8/31/2023 0 Comments Uab conference realignmentIn response to Aresco and reports about MWC teams being approached by the AAC, MWC commissioner Craig Thompson told the San Diego Union Tribune “maybe it’s a personality flaw, people saying you’ve got to be like (Aresco). This demonstrates our success without question.” The MWC responds “They said we couldn’t officially be a Power Six at the time, but now what’s happening? Those teams are supporting the Big 12. We’ll add schools and we’ll replenish and reconstitute. The schools leaving have had success, but they’re not dynasties. Our remaining schools have competed extremely well with the schools leaving. The Mountain West’s contract with CBS and Fox is worth about half that, and there is a clause in the AAC deal that reportedly allows ESPN to renegotiate with any change in conference membership.ĪAC Commissioner Mike Aresco told Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger that “the DNA in this league isn’t going to change. The appeal of AAC membership lies in its current television contract with ESPN, which currently pays an estimated $6 million per school per year, Zeigler writes. Per Zeigler, Air Force and Colorado State are at least considering a move out of the MWC. Previous reporting suggests that the Big 12 might expand again, depending on negotiations regarding new television deals. Per a Friday report by the San Diego Union Tribune’s Mark Zeigler, both Boise State and San Diego State are fairly content to stay in the MWC for the time being, with future Big 12 expansion in mind. UAB’s appeal lies with its location - Birmingham, Alabama - and the AAC is “selling Boise State based on the potential to be the league’s most powerful program, one that could chase a playoff spot each year based on the structure of the proposed 12-team playoff.” Of those schools, only UAB isn’t a member of the MWC (the Blazers are in Conference USA).Īccording to CBS Sports sources, the AAC hopes to add four new members to bring conference membership to 12 (the conference currently has 11 teams). Per a report by CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd last Thursday, the AAC has focused on recruiting a a group of mainly MWC schools - Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State and UAB - to replace the departing Bearcats, Cougars and Knights. The latest reports on AAC and MWC realignment In the wake of the Big 12 inviting American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston and UCF, as well as independent BYU, to join - starting in 2023 and continuing into 2024 - the AAC is reportedly going on the offensive in an attempt to preserve its status as one of the best Group of Five conferences. Put simply, the Mountain West has proven to be a great home for the Aggies.Īccording to recent reporting, though, the MWC might not exist in its present form for much longer. Utah State has won conference championships in men’s basketball, men’s cross-country and men’s tennis, and seen programs like football, gymnastics, women’s soccer and others steadily improve and contend for conference titles. The move from the Western Athletic Conference to the MWC has been nothing but a positive for the Aggies, in almost every sport. Will they raid the top of the FCS level? We’ll find out soon.Since June 2, 2013, Utah State has been a member of the Mountain West Conference. The pickings are slim, with schools like New Mexico State, UConn and UMass potentially the only current FBS institutions in need of a home. Now the question becomes where does C-USA turn to fill the hole in their lineup. And this is why conference realignment will never end because each institution has a duty to do what’s in their own interests, and not that of the collective. The letter asking for a merger was signed by the of North Texas university president Neal Smatresk, who now appears to be applying for membership in the American. The AAC is expected to retain Navy for only football, and Wichita State for all other sports. That appears to have been denied by the AAC, where though the media deals are still a pittance compared to the Power Five, they are significantly more than what C-USA offers. The six new schools are all members of Conference USA, which feebly pushed for some kind of league merger last week. But the adding of Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA means the AAC is continuing to focus on bigger secondary markets when making expansion decisions, likely with an eye on a newly-negotiated media rights deal that will kick in when the other three teams leave. Right now the league has 11 teams, but Cincinnati, Central Florida, and Houston are joining the Big 12 at some point to be negotiated later. (Also 14 teams in hoops.)- Pete Thamel October 18, 2021 The expectation is that they will be accepted and the AAC will grow to a 14-team football league.
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