Fan Love

[WaveProf]

This means absolutely nothing, but it still made me glad to see fans from the "big" AAC schools stick up for us. Particularly given the fact that he admits he was against us to begin with.

[PeteRasche]

That's all well and good that one fan feels that way, because meanwhile his school is making no bones about the fact that they want the he!! out of the AAC as soon as friggin possible, and they aren't afraid to say that Tulane's admission is a big part of the reason (while everyone really knows it all has to do with getting IN a P5 conference rather than OUT of the AAC).

Every day that passes (especially with next year's football schedules already out) makes be actually believe that UC will still be in the AAC in 2014-15, but there's still a little bit of me that expects an announcement that the ACC has decided to go to 16 and is taking them and UConn away. And I'd be left, once again, with my alma mater never playing anywhere remotely close to here.

Of course, this announcement could happen tomorrow and it be "beginning in the 2015-16 school year" and then I'd get one whopping year (where the football matchup would be in NOLA rather than here)....

[WaveProf]

Of course UC wants out. Everyone does.

I don't think they are a very big threat to get into the ACC though.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy being in a real conference.

[PeteRasche]

Sit back, relax, and enjoy being in a real conference.

Thank you, Dr. Cowen.

I'd rather we NOT relax and bust our own arses trying to get ourselves into a P5 conference.

[GreenieBacker]

I agree prof, we should really try and enjoy this ride a bit more. That said, as you noted, everyone is angling to join a P5 conference which is what doomed CUSA (whenever a Program became really good they jumped first chance they got). To Aresco's credit he's working HARD to position the AAC so that they can force themselves (by merit, by fan/media interest, by media markets covered) into the P5 and make it the P6. Unlike the CUSA Commish who seemed to think his job was to make it as easy as possible for schools to leave.

[WaveProf]

To Aresco's credit he's working HARD to position the AAC so that they can force themselves (by merit, by fan/media interest, by media markets covered) into the P5 and make it the P6. Unlike the CUSA Commish who seemed to think his job was to make it as easy as possible for schools to leave.

Also, this.

[Native Georgian]

Sit back, relax, and enjoy being in a real conference.

Thank you, Dr. Cowen.

I'd rather we NOT relax and bust our own arses trying to get ourselves into a P5 conference.

I think WaveProf's recommendation was for the fans, not for the Tulane admin.

[Native Georgian]

The ACC is in a very strong position -- not SEC- B1G- or PAC-strong, but still. They have no need of inviting anyone new, and certainly not someone that fails to increase the size of the ACC's $$$$-pot. The only member of the AAC that even MIGHT do that is UConn. And UConn has its own issues with the ACC.

[tumbuuh]

I agree prof, we should really try and enjoy this ride a bit more. That said, as you noted, everyone is angling to join a P5 conference which is what doomed CUSA (whenever a Program became really good they jumped first chance they got). To Aresco's credit he's working HARD to position the AAC so that they can force themselves (by merit, by fan/media interest, by media markets covered) into the P5 and make it the P6. Unlike the CUSA Commish who seemed to think his job was to make it as easy as possible for schools to leave.

I appreciate that Aresco is pushing so aggressively for our (re-)inclusion in the power conferences, and if each school sees tangible progress toward that goal (I'm thinking an increased media deal in the next 2 years would be helpful), then the American might just hold onto these programs and force a P6 set-up. Each school needs to do its part in building overall programs. This year has already done wonders, with UCF beating Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl, both basketball national championships, and now two teams in baseball super regionals.

It seems to me every school in the American right now is on board with working hard to build real athletics programs. I wish Tulane would show a few more signs of serious commitment though, and I hope we start seeing some consistent results.

[Native Georgian]

I wish Tulane would show a few more signs of serious commitment though, and I hope we start seeing some consistent results.

A new football stadium would be nice.

Also, chance to make a big splash with the new baseball HC hire.

[ml wave]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

[Baywave1]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

No need to commit hara-kiri on our key boards yet as we still have time to demonstrate our fighting spirit to win this.....

['03Greenie]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

No need to commit hara-kiri on our key boards yet as we still have time to demonstrate our fighting spirit to win this.....

I'm thinking he meant that nobody is really going to care about our baseball hire. And considering that if it's an outside hire, I'm likely to have never heard of the guy, I think he's probably right...

[ml wave]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

No need to commit hara-kiri on our key boards yet as we still have time to demonstrate our fighting spirit to win this.....

