Non-Big East Conference Realignment Thread v. 2017

[Dave]

A proposal: An alliance between Nova, UConn, and JMU for football. The alliance of these 3 teams forms, committing them to play football together in an eastern centric conference.

The best place for that is the AAC. They negotiate with the AAC to let UConn leave for the Big East but stay as a football-only member, and they add Nova and JMU as football only members. (Navy is also a football-only member). This brings AAC football to 14 teams, and 10 teams for hoops.

AAC football then has a core East 7 division: Cincy, Temple, East Carolina, UConn, Navy, Nova, and JMU.
AAC South 7 division: Houston, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, UCF, USF, and Memphis.

The AAC has a more regional schedule with 6 division games each year and 2 or 3 rotating cross division games. (The SEC has two 7 team divisions and plays 6 division games and 2 cross division games). UConn gets a much more regional schedule for all sports (they have a killer travel schedule now). The AAC moderately strengthens its eastern TV market. Nova-Temple and Nova-Navy add some rivalry and JMU is a school on the rise with good football, a good stadium, and a large and growing fanbase.

JMU won the FCS championship this last season and Nova won it all in 2009.

The Big East keeps a full double round robin schedule of 20 conference games with an 11 team conference. UConn brings its history, Championships, NYC market, MSG crowds, etc home to the Big East. We increase our lock on the Big Apple.

If the AAC says no - UConn, Nova, and JMU seek another G5 path together for football and UConn still joins the Big East. The AAC risks that we form a better east coast football option that looks attractive to Cincy, Navy, and Temple, backed by Fox Sports. AAC football is a bit more secure going to 14 teams and accepting the proposal, and they are weaker if they let UConn go altogether.

The Big East is a basketball first conference. UConn and Nova are basketball first. In the Big East they can be top ranked nationally and win chanpionships (as can most other Big East members). As FBS football in the G5 AAC, they can compete at a mid level and have some level of financial success.

Bring home UConn, and tie it to Nova football to the AAC.

[stever20]

The AAC is NEVER going to allow UConn to remain as football only. And no way in hell is a league with UConn, Nova, and JMU going to be anywhere near viable. Cincy would LOL at it so fast that it would make your head spin. And no way in hell would they take not only UConn as fb only- but then add Nova and JMU as fb only as well. That's just pure lunacy.

[Dave]

The AAC is NEVER going to allow UConn to remain as football only.

Then they lose UConn for everything if UConn wants to join the Big East. The AAC becomes a bit weaker.

It was an IF THEN proposition.

[Dave]

The C-USA scenario: 18 Teams, Eastern 9 division - Marshall, Old Dominion, UNC-C, Florida Atlantic, FIU plus add UConn, Nova, JMU and UD.

Not as good as the AAC easteren division, but it's ok.

[stever20]

The AAC is NEVER going to allow UConn to remain as football only.

Then they lose UConn for everything if UConn wants to join the Big East. The AAC becomes a bit weaker.

It was an IF THEN proposition.

2 things-
1- UConn football is so bad that it wouldn't hurt the AAC.
2- Nothing UConn could do in football is viable outside the AAC, so UConn can't leave the AAC. The AAC knows that. A new conference in football would not get any CFP money for at least 8 years- nor have any access to the G5 slot.

[Dave]

2 things-
1- UConn football is so bad that it wouldn't hurt the AAC.
2- Nothing UConn could do in football is viable outside the AAC, so UConn can't leave the AAC. The AAC knows that. A new conference in football would not get any CFP money for at least 8 years- nor have any access to the G5 slot.

1 - UConn football is bad at the moment, but that doesn't mean it would be forever. It won the confernce in the oBE.
1A - Without UConn, the AAC drops to 11. It is structurally weaker and has to make a reactive move, again.
2 - It would not have to be a new conference, it could be an alignment with an existing G5.

Stever, when you speak in such absolutes you sound foolish, not omnipotent.

[stever20]

2 things-
1- UConn football is so bad that it wouldn't hurt the AAC.
2- Nothing UConn could do in football is viable outside the AAC, so UConn can't leave the AAC. The AAC knows that. A new conference in football would not get any CFP money for at least 8 years- nor have any access to the G5 slot.

1 - UConn football is bad at the moment, but that doesn't mean it would be forever. It won the confernce in the oBE.
1A - Without UConn, the AAC drops to 11. It is structurally weaker and has to make a reactive move, again.
2 - It would not have to be a new conference, it could be an alignment with an existing G5.

Stever, when you speak in such absolutes you sound foolish, not omnipotent.

Leaving the AAC for the MAC or CUSA would destroy UConn football. And the AAC knows it. And UConn knows it. The AAC has all of the leverage. UConn really has none.

The AAC isn't going to allow UConn to take their only good thing but do them a solid at the same time with their football program. It's just not realistic.

[Letsgonova]

-100000% chance that Villanova upgrades football in order to join the AAC. When we were close to making the move a few years back, it was to apply to join the ACC. $27M in annual league revenue vs. $2M. No chance.

[Dave]

When we were close to making the move a few years back, it was to apply to join the ACC.

Nope, it was to join the Big East.

[crussomd]

There is no way Villanova is upgrading football at this point unless it was because they were asked to join a power conference. No way we would undertake that cost and risk so we could band together with UCONN and JMU. That is not even in the realm of possibility. Big East is working out great for Nova and I love this league, we aren't leaving unless we were approached by a football 5 conference and they wanted us to upgrade in football. Honestly, as I said in an earlier post I would much rather the bIg east schools all start playing FCS level football and we can play against each other. I would enjoy going to games against other big east schools. Pursuing a FBS championship as a small private university is non-sensiscal. UCONN is having a disastrous time of it as the state flagship school in one of the wealthiest states in the country. And BTW, I have seen scenarios where Texas and Oklahoma go to the PAC or Texas to the PAC and OK to the B1G. What does that do to then projected conferences?