Does Tulsa stand a chance in the AAC?

[thebigabd]

UCF
Cincy
UCONN
Houston
Louisville
Memphis
Rutgers
South Florida
SMU
Temple
Tulane
East Carolina

I see TU getting thumped in this league, football and basketball. Bottom feeder. Hell, they have a 4,500 enrollment and most of these schools are 25,000+, and some way bigger than that.

I get that you want to be on TV, but it doesnt do the program any good to join a bigger league and get your ass kicked every weekend.

 

[WTSooner]

As things stand now? No.

If the bball and football programs get back to levels they have enjoyed at different times? Sure. Probably moreso in hoops, but I think they can "compete" (ie, make bowl games, finish in the top 2-3 sometimes) in football too. But not the way the programs currently are. Bball may be on the way up, but football, I'm not as optimistic about.

 

[boksooner]

UCF
Cincy
UCONN
Houston
Louisville
Memphis
Rutgers
South Florida
SMU
Temple
Tulane
East Carolina

I see TU getting thumped in this league, football and basketball. Bottom feeder. Hell, they have a 4,500 enrollment and most of these schools are 25,000+, and some way bigger than that.

I get that you want to be on TV, but it doesnt do the program any good to join a bigger league and get your ass kicked every weekend.

I don't see TU as a perennial power, but I can easily see TU consistently finishing in the top half in both football and basketball. Prior to the last couple years, they were competing for CUSA championships in football against many of those same teams.

Also, won't UL be in the ACC and Rutgers in the B1G before TU joins the AAC?

 

[CoachTalk]

It'll take some time. But bigger and better Conferences usually mean, bigger and better recruits.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

A bit off topic, but as a side note, ORU joins the Summit League next season.

http://www.thesummitleague.org/landing/index

***************

Regarding Tulsa, I'm sure they plan to be competitive in their new conference. Looking at that list of teams, it is doable, in both football and basketball.

 

[oSuJeff97]

I see TU getting thumped in this league, football and basketball.

They might have a rough go of it in basketball, but why would they get "thumped" in football?

The vast majority of the league is just the old C-USA, which Tulsa regularly finished at the top of, last year notwithstanding.

Tulsa played in the C-USA championship game 4 times in between 2005 and 2012, winning two. They finished second in their division (which included Houston) two other times.

There's no reason why Tulsa still can't compete with those teams, as well as UConn and Cincy.

 

[Ham]

I get that you want to be on TV, but it doesnt do the program any good to join a bigger league and get your ass kicked every weekend.

I agree and it's not like they took a HUGE pay raise to go to (just say) the Big 12 or ACC. They went from C-USA to AAC. Ho-hum.

In this regard Air Force sure made a bold decision (before TCU and WVU were added) to stay in the MWC instead of joining the Big 12 because of competitive reasons. Their AD explicitly said in the media that he couldn't recruit and compete against the likes of Oklahoma and Texas. A pretty gutsy but smart move to pass up all those millions.

I don't see TU as a perennial power, but I can easily see TU consistently finishing in the top half in both football and basketball. Prior to the last couple years, they were competing for CUSA championships in football against many of those same teams.

Also, won't UL be in the ACC and Rutgers in the B1G before TU joins the AAC?

Yes. The AAC will have 12 for next football season.

But it's still going to be really tough for Tulsa. Almost every one of those programs is getting better at a time when Tulsa is struggling...in C-USA. Basketball might have a better shot.

 

[DenverSooner]

UCF
they have a 4,500 enrollment and most of these schools are 25,000+, and some way bigger than that.

Why does enrollment matter? They will have 85 scholarship football players and 13 scholarship basketball players. I am not disagreeing that they may have trouble in that conference but I am not sure enrollment is a reason.

 

[Ham]

I think I got the number wrong even after I edited. Looks like they'll have 11 in 2014 but when Navy joins in 2015 they'll have 12. I discuss all 12 below.

They might have a rough go of it in basketball, but why would they get "thumped" in football?

The vast majority of the league is just the old C-USA, which Tulsa regularly finished at the top of, last year notwithstanding.

The tide might have already been turning against Tulsa. It's hard to say.
But anyway, look at all the programs that are getting better.

Cincinnati is arguably the best football program aside from Independents (ND, BYU) that's not in a Power 5 league. They are surely on the Big 12's potential expansion list.

Tulane is getter a lot better and if they continue to be successful tapping into their home region for recruits, they'll remain good. SMU is ascending too, although they took a step back with Gilbert at QB. They will likely maintain current levels and beyond and there are whispers that heat is on June Jones even with his resurrection of the program. In other words, they are keeping a high bar at SMU. Houston is a similar story.

UCF is arguably the 'program on the rise' for the entire FBS. East Carolina has huge fan support and they have been good for years and are rising. Watch out for USF if they get their act together, it's a huge school with resources. UConn has numbers (money and people) and Navy (joining in 2015) is a perennial bowl team. Temple has been getting better too, making bowls.

