BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati are planning to submit applications next week to join the Big 12, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

The schools could be approved for admission as early as a Sept. 10 meeting of Big 12 presidents, according to Sports Illustrated, which first reported the story.

"Things are moving very quickly," one source told ESPN on Friday. "There's obvious momentum to get votes to the board."



https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... es-confirm

Captain Morgan wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 5:53 pm

BYU, Houston, UCF and Cincinnati are planning to submit applications next week to join the Big 12, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.

The schools could be approved for admission as early as a Sept. 10 meeting of Big 12 presidents, according to Sports Illustrated, which first reported the story.

"Things are moving very quickly," one source told ESPN on Friday. "There's obvious momentum to get votes to the board."



https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... es-confirm

So who wants the AAC now?

In terms of competition, without Cincinnati and UCF the AAC is nothing more than the Sun Belt with a stronger TV contract and better bowl tie ins. Who’s to say that either of those will remain in place once this all shakes out. I’m not real sure it would be worth a move unless a couple of regional big dogs join with App (with Louisiana being the furthest away).

This is specific to football of course.

BeauFoster wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 5:59 pm

In terms of competition, without Cincinnati and UCF the AAC is nothing more than the Sun Belt with a stronger TV contract and better bowl tie ins. Who’s to say that either of those will remain in place once this all shakes out. I’m not real sure it would be worth a move unless a couple of regional big dogs join with App (with Louisiana being the furthest away).

This is specific to football of course.

That TV deal is as good as gone.

Things seem to be moving very fast with this. We better be ready if an opportunity knocks, but we also better be considering what options may come our way that are indeed beneficial for us to take. I have to say I am not envious of Doug G. and the decision makers right now. These decisions or indecisions can have very long lasting implications.

I would take ECU, Memphis, SMU and Temple...and maybe USF..

All for TV markets except ECU...just want that one because it is ECU.

It's going to be a big hurt on ECU they already have had several years of financial problems in their athletics department that along with stagnant and slightly falling first year student enrollment all ready means less dollars coming to athletics unless they raise their athletic fee. The trimming of the TV dollars is going to really hurt.

Looking at it further-these are the remaining 8:

ECU
Memphis
Navy
SMU
Temple
Tulane
Tulsa
USF

There’s very little in that conference that excites me more than in the Sun Belt. ECU and Marshall are old rivals, and Memphis is traditionally a good football team, but outside of those 3, the other 5 are garbage. Now, if the AAC brings in 4-6 schools with 3 being close by, maybe I’d be ok with it.

If the Belt is proactive, they could sway ECU, USF, Marshall to join and enhance their product while effectively killing the AAC. That would give the Belt a legitimate claim, along with the MWC, to being the new “P6” - the strongest of the others.

Will be an interesting couple of weeks/months.

BeauFoster wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:18 pm

Looking at it further-these are the remaining 8:

ECU
Memphis
Navy
SMU
Temple
Tulane
Tulsa
USF

There’s very little in that conference that excites me more than in the Sun Belt. ECU and Marshall are old rivals, and Memphis is traditionally a good football team, but outside of those 3, the other 5 are garbage. Now, if the AAC brings in 4-6 schools with 3 being close by, maybe I’d be ok with it.

If the Belt is proactive, they could sway ECU, USF, Marshall to join and enhance their product while effectively killing the AAC. That would give the Belt a legitimate claim, along with the MWC, to being the new “P6” - the strongest of the others.

Will be an interesting couple of weeks/months.

Gill proactive? That would certainly be a change of character for him. I wish the Belt would go for the Jugular on the AAC but I doubt it happens.

Also, I should clarify that I have significant respect for the service academies, including Navy. But they would not be enough to sway me to immediately want to join the existing AAC (after defections).

BeauFoster wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:26 pm

Also, I should clarify that I have significant respect for the service academies, including Navy. But they would not be enough to sway me to immediately want to join the existing AAC (after defections).

There's a difference between respect for the service academies and wanting to play them. My gut tells me Navy goes back to independent in football when they leave.

It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any interest from the AAC. One big factor against us could be the lack of support App State receives monetarily. There aren’t many willing to put their money where their mouth is. We mostly have a free loading fan base (only 2,700 Yosef club donors).

Just add these teams to Sun Belt East.
ECU
Temple
USF
Navy

And add these teams to Sun Belt West
SMU
Memphis
Tulane
Tulsa

We can still play ULLLLLLw for the championship and automatic NY6 bid.

If the Belt can add Marshall and Southern Miss, as has been rumored to be under discussion, it becomes the top G5 conference by a long ways.

appst89 wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:40 pm

If the Belt can add Marshall and Southern Miss, as has been rumored to be under discussion, it becomes the top G5 conference by a long ways.

I would like Marshall but SoMiss does nothing for the conference in the way of "prestige"; basically a .500 program. Over the past 20 years they have had one double digit winning seasons while having 2 double digit losing seasons.

J_Mountaineers wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 6:59 pm

It’ll be interesting to see if there’s any interest from the AAC. One big factor against us could be the lack of support App State receives monetarily. There aren’t many willing to put their money where their mouth is. We mostly have a free loading fan base (only 2,700 Yosef club donors).

Well, I guess that goes back again to buying tickets, attending games, buying gear, buying concessions, subscribing to TV channels to watch App games, etc, not counting.

NavyApp wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:45 pm

appst89 wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 03, 2021 7:40 pm

If the Belt can add Marshall and Southern Miss, as has been rumored to be under discussion, it becomes the top G5 conference by a long ways.

I would like Marshall but SoMiss does nothing for the conference in the way of "prestige"; basically a .500 program. Over the past 20 years they have had one double digit winning seasons while having 2 double digit losing seasons.

I agree to certain extent. Personally, I do not believe either add prestige to conference. It was great for Marshall to be a rival back in SoCon days...but not in today's market where you need what benefits your next TV contract.
I would rather have some teams leftover from what will be left from AAC after the other 4 leave.

I also note that same argument can be used when conferences look at us. What do we bring when it comes to population densities and eyeballs watching. The only counter argument to that is our winning tradition....maybe..maybe not.

We still have quite a bit of dead weight in South Alabama, ULM and Texas State in terms of football value. Adding Southern Miss and Marshall doesn't make up for that fact.

I think our win against ECU was an audition. The ? is, do we desire to bite.

Marshall and Southern Miss have good history and would fit culturally with the Sunbelt, but I don't think those are the additions that would actually boost the conference. There's reasons why those 2 were left behind by the other CUSA 2.0 teams that went onto the AAC. Marshall wasn't even a competitive factor in CUSA until the year that UCF, Houston, Memphis, and SMU left.

From CUSA you're much better off pursuit UAB. From the AAC, it's Memphis and USF. Though the AAC teams would try to pull teams to them first I'd think.

This has been whirlwind period as a UCF fan between the win over Boise and now the smoke for our move to the Big 12 being all but officially announced by the school and conference. I still remember the excitement of the Big East announcement only to see the last bit of it fall apart with the Catholic 7 splitting off the form the new Big East, Louisville and Rutgers getting the last ships out, and Boise and SDSU backing out of the deal.