Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[206BULL]

11 minutes ago, NewEnglandBull said:

Yes, actually I have. You mean that team that made it to the finals? Come on man, you are really going to compare that to UNLV football??? Further, now that the Raiders are in town that program will be lucky to stay on the FBS level. Again, this is nothing more than adding a middling program that will have 15k in the stands. 

No In the terms that everyone of their games have been sold out since it’s inception and nose bleeds will run you $200. Not comparing products on the field at all, nor have I once in this thread. Something about those in a glass house comes to mind. I’m just pointing out that, again we average over 9,000 in an 11,000 stadium for second tier soccer that’s been **** since day 1. I will bet anyone that UNLV has a higher attendance than USF next year, regardless of product on the field. 

Edited January 28, 2020 by 206BULL

[Apis Bull]

Things that I'm pretty sure about:

We're not leaving the AAC to form a new league with teams from the MWC.

The AAC is not going to kick-out teams.

The AAC will not invite UNLV and SDSU is a stretch.

The AAC will not go to 16 teams.

The AAC would accept (with ESPN's blessing) three of:  Boise State, CSU, BYU, Air Force, Utah State.

[206BULL]

42 minutes ago, brybull1970 said:

In all fairness they are the only major professional sports team in Vegas (right now), there is still a novelty factor with the Knights (even the Rays drew 2.5M their first year) and the economy is strong.

But no matter what, Vegas will always be a destination city for sports fans and even if the interest in the Knights wains (due to the Raiders, the novelty, the economy), as there will be visiting teams' fans who will fill most of the void left by the locals.

Agreed to the extent of novelty wearing off but I think they have staying power too. Our minor league teams currently out draw professional teams in other markets. Vegas is sports crazed right now, sure the average will trend back towards the mean but the thing I didn’t understand as an outsider when I moved here 3 years ago is that residents are more apt than o support due to all the leagues telling them they couldn’t have a team for so long due to gambling concerns made the base pretty rabid. 

[NewEnglandBull]

1 hour ago, 206BULL said:

No In the terms that everyone of their games have been sold out since it’s inception and nose bleeds will run you $200. Not comparing products on the field at all, nor have I once in this thread. Something about those in a glass house comes to mind. I’m just pointing out that, again we average over 9,000 in an 11,000 stadium for second tier soccer that’s been **** since day 1. I will bet anyone that UNLV has a higher attendance than USF next year, regardless of product on the field. 

But USF is already in the conference. We are set so talking about them is a moot point. It is UNLV that would want in and I can’t see them as a player athletically or academically. 

[GaUSFBull]

We're actually talking about realignment on this thread?

[CousinRicky]

2 hours ago, NewEnglandBull said:

They ain’t watching UNLV football though...

Have you seen the USF ratings in Tampa?  No, really, have you seen them because I have no idea.

[206BULL]

2 hours ago, brybull1970 said:

If you're a local then I think you can speak more knowledgely on this than any of us. In your opinion, would UNLV be good for the AAC and vice versa?

To an extent I think they would make a logical addition, but only if the AAC expands west. While they may not be a powerhouse football school they are easily accessible. Las Vegas being a major tourist destination aids in away fans having cheap destination, and aside from a couple smaller markets(Tulsa) most can even catch a direct flight to McCarran. The new stadium makes it ideal for visiting fans to get to and from the game as opposed to Sam Boyd(20-30 min from the Strip) which is in the SE corner of the valley, sort of down by my house, now it'll be a quick jaunt over an overpass from the south end of the Strip. The school itself is a year younger than USF so a lot of their graduates leave the are upon completion so the alumni base isn't great but for those like me who don't care about the Raiders or are being priced out of Raiders tickets(like Knights tickets, who saw a huge increase for next years pricing but are still selling strong) you will see residents showing up to UNLV games again this year. It's similar to the Vegas Lights and Aviators games, your everyday resident can afford to go, this has given those minor league teams a boost in support. For example the Lights in year two last season drew close to capacity crowds(all locals) while finishing 13th out of 18th (2019) and 15th out of 16th(2018) respectively, the same should happen for UNLV(probably not capacity though) with increased visiting fan support now that there is a prime location for games. 

 

Vegas also hosts 4 conference's basketball tournaments and will be hosting 2 conference championship games starting next season, including the PAC 12. The town already gets the entertainment dollar and is ready to get the sports dollar as well, both MLB and the NBA are seriously considering the market with the Diamondbacks doing a feasibility study as recently as last summer in regards to a potential move. 

 

The drawbacks for UNLV joining in all sports are the same ones you'll get with any west coast school, that is a lot of traveling for non revenue sports to go back east. This can be remedied with splitting into divisions and scheduling for 1 long cross country road trip a year. The media market would put it smack dab in the middle of the conference in terms of market size and I personally think the only knock on the in expansion is the quality on the field, but as USF fans I don't think that we have a right to knock other programs quality, especially when their facilities(new football only facility just opened and Allegiant Stadium is a huge upgrade over Sam Boyd). One last thing I'd like to point out is the directed to the "There is so much to do in Vegas no one wants to spend their Saturday people would rather be somewhere else" crowd. Us locals don't go to the Strip, I've been twice in 3 years, both times family or friends were in town, we try and avoid a lot of the things that make Vegas a big draw to others, the Lights for example play almost exclusively at 7:30 pm on Saturday nights from March-October and still draw near capacity at falling apart Cashman Field. Expect a newer and more centralized stadium to see an influx of support(imagine making the drive from USF to Ray Jay but instead of being in Ray Jay you were sitting in the Birmingham Bowl).

Edited January 28, 2020 by 206BULL

[NewEnglandBull]

1 hour ago, CousinRicky said:

Have you seen the USF ratings in Tampa?  No, really, have you seen them because I have no idea.

Not sure but I suspect it is in the billions....   

[OnTheBus]

UNLV? What a joke. I don’t care how much money is surrounding the program. I don’t care how nice their new stadium is. They need to prove themselves in some form before we consider the prospect of the idea of adding them.

[NewEnglandBull]

17 minutes ago, OnTheBus said:

UNLV? What a joke. I don’t care how much money is surrounding the program. I don’t care how nice their new stadium is. They need to prove themselves in some form before we consider the prospect of the idea of adding them.

Finally someone else gets it! Well done!