![]() The six new schools won’t make that much but will still make more than they did in Conference USA. A mix of exit fees from departing members and other factors will keep the eight returning members whole. The AAC’s TV deal with ESPN has paid members around $7 million per school. The six new members will not receive the same conference payout as the eight returning members at first, though Aresco said the plan is equalization at some point. They’ve got a DNA in that school that’s like ours. … Can you imagine if we didn’t have FAU now? They go to the Final Four and they have the whole team coming back. “We looked around and I’m glad we did because FAU and Charlotte were not necessarily on the radar initially. If we get nicked again in realignment, we don’t have to worry about it as much. “As we were talking among the ADs, bubbling up in the conversation was, maybe we get a little bigger. “We would have been happy going to 10 or 12 we didn’t really think about 14,” Aresco said. It sent an overture to Boise State, San Diego State, Air Force and Colorado State about a potential western wing but was rebuffed, so the conference turned to schools in Texas, plus UAB, a school Aresco described as a “no-brainer.” Originally, FAU and Charlotte weren’t part of the plan, Aresco revealed Tuesday. After losing UCF, Houston and Cincinnati, the AAC stood at eight members. The decision to add six schools and expand to 14 teams in 2021 surprised many observers. They’ll have new contenders step up like they did before. Aresco maintains there won’t be a drop-off in his conference. Those departures could open up that NY6 spot (and future CFP spot, with the six highest-ranked conference champions earning bids to the 12-team field starting in 2024) for other conferences like the Mountain West or Sun Belt. ![]() Detractors rolled their eyes at the “Power 6” motto Aresco’s conference pushed, but it has been the only G5 conference to have members poached by a Power 5 league in recent conference realignment. But the league quickly turned itself into the top Group of 5 conference, earning seven of the nine NY6/CFP spots reserved for a G5 team. The AAC was formed out of the remnants of the old Big East, brushed aside at its founding a decade ago. We will continue to will our conference to greatness.” “We will continue to upset the P5 narrative, we will continue to provide rocket fuel to our members. “This conference will continue to achieve at the highest level,” Aresco said Tuesday. Despite losing those three heavy hitters and the five New Year’s Six/College Football Playoff appearances between them, commissioner Mike Aresco remains as defiant as ever. It’s a new era for the AAC, with three teams off to the Big 12 and six new schools in the league: Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA. “The parity of talent may be the most in the country from team one to 14,” Herman said at AAC media days this week, “and that’s going to make for a gauntlet of a season.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |