UConn, Big East and the AAC

UConn is back in the Big East.

UConn is reportedly leaving the American Athletic Conference and heading back to the Big East. With all of the conference realignment over the last 20 years this doesn't seem like a major shakeup in collegiate sports but it is an interesting moment in the second and third tier of conference movement. Let's look at how this move impacts these three parties involved:

UCONN

The Huskies have had a tough time of things since 2013 when the Big East broke up. Despite being one of the original members of the Big East, when the league blew up they didn't get an invite to the new Big East nor did they go into the ACC with several of their other former members. UConn got relegated to the AAC and has taken a huge hit. The athletic department has been losing money and the men's basketball team ... despite winning a national championship ... has taken a big step back in relevancy.

The move get UConn back with old Big East foes Villanova, Georgetown, St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence (as well as "newer" old Big East foes Marquette and DePaul). That's great for them and their brand but also a big move geographically. In the AAC, UConn's closest basketball rival was Temple ... then East Carolina and Cincinnati. In the Big East there will be those shorter trips to their true rivals in the northeast. Yes, they still have Creighton, Butler, Marquette and DePaul but that's still a better deal than Tulsa, Houston, SMU, Wichita State, Tulane and the Florida schools UCF and South Florida every year.

It seems like a great fit for UConn. There are some loose ends to deal with, like a television deal that could be problematic and, most notably, where their football program will land. The AAC doesn't want to keep them in football (understandable) so the Huskies need to find a new home. They could declassify to a FBS program like several of the other Big East programs do. They could just be a independent in football with Notre Dame, BYU, Army, Liberty, New Mexico State and UMass. It isn't the most ideal situation, but it is an option.

Another option is to attempt to find a league that will take them in. This may take some time and, ironically, waiting for the AAC to find its football replacement for them. If the AAC dips into another league to get another 12th member then UConn could be able to plug right in ... or end up finalizing the domino effect that could ensue. That means the most likely landing spot for the Huskies football program will be the Conference USA, Mid American Conference or Sun Belt. Honestly, UConn may want to stay independent than go into the Sun Belt.

BIG EAST

Since the Big East doesn't have football, this really isn't a difficult move for the league. UConn gives the league an 11th member ... albeit the only one that isn't a Catholic institution.  While UConn has fallen back a bit, the name still matters (they've won four NCAA Tournament championships since 1999) and the geographic fit is obvious. Plus having UConn in the Big East just feels right. It makes sense.

Also, the Big East is inheriting the preeminent women's college basketball program which is a huge win for them ... and the Lady Huskies who have been toiling away in a subpar league since the Big East split up. While the Big East women's league hasn't been elite, both Marquette and DePaul had solid seasons last year and the league as a whole should provide better competition for UConn.

Going back to the men for a moment, adding an 11th member means the league can have a true round-robin schedule with 20 league games. They have no rush to add a 12th member (they don't need to) but have some prime candidates should they choose to. They could raid the AAC again and bring in Wichita State (which adds a non-football school in with the western side of the league). The could look at the Atlantic 10 which is ripe with good non-football athletic programs like Saint Louis or Dayton (both Catholic universities) or maybe Dayton or VCU. Being a non-football league means there is no reason for the Big East to be a 12 team league so they have no pressure to further expand.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The AAC does have some pressure, however. The AAC has a quirky membership as it is. Including UConn, they have 12 members with the Naval Academy as a football-only member and Wichita State as a non-football member. Knowing that could lead to what comes next for the AAC.

They could stay at 11 schools. With the new college football format that you can have a league championship game despite not having 12 members ... or divisions for that matter ... means the league doesn't have to have a 12-team league to keep their football title game. The Big 12 has just ten members and no divisions with the top two teams in the standings at the end of the regular season playing for the title game. Of course, the Big 12 plays a true round robin schedule which could be difficult for the AAC. Ten conference games is a bad idea for the AAC so they would have to accept not having a true round robin in determining their regular season.  The Sun Belt has just ten members but they do split into two divisions with the winners facing off in a title game. The AAC could stay in their current division format and even move Navy to the East and have uneven divisions.

As far as basketball, having just 11 members isn't a problem as they could play a true round robin for a 20-game conference season.

