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1 - SMUt 2 - nUTSAck 3 - Tulsa 4 - UAB 5 - Tie Tulane/and or Rice I could also see Memphis develop into a nice rival over time.

https://post.futurimedia.com/kfaqam/playlist/28/listen-8636.html?cb=1655384362.441903

It was reported by the Houston Chronicle that Cincinnati, Central Florida and Houston will have to pay a hefty fee of $45 million to leave the American Athletic Conference by 2023. The three future Big 12 schools are contractually required to remain in the AAC until 2024. In the article, it states that on top of the $10 million required exit fee that Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are also required to pay a $35 million fee to leave the AAC prior to the 2023 fall season as opposed to the 2024 fall season. AAC bylaws require a $10 million exit fee and a 27-month prior notice to leave, hence why the school’s are contractually obligated to stay until 2024. read more: https://wvsportsnow.com/aac-charging-future-big-12-schools-45-million-to-leave-by-2023/

The Big 12 has two choices. It can re-stock, looking for inventory to replace Oklahoma and Texas, rebuilding to at least 10 schools or it can make a major move and add two, four, six or 8 schools to reach the 16-team super conference level. The Big 12 had a chance to expand a few years ago and chose to maintain the status quo, a ;move which was made from a position of strength. That no longer exists. Sources in the AAC say Aresco has been working the phones and the zoom call network constantly for the past several days, putting together a deal that will be more proactive, rather than reactive. read more: Sources in the AAC say Aresco has been working the phones and the zoom call network constantly for the past several days, putting together a deal that will be more proactive, rather than reactive

NORTH TEXAS Pros: No C-USA school is doing a better job of investing in facilities than UNT, which has also earned some buzz as a future member of the Mountain West Conference. The football program is ascendant and it’s not inconceivable that UNT could work as a football-only member. Cons: The AAC already features SMU in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and there’s not much love between the two programs. Even with a beautiful football stadium and a winning team, attendance continues to lag for UNT football. The Mountain West Conference may be a better possibility down the road. read more: https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article231899688.html Read more here: https://www.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/university-of-southern-mississippi/article231899688.html#storylink=cpy

Re: Independent vs Conference#536665 By cruzan_flame13 - September 14th, 2017, 8:48 pm I see us going the route as Notre Dame did back a few decades ago. I'm not saying we will be identical to Notre Dame, especially the fact that the game isn't the same as it was. I do feel we will go the independent route for awhile and continue to contain great connections with other school AD's that are close with AD McCaw. At the same time I see this helping our Olympic sports and the blessings that we have in facilities. If we can get into a nice conference that is not football affiliated, I don't see the point of having football in a conference. If some reason the Big XII finally put aside their pride and add some other schools and then some how we can get a spot with the AAC, then I would think that LU might consider. Anything lower than the AAC in G5 terms is not worth it for football. Of course I would hope that LU would get an opportunity with the A-10 or Big East for their Olympic sports (hopefully they'll progress on a sufficient and discipline manner without any unlawful deals with student athletes/prospects). I really see LU getting very noticeable on an athletic level from now on. In conclusion, independent is the way to go since the crew can create great schedules for football(hopefully that will rub off on the other sports). read more: https://forums.aseaofred.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25847

https://www.ctpost.com/sports/jeffjacobs/article/Jeff-Jacobs-As-the-season-dies-it-s-worth-13365185.php I ran across this article (and it's not the only one on this subject) and it got me to thinking.....what would happen if UConn decided to drop football and just focus on basketball? (A lot of people think it would be a smart move....can't say I disagree) What would happen if there was a vacancy in the AAC eastern division with Navy sitting in a geographically mismatched AAC Western division?

The highlight of the article was JMU’s head Coach stating that they wouldn’t be moving up to the FBS level unless given a perfect opportunity. He then goes on to say that the FCS Playoffs are better than any mid-major bowl anyway. An interesting statement. Does C-USA have a future and should North Texas be a part of it? http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/elsewhere/article_b0a126b4-e374-5b05-8f2b-1900ecc0d63e.html

An interesting and funny take on why UCF’s national title claim isn’t as goofy as it sounds. http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/21954302/ucf-not-first-school-call-national-champion

AAC is making case for being the new P5 conference: http://collegefootballnews.com/2017/07/four-reasons-why-american-power-is-absurd-mwcwire-kenerly

