This gives SMU incentive to stay and means there is a replacement already in the conference if the Mustangs do leave. That’s likely because of the looming threat of the Mountain West trying to poach a school like SMU from the AAC. In particular, there are three schools from Texas that could be coming to the AAC. Is There a Larger Strategy To This Move?Ī lot of people are going to notice that the only teams on their way are decidedly southern. Add that they’re in one of the best football cities in the South, Birmingham, and this is a great addition. They’re playing in a new stadium now and they’re one of the most consistent programs in C-USA. They’ve also come so extraordinarily far from having the program shut down a few years back. UAB is the school everyone knew was coming to the AAC. The investment is there, and this is the next step forward for them. Will Healy, for however long he’s there, is a good coach. CharlotteĬharlotte is a young football program, based in a major southern city, who has shown a desire to grow their program. They also have recent success in C-USA, and there is a model to win there. Just don’t tell anyone that Rice and Houston aren’t comparable football programs FAUįAU is going to be looked at as a replacement for UCF who has strong facilities, a nice stadium, and access to recruiting in South Florida. Mike Aresco and the AAC probably aren’t as worried about Rice’s academic standards as they are having a foothold in the city of Houston. This is a school that cares and is located in Texas, so this is likely a move based on geography. They’re also not in a major market in Denton, though Dallas is less than an hour south. They’ve had a few good seasons, but are down on their luck now. This is a very young program, with tons of potential. They’re based in the city of San Antonio, are building a strong fanbase, are making strides in terms of their facilities, and have a coach who has great relationships with high school coaches in Texas. The Roadrunners are obviously one of the best teams in C-USA this season. Here are the six schools reportedly joining the AAC, and what they individually bring to the table as football programs. Instead, let’s take a look at why these particular schools could be joining the AAC, what they bring to the table, and what it means for the other members and the conference as a whole. Multiple reporters have confirmed it, but after what was widely considered a sure thing where the AAC was supposed to poach from the Mountain West, who knows until the paperwork is official? Let’s also take out any non-football ramifications, as well as the C-USA point of view. Now, let’s take a second and assume that this report is accurate. That will bring the AAC to 14 schools in both sports as well. It’s also being reported that the AAC will accept all six of these schools as members in both football and basketball, at least. Those schools are UTSA, North Texas, Rice, FAU, Charlotte, and UAB. How about SMU, Rice, Tulane, USF, Navy, Temple,Memphis, Tulsa ? Maybe UTSA because of market size instead of Tulsa.According to several different reports, there are six teams from Conference USA who will be applying to the American Athletic Conference this week. On the other hand, the PAC 4 offers Mike Aresco their commissioners job and he brings 8 AAC schools with him. ESPN’s Heather Dinich first reported last week that the AAC was open to adding a combination of all four schools from the Pac-12. The remaining Pac-12 members - Washington State, Oregon State, Cal and Stanford - would be considered among the best schools left behind by this round of realignment. USF athletic director Michael Kelly said Friday that he and administrators from other conference schools have been in communication with AAC commissioner Mike Aresco after six Pac-12 schools announced their departures for other conferences in recent weeks. TAMPA - American Athletic Conference members have spoken about the possibility of adding schools left behind during the most recent round of conference realignment. Michael Kelly said American Athletic Conference members have held several meetings with commissioner Mike Aresco over the past week.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |