Non-Big East Conference Realignment Thread v. 2017

[stever20]

The league would become a loaded basketball conference that would include VCU, Wichita State, Dayton, UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, SMU, Houston, Temple as well as Tulsa, ECU, South Florida, Central Florida and Tulane.

Dayton is in full rebuild mode, UCONN is suffering a transfer epidemic and SMU still hasn't won an NCAA tournament game in like 30 years or something. Have fun.

yet the league would have like in Lunardi's recent bracketology for way too early for next year 3 top 4 seeds. And would be the home for 5 NCAA teams from this year along with 2 NIT teams(that could easily have gone NCAA if the conference had been around this year).

When UConn is one of the biggest question marks, that shows how deep the league has gotten. It may not be "loaded" but it would be a formidable league. Just look at the coaches they have now.

[GoldenWarrior11]

Hopefully, Wichita State helps with attendance figures. Lord knows the AAC has terrible attendance figures in basketball, not to mention the empty caverns at the conference tournament. AAC football is no different. Lots of pictures online of half-filled stadiums - especially at UConn, Tulane, USF, Temple, SMU and even Cincinnati.

[CrawfishBucket]

The league would become a loaded basketball conference that would include VCU, Wichita State, Dayton, UConn, Memphis, Cincinnati, SMU, Houston, Temple as well as Tulsa, ECU, South Florida, Central Florida and Tulane.

Tulsa just paid off for the AAC. If they didn't invite Tulsa first, its doubtful they would have reached out of the footprint and procured Wichita State (a historical rival). As a basketball fan, I like that Wichita State will be playing big boy schools.

[Dwon]

Oh so Wichita state school president recently posted a WSU football helmet on his Twitter account.They are the only one going to AAC because of their plans to add football. Makes sense y VCU in not in the mix like we previously thought...

http://www.kwch.com/content/misc/Adding ... 63741.html

[GoldenWarrior11]

I'm not sure of the negotiations, but it sounds like it is done. If I am/was Wichita State, I would have mandated contract language that allows Wichita State to 1) start-up football and 2) allowed a full AAC membership in x years time. The AAC needs Wichita State a lot more than Wichita State needs the AAC. They had/have the potential to make such demands, much like Boise State/San Diego State did for the Big East a few years ago.

[Dwon]

Im sure the president is mature enough to know not to plant that seed in his alumnus mind if he didn't mean it."Look what just arrived..." he said. That was captioned on top of the Wichita State football helmet on Twitter a couple months ago.

Its definitely in the contract somewhere.I remember Odu created a football team a few years ago. It only took them 2 years to become a top 25 team.That's really hard to do. It was at the end of year 2 that
they took the leap from the CAA to conference USA.That was definitely a Shocker.

Now its down to Gonzaga , VCU, Dayton... for the Big East spots.Don't you think its a bit funny how nobody talked about adding Gonzaga all these years until they made it to the final four...

Sources-http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/College-Football/2016/02/03/Wichita-State-president-shocks-fans-with-Shockers-football-helmet/4891454549346/

[LabRatScott]

It will be interesting to fast forward 10–20 years and see if Wichita ends up regretting this decision. Will the American look the same way then? Or will all of the good basketball schools that they are intending to join, have left by then for greener pastures?

[brewcity77]

It will be interesting to fast forward 10–20 years and see if Wichita ends up regretting this decision. Will the American look the same way then? Or will all of the good basketball schools that they are intending to join, have left by then for greener pastures?

What would truly be amusing is if Wichita State got a football program up and running, had some surprising early success, and ended up joining the Big 12 ahead of any of their AAC brethren.

[stever20]

It will be interesting to fast forward 10–20 years and see if Wichita ends up regretting this decision. Will the American look the same way then? Or will all of the good basketball schools that they are intending to join, have left by then for greener pastures?

the problem with this argument is the MVC is putrid, and getting worse by the year.

I mean you just look at this year... In the RPI the MVC had 2 teams better than 140(with 1 of those being Wichita). The AAC had 3 teams worse than 140.

I think a question you wonder about. Does SLU go to the MVC thinking they could get on a roll and dominate a poor MVC to look better for the Big East in 5 years?

[MUPanther]

https://www.fanragsports.com/news/aac-v ... te-league/