SOURCES: I’m hearing SMU will also give opposing teams a 7-point lead to start every conference game for the first 5 years and then after year five, it will reduce to a 3-point lead for the following 10 years
Here's the latest on ACC expansion, with a decision looming on the additions of Stanford, Cal and SMU. Sources told ESPN there's continued momentum toward the additions, with a decision coming in the next few days.
Here’s the clip of USF HC Alex Golesh (
@CoachGolesh
) saying his now famous quote, “Bama and Miami gotta play South Florida!”
And not that anyone cares, but he was asked the question by a credentialed independent podcaster with the
#1
show on YouTube for AAC & G5 football ✊💯
Tulane better take significant jump in this week’s CFP rankings…
You can say they “played down to their competition” throughout conference play, but these dudes show up in a big way when they need to
Only L to 10-win SEC team (played w/ backup QB and nearly pulled off upset)
Things trending towards the AAC getting all-4 or none at all
Hardest part of realignment is the fluidity…things change by the hour
Stanford = ultimate domino
If ACC is a NO, if any final Hail Mary to B1G is a NO…then let’s party
And Aresco is on his A game right now…
@BradLoganCOTE
Lane: “This is it…”
Leach: “Well, you gotta be open to better opportunities. I mean Ephialtes of Trachis betrayed his homeland so terribly that his name has become the word for ‘nightmare’ in his native language. Ephialtes was the Greek who betrayed the 300 Spartans.”
Sources: ACC Presidents met tonight and the pursuit of Stanford and Cal for conference membership has “hit significant roadblocks.” There’d always been long odds because there wasn’t ever a significant value add.
Say what you want about Trent Dilfer but his team has done nothing but show significant fight & improvement each week since Louisiana
And as I said on Tuesday…you do NOT want to be the team that plays UAB in the Children’s Harbor game
Tulane is the Lone G5 Ranger in the CFP Rankings coming in at
#23
💥
WIN out and they’re IN 💯
UTSA/Tulane the day after Thanksgiving on ABC is going to be HUGE‼️
@American_Conf
seeking 7th straight NY6 bid 🥳🎉
#CollegeFootballPlayoff
🏈
Some great behind the scenes footage of future Razorback
@JaylonBraxton6
training w/ a handful of NFL players…
Video includes a couple 1 v. 1 reps against a current NFL WR…
Hogs got a dawg coming!
#WPS
#Arkansas
#Recruiting
I made this graphic last wknd for a video and…
TV Windows ✅
ESPN Pacific Time Zone ✅
Exercise Clause to Renegotiate ✅
Auto-5 Status ✅
Allows for Future (West) Expansion ✅
(this would likely make UConn/SDSU next B12 targets)
Change conference name if needed, PAAC-18!
IS mutual interest (Stanford and Cal being key here bc nothing shows that they have same interest in MWC)
ESPN absolutely needs Pacific time zone now in a bad way
Things could be shaping up nicely for AAC
AAC fans, stay patient. Enjoy your weekend.
WE. WILL. PREVAIL.
Based on tonight, if the AAC championship is:
11-1 Tulane vs 10-2 SMU/Memphis
I say the winner of this game gets the NY6 bowl
But still a lot of season to be played…
Mike Aresco is not looking to “jettison” his own conference in order to help Oliver Luck ride off into the sunset as the PAC 12 savior and new commissioner
Is there smoke around Aresco/Luck being in communication? Yes
How serious is it? No clue, working on that
Judging from my YT comments, most people are too short-sighted to see how valuable UAB, UNT and UTSA are going to be to the conference with the added exposure and revenue they’re about to receive
And with what Poggi is already doing at Charlotte, these aren’t teams you want to
“We like our current conference better than the last one…on paper, we’d love to be a part of a conference with the brand & potential resources of the PAC 12, but the $$$ isn’t really adding up right now…if they’ll offer us more than just brand, history, & namesake, we’re in”
Here are
#UTSA
HC Jeff Traylor's comments tonight on his radio show regarding potential interest from the resurrected PAC-12.
"That is a real conversation that's happening as we speak..."
Reminder that at UTSA, football is the front porch of the university.
This makes me happy and I don’t know why…
There’s probably a good and perfect explanation for why the new PAC consultant is hanging out with an AAC football team
I’m sure it was pre-scheduled months ago, but my brain wants to jump to irresponsible conclusions 😳
Examining what Cal, Oregon State,
Stanford and Washington State moving to the American Athletic Conference would look like…
▪️Merger Rumors
▪️Revenue - AAC Media Clause
▪️New Divisions
▪️Exposure - ESPN
Join the discussion‼️
#pac12
#aac
#cfb
👇👇
NEW EPISODE UP NOW‼️
How do the Dominoes Need to Fall for a Successful PAC-4/AAC Merger?
Will the AAC “Offload” Teams?
X-Factor in This Whole Scenario?
