Big East officially kicked to the curb in new BCS

[J187Money]

The access sucks, but what will really cement the Big East as a second class citizen is the revenue split. It is going to be damn near impossible to compete with even ACC teams in the near future.

I hear this all of the time, but we didn't "start" with more football money than everyone else. We have 1st class facilities. The hard part is already done. Now it comes down to good coaching and results on the field. I think people far overemphasize the money aspect. There are other things to be concerned with (perception, effect on recruiting, etc)...but I'm not certain that the money means as much as people say it does.

 

[ruskin]

Big East is the Titanic - taking on water as we speak. Connecticut with help from the rest of the Big East should do whatever it takes to harm ESPN. They forgot their roots - being a fledgling newcomer trying to break in with the big boys. Alsmost certainly they got help along the way, but now they have done all they can possible do to harm UConn football. The legislature needs to remember this.

What needs to happen is a high level and preferably confidential meeting between Herbst/Malloy and our DC legislators and ESPN/Disney brass. "Listen you guys have to do SOMETHING to get UConn out of this mess". ESPN has too much infrastructure to bail on Bristol now - including the newest building they're getting state money to build.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The bowl numbers are peanuts compared to the TV contract and the playoff. The Big East should get a decent TV deal and has access to the playoff.

The 7th "BCS" bowl is not as big a problem as it looks. It appears there will be a bunch of at-large spots, and there will also be a committee. If a Big East team finishes in the Top 10-12, it will find spot in a major bowl, even if there are more than 1 Big East team in that situation. What we are really complaining about is the fact that an 8-4 ACC team can play in the Orange, but an 8-4 Big East team is likely out of the major bowls. So be it.

Looking at last year's final BCS standings:

Playoff:

LSU vs. Stanford
Oklahoma State vs. Alabama

(assume Fiesta and Sugar as hosts)

Champions: Arkansas vs. Kansas State
Rose: Oregon vs. Wisconsin
Orange: Clemson vs. Oklahoma
New Bowl: Michigan vs. Virginia Tech
New Bowl: Boise State vs. South Carolina


There are only 2 schools outside the Big East that are even remote candidates for a BCS bowl: Nevada and BYU. No one else is even close. The smart play for the Big East would be to skip the service academies and add both Nevada and BYU. Louisiana Tech and ECU are never getting an at-large to a BCS bowl. CUSA could be the worst conference in the country next year. The MWC will be a shell of its former self and the Sun Belt and MAC are not even trying.

 

[Rumrunner]

A few points are missing.

Perception matters, whether you like it or not. Major league, minor league. Big boys, little boys. They have lumped the Big East with CUSA, MWC, SunBelt...The argument has now become, "the Big East is the best conference of the little 5", instead of "the Big East belongs in the power conference".

And the Big East is currently negotiating how much tv is going to pay to televise a conference that is part of the "little 5". Do you think that that matters?

As far as money? The Rose and Champions will split $80 million. For the Champions, each team in the Big 12 will get $4 million if it is prorated equally (I assume the participants will get more dollars so the $4 million will change) (10 teams, $40 million), SEC teams will get $2.85 million. Even after the conference gets its cut, you still have ticket revenues, sponsorships, etc. to further distribute.

Do you realize that SDSU football revenue is $12 million? Memphis' revenue is $12 million. So is SMU's. Houston's revenue is under $10 million. So this one little game will net 24 teams 25% of current NBE schools' football revenue. Somehow this doesn't seem all that trifling.

The concerted effort to put the Big East into the have not's column has paid off. Remember we were told, the AQ is going away for everyone? I guess they meant what said when they said it, but just not the way that we heard it.

The only thing that makes this palatable is that Susan Herbst is a poli sci person at heart. I am sure that she has her private thoughts about the political dynamics of having the CUSA chairman negotiating the fate of the BE conference with John Swofford. We haven't heard any muss or fuss from UConn's side. Which to me, means that in the end, all this won't matter.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

A few points are missing.

Perception matters, whether you like it or not. Major league, minor league. Big boys, little boys. They have lumped the Big East with CUSA, MWC, SunBelt...The argument has now become, "the Big East is the best conference of the little 5", instead of "the Big East belongs in the power conference".

And the Big East is currently negotiating how much tv is going to pay to televise a conference that is part of the "little 5". Do you think that that matters?

As far as money? The Rose and Champions will split $80 million. For the Champions, each team in the Big 12 will get $4 million if it is prorated equally (I assume the participants will get more dollars so the $4 million will change) (10 teams, $40 million), SEC teams will get $2.85 million. Even after the conference gets its cut, you still have ticket revenues, sponsorships, etc. to further distribute.

