NEWPORT, R.I. – Commissioner Mike Aresco concluded two days of meetings with the American Athletic Conference directors of athletics and head football coaches Monday as the conference looks to build on its highly successful inaugural season.
“We had an extremely productive series of meetings and I could not be more confident and optimistic about the direction of our conference,” said Aresco. “We have the best group of athletic directors and head football coaches in the nation. Our common goal is to establish firmly the American Athletic Conference in the power conference conversation and we will continue to compete at the highest level of college athletics.”
The meetings, held in conjunction with The American’s annual Summer Kickoff and Media Day, produced consensus and support for a number of key initiatives as the 2014 season approaches.
Full Cost of Attendance
The directors of athletics unanimously reaffirmed the conference’s position – initially expressed in November of 2013 by the presidents and directors of athletics – to support funding of athletic scholarships up to the full cost of attendance. This is appropriate and consistent with the collegiate model and supports the enhancement of the student-athlete experience, which is a priority.
Football Practice Guidelines
The directors of athletics and head football coaches expressed their general support for the inter-association consensus guidelines on year-round football practice that were released by the NCAA on July 7. The group will use these guidelines as a starting point for a more in-depth discussion on the matter that will take place in the coming weeks.
Branding and Marketing Campaign
The directors of athletics were unanimous in their support of The American’s proposed marketing campaign, centered around the concept of The American as a power conference, that will launch in conjunction with the 2014 football season and the 2014-15 men’s basketball season. The campaign will include highly visible placements in national publications and the introduction of sport-specific promotional spots that will appear in televised football and basketball telecasts.
Scheduling
The directors of athletics unanimously affirmed their intention to continue to assemble compelling and challenging nonconference schedules in an effort to deliver the most highly anticipated and competitive games to the largest audiences and position American Athletic Conference teams for postseason success. The American plays the most challenging nonconference schedule of any conference in 2014, based on the combined 2013 winning percentage of the nonconference opponents.
Divisional Alignment
The directors of athletics unanimously reaffirmed the conference’s football divisional alignment, which goes into effect in 2015 when Navy becomes the 12th football-playing member of The American, and endorsed a proposed four-year scheduling model that will go into effect for the 2015-18 seasons.
Commissioner’s Address
Commissioner Aresco addressed a contingent of national and local print, radio, online and broadcast media Tuesday morning, illustrating the success of The American in its first year and commenting on larger issues in college athletics, including NCAA governance, student-athlete welfare and court challenges to the collegiate model. The commissioner noted the BCS bowl win by UCF, NCAA men’s and women’s basketball championships by UConn, national television contracts with ESPN and CBS, among other things, as evidence of the league’s status as a power conference.