Mike Aresco (8/4/2021) College Football Media Day Quote, 08/04/2021

On the move to Texas:

It’s a great place to be, it’s almost the epicenter of college sports. You have several conferences here. A lot of our schools are in the area, which wasn’t the case when we were in Providence where the old Big East was. The airport situation is terrific and it’s easy for our presidents, ADs and SWAs to get here. When you have a team here it makes a big difference. I went to probably four or five SMU football games last year, and basketball games, and all of a sudden, you’re seeing ADs and presidents come in and you’re able to meet with them and say hello. We were unable to do that in Providence anymore so consequently it’s been a great place to be, and I think it will be a great place for our employees to be.

It’s a dynamic place, Dallas and Texas are growing every year, we’re really pleased to be here. We have a terrific office.

The impact of COVID-19 on the new conference season:

Vaccinations have made a difference but with that said, COVID is still with us. The Delta variant is still a potentially significant problem and it’s imperative that we vaccinate as many of our student-athletes as possible. We’re getting up there in numbers and an uninterrupted season will depend on it. We will continue to test unvaccinated players and those with COVID or in close contact will face contact tracing and quarantines. It could potentially compromise a team’s ability to play, which we don’t want. We decided that we will not reschedule games this year, so if a team cannot play because of COVID it will be considered a forfeit. That is our current position, however we will continue to monitor the CDC guidance and will react accordingly. Our medical advisory group meets next week and we will talk about the recent CDC guidance. In the meantime we will advocate for universal vaccination for our student-athletes. They have real incentives to get vaccinated, with health and safety being the primary one, and we as a conference also want to set a great example for our campuses and communities with respect to vaccinations in eradicating this pandemic.

On CFP expansion:

We are pleased with the College Football Playoff expansion recommendation put forth by the expansion working group. We are currently socializing this plan with our student-athletes, coaches, faculty athletic reps and others who are stakeholders in what we do. We are polling each school and will deliver our results to the CFP in mid-August but I think we will find that our conference is supportive. The top six conferences without A5 AQs, and without favor, is good for us but also is good for college football. It’s all FBS under this plan and we’re going to work to dissolve the Group of 5 label and will work to rid ourselves of it. I don’t think it’s fair to anyone in the G5 and we want to consign it to the historical dustbin where it belongs. The separation it has entailed has not been helpful to our branding and the other schools in the G5. We’ve never felt that we belong there and all schools in the FBS should be represented equally.

We are pleased with the direction of the CFP and feel strongly that the performance of our top teams over the last several years, UCF, Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis have made New Year’s Day games, but we have so many other teams who have made enormous contributions to our success. The approach that the working group took to this had something to do with how well our teams did and the pressure we put on the entire process. I do know there is controversy with the potential SEC expansion and the CFP working group, but I will not get into the issue of SEC expansion. It is not for me to comment. If the CFP plan is a good one, and I believe that it is, the current expansion speculation should not derail or delay the process. There was broad support for the CFP plan and it should move forward. It creates greater opportunities for a wide range of teams, including our teams who deserved a shot in prior seasons and did not have one. It will also energize college football with so many more teams becoming relevant, and it will lead to higher ratings. I am all for the process moving forward if in fact there is strong support as the CFP collects everyone’s opinions this summer.

On conference realignment

College football has historically been down this path several times. As we witness possible and projected changes, we as a conference are in the strongest position that we have ever been. We will consider and capitalize on every opportunity. Our schools are individually and collectively focused on A6 status through competing at the highest level in every way. We have done that on the field with multiple top-10 football teams and on the court with Houston’s run to the Final Four and Memphis’ NIT title, just to name a few of our accomplishments. We have a long term strategic commitment with our partners at ESPN, they provide us with the largest stage for our teams and resources which provide the stability and strength that we have come to represent. Our opportunities with expansion and realignment may be bolstered by our stability and unity in an evolving landscape. I have to take a moment to address some accusations that have been made directly or indirectly against our conference. Our conference has never strategically aligned or plotted with ESPN to influence conference structures. We have never done that, and ESPN has not and does not do that. We consult with our television and business partners on issues relating to our conference, everyone does of course, but any statements that we colluded with ESPN with regard to the structure of any other conference is a completely unfounded and grossly irresponsible accusation. That is all I will say about this at this point.