Aldo Giovanni Amato

agamato@dnj.com

MURFREESBORO — Middle Tennessee State is looking to join the American Athletic Conference if that league loses teams to a possible Big 12 expansion.

MTSU athletics director Chris Massaro sent a letter to AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco in May explaining why the Blue Raiders, who are members of Conference USA, would be the ideal option if the AAC begins a search for new members. The Daily News Journal obtained a copy of the email through a public records request.

The Big 12 announced in June it is considering expanding from 10 teams to 14, and that probably would have a trickle-down effect on lower-tier conferences. AAC members Memphis, Houston and Central Florida have been mentioned as possible Big 12 additions.

Looking at C-USA contenders for possible realignment

Massaro offered a brief comment Thursday on the topic of realignment.

"We are proud members of Conference USA and work hard every day to improve our standing in C-USA and on a national scale," Massaro said. "As it has been in the past, we are open to any opportunities that conference realignment might cause."

In the letter to Aresco, Massaro gets straight to the point in the first few paragraphs.

“I know conference realignment is a topic that we all hoped would be set aside for a few years,” Massaro wrote. “But with the Big 12 rumblings of expansion, it appears the dominoes may fall soon.

“I will be to the point. If you look at C-USA schools as replacements for American schools who may leave to join the Big 12, you will not find a better fit/candidate than Middle Tennessee State University. No one combines the TV market, with the combined success over the last five years for football and men’s basketball as Middle Tennessee. In fact, the comparisons are not close.”

In the letter, Massaro heavily leverages MTSU's connections to Nashville.

He points out that Murfreesboro is considered part of the Nashville media market, which is the 29th-largest in the nation. MTSU has the sixth-largest TV market in C-USA as part of the Nashville-metro area. AAC teams include markets such as Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Orlando, Cincinnati and Memphis.

“Mike, Murfreesboro is truly part of the booming Nashville metropolitan area,” Massaro wrote. “MTSU has a significant presence in Nashville and its TV market as illustrated by our strong NCAA Tournament game ratings.”

He also pointed out the conference record success in men’s basketball and football as MTSU has won 71 percent of its C-USA football games and 77 percent of its C-USA men’s basketball games.

“I invite you to take a closer look at Middle Tennessee,” Massaro wrote in closing. “No school in Conference USA can bring to the American Athletic Conference the TV market, football success and men’s basketball success like MTSU.

Related Story: 5 Takeaways from MTSU's letter to the American Athletic Conference

“We are built for long-term success, and I assure you we will add to the competitive profile of the AAC. I would also illustrate that MTSU is the strongest women’s basketball program in the conference by a wide margin, so schools like UConn and USF (if they remain in the American) would have tremendous competition.

“I am confident we can enhance the league (College Football Playoff) standings as well as men’s and women’s basketball RPI’s.”

MTSU and other C-USA schools are facing cuts this year following the recent TV deal for football. C-USA revenue will dip from $15.4 million to $2.8 million. That means C-USA schools such as MTSU will receive about $200,000 in TV revenue instead of the $1.1 million they previously received.

MTSU faces drop in C-USA TV revenue

No official plans for realignment have been announced, and it’s a waiting game to see what the Big 12 will do concerning expansion.

Reach Aldo Amato at 615-278-5109 and on Twitter @Aldo_Amato.