LAFAYETTE (KATC) Wednesday, UConn left the American Athletic Conference,opening a door for conference realignment among the group of five schools.
Will the Ragin’ Cajuns see a piece of that action?
Jumping into the AAC from the Sun Belt could be quite the leap, but it’s not impossible. Louisiana fits the footprint of the conference and the Cajuns likely wouldn’t think twice.
In a Mic’d Up Interview (You can hear the whole thing here) I discussed this very matter with Deputy Athletic Director Nico Yantco. Are the Cajuns interested in joining the AAC? They’re certainly not, not interested.
“There has been dialogue on the horizon of what’s to come for that (AAC) conference. But for us, it’s about focusing on being the best we can be right now and leave that up to the commissioner of the AAC,” Yantko said.
And commissioner Michael Aresco doesn’t sound like he’s in a big hurry to fill the void, according to USA Today.
As for Louisiana, Yantko didn’t close the door on a future outside the Sun Belt, and why would he?
“We’re always going to compete where we’re at, and we’re proud members of the Sun Belt,” he said. “We will prepare for possibilities, but we’re focused on dominating our conference and our state. I feel if we do those things and approach this the right way, the sky is the limit for what could be on the horizon. Hopefully we can continue to put a competitive edge and position our brand on a local, regional or national platform.”
Rightfully, Louisiana is lobbying their full support into the Sun Belt and the AAC might not even be the destination they’re looking at. Conference realignment has a domino effect, and even if Louisiana doesn’t end up in the AAC, you never know what other slots in other group of five conferences could open up.
