“Stay and take the money” is no longer an option IMHO, as the conference is no longer worth rebuilding. No matter how large the promise of cash for you to stay ($50million anyone?) there is no guarantee you are even going to see half of that… and to do what? Expand on a conference with SJSU, UNM, WYO, UNR, HI, and AF, with what?
You’d be G5 in name only and you’d be dead with absolutely zero shot at ever being able to make a name for yourself that even warrants invitation to another G5, much less a P4.
No amount of money that’s realistic is worth that.
The only question now is how do you get out without paying $18million?
Air Force and UNLV are the only teams left with any value… which is why they got promised bonuses and a bigger share if they stayed. Both have had interest shown in them by the AAC and the PAC, the extent to which I’m not sure, but even behind the scenes I’m sure it’s there. Both I’m sure have issues paying the exit fees I’m sure as well… we obviously know this with UNLV but I’m sure it has to be the same with a government funded service academy to at least some extent.
So the play is this IMHO…
UNLV and AFA go to the MW and say “look, we feel for you guys, we really do, but it’s over and there ain’t nothing left but the crying. This is not a viable conference as it is and no matter who you want to add isn’t going to make it so. Now we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way… waive the conference exit fee for us or we’ll block anyone you try to add (that would be the quiet part that’s implied)… you can continue your collection efforts with the PAC and those other traitors and then you 5 can split the money you collect. That’s an extra 6% of the total settlement to each one of you sorry ass schools.
Once you let us out we’ll announce our intentions and you can get back to building your conference back up with whoever you want and you’ll all have a boatload of cash in reserves… how’s that sound?”
I don’t think the MW can say no.
If I’m UNLV and AFA I stick together and try to leverage a little bit, but honestly not too much, and go as a package deal to either the AAC or PAC. I think the PAC would probably be a better scenario but AAC would be fine as well.
That’s how I see it anyway.