The American Athletic Conference unanimously voted Friday morning to add Wichita State as a league member for the 2017-18 season. Wichita State is expected to accept the AAC's invitation and leave the Missouri Valley Conference, where the Shockers have been members since 1945, sources said. Wichita State will join the AAC in all sports, except football, giving the AAC both a 12-team football and basketball league. The AAC has 11 all-sports members (Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, South Florida, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa and UCF) and Navy is a football-only member. Wichita State has not had a football team since 1986. Because of Wichita State's basketball success, the Shockers were an attractive target for the AAC. Wichita State has been to six consecutive NCAA tournaments, winning at least one game in the past five tournaments and reaching the 2013 Final Four. read more: http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/19101126/american-athletic-conference-votes-add-wichita-state-shockers

Here is a summary of the CUSA recruiting classes. http://collegefootballnews.com/2017/2017...s-rankings C-USA ranking 2nd in G5 group, just behind AAC (SMU's conference). http://www.sbnation.com/college-football...g-day-2017 Overall not too bad from a conference perspective. We beat out Mountain West and Mac/Belch

If I were the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, I would be nervous right now. I would be nervous because when the Big 12 announced last week that it was going to jump back into the expansion waters, the list of likely candidates to join included Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Connecticut, UCF, BYU and maybe Colorado State. Five of those schools are members of the 12-team AAC. What if the Big 12 gets really frisky and takes four of those schools? Can the AAC, which has been the strongest conference outside of the Power Five, survive such a blow? That’s why I would be nervous. If I were the commissioner of the American Athletic Conference, I would be nervous right now. I would be nervous because when the Big 12 announced last week that it was going to jump back into the expansion waters, the list of likely candidates to join included Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Connecticut, UCF, BYU and maybe Colorado State. Five of those schools are members of the 12-team AAC. What if the Big 12 gets really frisky and takes four of those schools? Can the AAC, which has been the strongest conference outside of the Power Five, survive such a blow? That’s why I would be nervous. But when I talked to AAC commissioner Mike Aresco this week, he was anything but nervous. He is doing what all good leaders do. He’s working the issue with his eyes wide open, his ego in the desk drawer and with the best information possible. “In these situations, communication is critical,” said Aresco, who was a long-time television executive before getting into college administration. “I’ve been talking to the (athletic directors) and the president of the schools that might leave, and it looks like some of them will. We’re talking to each other and trying to figure out the future. We expect everyone who leaves will leave on good terms.” read more: http://gridironnow.com/big-12-expansion-aac-mike-aresco/

You heard it here first. Looks like the AAC has to replace three. Probably Southern Miss, FIU and Marshall is my best guess. Maybe Rice or SMU for academics.

Here the complete look at the AAC East-West divisions: East Division UCF Cincinnati UConn East Carolina USF Temple West Division Houston Memphis Navy SMU Tulane Tulsa In addition to the divisional alignment, the AAC also announced the tiebreak procedure for the 2014 season — a conference championship game will be held in 2015 as the league moves to 12 teams. Read more: http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/2014/05/aac-announces-divisional-alignments-smu-lands-in-west-division-with-houston-navy-tulsa-others.html/

Yet another program finds itself in the midst of a scheduling quandary as a result of the P5 conferences decision to schedule games that will enhance the profile of their resumes in order to compete in the College Playoff system set to begin this fall. This time however, the school that finds itself in the cross hairs of this decision, is the storied and powerful independent, BYU. When the ACC announced that BYU would not count as P5 competition for scheduling purposes within the ACC schedule mandates, a potential major hurdle was placed in front of the traditionally competitive BYU program. The college football landscape is going through its most dramatic overhaul in more than 2 decades. The new College Playoff system threatens to place schools like BYU on the outside looking in on the P5's competitive and financial advantage. This is all the more dramatic for BYU, as it was only a few short years ago that the program was mentioned as a serious candidate for the B12. Now however, BYU finds itself in the same boat as the rest of the G5 schools, wondering what the new scheduling philosophy means to them long term. BYU seems to be heading towards a crossroads in terms of its ability to maintain its independent status and remain relevant in the FBS. Serious thought to joining one of the G5 conferences has now become a necessity instead of a luxury for the nationally known BYU program. In a move to reduce some of the sting from the new scheduling reality in FBS football, BYU has already begun a quasi relationship with the AAC. Something that that American Conference and BYU can both potentially benefit from. Read more: http://g5conferencenews.blogspot.com/2014/05/byu-and-g5-how-byu-could-shake-up-g5.html?m=1

