How many teams does the AAC need to lose to void their exit fees?

[Old-Bull]

This is just expansion speculation, but what if the MWC added teams to create the following 16 team league:

Far West

Hawaii football only/Gonzaga olympics
SDSU
SJSU
Fresno

Wasatch

Boise
USU
UNLV
Nevada

Front Range

AFA
CSU
Wyo
UNM

Central

UTSA football only/Wichita olympics
SMU
Tulsa
Memphis

That would take Wichita, SMU, Memphis, and Tulsa away from the AAC. Would that be enough for the departing AAC schools to vote to void the exit fees? I've been reading the Memphis, SMU, Tulsa, and Gonzaga message boards and all of their message boards have above average support to join the MWC. The only thing that would be prohibitive is the exit fees.

[Old-Bull]

How aggressive should the MWC be? I haven't studied the AAC bylaws, but there should be a provision that allows the league members to vote to disband the league, bypassing exit fees, and allowing the schools to keep their NCAA tournament credits.

I think the MWC needs to invite just enough to do that. f-word Aresco. We should kill their league and the expansion threat they pose. CSU and AFA won't entertain offers from the Sunbelt or Cusa. If we kill the AAC, the only place for MWC teams to go is the autonomy five leagues.

[ragtimejoe1]

I think the MWC needs to invite just enough to do that. [#]f##k Aresco. We should kill their league and the expansion threat they pose. CSU and AFA won't entertain offers from the Sunbelt or Cusa. If we kill the AAC, the only place for MWC teams to go is the autonomy five leagues.

Nope. The only place for MWC teams to go is the P5 leagues anyway. The past few months taught us that. The aac hasn't formally announced how bad of hit their new TV deal will be after it is renegotiated due to the departures. Apparently it is bad enough that even csu wasn't dumb enough to go for it and that's saying something. Any further P5 expansion will only further cripple the aac even if the MWC is also involved. The air is gone from the G5 and the MWC is as good of place as any. It'll be interesting if the aac even has sway enough to poach some cusa or sun belt teams. Their (cusa's) proposed restructuring for regionality actually makes more sense than anything I've seen on message boards.

If there is an opportunity to get Gonzaga on board (even if that meant another bball school), then yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Other than that, there isn't a lot of motivation to do anything. Making headway by building an exceptionally strong bball conference, imo, is the smartest direction. College football is still important, but the pending power structure changes at the P5 level are out of our control.

[Old-Bull]

I think the MWC needs to invite just enough to do that. [#]f##k Aresco. We should kill their league and the expansion threat they pose. CSU and AFA won't entertain offers from the Sunbelt or Cusa. If we kill the AAC, the only place for MWC teams to go is the autonomy five leagues.

Nope. The only place for MWC teams to go is the P5 leagues anyway. The past few months taught us that. The aac hasn't formally announced how bad of hit their new TV deal will be after it is renegotiated due to the departures. Apparently it is bad enough that even csu wasn't dumb enough to go for it and that's saying something. Any further P5 expansion will only further cripple the aac even if the MWC is also involved. The air is gone from the G5 and the MWC is as good of place as any. It'll be interesting if the aac even has sway enough to poach some cusa or sun belt teams. Their (cusa's) proposed restructuring for regionality actually makes more sense than anything I've seen on message boards.

If there is an opportunity to get Gonzaga on board (even if that meant another bball school), then yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Other than that, there isn't a lot of motivation to do anything. Making headway by building an exceptionally strong bball conference, imo, is the smartest direction. College football is still important, but the pending power structure changes at the P5 level are out of our control.

There's a few things that I think are going to make us add football schools now.

1. CSU and AFA both said they want Texas schools and they want Central Time Zone exposure. Both of them stayed. I have to think that the conference gave them assurances that we'll expand east to convince them to stay. That's the right choice. The Front Range is quickly becoming an island in a California league. Imagine that island with only UNM and Wyoming on it.

2. Expansion is far from over. You have to remember what it felt like when SDSU, Boise, CSU, and AFA were all rumored to be leaving. Imagine trying to backfill the MWC without those four schools. We won't be able to convince anyone to move to the MWC, aside from NMSU or Utep without those teams in the league. We need to establish an eastern foothold before Boise, SDSU, CSU, and AFA leave or we won't be able to do it when they leave. This is critical for the long term survival of the MWC, and especially Wyoming, because we aren't going anywhere.

3. Everyone in the league wants to recruit Texas.

4. The college football play-offs are growing. There are 2 models being considered: eight teams or 12 teams. The SEC wants 12 because they want more at large spots. If it is 12, there are going to be 6 auto bids. Those six autobids are for the 5 autonomy conferences and 1 bid for the highest ranked champion from the G5. The AAC, as it currently exists is going to be competition for the MWC for that G5 spot. If the MWC is smart with expansion, and can kill off the AAC, that G5 spot is likely ours every season.

This isn't 1999 anymore. The right choice then was to kick the dead weight out of the Wac 16 and get back to regional rivalries. The right choice NOW is to grow into the Central Time Zone so we can still add teams from that region when the top of our league inevitably leaves.

