Each AAC school will receive approximately 7 million from TV revenue. Most estimates I’ve seen have BYU’s annual TV revenue in the 6 million dollar range. Not a huge difference.
Even if the money was significantly better, it wouldn’t be worth surrendering our autonomy or our future P5 like schedules to the likes of Memphis, Eastern Carolina, Tulsa, USF and Houston. It wouldn’t be worth having to play the same trashy AAC teams year in and year out, many of them in the eastern time zone (where we historically perform very poorly) for the foreseeable future. And home slates against the dregs of the AAC won’t sell out LES.
The AAC does not currently have a clear path to the NY6. No clearer than any other G5 conference, anyway. The highest ranked G5 team typically goes. That could just as easily be the MWC or CUSA Champ in any given year.
The AAC is an eastern/southeastern conference. We have no business there whatsoever.
Our schedules are better as an Indy, our exposure is better as an Indy, and not having to slum it with some of the trashiest schools East of the high plains is something that money can’t buy.
I’ve travelled to away games at Houston, Tulsa, USF, Tulane, among others. I’ve also attended bowl games against Memphis and UCF. I have no interest in long term relationships with any of those schools or their fan bases. Being a fan of an AAC school would be like drinking bile every single week of football season.
Hard pass.
The new playoff scenario may eventually force BYU’s hand. Fortunately, the administration doesn’t seem to be as eager to jump into bed with the dregs of the East/southeast as some fans are.