure, the P5 is trying it's best to shut every other conference out of their football tourney, but the current tournament format still has an open window. Who is not watching East Carolina and Marshall and hoping they get into a major bowl?

[stever20]

So being on TV so much isn't going to help Tulsa out at all? Man got to have what you are smoking because that's lunacy talk. of course exposure is going to matter. Even last year- 3 of their TV games were in the Great Alaska Shootout. So outside of that only 7 TV games. This year that's TRIPLE.

And it's the same for all the CUSA Schools. It's a big difference for them compared to what they have had before.

As far as power basketball conferences better than the Big East- right now have to say ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12. Those 3- especially ACC and Big Ten- have separated. Then there's a group of Pac 12, Big East, SEC, A10, and AAC- that have separated. It's those 8 and then everyone else.

[Bill Marsh]

Adding Tulsa was a bad decision by the AAC.

Adding Tulsa has a huge upside for the AAC. You are forgetting that this is all about football. Basketball, to the rest of the nation outside of the Big East and A-10, is second fiddle to football. Tulsa solidifies the AAC's presence in the Texas - Oklahoma area which is one of the top three recruiting hotbeds in the country, along with Florida and S Cal. The AAC members will have a better chance at getting those second and third tier football players from those areas than they would have had before. History has shown that some of those second and third level TX/OK, FL and CA recruits can turn out to be top notch and go on to have NFL careers. Sure, the P5 is trying it's best to shut every other conference out of their football tourney, but the current tournament format still has an open window. Who is not watching East Carolina and Marshall and hoping they get into a major bowl?

With all due respect, that's ridiculous. An Oklahoma kid is not going to play football at Temple because it's in the same conference as Tulsa. On top of that, OU, OK State, and Tulsa are all betting to those kids before Temple has a shot at them. Oklahoma's not that big a state. There's a limit to how many recruits they can pump out. Texas is the real recruiting hot bed and Tulsa does nothing for getting the AAC in there that Houston and SMU haven't already accomplished.

Worse yet, Tulsa is a bad football school because it's enrollment is only 3000 and it's attendance averages only 20,000. That's not what any major football conference is looking for. Given the size of the school and the size of its market, there's little chance for them to do much better than that.

[stever20]

Tulsa was added I think in large part due to geography. They had for a western division Houston, SMU, Tulane, and Memphis. Navy as a 5th possibly. In the east- they had for sure Temple, ECU, Cincy, and UConn. The 2 Florida schools as well. Tulsa made it easier in splitting the divisions. That's why Tulsa got the slot over UMass. The divisions would have been 1000 times harder with UMass quite frankly. Also the fact that Tulsa football was at the time of getting added MUCH stronger than UMass(who was coming off a 1-11 season, while Tulsa won C-USA). Timing matters in things like this!

[HoosierPal]

With all due respect, that's ridiculous. An Oklahoma kid is not going to play football at Temple because it's in the same conference as Tulsa. On top of that, OU, OK State, and Tulsa are all betting to those kids before Temple has a shot at them. Oklahoma's not that big a state. There's a limit to how many recruits they can pump out. Texas is the real recruiting hot bed and Tulsa does nothing for getting the AAC in there that Houston and SMU haven't already accomplished.

Worse yet, Tulsa is a bad football school because it's enrollment is only 3000 and it's attendance averages only 20,000. That's not what any major football conference is looking for. Given the size of the school and the size of its market, there's little chance for them to do much better than that.

My friend, you need to review the culture of football in the south. Football is life in Oklahoma/Texas/Louisiana. Families buy season tickets to pee wee football, middle school football, freshman football, JV football and HS football. There are ample numbers of high level football players in OK to supply many, many college teams. An Oklahoma kid WILL play in USF because he can come home at least twice. He will play at ECU because he can come home at least twice. He will take the offer from Houston because he is close to home. Memphis, sure his folks and friends can come see him play. OK, OK State, and all the Texas P5 schools take the first tier. The second and third tier are there and some are game changers. Matt Forte from Slidell LA is a prime example. He had Tulane, and basically no one else offer him a scholarship.

The list of players born in Oklahoma that have played in the NFL is too long to count. Tulsa alone has had well over 100 alumni drafted in the NFL (yes many likely weren't from OK).

Tulsa was a great addition to the AAC. It's all about football.

[stever20]

With all due respect, that's ridiculous. An Oklahoma kid is not going to play football at Temple because it's in the same conference as Tulsa. On top of that, OU, OK State, and Tulsa are all betting to those kids before Temple has a shot at them. Oklahoma's not that big a state. There's a limit to how many recruits they can pump out. Texas is the real recruiting hot bed and Tulsa does nothing for getting the AAC in there that Houston and SMU haven't already accomplished.

Worse yet, Tulsa is a bad football school because it's enrollment is only 3000 and it's attendance averages only 20,000. That's not what any major football conference is looking for. Given the size of the school and the size of its market, there's little chance for them to do much better than that.

My friend, you need to review the culture of football in the south. Football is life in Oklahoma/Texas/Louisiana. Families buy season tickets to pee wee football, middle school football, freshman football, JV football and HS football. There are ample numbers of high level football players in OK to supply many, many college teams. An Oklahoma kid WILL play in USF because he can come home at least twice. He will play at ECU because he can come home at least twice. He will take the offer from Houston because he is close to home. Memphis, sure his folks and friends can come see him play. OK, OK State, and all the Texas P5 schools take the first tier. The second and third tier are there and some are game changers. Matt Forte from Slidell LA is a prime example. He had Tulane, and basically no one else offer him a scholarship.

The list of players born in Oklahoma that have played in the NFL is too long to count. Tulsa alone has had well over 100 alumni drafted in the NFL (yes many likely weren't from OK).

Tulsa was a great addition to the AAC. It's all about football.

I think it's a good add- but your logic is wrong. With the divisional setup- The east division with UConn, Temple, ECU, Cincy, UCF, and USF only play 3 games against the west division- with either 2 home/1 away, or 2 away/1 home. So it's not a guarantee at all that they would play at Tulsa 2x in the kids 4 years.