Post Big 12 scenarios

[Lobot]

At the risk of beating a dead horse on realignment, now that the Big 12 fiasco is essentially over, what would you like to see happen during the next go around?

[bobestes]

I would like the leadership to accept that they've been checkmated.

It's a fantasy that we are going to get into the ACC or SEC. At best, we are looking at AAC or zombie Big 12 after Texas/others leave.

We should be trying to find basketball the best home we can. Xavier beat us to the big east, so that's out.

Take the money being spent on football and invest in basketball.

Again, we've been checkmated.

At the risk of beating a dead horse on realignment, now that the Big 12 fiasco is essentially over, what would you like to see happen during the next go around?

[London 'Cat]

I agree with bobestes. College football is working towards excluding non-traditional programs from the most meaningful games, bowl games, and conferences. With scholarship limits, it was moving towards a more level playing field and some programs that were thought of as the "have nots" had some success, like UC did when it was in the BigEast. I have noticed a trend in the last four to five years where the "haves" are asserting their place in the hierarchy and the "have nots" have slowly been regressing downward to where they don't have a realistic chance of competing. It may take 5-10 more years, but eventually the "haves" will again be on top looking down upon everyone else, including schools within the P5 conferences. If you look at how Alabama and tO$U are dominating each year lately, you have to believe it. There will come a day when only a handful of schools have a realistic chance of competing for a national title. That is checkmate..

[bearcatjd]

I am extremely disappointed in no expansion. With that being said, this is when we need to support the Bearcats the most. Any one can support a team when it's on top but true fans are supportive always. Let's make the most of the AAC, start winning our conference in bb, ff & other sports & become the Boise State of the AAC. I will support our teams whether we are top of the conference or the bottom of the heap. I will go to the rest of the football games even if we don't win another game this year. I will go to all basketball games(unless I'm out of town), I will support our coaches even if I don't agree with how they run a program. If we boycott & don't show up to games, then this will hurt our recruiting efforts. Who want's to go to a place when no one shows up for games. So let's make the best of our situation, hope for expansion & acceptance into a P5 conference in the future & enjoy college sports & cheer for our Bearcats.

[red_n_black_attack]

I agree with bobestes. College football is working towards excluding non-traditional programs from the most meaningful games, bowl games, and conferences. With scholarship limits, it was moving towards a more level playing field and some programs that were thought of as the "have nots" had some success, like UC did when it was in the BigEast. I have noticed a trend in the last four to five years where the "haves" are asserting their place in the hierarchy and the "have nots" have slowly been regressing downward to where they don't have a realistic chance of competing. It may take 5-10 more years, but eventually the "haves" will again be on top looking down upon everyone else, including schools within the P5 conferences. If you look at how Alabama and tO$U are dominating each year lately, you have to believe it. There will come a day when only a handful of schools have a realistic chance of competing for a national title. That is checkmate..

If the have nots can't get a piece of the pie, then we will slowly die. At that point there won't be any cupcakes for the traditional powers and they'll truly be NFL minor leagues.

Rather than quitting football, I'd like to see us start a trend toward the next step. We have opened a door with FCC soccer and need to expand it by the University giving up the notion of student athletes. Let's sponsor an AAC minor league football program that plays in the Fall and sign kids out of high school to fairly highly paid three year contracts with the goal of getting them ready for NFL draft. It can be worked with NFLPA to have new members and these kids would not be required to study. We can offer them the opportunity to take classes for which they pay tuition, able to take business, sports management, personal finance, journalism/broadcasting etc...

We can sell the product to NBC, screw the NCAA and ESPN, all the while giving the kids what they really want. This is really the only shot UC has to make money off football, and give the players a more fair piece of the pie. An exclusive deal with NFLPA would prevent the "traditional powers" from doing the same. I'm thinking the stars could make 1-1.5 million dollars per year straight out of high school.

[ACAirborne]

If the have nots can't get a piece of the pie, then we will slowly die. At that point there won't be any cupcakes for the traditional powers and they'll truly be NFL minor leagues.

Rather than quitting football, I'd like to see us start a trend toward the next step. We have opened a door with FCC soccer and need to expand it by the University giving up the notion of student athletes. Let's sponsor an AAC minor league football program that plays in the Fall and sign kids out of high school to fairly highly paid three year contracts with the goal of getting them ready for NFL draft. It can be worked with NFLPA to have new members and these kids would not be required to study. We can offer them the opportunity to take classes for which they pay tuition, able to take business, sports management, personal finance, journalism/broadcasting etc...

