Sorry, not buying. The top of the AAC does have similarities but the problem is the mid tier teams (AAC does not have enough quality compared to the BE) and the lower tier teams (AAC is much worse off than the BE). Your last paragraph is extremely important as because it is not “automatic” the AAC gets a NYD game, the perception is that the quality is not there. Last, those schools in the BE had more notable historical traditions than the AAC. Let’s face it more people recognize a terrible Syracuse team over a terrible Tulane team (or a moderate Temple team).
Another way to address this question is would you want USF back in the BE if we could turn back the clock and have those teams together again? Or would you keep the same AAC alignment with USF? Me...I would turn back time.