Meant that more that no one cares who our baseball coach is (take that, UConn with your stupid championships...we hired Kingston) and less that we'll hire a bad one (though with RD involved that possibility does loom).

[Baywave1]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

No need to commit hara-kiri on our key boards yet as we still have time to demonstrate our fighting spirit to win this.....

Meant that more that no one cares who our baseball coach is (take that, UConn with your stupid championships...we hired Kingston) and less that we'll hire a bad one (though with RD involved that possibility does loom).

Thanks for the clarification but since TU baseball has been our athletic calling card for decades, I at least was hoping for some obvious street cred with this hire (like an existing NCAA tourney HC taking the job.)

I guess at the end of the day, it's all about football and a little bit about MBB and less about WBB and baseball.

The AAC could win MBB, WBB and baseball national championships ten years in a row and it wouldn't change "mid-major" conventional wisdom from the media herd if the conference whiffs on football in the meantime.

[Native Georgian]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

It's not a question of "impressing" anybody. It's a question of -- in Tumbuuh's phrase -- showing "a few more signs of serious commitment". Hiring a new HC in baseball is an opportunity to show such a sign. That's all I meant.

[PeteRasche]

The AAC could win MBB, WBB and baseball national championships ten years in a row and it wouldn't change "mid-major" conventional wisdom from the media herd if the conference whiffs on football in the meantime.

This.

Ranking each on a scale of 1-100, here's my take on the importance of success of our sports ("how should we prioritize our emphasis in each with respect to the attention and possible income that winning big in said sport would bring us"):

1. FOOTBALL
25. MEN'S BASKETBALL
80. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL (ONLY this high because the sports is shown on national TV a bit and there is some "name cache" to be gained by winning big in it)
90. BASEBALL
99. ALL OTHER SPORTS

But this is even skewed, because winning a national championship in MBB would still be offset/hurt if your football program is completely worthless. MBB is probably only this high if your football is respectable or you don't play football at all.

['03Greenie]

But this is even skewed, because winning a national championship in MBB would still be offset/hurt if your football program is completely worthless. MBB is probably only this high if your football is respectable or you don't play football at all.

I'm not sure I agree with that. Duke, UConn, Kentucky, Kansas and Indiana have high value in their basketball programs. Sure, it's not as valuable in terms of TV dollars as Alabama, Ohio State, or USC football, but they still have the perception of a power school almost entirely on the success of their MBB programs.

I think FB and MBB are on a bit of a sliding scale in terms of importance. If you're either absolutely great in FB or FB is extremely important to your identity, MBB success really doesn't matter much. Most of the SEC would fall into one of these boats. If you're a great football school and a respectable to great basketball school, basketball is somewhat important but it is more like simply a bonus than anything to get too worked up about. But if you're a bad to at best respectable FB program but a great MBB program, MBB is probably as important as FB to the school. What are those five schools I listed earlier without MBB to hang their hat on? They're all basically Washington State and Iowa State.

Basketball is minor in terms of conference expansion which is nearly entirely driven by FB TV money, but in terms of school-pride, alumni/fan interest and perception in the sports world at large, MBB can have pretty good value.

[GreenieBacker]

'03, you left Louisville off that list. They used their marquee MBB Program along with a serious commitment in $$$ dedicated to their athletics department to bludgeon their way into better situations. And the money that a good MBB Conference can generate is nothing to laugh at.

[ml wave]

Yeah, can't wait to really impress the rest of the conference with our baseball hire!

It's not a question of "impressing" anybody. It's a question of -- in Tumbuuh's phrase -- showing "a few more signs of serious commitment". Hiring a new HC in baseball is an opportunity to show such a sign. That's all I meant.

Whether you want to call it a big splash, a sign of commitment, or impressing, or whatever, the bottom line is that (other than us) no one cares who our baseball coach is. Heck, half the conference doesn't even have a baseball team.

[PeteRasche]

03, I agree with that assessment. I was skewing more about the importance with respect to viability of being grabbed by a power conference. Purely for public opinion, what you say is all true.

['03Greenie]

03, I agree with that assessment. I was skewing more about the importance with respect to viability of being grabbed by a power conference. Purely for public opinion, what you say is all true.

Oh, sure, that's true. The TCU model. I thought you may be thinking that based on your list, but it wasn't clear from your description above the list. Since I am personally of the opinion that Big 12 consideration is a long shot at best, I don't think we should follow the TCU model to a T. We should invest in MBB along with FB because they both are high profile enough to benefit the school as a whole. Everything else doesn't really matter, in my opinion.