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Wichita State may move to American Athletic Conference

By Brad Berreman

Mar 5, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall looks on as his team plays the Illinois State Redbirds during the first half of the Championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Wichita State won 71-51. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; St. Louis, MO, USA; Wichita State Shockers head coach Gregg Marshall looks on as his team plays the Illinois State Redbirds during the first half of the Championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center. Wichita State won 71-51. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports /
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Wichita State has become an NCAA Tournament regular, so a move to a larger conference could be coming.

The Wichita State Shockers have now made six straight NCAA Tournaments, including a Final Four run in 2013 and an undefeated regular season the following year. Head coach Gregg Marshall is an annual candidate to move on to a job at a bigger school, and with current openings at Indiana, Washington, Cal and LSU speculation is ramping up again.

Quite frankly, the competition in the Missouri Valley Conference is not much of a challenge for Wichita State at this point. A 68-4 conference record over the last four seasons proves it, and that perceived low level of competition has led to them being an inexplicable No 10 seed against No. 7 seed Dayton for Friday night’s first-round game in the Big Dance. As of right now, despite being the lower seed, the Shockers are a seven-point favorite in that game.

Wichita State has made Marshall one of the highest paid coaches in the country, with an annual salary of $3.3 million. But to gain more national acknowledgement and respect, especially come Selection Sunday each year, a move to a bigger conference has to be on the radar.

According to Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, it’s a distinct possibility that Wichita State tries to joining a higher profile conference in the near future. The American Athletic Conference (AAC) was specifically mentioned by Thamel’s sources, and with 12 football members and 11 basketball members adding a non-football school makes sense. Thamel also points to Conference USA, the Mountain West and the MAC as conferences on Wichita State’s radar for a move if the school decides to add football.

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As with most everything in college sports, and sports in general, it makes sense to follow the money trail here. The AAC’s television contract expires in 2020, so adding Wichita State and their recent credibility would add a high-profile member while sweetening that potential revenue pot.