Of course, adding a 12th football school would be ideal. But who?  Let's look:

Army: This seems like a great move. Army would be another football-only member like Navy and would fit nicely into the opening UConn left. It is a program on the rise and makes the AAC the spot for the service academies. The biggest problem is the logistical nightmare of the Army-Navy game. As of now, the Army-Navy game is the final game of the season and one of the most important games on college football's calendar. If Army joins the AAC, then it turns into a conference game. So how can you have a conference game that is played the week after your conference holds their championship game?  How?

My solution is easy: Don't make the Army-Navy game an official conference game. Sure, they both belong to the AAC but when they play it is considered a non-conference game. This isn't stupid since it is already a thing. This year in the ACC, North Carolina will play fellow ACC member Wake Forest in a non-conference game. It is weird, but it solves the problem. Navy is in the Western Division of the AAC so put Army in UConn's old slot in the Eastern Division. Work the scheduling out where those two never have to play in an official conference game.

Of course, Army didn't enjoy its time in the Conference USA as a football school several years back and their scheduling freedom could be a problem. Under my proposal, Army would now have an 8-game AAC schedule, a non-conference game against Navy, a non-conference game against Air Force. That would leave Army with just two slots each year to play with.

BYU: This would be a enormous stretch to think BYU would want to join. Their closest geographical neighbor in the AAC would be Wichita State. Honestly, they could probably call the Big 12 right now and ask to get in and it would probably happen. At the very least they could head to the Mountain West with fellow independent New Mexico State (or North Texas, UTEP or Rice) to form a 14-team league.

Boise State: See BYU above. And they are further west. They're good. In fact, they could try to package up with BYU to see if the Pac 12 was interested in becoming the Pac 14.

Air Force: Another service academy but the AFA would leave some nice rivalries for what exactly? They're good.

UAB: For a school that killed the football program for a year, they've been showing up well. Adding UAB would solidify that southern area with Memphis and Tulane.

North Texas: This could be a sleeping ... well, not giant. But this is a big school in the heart of Texas who has been doing well in football. Of course, SMU may not like sharing the Dallas area with another program so this could be a problem.

Florida International or Florida Atlantic: FIU and FAU have huge enrollments. FAU has been a good football program and currently has Lane Kiffin as their head coach. That could change in the drop of a hat but they are still an aggressive program. And while the AAC is well represented in Florida with UCF (Orlando) and South Florida (Tampa), they don't possess the Miami area.

Marshall: Great history who feel like they've taken a step back by leaving the MAC for CUSA. Huntington would bring in that western Pennsylvania area as well as a proud West Virginia fan base with them.

Charlotte: The 49ers football program is less than 10 years old and its basketball program has been blowing in the wind since the Conference USA restructured after a mass exodus to the Big East in the mid-2000s. Still, Charlotte is the biggest city in the Carolinas and is a fertile recruiting area that is somewhat being served by East Carolina.  The AAC is made up of metro areas so Charlotte makes a ton of sense there.

Buffalo: After all these CUSA schools, let's look at the MAC. Buffalo has been great on the football field as well as the basketball court. They are hot. Geographically the Bulls are a bit of an outlier in the MAC though joining the AAC wouldn't do much to help that. Still, the AAC is viewed in a better light than the MAC.

UMass: Right now UMass is an independent in football and an A10 member in other sports. They could neatly fit in the AAC. They'd keep a presence in the New England area that UConn left and bring more of a Boston feel to the league. UMass has been irrelevant in both football and basketball for quite some time so this would be a marriage of convenience more than an advancement of the league.

Georgia State: This would be a strictly business decision for the AAC. Don't get me wrong: Georgia State has had basketball success but has been pretty bad at the football playing. But it brings in Atlanta and the AAC has no members in Georgia.

There are a lot of options on the table for the AAC though none of them are earth shattering. It will be difficult to replace UConn's basketball value -- or even come close to it. Football-wise, they should be able to upgrade since UConn hasn't exactly mattered on the gridiron and Storrs isn't a preferred destination. So adding in Miami, Buffalo, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham or the New York City area fits with much of the AAC mold (they have members in Cincinnati, Orlando, Tampa, Memphis, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas, New Orleans, Tulsa and Wichita) and will probably be what they look for in a new member.

I think they look at Army to join as a football-only member and may look to add another school to play in the other sports (Davidson? VCU?).