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Aresco touts American power as playoff era begins

By WTOP Staff

RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Commissioner Mike Aresco took to the podium at media day for the American Athletic Conference and talked about power.

“We all hear a lot about Power 5 conferences, the Equity 5, the High Resource 5, the Group of 5, the Autonomy 5, whatever you choose to call them, and we consider ourselves a power conference as well,” Aresco said Tuesday. “We’re not going to take a backseat to anyone. We see the landscape as five plus one and we’re knocking on the door. Our goal is to be in the conversation as the sixth power conference. I believe by virtue of our performance that we already are.”

Bold talk, indeed, from the man in charge of the former Big East, but this is definitely the time to boast.

In the American’s first season, the re-invented league won national championships in men’s and women’s basketball (Connecticut) and had its football champion (Central Florida) win a BCS game.

The end of the Bowl Championship Series also meant the end of automatic entry for the American into the biggest and most-lucrative bowl games. In the new College Football Playoff, the Big 12, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Southeastern Conference and Pac-12 — aka the Big 5 or Power 5 — have assured themselves spots in the six high-profile New Year’s bowls. The American has not such guarantee.

Conceivably, an AAC team could play its way into the semifinals. If not, the American gets lumped in with the Mountain West, Sun Belt, Mid-American and Conference USA. Only the best team, as chosen by the playoff selection committee, from those five conferences is guaranteed a spot in those six bowls.

The American, which adds East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa this season, has a couple teams that seem well positioned to make a run at that spot. UCF is replacing star quarterback Blake Bortles, but brings back much of the team that went 12-1 and beat Baylor 52-42 in the postseason.

The Knights are picked second in the American this year behind Cincinnati, and play a loaded nonconference schedule that includes Penn State in Dublin, Ireland, at Missouri and BYU.

Cincinnati (9-4 last season) has 16 starters back and former five-star recruit Gunner Kiel likely taking over at quarterback. The Bearcats also play at Ohio State and Miami.

“I think if you want to talk about playoffs, then the people that talk better play people,” UCF coach George O’Leary said. “Nonconference schedule needs to indicate what’s going on. I don’t buy the power stuff. We’re going to give cost of attendance. We’re going to give the kids money to eat. How much can you eat? Everything that they’re doing we’re doing.”

Aresco said the American does not fear the power-grab being made by the wealthiest conferences in the NCAA’s current attempt to restructure. He said his conference supports a plan to allow the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Pac-12 and SEC a certain level of autonomy when it comes to making NCAA rules.

“Although we would prefer to be in the autonomy group, we should not feel threatened by a certain level of autonomy for those conferences with significant resources who want to do more for their student-athletes,” he said. “This system would not be necessary if those conferences did not worry that lesser resource conferences might frustrate their efforts to do more for their student-athletes. We, too, as a conference have resources and visibility. We share the same goals and eventually we want to be in that same autonomous group in that same room.”

Aresco said as long as scholarship limits and transfer rules are still controlled by all FBS members, the American has the ability to compete with the Big Five.

The American’s resources, however, fall far short of what the Big Five conferences have at their disposal. Those leagues have billion dollar TV contracts that help provide $20-plus million annual payouts to members.

The American’s TV deal with ESPN is worth $126 million over seven years.

Still, Aresco wants to make the case the American is closer to the ACC than the MWC as the playoff era begins.

“We do not accept the notion that we’re not a power conference or this ‘have not’ tag that some people use,” he said. “We have resources. We have enormous potential. Make no mistake. We’ll remain an integral part of the FBS college football fabric. We’ll always have naysayers. We have far fewer now than before. It’s our job now to prove them wrong as we did last year, as UCF did in the Fiesta Bowl, as we did in the basketball championships with UConn.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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