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• UAB CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT WINDOWS

Those discussions include the value of staying together, potential conference additions or even staying at 10 football-playing schools should two leave. Mountain West ADs met Monday to discuss various situations and contingency plans in the event it loses teams. I respect their decision to play in a conference they feel they should be placed.” People are trying to look out for their institution’s best interest and I might not agree, but I understand the options of people. Thompson believes the MWC is the sixth-best conference moving forward if it sticks together.Īsked by The Athletic if he was surprised at the teams considering leaving for the AAC, Thompson replied, “Nothing surprises me. Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson, who has historically been tight-lipped on issues, has not been afraid to share his opinion on this topic, recently telling the San Diego Union-Tribune that he didn’t see any value in leaving the MWC and saying nobody buys the AAC’s “Power 6” moniker. But these aren’t short-term moves, and moods around conference movement can change by the day. Sources outside the AAC and MWC are skeptical there will be much, if any, financial gain in leaving the MWC for the AAC, at least in the short term.

UAB CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT WINDOWS

As a service academy, Air Force has a national fan base, and adding the Mountain time zone could add more broadcast windows for the AAC, in hopes of offsetting the loss of three major teams. And again, the value of an AAC that adds these schools is up for debate. The flip side of the Memphis question: There’s a concern about the MWC’s value if Boise State receives a future Big 12 invitation, and there’s a feeling of needing to get ahead of that move. Meanwhile, for Air Force and Colorado State, travel east would be a bit easier than for Boise State and San Diego State, and the Mountain West already requires plane travel to most other schools for them. For a big fish in a smaller pond, there may be no need to change conferences within the G5. Still, there’s a belief that, with Cincinnati, Houston and UCF leaving for the Big 12, earning a Group of 5 spot in a potential expanded College Football Playoff should be easier moving forward. (That carve-out has frustrated other MWC schools, and the league’s attempt to change it led to a threat of a lawsuit from Boise State in 2020.) The Mountain West distributes about $4 million annually, but Boise State receives its own carve-out for its home games that can be worth an additional $1.8 million. AAC schools currently make about $6 million annually, but that is bound to go down without the three departing programs and their sizable television audiences. There’s also doubt about the future of the AAC’s television deal. Sending volleyball teams to Philadelphia and Greenville, N.C., is not a draw.

The travel costs in the AAC for Boise State and SDSU would also be greater than the two Colorado schools. SDSU has its sights on a Power 5 invitation as well. So the potential of paying two conference exit fees within a few years with a move to the AAC is not appealing. But Boise State will be a top target if the Big 12 expands again, and commissioner Bob Bowlsby has said further expansion is very much on the table. But in the weeks since AAC spots opened up, it’s Colorado State and Air Force that are believed to be more interested in leaving than the other two.īoise State and SDSU once briefly agreed to join the Big East, and the Broncos have previously had discussions with the AAC. All four have athletic budgets around $50 million, which is in the AAC’s range. Still, schools are putting together their information and pitches, should the opportunity arise.Īresco would not hint at or name any schools the AAC is considering, but a western wing of Mountain West schools is believed to be among the top targets, including Boise State, San Diego State, Colorado State and Air Force, according to other sources.

Moving to the SEC or up to the Big 12 was an easy decision. And some believe that those downplaying the AAC are only jealous they’re not in the AAC conversation. Some schools question the value of the conference, especially if Memphis gets a Big 12 invitation in a few years. Some schools very much want an invitation from the AAC. From there, attention turned to the AAC, which is now looking for two to four additions to restock. There was a race for the Big 12, but AAC members Cincinnati, Houston and UCF only needed to submit a short official letter in the end to get the official invitation, as they stood out from the pack from a television, financial and athletic success perspective. It’s been a frantic several weeks in the Group of 5 on the topic of realignment. “We’ve engaged only with people that had an interest,” Aresco said.