Some of my colleagues on the college side of FanSided have had some fun lately by nominating schools that should be kicked out of their respective conferences. It triggers lively debate, especially if you’re a fan of one of the schools nominated for departure.
But here at GreenGoldandBold, we don’t have that luxury. USF is a member of the American Athletic Conference, which is not likely to kick any school to the curb, considering that it added six members a year ago.
So, I’ll play a variation on that theme by choosing the three schools most likely to leave the conference during the next round of musical chairs in college athletics, whenever it comes. And it will come. Actually, I think AAC leadership already anticipated that they’d soon need more schools to fill the ranks, and that’s why they added a jumbo package of expansion last year.
My choices to leave will be made logically based on what they can offer to a Power 4 conference.
To wit:
Most likely to leave: USF. Well, you didn’t think I’d choose Memphis first, did you? Since it was snubbed by the Big 12 in the last round of realignment, USF has upped its game tremendously in the most visible sports of football and men’s basketball.
More than 50,000 students are enrolled there and it sits in the 12th largest TV market in the country. As someone with first-hand knowledge of the area, I can tell you it is not getting smaller. Think of all those eyeballs watching the games.
USF will break ground on a 35,000-seat on-campus football stadium this fall, and presidents from other universities will love the school's academics. USF is one of only two public universities in the state to be included in the prestigious Association of American Universities list.
(Pssst……UCF wasn’t invited).
USF checks all the boxes for the next round of realignment. Plus, if the Big 12 is smart, it would grab USF as a natural geographic partner with UCF to make travel easier on all sports not named football.
But what about us? Memphis. The Tigers would offer a lot of cache to a new conference. Men’s basketball is always competitive, and the Tigers are showing their fangs in football.
Historically, Memphis is one of the most recognizable names in college sports. That might be enough to convince a conference to overlook its TV market size (No. 52). And while it is an interesting city and everyone should go to Graceland at some point, it takes more than that.
It would be an easy travel partner for the Big 12, which is a plus. Memphis also announced a massive and much-needed renovation of Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
Memphis should be a prime candidate for departure, but in an era where TV market size seems to matter more than tradition, the school might be at a disadvantage there.
A wild card: UTSA. I know, I know …. it just joined the AAC last year. And I ask you, so what?
It is located in a major city (San Antonio) in Texas. It doesn’t have much history yet, but it has appeal. It could be an attractive candidate if the Big 12 wants to buy low, or even if a new conference bubbles up from all the current mayhem.
The Roadrunners bring good football now and, um … well … good football might be enough. But there seems to be a commitment to go big there, so that might be intriguing as conferences eye their next moves. Would they look at potential or go for a safer bet?