We can sell the product to NBC, screw the NCAA and ESPN, all the while giving the kids what they really want. This is really the only shot UC has to make money off football, and give the players a more fair piece of the pie. An exclusive deal with NFLPA would prevent the "traditional powers" from doing the same. I'm thinking the stars could make 1-1.5 million dollars per year straight out of high school.

And who exactly would this minor league football team be playing?

[GoCats1994]

At the risk of beating a dead horse on realignment, now that the Big 12 fiasco is essentially over, what would you like to see happen during the next go around?

I would like to see the SEC or B1G flex a little muscle and lure an ACC team or two away. Something like Clemson to the SEC or the B1G decide that UNC or Florida St makes sense or perhaps lures Notre Dame.

Might be far fetched with GOR's, etc...but ultimately I would like to see the ACC come calling for Cincy.

[red_n_black_attack]

And who exactly would this minor league football team be playing?

The other teams in the AAC. This is far fetched, of course, but the best shot at pumping money into the University, sticking it to the "traditional powers" that pay kids any way they can and the sham of student athletes a la North Carolina (and they're not even one of the big boys), and putting kids into the NFL. This is only an option if we truly consider canning our student athlete football program of which I am very proud!!

My ideal situation is similar to Go Cats1994, spots open up in the ACC for one reason or another and we get an invite.

[Greg7173]

Step 1 - Fire Tuberville
Step 2 - Recruit up and coming and hungry head coach and assistants to restore this program to compete for AAC Championship year after year.
Step 3 - Get FedEx to pony up big dollars to move Liberty bowl to be the AAC reward for a championship. IMHO Memphis on New Year's Eve was almost as good as New Orleans on New Year's Eve.
Step 4 - Complete Nippert renovations by making East Stands as nice as the palace on the west side.

At this point we won't really care about the Big 12. We can enjoy college football the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

[Lobot]

This isn't a scenario but it was interesting to read Aresco's thoughts on this mess.

http://www.espn.com/college-football...al-distraction

[Lobot]

Blog post from Mo Egger nails it pretty well.

http://espn1530.iheart.com/onair/n-a...-for-15216099/

[SawyerHall68]

If UC's administration wants to go P5 and eventually even P4, then it must make a concerted commitment to that goal. The commitment will require sufficient finances to continue to upgrade the sports facilities to be equal or better than that of P5 or P4 schools. In addition, Admin must obtain and pay for top notch coaching and to retain them to foster continuity of sport play systems year after year. UC then would have a chance to dominate in the AAC, much like UC quickly grew to the top of the old Big East. UC must provide the winning scenario where P5 or P4 cannot overlook UC anymore. If Boise State can be a consistent dominant football program in their G5 conference and be worthy of national attention for as many years now, so can UC. In the mean time, continue to support and build-up the AAC by adding top notch schools such as Boise State and BYU.

[bearcatjd]

Exactly what Mo Egger said. Support our Bearcats no matter what!

[Bearcats1232002]

If UC's administration wants to go P5 and eventually even P4, then it must make a concerted commitment to that goal. The commitment will require sufficient finances to continue to upgrade the sports facilities to be equal or better than that of P5 or P4 schools. In addition, Admin must obtain and pay for top notch coaching and to retain them to foster continuity of sport play systems year after year. UC then would have a chance to dominate in the AAC, much like UC quickly grew to the top of the old Big East. UC must provide the winning scenario where P5 or P4 cannot overlook UC anymore. If Boise State can be a consistent dominant football program in their G5 conference and be worthy of national attention for as many years now, so can UC. In the mean time, continue to support and build-up the AAC by adding top notch schools such as Boise State and BYU.

I think realignment will happen again but not soon with all of the current GORs in place. Probably eight years away at the soonest. My question becomes, how do we continue to stay in the arms race when our cash flow doesn't support it? And we don't know if it will ever pay off? The athletic program already bleeds red and we have to take money from the general fund for athletics.

[bearcatbret]

I am still not sold on the GOR. If the ESPN/FOX powers to be want something, it will happen. Unless it is ruled that collusion is taking place, those in current P5 programs will stay and those that are not will be left behind. It is not about the best 64 it is about who is there now and what the TV money wants. If ESPN/FOX wanted others to be in the party, they would have made it so the past couple of months. There is not doubt that the top 6 candidates for the Big 12 could have stepped in and been better than the lower third of the Big12. There is no way that the Big 12 will ever get an Alabama or ND or even one of their past members.