I know everyone hated the Wac 16. I did too. The comfort of a nine team regional league isn't possible anymore. We have to expand to survive.

[ragtimejoe1]

There's a few things that I think are going to make us add football schools now.

1. CSU and AFA both said they want Texas schools and they want Central Time Zone exposure. Both of them stayed. I have to think that the conference gave them assurances that we'll expand east to convince them to stay. That's the right choice. The Front Range is quickly becoming an island in a California league. Imagine that island with only UNM and Wyoming on it.

2. Expansion is far from over. You have to remember what it felt like when SDSU, Boise, CSU, and AFA were all rumored to be leaving. Imagine trying to backfill the MWC without those four schools. We won't be able to convince anyone to move to the MWC, aside from NMSU or Utep without those teams in the league. We need to establish an eastern foothold before Boise, SDSU, CSU, and AFA leave or we won't be able to do it when they leave. This is critical for the long term survival of the MWC, and especially Wyoming, because we aren't going anywhere.

3. Everyone in the league wants to recruit Texas.

4. The college football play-offs are growing. There are 2 models being considered: eight teams or 12 teams. The SEC wants 12 because they want more at large spots. If it is 12, there are going to be 6 auto bids. Those six autobids are for the 5 autonomy conferences and 1 bid for the highest ranked champion from the G5. The AAC, as it currently exists is going to be competition for the MWC for that G5 spot. If the MWC is smart with expansion, and can kill off the AAC, that G5 spot is likely ours every season.

This isn't 1999 anymore. The right choice then was to kick the dead weight out of the Wac 16 and get back to regional rivalries. The right choice NOW is to grow into the Central Time Zone so we can still add teams from that region when the top of our league inevitably leaves.

I know everyone hated the Wac 16. I did too. The comfort of a nine team regional league isn't possible anymore. We have to expand to survive.

1) I doubt anyone really cares what csu or AF think about TX and highly doubt there were any concessions to keep them. The aac deal was so bad that csu and AF had to tuck tail to come back. They are probably more lucky that we let them in.
2) Meh, expansion in the west is largely done other than if P5 calls. If that happens, nothing can be done to protect a conference. It is what it is. Hell, if all those teams leave, whose to say other schools wouldn't just jump to another conference anyway. Everyone is worried about WYO and the MWC dissolving. If those teams leave, there won't be enough TV money to worry about and adding a bunch of also ran eastern teams doesn't solve that. The remaining western teams will all be in the same boat and an 8 team league is probably just as good as whatever conglomeration it would be by adding a bunch of stuff out east.
3) Again, meh. I'd like to see data on how having TCU significantly enhanced TX recruiting. Coaching connections are more important. Hire a TX-based coach. Adding TX teams doesn't do poop if your coaches don't have connections down there. Having teams in TX to get better TX recruits is message board lore.
4) Again, meh. Once Cinci leaves, the next best team is in the Sun Belt. There will always be competition, and, with the right OOC, an undefeated MWC champ will always be in discussion.

Of course it is not 1999 nor is it 2009. G5 is about to get slapped upside the head with our new TV reality. Our value has diminished substantially. No amount of expansion is going to prevent the inevitable. There is going to be extremely limited amounts of money for the G5 and chasing it will be futile. Hell, the most likely scenario is that down the road, the P5 poaches a few remaining teams and then kicks us out of their bowls entirely.

Nope, expansion is mostly dead. Maybe a little shuffling between cusa, aac, and sun belt...maybe even another P5 callup or two.

[ragtimejoe1]

Some shuffling between cusa and aac; tbd on sun belt. MWC standing pat because there is nothing left in the G5 ranks to move the TV needle. A P5 callup is about the only thing that will alter the MWC field.

Wouldn't mind seeing a scenario where we get Gonzaga.

[WYO1016]

Some shuffling between cusa and aac; tbd on sun belt. MWC standing pat because there is nothing left in the G5 ranks to move the TV needle. A P5 callup is about the only thing that will alter the MWC field.

Wouldn't mind seeing a scenario where we get Gonzaga.

This. Getting a second shot at having the Zags in the conference is an opportunity that Hair Thompson MUST capitalize on.

[Old-Bull]

No money for the football additions tells you how bad those additions are.

Oh well, go get Gonzaga and we're the top G5 league at football and basketball.

[ragtimejoe1]

No money for the football additions tells you how bad those additions are.

Oh well, go get Gonzaga and we're the top G5 league at football and basketball.

Agreed on Gonzaga. I fear the next round of TV negotiations won't be good for us. The alternative theory here is that our current contract is overvalued based on the new direction of college football. Maybe the lack of money in the additions isn't just their value but also our value once our current contract is up.

It seems there are a lot of contracts coming up in the next few years and I'm guessing it will be at that time that the future of college football will start to be more clear. I'm thinking they will be going to fewer games with bigger matchups. The conferences that can't field the big time matchups (read G5 here) are about to be screwed. Hope I'm wrong.