Like the pimple-faced nerd asking the prom queen out on a date, there are certain scenarios in life where rejection is inevitable.

East Carolina is likely dealing with one of those situations at this very moment, but if one thing is for certain, it’s the fact that they’re at least trying.

“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” Was that Wayne Gretzky or Michael Scott? Whoever it was, it’s beside the point.

The fact of the matter is that almost every American Athletic Conference is drooling over the Big 12 and its plans for expansion. It’s almost becoming comical how persistent AAC teams have been during this whole process.

ECU itself released an official statement, sent shameless tweets the Big 12 and has done just about everything outside of a pledging to name its first born child after the conference’s commissioner Bob Bowlsby. I don’t blame it. Good for trying.

There will be either two or four spots open in the Big 12. Dollar signs point to four being the more likely scenario. Brigham Young is looked at as a near lock to claim one of the spots, Boise State and Colorado State will likely try to stake a claim out of the Mountain West. From there, the Big 12 will likely tab at least one team from the AAC to join its ranks. ECU considers itself in the mix, but the competition is stiff. Houston, Cincinnati, Memphis, Central Florida and Connecticut all arguably make more sense than the Pirates’ beloved program.

You can almost feel the heavy panting on the back of your neck from the aforementioned schools. It seems like those schools are having no problem putting the AAC on the backburner while they gaze longingly at the Bowlsby and the Big 12.

Imagne how that feels from the AAC’s perspective. Ouch.

But can you blame them? They’re seeing green and rightfully so. The schools that join would in theory make $20 million per season because of the conference’s television contract with ESPN and Fox, as reported by the Sports Business Journal.

That’s a lot of dough that would be funneled right into the athletic department’s pocket. For ECU, it could help cover the cost of Dowdy-Ficklen’s expansion. Or it could add on to training facilities. The possibilities really are limitless in today’s landscape of college football.

The bottom line is that money drives everything. It’s driving the schools vying for a Big 12 seed and it’s driving the conference as the search for new members rages on.

ECU Athletic director Jeff Compher is probably already drawing up theoretical plans, highlighting just how he would spend the $20 million or so. Whether or not he’ll ever get to that point remains to be seen, but all sensible logic points to Compher and ECU ending up on the outside looking in once the dust settles.

And just like our pimple-faced nerd, imagining holding hands with the prom queen and getting a kiss on the cheek, ECU’s chances of fulfilling its fantasy seem like a long shot at best.

The Greenville market isn’t big enough to warrant the gigantic contract that ESPN and Fox gave the Big 12. There’s a lot of competition in the state of North Carolina when it comes to college athletics. That’s not to say ECU is a small market, but it’s simply stuck in the shadow of its statewide partners.

Pirate fans are just as passionate as any in the country, but the conditions don’t seem very fitting for their cherished university. And then when you look at the field of competitors jockeying for position in the eyes of the Big 12, the case for ECU becomes even harder to pitch.

Houston is a ripe market and makes geographical sense. It is also one of the hottest programs in the country right now, led by one of the best up-and-coming head coaches. It looks good right now for the Cougars.

Cincinnati and UConn both can make a strong case given their past in the former Big East. Both fared well while Power-5 teams and both are maintaining stability on the gridiron. But, once again, it’s the market that drives these two schools.

The common theme remains: it’s all about the money.

ECU has a lot to offer a new conference. Ultimately, that’s why it was tabbed to join the AAC three years ago. It has a world-class medical campus, a big football stadium, a large donor pool and an even bigger student body.

Like the prom queen, though, Bowlsby and the Big 12 have no desire to look at a school’s personality.

But don’t sleep on the Pirates just yet. After all, the pimple-faced nerd isn’t stuck in high school his whole life, just like ECU likely won’t be stuck in the Group of Five its whole life. But now just might not be the time.