Why hasn’t there been a thread for this brought up yet on the forum? I see the discussions on the main conference page, as well as other conference pages.

Keith Gill is ‘rumored’ to be in Huntington per some rando that posts for Marshall (no sources, just thread starting on sunbelt page)

Any more informed folks on this forum know of any mingling going on with any App relation (specifically us or maybe the sunbelt) that has any REAL possibilities?

Or is everyone just posting on the sunbelt page?

TheAppalachianState wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 09, 2021 12:08 am

Why hasn’t there been a thread for this brought up yet on the forum? I see the discussions on the main conference page, as well as other conference pages.

Keith Gill is ‘rumored’ to be in Huntington Beach per some rando that posts for Marshall (no sources, just thread starting on sunbelt page)

Any more informed folks on this forum know of any mingling going on with any App relation (specifically us or maybe the sunbelt) that has any REAL possibilities?

Or is everyone just posting on the sunbelt page?

Huntington Beach would be a much better vacation than Huntington.


Jokes aside, it’s probably all BS. I’ve read we are in cahoots with ODU. I’ve read we are at the top of the list for the AAC. Go read the UNCC board they are “the biggest threat to UNC”.

We should start a Keith Gill tracker like Carmen San Diego.

I put no stock in message board rumors, except some that I read on here from posters with a history of being right. Some of these may turn out to be legit, but it’s not worth it to me to scrutinize every little scenario.

Lol I corrected that to just Huntington. I wasn’t sure if my thread should be in a trash talk forum because all of it is just hearsay to me from other posters.

All in all, less than 1mnth until kickoff (hope everyone on the board is able to make the game in Charlotte), and crazy realignment discussions possibly happening, it’s going to be one hell of a season

Personally, I would be shocked if Gill had the foresight or gumption to pursue other members. Possibly if those schools contacted him, but I just don't feel like he is competent enough to put together a plan for the Sunbelt's expansion or advancement through this re-alignment

Although the SB has been good for App initial seasons in FBS, I believe it should be DG lighting up the phone lines to see our options as opposed to hoping SB navigates these matters to be a better SB. It sounds like no one has confidence in the SB commissioner. Sad the the landscape in college football is changing. However, it is changing and want App to consider all possibilities including staying in SB if that is the best place to be. Whether fact or fiction to results on the field, it seems that perception of SB isower level conference within G5. We have to make best decision for App St. My preference, prior to OU and Texas decision, was AAC. Not sure how things will play out with remaining Big 12 and some teams of current AAC..or if remaining Big 12 teams are initially trying to find homes at other P5 conferences. Interesting times for sure.

Based on the current conference members here is my preference in order.
1. Any P5 slot (very unlikely to happen)
2. AAC
3. SBC (stay put where we are)

Therefore, based on the above our most likely "move" would be to AAC. So at what point would the dilution of the AAC become so significant that it would no longer become an attractive conference? If they lose 2-4 of top schools? If they only lose a couple it could still be atractive but there is a tipping point where it starts to lose its luster.

No AAC for me. Give me a regional conference with the Eastern Sun Belt Schools, add Marhall and USM or UAB and close the gates.

Given the current state of unrest, I think the Sun Belt is the best possible position. Until we know what the BIgXII or AAC are going to look like, it’s hard to make an accurate assessment.

The most likely SBC scenarios in order:

1) Nothing this year.
2) G5 conferences are passive and wait for the BIG12 moves, then AAC responds, then other G5s, this takes 12-18 months.
3) SBC is aggressive and pursues two CUSA schools (Marshall first, likely UAB with UAB waiting on the AAC first so they decline, so USM is next)
4) Eastern SBC/CUSA members push for an eastern split

For fun let's play this out (highly unlikely situation FWIW). The BIG12 takes four from the AAC (Houston, UCF, Cincy, Memphis).

Would you prefer a new AAC:

Temple, Navy, ECU, S. Fl., Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, App, Marshall, UAB, ULL, +1 Texas school

OR

Current SBC plus Marshall and S. Miss.

OR

SBC/CUSA Eastern conference:

Marshall, App, ODU, UNCC, CCU, GA St, GS, FAU, FIU, MTSU, WKU, Troy

All day long - Temple, Navy, ECU, S. Fl., Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, App, Marshall, UAB, ULL, +1 Texas school

The 3rd option is a glorified Southern Conference type idea with different teams.

I understand about the hesitancy of the AAC, and I'm sure there will be re-structured TV deals after the dust settles on realignment, but last year UCF got about $4 million more for TV revenue than App. We could easily receive $2 million more per year with the AAC's payout. That is significant

The issue that I see with the revamped AAC listed above is that there are too many schools left on islands as travel partners for non football sports. USF, UAB, and Tulsa (assuming that you add another Texas school and whoever isn’t paired with APP (ECU or Marshall) would be somewhat of a logistical problem.

So I would have to go with the current SB and add USM and Marshall.

CUSA has been horrible the last several years, and I don't see it improving much in the near future. How much more respect/exposure are we actually going to get by adding 1 or 2 teams from there? I like the Marshal rivalry possibility for App, but ODU brings nothing to the table as far as I can tell. Unless we bounce ULM or Texas St. from the sunbelt to cut travel costs and historically bad football, what good is that addition doing the Sunbelt?

The Rock wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 09, 2021 8:33 am

I understand about the hesitancy of the AAC, and I'm sure there will be re-structured TV deals after the dust settles on realignment, but last year UCF got about $4 million more for TV revenue than App. We could easily receive $2 million more per year with the AAC's payout. That is significant

It really isn’t when you factor in that we would have to increase our overall athletic budget by $10 million. Another thing to consider is that the AAC media rights contract isn’t equally divided.

Just hoping Doug, not Gill, is driving our bus. We’ve had a pretty good thing going with UL, Stink, and lately, Coastal, but they’d ditch us like a bad habit if a better opportunity came along. This go around, I’d like for it to be us getting the opportunity, instead of having to make the best of a less desirable situation.

I'm not advocating for ODU but if you look beyond football (which I know "drives the bus"), ODU would bring a pretty good athletic program to the Belt. Their basketball history/tradition is certainly better than anyone in the Belt.

While the AAC scenario is inviting, I think I would opt for the SBC + two proposition, with Marshall being required as one of the two.

I'm not convinced, however, that anything is really afoot. I suspect we will be where we are with whom we are currently attached.

I forget where/when it was posted in the past, but someone had said something about going AAC as “football only” (I don’t remember why either). THAT is the absolute last scenario I would want to see. I’d rather stay put with zero changes than to have that happen… especially if they lost UCF, Cincy, etc.

To add to the above post (and this may be where the “football only” idea came from)… I just can’t see being invited/accepted into a “better” conference, AAC or otherwise, without more money and more consistent success in sports besides football.

At some point they need to have football and basketball conferences and then regionalize the Olympic sports conferences. Athletic revenues are about 80% football and 20% basketball, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to continue to allow non-revenue generating sports to handcuff these athletic departments.