👇👇👇
This is NOT a report
This is NOT a rumor
This is NOT even valid speculation
And it’s definitely NOT…personal
NOTHING about this is anything more than me making a very bold prediction 😳
But I’ll be watching the SMU boosters in 2025 👀
Ep. 37:
@BFW
I’ve got a 70+ piece dollhouse and a trampoline waiting for me
5 cookies and 9 candy canes (cause all the reindeer needed one)
We just got home from being w/ family and my eight year old just asked to watch a movie…
We. Will. Prevail.
Here’s what I’m doing:
1. Negotiate as high an early exit fee as possible (SMU has shown they’ll literally pay anything)
2. Call ESPN
3. Increase my investment in current AAC teams
4. Make my pitch to OSU/Wazzu that includes exit fee $ and ESPN renegotiated #’s
Houston was 5-7 in CUSA 2 of the 3 seasons prior to joining the AAC
Added exposure and revenue plus Aresco getting universities to invest in programs are factors
Point being you can’t look at certain teams as is, look at what they could be with the additional resources
@imtreysmith
@therealmolson
Agree for the most part, however a couple of the new AAC schools are pitifully equipped to compete with the likes of the P4.. I could see 2 to 4 getting left behind or pushed back into CUSA in some sort of AAC generated deal..
SMU deserves it, Liberty gets it
The irony…
The conference the AAC raided to rebuild itself is going to break the the AAC NY6 bowl streak
All because a team that made an unprecedented financial commitment to leave the AAC, won it’s 1st AAC title its in final season
🫨🤯
🚨BIG ANNOUNCEMENT🚨
Thrilled to share some exciting news! 🎉 The College Underdogs Podcast is officially joining the
@BleavNetwork
! 🚀
Get ready as we expand our coverage of the “underdog conferences” in college sports! 🏈🏀🎙️
BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE:
Can Mike Aresco & the AAC gain Auto-5 status?
Tonight’s Pod:
▪️Cal / Stanford Rumor Mill
▪️ACC Apple TV?
▪️Washington State / Oregon State?
▪️American Athletic Auto-5?
(my daily shows will now be on other steaming platforms)
#aac
#pac12
#cfb
Here’s some facts to consider before y’all start complaining about Army…
There were 3 non-P5 teams in the top-60 most watched CFB programs in 2022:
38. BYU (now in Big 12) - 997k
39. Navy - 976k
53. Army - 681k
15 games in 2022 exceeded 6M viewers (see photo):
Yeah so the 4-teams that have been left out to dry by a conference on life support with no media deal can laugh at a conference with a $1B media deal with ESPN including a clause to negotiate up
C’mon man…
Special guest joined the pod today to discuss the possible AAC expansion with remaining PAC-4 (posting shortly to all platforms)!!
I’ll give you a hint of who it is…
👇👇👇
The ACC voted last night not to add Stanford and Cal at this time. There is a stong possibility that the American could be the best landing spot. They would take all four former PAC schools.
Tonight’s show is loaded (and went a little longer than normal):
Special Guest:
@JWMediaDC
▪️Mutual Interest 🤝
▪️ESPN Time Zones/Slots ⏱️
▪️Podded Schedules for Travel ✈️
▪️Process of PAC-4 Joining AAC 📝
▪️Packaged Deal❓
5:15PM CT ⏱️
🚨FINALLY🚨
WE HAVE FOOTBALL SATURDAY‼️
Navy’s Brian Newberry will make his head coaching debut Week 0 against
#13
Notre Dame in Ireland ⚓️🍀
And what an opportunity for the AAC on NBC with the whole world watching
(Navy lost last year by 3)
I asked coach about his debut:
SOURCE: Tulane is targeting Troy's Jon Sumrall for its head coaching job. The former Tulane assistant has done a remarkable job in two seasons at Troy.
🚨NEW EPISODE🚨
AAC In Talks With OSU & Wazzu?
⭕️ MWC Media Deal
⭕️ ESPN cost to subsidize ACC or Big 12
⭕️ Jon Wilner’s latest article
⭕️ Commissioner Pernetti’s response
(For some reason it’s not notifying on YouTube 🙄)
TAP IN‼️
👇👇👇
Memphis/Missouri look like they’re playing in an abandoned warehouse and the turf looks awful
Hope everyone for both teams gets out of this one healthy
#GTG
Yes.
Only way to lose it at that point is to be voted out. All universities of each A-5 conference get a vote.
Full merger between AAC and PAC gives you 18 votes…then 22 if could find a way to add those others
Discussing this more on tonight’s show…
The more I think about it..
The more a PAC and AAC merger with expansion for SDSU, Fresno St, Boise St and UNVL in 2025 makes sense. Could get you the same Apple number per year.
But it has one big IF:
Does that retain Power status?
🤔
Yes. The UAB team that went to 3 straight conference championships (winning 2 of them) including an 11 win season. All in the last 5 years.
Who just hired a SB champion and 14-year NFL vet as head coach.
The PAC 2 was hoping to build a best of the rest conference while preserving enough of the “Warchest” to supplement funding themselves power conference $
It backfired…
The original idea of the College Football Freaks List was to spotlight the guys whose athleticism blew the minds of folks inside their own college football programs.
