UB77

Mike Krzyzewski is 74-year-old. As an old guy myself, (67), 62 isn't that old.

From an SEC athletics conglomerate to an ACC middle of the road program? I think it's wishful thinking on Maryland's part. Oats just signed a $3 mil/year extension with 'Bama. I don't know how much Oats misses the Midwest Winters, but based on his family background, I'd guess Michigan as maybe the only real potential temptation.

With the season now in the books, and Lindquist with a full off season, any rumors about staff changes? With some relative free time, I'd imagine the head coach will have the opportunity for a wider selection of assistant coaches.

The argument to expand is to increase your market size. Bigger market, greater brand recognition, larger returns. It makes sense until the operational costs exceed the benefit. Part of what did in CUSA.

I noticed that Denton County and the University of Buffalo were both founded in 1846. Completely worthless information that I find interesting.

I live in Houston these days, so I made the 4 hour drive north and I'll be lucky enough to see the game. Denton is a nice town with a historic town center. Much nicer than I expected. My first UB basketball game in almost a decade.🤠 (Full disclosure. I'm often not the best of luck for UB teams)

From what I've read, the MAC walked away when they confirmed that the TV package rights wouldn't expand with the new teams. The same pie divided among two more schools didn't make financial sense.

I'm watching the Tulane game on ESPNU and it must be the same cameraman that did UB and Miami. Wandering shots, zoom outs in a panicking attempt to maybe have the ball somewhere in the screen and curious close ups on nothing in particular. I've seen better work on local access cable games.

Horrendous camera work

Always nice to see a Derek post. 🙂

Maybe all of this conference dancing is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Traditional "amateur sports" looks like it is becoming a thing if the past. https://www.axios.com/overtime-elite-baskeball-elite-prospects-655293b3-d389-4074-9fe3-d3d33836c5c9.html

Whatever CUSA turns out to be, it would be a serious demotion for any MAC schools.

I copied this Atlantic article from a Rice board. Fyi Full text below On Tuesday, Conference USA sent a letter obtained by The Athletic to the American Athletic Conference requesting a dialogue on conference realignment and regionalization. The idea would be to discuss potential reorganization between the two leagues, such as creating one conference in the east and one in the west. Various models have been discussed in C-USA, but there’s not one singular plan in place. An AAC league source said the conference has no interest in such a move, but C-USA is hoping simply to create more discussion among presidents. The source also indicated that AAC commissioner Mike Aresco is still focused on creating the top Group of 5 league and a push for Power 6 status. The letter is from C-USA board chair and North Texas president Neal Smatresk and commissioner Judy MacLeod and is addressed to Tulane president Michael Fitts and Aresco. “We believe that it would be beneficial to have a conversation about the future landscape of intercollegiate sports in this time of great national uncertainty,” the letter reads. “Our colleagues in Conference USA have spent a good deal of time over the past several weeks discussing the developments triggered by the latest wave of conference realignment. Rather than continuing to perpetuate the pattern of universities moving from conference to conference in pursuit of modest media revenues, we see an opportunity to develop a more sensible and sustainable conference model.” Sports Illustrated first reported on the letter. With the upcoming departure of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF from the AAC to the Big 12, conference realignment at the Group of 5 level has come to the forefront again. Two weeks ago, four Mountain West schools (Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State and San Diego State) turned down interest from the AAC, reaffirming commitment to the MW. As a result, the AAC has turned its eyes back to schools in the league’s footprint, some of which are in C-USA. UAB is believed to have the most support among AAC stakeholders regarding potential additions, but a consensus on other schools hasn’t been reached, and a new timeline on future AAC expansion is not clear. The AAC and Conference USA both stretch from the Eastern Seabord to Texas, with overlapping members in many states. At the conference level, the Sun Belt has no interest in such a move either, something many fans in the two leagues have desired. Both the AAC and Sun Belt believe they are better positioned than C-USA and don’t want to give up that advantage. Some athletic directors in those leagues see the appeal of such a move but believe factors such as conference exit fees, current television deals and local political clashing make such a move untenable. “The first hope is people are at least willing to get together and talk,” MacLeod told The Athletic. “There’s so much uncertainty and so much we can’t control, but we believe there are better ways of doing things. I’ve heard some people that are very interested and others (aren’t). … I just feel like we’re perpetuating this model that doesn’t make a lot of sense. This isn’t a new idea, but I’m not sure there hasn’t been a better time to dive in and figure it out.” Former Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is working as a consultant for C-USA, but MacLeod said there was not a grand reorganization presentation Monday. Rather, it was a previously scheduled board meeting that continued regionalization talks that have been ongoing for a long time. Several models have been drawn involving two conferences or three. One example of a two-conference model between AAC and C-USA members would include 12 teams in a western league and 10 in an eastern league with two potential additions. The west would include UTEP, North Texas, SMU, UTSA, Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, UAB, Memphis, and Wichita State, The eastern conference would feature Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, Marshall, East Carolina, Charlotte, Old Dominion, Temple, South Florida, FAU, FIU and the two potential open spots. But it’s just one example (Photo of Tyler Johnston: Dale Zanine / USA Today) What is the point of this? Chris Vannini, national college football reporter: The idea of redrawing the maps in the Group of 5 has been around for years. The conversation always starts in C-USA because it’s the most geographically and financially disadvantaged conference, a result of poor decisions during the last round of realignment when it raided the Sun Belt and added schools like Old Dominion in hopes the media markets would lead to an increase in television rights. It did not, and travel increased. At the conference level, the AAC and Sun Belt are not even considering this, because of the reasons mentioned above. But I don’t think this has been framed quite properly. After talking with people within C-USA, this isn’t C-USA begging the AAC for a swap for the sake of helping C-USA. The leaders in C-USA know the AAC won’t go for that. Instead, it’s trying to take these side discussions about regionalization to a higher level on the chain, and it’s appealing to the school presidents, the people who actually might understand the case C-USA is trying to make. And it’s not about making a move right now, but maybe five or 10 years down the road. “I think presidents for a long time have been talking about, is our model sustainable?” MacLeod said. Will this happen? Vannini: Probably not, and certainly not anytime soon. Individual schools are always looking out for themselves, which is understandable, and trying to move up the food chain is always the goal. In this case, the AAC remains the most desirable landing spot for G5 schools east of the Rocky Mountains. Another key point specific to the AAC and C-USA: They’re both headquartered in Dallas. The AAC just recently moved from Providence. If one of them became an eastern conference, an HQ in Texas might not fit anyway. But depending on what college sports look like coming out of the special constitutional convention, there may come a point down the road where the television revenue difference between the leagues is so indistinguishable that they consider reorganizing. That’s the conversation C-USA is trying to start. But whether or not anyone will listen is a different issue.