Do you realize that SDSU football revenue is $12 million? Memphis' revenue is $12 million. So is SMU's. Houston's revenue is under $10 million. So this one little game will net 24 teams 25% of current NBE schools' football revenue. Somehow this doesn't seem all that trifling.

The concerted effort to put the Big East into the have not's column has paid off. Remember we were told, the AQ is going away for everyone? I guess they meant what said when they said it, but just not the way that we heard it.

The only thing that makes this palatable is that Susan Herbst is a poli sci person at heart. I am sure that she has her private thoughts about the political dynamics of having the CUSA chairman negotiating the fate of the BE conference with John Swofford. We haven't heard any muss or fuss from UConn's side. Which to me, means that in the end, all this won't matter.

Good points. We should just shut the program down.

For those of us living in the real world, this is just the deal we have to live with. It is not terrible, and frankly the Big East earned its way into this situation with some weak BCS performances in the last few years.

It's not like Missouri or Syracuse or Pitt or Northwestern can pitch recruits on their wonderful access to BCS games. None of those teams will ever play in one. UConn has to have a great year and get by Boise, Louisville and maybe Cincinnati. Missouri has to have a great year, somehow win 6 in the SEC, and get by Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Good luck with that. You want to know how Big East schools get the talent they get despite all the instability? Because unless you are starting at Ohio State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and a small handful of other schools, you are never going to play in a major bowl in the ACC or Big 10. In the Big East, your odds are pretty good.

 

[junglehusky]

EDIT -sorry, didn't see the link was already provided by the OP!

(I wonder if we have to worry about independents... ugh...). No minimum requirements, so if all of the BE/CUSA etc. teams are out of the top 25 the highest one still goes. Which could be a positive or a negative.

 

[Rumrunner]

I see your point that certain teams will never play in a bowl game. Or not.

Cordially,

Georgia Tech 2010 Orange Bowl
Wake Forest 2007 Orange Bowl

 

[ZooCougar]

EDIT -sorry, didn't see the link was already provided by the OP!

(I wonder if we have to worry about independents... ugh...). No minimum requirements, so if all of the BE/CUSA etc. teams are out of the top 25 the highest one still goes. Which could be a positive or a negative.

So instead of competing with 11 other teams for one slot, we compete with 4-5 other conferences for one slot. Wow, that's so much better. Waylon is right, this will be really easy sell to recruits. Not.

This is the same as the old system. Just repackaged.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

So instead of competing with 11 other teams for one slot, we compete with 4-5 other conferences for one slot. Wow, that's so much better. Waylon is right, this will be really easy sell to recruits. Not.

This is the same as the old system. Just repackaged.

90% of the teams in CUSA, Sun Belt, MWC and MAC are not even trying. We are pitching recruits that they have to get through Boise, Cincinnati and Louisville, or they can go to some middle of the pack ACC or Big 10 school and try to get past VTech, FSU, Clemson, Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan.

Maybe you have a better solution. Maybe the invitation to the B1G got caught in Herbst's spam filter.

 

[junglehusky]

90% of the teams in CUSA, Sun Belt, MWC and MAC are not even trying.

Fair point. But the essence of your recruiting pitch could be rephrased as "Come play for UConn, the other teams in our conference are not that great!!!" (PP would say probably say "Come to UConn, we play in a conference with competitive balance... with a shot to play in a bowl game that's borderline big time depending on how the networks promote it")

 

[ZooCougar]

Fair point. But the essence of your recruiting pitch could be rephrased as "Come play for UConn, the other teams in our conference are not that great!!!" (PP would say probably say "Come to UConn, we play in a conference with competitive balance... with a shot to play in a bowl game that's borderline big time depending on how the networks promote it")

Exactly. This is the essence of Waylonesque logic. It is also why we should expand to 36 teams and move our games to the Animal Planet Network.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

This is a valid point and maybe some semplance of hope in the absolute mess that conference realignment has been for UCONN.

Within the "big 5" conference there are any number of programs that will languish indefinitely if not into perpetuity. We're talking Indiana, Wash. State, Vandy, etc. and in our region BC and Syracuse could be headed right for that camp. Is a successful UCONN program in a, and let's be frank, crappy Big East, more attractive to a fanbase and recruits than a program that languishes in the other 5 conferences? I think so. At some point you have to be competitive against the competition you face. Getting your ass kicked every year by FSU does nothing to advance your program other than maybe fill your stadium with there visiting fanbase every couple of years (kind of like UCONN's taking over Conte for an annual win at BC in hoops).