I posted an article I came across from the Tulsa post game press conference after their loss to UTSA in another thread and it got me thinking. I think all of us who have been following UNT recruiting for some time would acknowledge that programs like Rice, Tulsa, SMU, Houston, Colorado State, Tulane, etc have had our number on recruits for quite some time. Much of this was due to the losing and lack of facilities but conference affiliation also played a large part. I think specifically, the privates have done a good job against us touting the dollar value of their education and the associated private school tuition, small classes and facilities they offer.. Notice that I don't mention TCU or Oklahoma State. Both are in the Big Twelve and frankly will be difficult for us to beat. Not impossible but more on that later. We just need to start winning battles against the Tulsa's, SMU's, Rice's etc and it will be a major step forward for us. This season has seen a huge shift in terms of North Texas shedding many of the obstacles which have been stacked so heavily against us in the past. We're winning and bowl eligible for the first time in close to a decade. Our attendance is showing signs of growth. An example would be we outdrew a Tulsa homecoming game on a Thursday night of Halloween. We beat a good Rice team. Our facilities are at least as good or better than all of the teams mentioned. We have a larger upside for attendance by virtue of our student population which dwarfs most of the schools I mentioned. Mac's staff has proven that they know how to identify good talent and develop it. Look at a James Jones or a Cyril Lemon or a Kenny Buyers or an Antoine Jimmerson. If we can start winning some of the battles against our peers especially here in the state of Texas it will mean we can hit on even more good players. I will promise you that the Tulsa's and Houston's and SMU's of the world will start trying to play the AAC card as a key differentiation in the minds of recruits and their families. Other than this 2013 season where they do have that final auto BCS bid which will most likely go to Louisville (although Houston has a legitimate shot) there aren't huge differences in the AAC and C-USA. We've seen this season that FAU can beat an AAC program (Tulane) despite a coaching mess. Little ole UTSA showed that they could beat a future AAC program Tulsa at home. The AAC will have the same opportunity to gain access to the new playoff system as do we. So what we have here is a tremendous opportunity to change the perception of recruits and their families. It's extremely important that we don't dilly dally around with Mac's contract or get complacent in terms of assistants, facilities and support staff. If we learned anything from the Dickey bowl era it was that you can't just win and expect everything to stay the same. You have to do what it takes to keep your staff in place, and that goes beyond Mac and includes guys like Ryan Walters who I promise you will be courted by some of the top programs this season. And maybe you just can't keep a Ryan Walters but you at least make it more difficult for a bigger program to land him. Keep investing in pipelines like DeSoto as we know that will payoff. Keep working the media, invite them to every broadcast you have; offer them to do their shows from the stadium and on campus. I have never been so excited about the future of this football program. My only hope is that we are able to be PROACTIVE and capitalize on this great season so we can continue to grow. GMG!

We thought The American's bowl future would at least be similar bowl to what C-USA previously had, but it looks like it'll be a lot worse. Power 5 conferences have taken C-USA's top 2 non-Hawaii bowl tie-ins, the Liberty signing SEC and Big12 and the Big Ten signing with the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth. The Liberty Bowl hosted the SEC under the previous contract, but now adds the Big 12 as an opponent. There has been an overwhelming desire for the elite conferences to play each other in bowls, and The American is becoming a repeated casualty. Read more: http://www.voodoofive.com/2013/7/23/4549558/liberty-bowl-not-taking-the-american-goes-with-sec-and-big-12-instead

TULSA FINDS ITSELF in an odd situation this fall as a member of Conference USA but with an eye on the American Athletic Conference. The Golden Hurricane will be the favorite in C-USA football this fall and one of the favorites in C-USA men's basketball this winter. However, what's happening in the American Athletic Conference will be important to Tulsa's long-term success. TU will enter its final school year in C-USA as the king of the league. The Golden Hurricane has won 49 conference championships in C-USA, more than twice as many as the second-place school during the same period. Tulsa will leave that all behind when it moves to the AAC next July. How TU fits into the new league will be interesting. Actually, how that league fits together should be a study in modern college athletics. The league will stretch from Connecticut to Houston. The AAC, the old Big East Conference, is basically the old Conference USA. If this all sounds confusing, it should. The AAC was formed to save Connecticut and Cincinnati. To be honest, it would have been easier for Conference USA to add UConn, Cincinnati, South Florida and Temple. Still, the reality is a handful of C-USA schools jumped early to the Big East before the Big East imploded. Thus, when it came time for C-USA teams to make the leap if possible, the natural home was the AAC. "We think the landscape has stabilized and there's a pretty good chance things will stay stable for the foreseeable future," American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a press briefing earlier this summer. Tulsa got caught in the middle. TU would be far more comfortable, and make far more sense, as a member of the Mountain West. Tulsa has geography in common with much of the Mountain West. Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/TU_watching_closely_as_schools_start_transition_from/20130712_203_B1_TULSAF956545

