American Athletic Conference Trying to Make Conference Scheduling Easier

As the "new" Big East still searches for a commissioner ... and a new building in New York City ... and, well, a staff, the American Athletic Conference is busy putting together its league schedule and preparing for the switch-over on July 1.

The American's staff likely will remain most if not all of the people who worked at the Big East, including commissioner Mike Aresco. The league is currently working on its conference schedule, and it is trying as hard as possible to make it so that teams travel to play in two-or-three-city "pods." In other words, when UConn travels to play SMU in Dallas, it also plays at Houston a few nights later. Or when it goes to Tampa to play South Florida, it makes the trip up I-4 soon after to play UCF.

Likewise, when teams travel to play UConn, they also get Rutgers and Temple within the same timeframe. Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis would likely be a "pod" as well.

Logistically, it might be hard to make it all work. However, it will be a lot easier with just 10 teams in the conference, as opposed to 16. The league hopes to have its in-conference schedule finalized over the next couple of weeks.

Elsewhere, in news that no one except media members care about: the American's football media day will likely be in Newport, R.I. (where the Big East has held its media day in recent years).

The men's basketball media day will likely be held in Memphis (site of the conference tourney, as well), most likely on Oct. 16. And it appears the women's basketball media day will be held at Mohegan Sun (likewise, the same site as its conference tourney).