Conference realignment "Rumors" "tweets" "etc"

[puc86]

4 minutes ago, Mission9 said:

It is an odd time when our friend Puc has a more positive outlook on USF's future than I do.  

I used to have one of the most positive outlooks on the board but 10 years of a life on the streets of the AAC and athletics failures will change a man. The AAC is literally killing our program so anyway out will be seen as improvement to me, Id rather play in a conference of made up of Eastern European college startups than remain in this league for another moment. Change in this instance at least offers hope, which we have been lacking for a long time. Some of us have even come to embrace the darkness and fear the light, sad.

[USFRaider]

3 minutes ago, BullyPulpit said:

That's good that you would care more, but Joe Casual Fan isn't flocking to Ray Jay to see USF v. Kansas State or Baylor. Those teams just don't move the needle enough to make us any more relevant. Not to mention the fact that we would likely be in different divisions than most of the remaining Big 12 teams.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. It is exciting and also terrifying. My nightmares are made up of UCF getting into a P5 conference with us being stuck in the purgatory of the AAC. So long as that doesn't happen, I can live with however else the chips may fall. 

I have the same worst nightmare as you . As a matter of fact I am done with college football if ucf gets into the P5 and we don’t. I will be an all-NFL guy should that dreadful day ever come 

[Mission9]

2 minutes ago, puc86 said:

I used to have one of the most positive outlooks on the board but 10 years of a life on the streets of the AAC and athletics failures will change a man. The AAC is literally killing our program so anyway out will be seen as improvement to me, Id rather play in a conference of made up of Eastern European college startups than remain in this league for another moment. Change in this instance at least offers hope, which we have been lacking for a long time. Some of us have even come to embrace the darkness and fear the light, sad.

I remember. Maybe if things do turn for the best, you can revive that Andre Hall photo you once had as your icon.  

[bulloni]

Going from home games against Tulsa/Tulane/ECU/Temple type schools to WVU/Baylor/TCU/Texas Tech would be huge for attendance. Might see a 10k avg uptick as casual fans associate those teams with more big time games and will be more likely to show up even without a USF affiliation

[puc86]

4 minutes ago, BullyPulpit said:

That's good that you would care more, but Joe Casual Fan isn't flocking to Ray Jay to see USF v. Kansas State or Baylor. Those teams just don't move the needle enough to make us any more relevant. Not to mention the fact that we would likely be in different divisions than most of the remaining Big 12 teams.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out. It is exciting and also terrifying. My nightmares are made up of UCF getting into a P5 conference with us being stuck in the purgatory of the AAC. So long as that doesn't happen, I can live with however else the chips may fall. 

The only possible place for UCF to go is the B12, with your opinion of its ability to move the needle you should have little to fear (except for of course that the difference between Baylor and every other AAC team is night and day, UCF’s greatest win in program history is that they beat Baylor had Baylor beaten them it would be considered every other game).

[puc86]

1 minute ago, Mission9 said:

I remember. Maybe if things do turn for the best, you can revive that Andre Hall photo you once had as your icon.  

I will storm the field again and make new photos 

[Mission9]

1 minute ago, puc86 said:

I will storm the field again and make new photos 

I do not remember it being mentioned, are you the one in the yellow shirt?  I always thought so. 

[BullyPulpit]

1 minute ago, puc86 said:

The only possible place for UCF to go is the B12, with your opinion of its ability to move the needle you should have little to fear (except for of course that the difference between Baylor and every other AAC team is night and day, UCF’s greatest win in program history is that they beat Baylor had Baylor beaten them it would be considered every other game).

You are conflating two different scenarios. I would be ecstatic for USF to join the remaining 8 teams from the Big 12. OK State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia would move the needle. Hell, just WVU alone would be enough for me. The rivalry we had with them was probably my favorite. If UCF got to benefit from that and we didn't, it would be devastating. USF joining forces with 3 or 4 leftovers from the bottom of the Big 12 barrel would be marginally better than our current situation. I wouldn't eschew the opportunity, but I don't think it would change things dramatically in any measurable sense other than your personal enjoyment, which I understand is what is most important to you. 

10 minutes ago, puc86 said:

I used to have one of the most positive outlooks on the board but 10 years of a life on the streets of the AAC and athletics failures will change a man. The AAC is literally killing our program so anyway out will be seen as improvement to me, Id rather play in a conference of made up of Eastern European college startups than remain in this league for another moment. Change in this instance at least offers hope, which we have been lacking for a long time. Some of us have even come to embrace the darkness and fear the light, sad.

USF would have to seriously consider their commitment to the football program at that point. I don't say that flippantly either. 

[BullyPulpit]

The writing was on the wall for all of this back in May, but I don't think many noticed. In hindsight, it is clear that ESPN has its hand in manipulating this situation, the same way they did with the demise of the Big East. 
 

ESPN, FOX Decline Early TV Negotiations with Big 12 Conference

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The college football world has been quiet for the better part of nearly a decade since massive conference realignment took place. There are already rumbling that things...

 

[puc86]

1 minute ago, BullyPulpit said:

You are conflating two different scenarios. I would be ecstatic for USF to join the remaining 8 teams from the Big 12. OK State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia would move the needle. Hell, just WVU alone would be enough for me. The rivalry we had with them was probably my favorite. If UCF got to benefit from that and we didn't, it would be devastating. USF joining forces with 3 or 4 leftovers from the bottom of the Big 12 barrel would be marginally better than our current situation. I wouldn't eschew the opportunity, but I don't think it would change things dramatically in any measurable sense other than your personal enjoyment, which I understand is what is most important to you. 

USF would have to seriously consider their commitment to the football program at that point. I don't say that flippantly either. 

People know those brands better and anyone that tries to sell the AAC not being that bad has to draw on absurd minutia, if you are discussing details you have already lost the debate. People know Baylor, people know TT and people long for WV. The AAC marks the death of the program for more people than you think and an opportunity to rebrand by joining forces with better brands than we are unfortunately lumped with would make a world of difference, immediately.