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AAC AND BOISE STATE
The philosopher Cicero was found of saying that if we are not ashamed to think it, we should not be ashamed to speak it. Okay Cicero here is what I am thinking, I am thinking that it is time for Boise State and the AAC to bury the hatchet and join forces...again. Yes, I said it, and it feels surprisingly good to write it. Boise State and the AAC need each other like John McEnroe needed Jimmy Connors. Here is the deal, until the two reunite the AAC will never achieve the status that it so desperately wants nor will Boise State have the East Coast platform and basketball competition it needs to continue to be relevant in College Sports. Yes, I know the two just broke up with each other. But like any great business deal, necessity is the mother of invention or in this case reunion. Besides ,some of the greatest relationship in history have been messy at times but very necessary. Think Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Not only does the AAC need Boise State and Boise the AAC, but Mike Aresco, the AAC Commissioner, should dust off the AAC blueprints for a Western Division and try it again. If I was Mike Aresco I would be using some serious phone plan minutes with calls to the West Coast. This time around however, the AAC should also add Fresno State in addition to San Diego State to the mix.(note: it was widely reported that Fresno and Mike Aresco talked about membership in 2012 when the AAC was still the Big East)
It's time for a Boise State reunion and a revised Western Division AAC blueprint because uncertain and difficult times call for bold action. The AAC should reach out to Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State because the AAC is in a position of strength and strong organizations stay that way by acquiring other strong programs. Mr. Aresco should strike while the iron is hot and worry about flight logistics and game scheduling later. Heck, why stop with just Fresno and San Diego, Aresco should go on a buying spree and pick the best of the MWC. Think bold, think outside the box,think aggressively, but whatever you do, don't think status quo.
You know what would happen if Boise and few of the best MWC teams became part of the AAC? It would set off a wild scramble within the G5 system. A scramble with some major collateral fallout. Here are three of the most dynamic and sweeping changes such a move would trigger in the G5:
1. The AAC would have their most legit argument to date as to why they deserve P5 status and a piece of the P5 money pie. It would also create an insurmountable chasm between the AAC and the rest of the G5.
2. BYU would feel incredible pressure to thoroughly review the considerable risks it faces by remaining an Independent. If Boise State came back and the AAC created a nimble but strong Western Division it would very difficult for the BYU leadership to argue why Independence is better than joining the AAC.
3. If Mike Aresco and the AAC were able to pull off the creation of a new Western Division within the AAC, it would all but force a new " best of the rest" conference within the rest of the G5. Schools like Marshall, UL, Ark State , Southern MIss, Ohio, Northern Illinois and several in the MWC just to name a few, would have to decide if staying in their current conference configurations are worth getting left behind any further than what is currently happening in College Football. A best of the rest conference would be competitive and offer the schools in it a vehicle to thrive rather than just survive.
There are of course major road blocks in the way for Boise to return to the AAC. Money being the primary issue. It is widely believed that Boise State demanded a sweat heart financial deal from the AAC in order to remain in the conference. Mike Aresco and the AAC School Presidents balked at the offer and Boise went running back to the MWC. The AAC subsequently sued Boise State for breach of contract and the two parties recently settled their financial dispute for a reported 2.3 million dollars.
Some things , however, are worth exploring and trying again even if they failed the first time around. The AAC inviting Boise and reconstituting a Western Division make for good business and conference strategy. The question still remains though, if the AAC and Boise State understand how important they are to each other. Until and unless that happens, both will be weaker and less able to navigate the new landscape of College Sports. Stay tuned.
Bite your tongue there, fella! i get your argument in terms of building the perception of the AAC as the top dog in the G5, but they likely already have that perception in the minds of many, so what would they really gain by such a move?
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, they would likely have to take 4 teams to reach 16: let's say Fresno St., Boise St. San Diego St., and likely either Air Force or BYU. The sheer national scope of such a conference is hard to fathom. It's a long way from Connecticut to San Diego to Orlando to Boise.
Increased TV revenue? Maybe, but wouldn't that be offset by having to split that pot 16 ways? I can't see a TV contract with second tier schools (compared to the P5) that would garner enough pay off to make it worthwhile.
I can't see the NCAA increasing the size of their split with the G5 simply because the AAC grew bigger, and I think it's an absolute pipe dream to assume that the P5 is going to welcome a new nationally focused AAC to come into their tent.
You're right, such a move would create a blood bath in the rest of the G5, and the landscape would like change significantly. But I don't see major benefits for the AAC to make such a move.
Charles, good points as usual. I really do believe that another round of consolidation is going to be necessary for the G5. Once the P5 get the cost of attendance fees they want and all of the other autonomy demands, the G5 schools will have to decide if they can compete in the arms race. I really hope this does not come down to a "blood bath". My sense is that it will become obvious to some schools that they simply cannot compete on the same level as others and find ways to connect with those who are in the same boat.
DeleteI will also add that when I wrote the blog entry I did not say that I think the AAC will get the recognition that they want. It is however, a goal of the AAC as expressed by Mike Aresco to become one of the P6. I think adding Boise and some other schools in the MWC would help fit the goal of what the AAC wants.
Thanks again Charles for reading. I have another Marshall entry coming in a day or so.
Interesting write-up and opinion. I've posted a link of your blog post to the MWC board.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to the thread if you want to follow it. Thanks
http://www.mwcboard.com/index.php?showtopic=54571
Thanks Aztecs Rising. Thanks also for finding this site. It is still very much a work in progress.
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