Joining P5 vs Being P6

[Greg Jennings]

On 10/1/2018 at 3:52 PM, Azmodi said:

 

As we all know, the AAC is entering into it's exclusive negotiating period with ESPN (February 2019). It is believed that Aresco and the American Athletic Conference schools have decided to maximize their next contract. They will offer the AAC's complete media rights to ESPN for a sizable figure. ESPN is expected to pass which would send the AAC to the open market. The last time this happened was with the Old Big East. We all know what happened next. ESPN had the ACC swoop in and take Pittsburg, Syracuse and Eventually Louisville (Who replaced Maryland). Anyway, this sent the Old Big East's media rights value into a nose dive and ESPN picked up the conference on the cheap. ESPN doesn't want to give out a huge increase to the AAC and possibly legitimize the notion that the AAC is a possible power conference. That goes directly against their long standing Narrative.

I expect the same to occur again. This time USF, UCF and possibly Cincinnati and one other school will move conferences. The remaining AAC will refill and be picked up by ESPN once again on the cheap. That's my feel for things and I'm gonna stick with that until something else happens.

From your mouth to the Big 12s ears