In the old days, the conference were regional. But $$$ has changed that. This is what CBS is proposing for the conference in flux (not the MAC or MWC, which are largely already regional ). East (10): Appalachian State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, FAU, FIU, Marshall, Navy, Old Dominion, South Florida South (10): Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Temple, Troy, UAB, Western Kentucky Southwest (12): Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, Rice, SMU, Texas State, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, UTSA

I think the disparity between first and second half offence performances reflect more on the coaching staff than the QB. It's still a brand new staff and in game adjustments just don't seem to be there. Yet?

No mention of UB but some interesting background https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/american-targeting-mountain-west-powers-among-handful-of-expansion-candidates-in-realignment/

"Patience and perseverance slowly helping Mariners catcher Tom Murphy out of slump | The Seattle Times" https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/mariners/patience-and-perseverance-slowly-helping-mariners-catcher-tom-murphy-out-of-slump

I don't agree with a lot of this 'analysis' but here's another voice (no mention of Buffalo)... https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/options-for-american-athletic-conference-after-cincinnati-houston-and-ucf-leave-aac-to-join-big-12/

Or, another (unlikely) route... https://sports.yahoo.com/alabama-aside-college-football-appears-bunched-together-and-that-should-invite-common-sense-conference-realignment-202704848.html

This can't be good (from another schools board)... "Post: #30 RE: Impact on NCAA Gavin Wimsatt, 4-star QB recruit in Kentucky, has elected to graduate high school early and enroll at Rutgers immediately because he's been offered a "six-figure" sponsorship deal. His high school semester already started; he finishes his senior year 2-1. This all was announced late last night right after he beat Daviess County HS in a 49-42 shootout. The Rutgers semester actually started last Wednesday, but the add/drop period continues through the 10th. Seems like we won't know for sure which of the major school recruits are staying in high school until mid-September." https://twitter.com/KySportsRadio/status...2542987268 https://scoreboard.12dt.com/scoreboard/k...fb21/85735 https://registrar.camden.rutgers.edu/aca...-2021-2022

I don't know. I'm still happy for LL's victory. Even after the kids leave the house, I still wish them well.

I'm surprised that USF was not a partner with UCF to the Big 12. I live in Houston these days and UofH is hoping that the recent rumors will speed up the whole conference reshuffle. Rice University would love the AAC, but I'm not sure that they are all that attractive to the AAC. Some other CUSA teams will certainly be sniffing around the AAC. But I hope UB gets it, if only for the greater eastern focus of AAC. Or, would a weaker AAC make the MAC more interesting for Temple et al? It's not going to happen, but my fantasy is that Temple and Iowa State join the MAC. But I realize, it's not going to happen.

Are there rules against releasing injured players?

From a Rice University fan discussion board. "... Not much about the AAC has changed in the past few years: it's all the same arguments about markets (not enough fans) and quality (few tick the athletic boxes, fewer tick the academic ones, and none really hit both). If we are fixated on the actions of the B1G, PAC, and ACC, and we know the first two are at least playing hard to get with the XII leftovers, what chance do the traditional candidates from the AAC and MWC have of attracting a major bid? It's not a lot of thought to find that the XII remnants have few apparent options except to stick together, and the XII is likely the ceiling for the traditional candidates from the AAC and MWC. When the writer dismisses all the traditional candidates, and a significant portion of them are disqualified over academics, they've gotta reach for a curveball proposal to hit word counts. If the PAC and B1G wants academics, well, here's Rice, Kansas, Tulane, and Buffalo. Do with them as you will." https://csnbbs.com/thread-925473-post-17521571.html#pid17521571