But over 20 years, it's evolved.
For the first time, a true freshman tops
@BruceFeldmanCFB
's list.
UTSA 🤙 at FAU🦉
Both teams 2-0 in conference play ✌️
Both teams finding rhythm 📈
Both teams riding BIG momentum💥
Winner of this game could go on a serious run 👀
(Tulane final 2 games are FAU & UTSA)
Who you got winning this one?
FULL EPISODE:
I don’t think things could’ve played out better for the AAC yesterday in regard to the NY6 race
Tulane already controls it’s own destiny but the other 3 received the help they needed from the MWC
(Undefeated Liberty is still hanging around though)
Congratulations to Liberty on winning the CUSA and completing a 13-0 season…
At this point…
I believe it’s Tulane or bust for the AAC’s NY6 “7 in a row” streak
Is there a universe in the realignment multi-verse that sends all 4 PAC teams to the AAC?
There was ‘mutual interest’ before this ACC stuff started heating back up
But that was weeks ago and weeks are like decades in realignment years…
ACC expansion situation remains fluid. The presidents call has *not* been rescheduled. Jim Phillips will attend the CFP meetings Wednesday in Dallas, where officials are expected to explore changes based on realignment.
CFP primer story from 2 weeks ago
"At least one current Group of Five conference is believed to be in favor of the 6-6 model moving to 5-7 with five conference champions automatically qualifying."
Could it be the G5 commissioner who feels most confident in landing the PAC-2? 🤔🤔
Re Wednesday's regulary-scheduled CFP meeting there's not much that can be done with realignment still in full swing. There will be talk going from 6+6 to 5+7 but how do you dig down on structure beyond that with so many realignment balls in the air.
@On3sports
@mzenitz
@SpiritBen
I’ll be your coach next year unless I decide to take a job somewhere else. But if I’m still at Ole Miss next year, I’ll be your football coach. I plan on staying. Unless my plan changes. If my plan to stay doesn’t change, and I don’t take another job…I’ll still be your coach.
🚨EPSIODE DROP🚨
*WARNING*
I was amped up for a small part of this one! My passion is not for everyone and it has a tendency to turn people off (especially those who have never stepped foot in a locker room environment)
Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 😅
Just finished recording w/ special guest
@MitchVingle
We discussed some misinformation that is floating around regarding PAC/AAC! Mitch was an award winning journalist and has a long history with Oliver Luck
Those of you wanting facts, I’ll have it up shortly…
👇👇
I think there's some confusion out there about ex-WVU AD Oliver Luck. He's not consulting for the "Pac-12," but rather Oregon State and Washington State. He's not working with Stanford/Cal at this time. As you may know, Luck has many clients throughout college athletics.
Interesting…
I asked Commissioner Aresco about this at AAC media days and he said “wasn’t much appetite” within the conference for adding a basketball only member and that there were “no plans” at this point
But he did say there were “some schools” the conf could look at…
SOURCES: The American Athletic Conference is “engaged in serious talks” with VCU to join as a basketball-only member, multiple sources tell me and
@BluffCity_Media
.
These discussions have been ongoing for a few weeks, but talks are ramping up in the wake of Army’s addition to
from the AAC? Sure, but use your brain to think about what that entails
Could the PAC go completely different direction? Sure…MWC, Independent
But this notion that Aresco is working with Luck to offload certain AAC teams in order to merge, is just ridiculous
Good night
🚨LABOR DAY DROP (9/4)🚨
American Athletic Conference WEEK 1 Rundown; Potential Expansion Target(s)
If you’re an American Athletic Conference fan, this show is for YOU‼️
👇👇👇
Coaches about to start tweeting:
“After a great conversation with the AD, Chancellor, and administrative team I’m truly Blessed and Humbled to announce I’ve received an offer to be Head Coach at Houston ‼️🙏💥”
American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco plans to meet in person with Washington State and Oregon State, per source.
Aresco will also present to the schools via zoom, I’m told. He’s currently in Ireland for the Notre Dame vs Navy game.
Say what you want about the AAC and act like you’re too good for the conference bc you’re so enamored with this cycle of realignment
But that’s as good of a game as we’ll see all weekend and that’s a team projected to win the conference vs a team projected to be near bottom
💯
This was the last football game I attended in 2022…I’ll take this over realignment talk all day everyday‼️
@GreenWaveFB
#RollWave
🌊🔥
Which
@American_Conf
team will it be this year❓
Can the season start already⁉️
Nobody wants to hear this…but…FSU still deserved a chance to play for a natty
Regardless, the committee could’ve at least given us a better bowl season by putting this version of FSU against Liberty and UGA vs Oregon
But what do I know…
#BowlSeasonSucks
🥱
Temple was voted out from Big East in 04’ as a football only school, for cause
Decade of poor performance on the field among other violations of bylaws
You don’t just up and decide to offload teams, especially ones you just added
My info has not changed on this as of now…