The American Athletic Conference is working on a new lineup of bowl contracts starting with the 2014 football season, and commissioner Mike Aresco said Tuesday that he anticipates contracts for seven teams, including a new bowl game at Marlins Park in Miami. "We're moving pretty steadily on that, and we think it's very likely to happen for Miami," said Aresco, who said he has talked with the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences about lining up a team on the other half of the new game. "It's something we really are excited about. We feel it's workable and would be good for our conference. It's exactly the kind of thing we need to do." The Miami game would not likely be a spot for the American champion, should that team not land a spot in a top-six bowl in the new format -- one spot will go to the highest ranked champion from the American, Mountain West, MAC, Conference USA and Sun Belt conferences. That spot could be in Memphis, where C-USA's champion has played in the current bowl cycle. "It's really the geographic center of our conference. It makes a lot of sense from a lot of different perspectives," said Aresco, whose initial American men's basketball tournament will be at FedEx Forum in Memphis in March. Read more:

The main goal of college athletics' Realign-mageddon, which mercifully came to a halt this past year following a lengthy reign of terror, was improving image. Sure, it had to do with increased revenue streams, better access to bigger bowls, greater exposure and a bunch of other stuff, but image essentially was everything. Improve your image and everything else follows. How does a college athletic program improve its image? One way is to move to a cooler neighborhood. So a bunch of teams with a chance to move did. Big 12 teams jumped to the SEC. Big East teams hopped to the Big 12 and the ACC. An ACC team even moved to the Big Ten. And a horde of Conference USA teams began an exodus to the Conference Formerly Known as the Big East, the American Athletic Conference. The University of Central Florida, Houston, Memphis and Southern Methodist went this year. Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane leave next year. Their idea was that in pairing with the erstwhile Big East football schools they would earn the image boost they craved and felt they couldn't achieve in Conference USA. Now it's a tiny, tiny example of an athletic conference's public image, but when the Maxwell Award watch list came out Monday, the American's teams scanned it and saw just a trio of C-USA players among the names. Surely they breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed in the satisfaction of their two names on that same list. Wait, what? Read more: http://www.dailymail.com/Sports/201307080160

Today marks the official start of the American Athletic Conference as a successor to the Big East in football and other sports. Of the eight teams that played in the first Big East football season in 1991, only Temple will remain, and that’s a Temple program that was banished to the MAC for a spell and has played in one bowl game in the past 30 years. Most of the other teams are former mid-majors from Conference USA or former independents or I-AA schools. I’m sorry, but this conference is doomed, and there are several reasons why. One is that, after 2013, the American Athletic loses its automatic BCS bid. Recent history has told us that the Mountain West champion, and even the MAC champion, often outperformed the Big East champ in the BCS standings. And remember, that’s the Big East with West Virginia, Pitt, Syracuse and Louisville, all of whom have either left or are poised to leave in the coming seasons. The chances of the American Athletic, as constituted, landing a team in the Final Four of the college football playoff that begins in 2014 seem minuscule at best. Another threat to the viability of this conference is that the power conferences probably aren't done raiding yet. The ACC will want to get up to 16, while the Big 12 will actually want to get to 12, so it can stage a nationally televised championship game like the other four power conferences. While it's true that they could go after some western programs such as Boise State or BYU, the most likely targets seem to be teams from this conference. Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1581656-why-the-american-athletic-conference-is-doomed-from-the-start

You know all that talk about conference realignment and schools joining new conferences and new conferences appearing out of thin air? Remember how the Big 12 almost died and the original Big East did die before spawning a pair of shiny new conferences? Well, quite a bit of that takes effect today, July 1st, 2013. Since I do this for a living and I can barely keep track of who is changing to what league and when, I’ve decided to put together a breakdown to help those of you that are getting just as confused as I am. Read more: http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/01/a-complete-breakdown-of-conference-realignment-for-2013-2014/

would make the cooger queen wet herself http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/db-online-houston-to-big-12/#JUZj60JqJljgQdf2.01