The AAC took us on as a building project. We aren't there, but over the years they were hoping to turn us into a successful program with more media money and exposure.That's the plan for all of the CUSA schools they added.
Let's take a look at your scenario of 40 teams in the top. The Big10 is already at 18 and the SEC is at 16. Let's say The SEC takes UNC, FSU, Clemson, and Virginia. The Big10 takes Notre Dame and Stanford. that still leaves:
NCSU, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Miami, Va Tech, Boston College, Pitt,Syracuse, Louisville, Cal, SMU
Baylor, BYU, UCF, Cincy, Houston, Iowa St., Kansas, Kansas St., Oklahoma St., TCU, Texas Tech, WVU, Arizona, Arizona St. Colorado, Utah.
Why would these conferences not just join together and form a super conference? They could also pluck the desirable teams left in G5, and the schools always talked about are SDSU, Tulane, Memphis, USF. Sometimes you hear about UNLV, or UTSA/Rice, but not UNT. So how would we fit into that structure?
G5s aren't running from P4s. That's like me saying I'm running from Gisele Bundchen. The P4s are trying to find a place in the Power 2, which leaves us in the dust. G5s would LOVE to keep things as they are, just to have the P4 teams play them still and help pay the bills. Also, the crumbs that this level gets by allowing our best team to play a Power team in a playoff that is damn near stacked against them, the ADs and coaches at this level were fine with it as it could get them eyeballs from those power institutions.
Then the portal business became law. And it has just bombed the rosters of G5s, as the resources aren't there to keep any kind of talent, nor do the G5 schools have the appeal that the Power schools have with these players that grew up dreaming of playing in Norman, Austin, College Station, Fayetteville, Baton Rouge, etc.
There are different levels of "ignoring." Relative to UT and A&M, the networks largely ignore Tech and Baylor. The football world is far more aware of us now than they were when we were 1-AA. When we hung with Georgia for a half, the college football world paid attention. When we spanked Arkansas in a game that featured (one of?) the greatest special teams plays of all time, the college football world paid attention. If we become part of the "new FCS," the media and average football fan will pay us less attention than ever.
I know the current NIL and transfer portal situation works against G5 schools, but I don't think running away from P4 schools is the answer. And I could be mistaken, but I don't think the current scenario is sustainable for college football generally speaking in the long term. I hope a solution can be found that can bring some semblance of amateurism back to college football. And maybe it can bring a little parity between FBS schools along with it.
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