Football is going to be brutal for Tulsa and Memphis. We shall see.

 

[BoulderSooner]

UCF
Cincy
UCONN
Houston
Louisville
Memphis
Rutgers
South Florida
SMU
Temple
Tulane
East Carolina

I see TU getting thumped in this league, football and basketball. Bottom feeder. Hell, they have a 4,500 enrollment and most of these schools are 25,000+, and some way bigger than that.

I get that you want to be on TV, but it doesnt do the program any good to join a bigger league and get your ass kicked every weekend.

louisville will be in the ACC next season and rutgers will be in the BIG 10 and navy joins in 2015

and as has been said Memphis tulane ucf smu houston and east carolina and tusla have been in the same league for most of the last 10 years .. that is 7 of the 12 .. Navy and temple are hardly world beaters ..

that leaves cinncy usf and uconn ... as new teams that tulsa will have to deal with

 

[Ham]

Why does enrollment matter? They will have 85 scholarship football players and 13 scholarship basketball players. I am not disagreeing that they may have trouble in that conference but I am not sure enrollment is a reason.

More enrollment = more alumni = more alumni with money = more money donated back into the program. UCF and USF, in particular, are monsters in this area.

Personally, I'm not saying I think it's a huge factor, but it is a factor.

 

[badger]

It will be fun to see some big programs visit TU for football or basketball. I got to see TU take on Boise a few years ago on a cold weekend night football game. They had a chance till the end. Also got to see them play Utah in the CBI several years ago. Was a fun atmosphere.

If the Big 12 is ever forced to expand, I selfishly would like TU to be included just so that OU has to play up here more often

 

[DenverSooner]

Financially Tulsa offers nothing so I don't see that happening. With OU and OSU the Big XII already dominates the Tulsa media market. I think Louisville, Colorado State, Memphis, one of the New Mexico Schools, South Florida, UCF and some others make more sense. Taking a MAC school from Ohio makes more sense than Tulsa in my opinion.

 

[MI Sooner]

What's enrollment got to do with it?

I see my question has already been asked (and unsatisfactorily answered).

 

[oSuJeff97]

The tide might have already been turning against Tulsa. It's hard to say.
But anyway, look at all the programs that are getting better.

Cincinnati is arguably the best football program aside from Independents (ND, BYU) that's not in a Power 5 league. They are surely on the Big 12's potential expansion list.

Tulane is getter a lot better and if they continue to be successful tapping into their home region for recruits, they'll remain good. SMU is ascending too, although they took a step back with Gilbert at QB. They will likely maintain current levels and beyond and there are whispers that heat is on June Jones even with his resurrection of the program. In other words, they are keeping a high bar at SMU. Houston is a similar story.

UCF is arguably the 'program on the rise' for the entire FBS. East Carolina has huge fan support and they have been good for years and are rising. Watch out for USF if they get their act together, it's a huge school with resources. UConn has numbers (money and people) and Navy (joining in 2015) is a perennial bowl team. Temple has been getting better too, making bowls.

Football is going to be brutal for Tulsa and Memphis. We shall see.

I think you're putting way too much emphasis on one bad year for Tulsa.

I don't know how closely you follow them, but they were decimated with injuries last year. They lost some ridiculous number of starters off a team that was the pre-season pick to win C-USA.

And again, you could argue that TU, Houston and UCF were the three best programs in the old C-USA over almost a decade.

There's no reason that they can't compete with those teams.

The only thing they'll have to really worry about is if the AAC starts some escalating "arms race" in facilities like what has happened in the major conferences.

TU has some nice facilities for that conference, but if the big schools in that conference all of a sudden start going on a facilities-building spree, it will be tough for TU to keep up.

 

[DenverSooner]

The only thing they'll have to really worry about is if the AAC starts some escalating "arms race" in facilities like what has happened in the major conferences.

TU has some nice facilities for that conference, but if the big schools in that conference all of a sudden start going on a facilities-building spree, it will be tough for TU to keep up.

Why is that? Wouldn't they have similar revenue to the other schools in that conference?

I know it isn't popular but I think the NCAA needs to do something about the arms race in facilities. It is getting ridiculous. OU can afford to play that game so it doesn't really hurt us but I think it is out of control.

 

[badger]

Financially Tulsa offers nothing so I don't see that happening. With OU and OSU the Big XII already dominates the Tulsa media market.

Like I said, SELFISHLY I'd like Tulsa to be in the Big 12 so there would be more OU events in Tulsa. I'm sure there's a side of you that would love a Colorado team in the Big 12 for the same reason, even if it's just AFA or Colorado State and not those buffalo bozos

And yes, OU and OSU dominate around here. Posse stickers on cars everywhere. Gah