We'll see. But, there are some very smug fans that think their meal ticket has been punched, and I think there is a lot more to it than simply being a member of the ACC.

Wow! I am so glad folks didn't put limitations on basketball when the decision was being considered about going "big time". Why not just stay in the Yankee Conference. Better to compete well against the Vermont's & Maine's. What a nuisance it would be to have to compete after the first round of the NCAA. Pursuing a National Championship?? Nonsense, could never happen.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Good points. We should just shut the program down.

For those of us living in the real world, this is just the deal we have to live with. It is not terrible, and frankly the Big East earned its way into this situation with some weak BCS performances in the last few years.

It's not like Missouri or Syracuse or Pitt or Northwestern can pitch recruits on their wonderful access to BCS games. None of those teams will ever play in one. UConn has to have a great year and get by Boise, Louisville and maybe Cincinnati. Missouri has to have a great year, somehow win 6 in the SEC, and get by Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. Good luck with that. You want to know how Big East schools get the talent they get despite all the instability? Because unless you are starting at Ohio State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, and a small handful of other schools, you are never going to play in a major bowl in the ACC or Big 10. In the Big East, your odds are pretty good.

I actually don't disagree with your premise. Hopefully UConn can cash in on this perspective and convince some big time recruits (they can't all fit under the 25 man scholarship limit at the elite progroams) to come to Storrs and find a less crowded way into a big bowl game. West Virginia had that very same scenario almost every season. Good luck to them now with Texas & Oklahome as playing partners.

 

[CL82]

If we can't have a higher ranked team than the rest we don't deserve the spot anyways.

Perhaps, but that's not the point in this perception battle.

 

[J187Money]

Wow! I am so glad folks didn't put limitations on basketball when the decision was being considered about going "big time". Why not just stay in the Yankee Conference. Better to compete well against the Vermont's & Maine's. What a nuisance it would be to have to compete after the first round of the NCAA. Pursuing a National Championship?? Nonsense, could never happen.

I don't think anyone is arguing that we would "rather" be here than in the ACC or B1G. But we are here, and I just don't think it is as big of a disaster as some are saying. Yes we should take every opportunity to get into a better conference. But it isn't the end of the world...

 

[NutmegState]

Yes, the Big East, which is on the verge of securing a deal with access to a BCS Bowl, has officially been kicked to the curb in the new BCS. Got it.

 

[Rumrunner]

On the same terms as the MAC, MWC, CUSA, Sunbelt...I'm glad you get it. I'm also glad that the AQ designation is alive and well for the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Sec and Pac 12, and their access and contract bowls. And that those 12 spots will be filled by the power conferences.

And the 7th access bowl will be filled by a power 5 13th. And revenue earned by the power 5 will be kept by the power 5. So yes, kicked to the curb. You could sugarcoat it, rationalize it, accept it...whatever. But the Big East has been relegated. And this was negotiated by CUSA.

Guess what comes next? Who sits on the BCS revenue committee? You're CORRECT, not the Big East. The little 4 have taken the Big East's AQ and made it the little 5. Now they will take the BE's revenue, too. But, hey, all's right in the world.

So rejoice that the power 5 have thrown the little 5 a bone of having 60 teams for one spot. I'm sure that feeling of joy will be amplified when the power conference schools are cashing their BCS checks of $10 million and the BE teams will be getting their $2 million. But it's more than the BE receives now, so it's all good, right?

But since we can't do anything about it, let's pretend it didn't happen. Now what was I saying?

Yes, the Big East, which is on the verge of securing a deal with access to a BCS Bowl, has officially been kicked to the curb in the new BCS. Got it.

 

[NutmegState]

On the same terms as the MAC, MWC, CUSA, Sunbelt...I'm glad you get it. I'm also glad that the AQ designation is alive and well for the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Sec and Pac 12, and their access and contract bowls. And that those 12 spots will be filled by the power conferences.

And the 7th access bowl will be filled by a power 5 13th. And revenue earned by the power 5 will be kept by the power 5. So yes, kicked to the curb. You could sugarcoat it, rationalize it, accept it...whatever. But the Big East has been relegated. And this was negotiated by CUSA.

Guess what comes next? Who sits on the BCS revenue committee? You're CORRECT, not the Big East. The little 4 have taken the Big East's AQ and made it the little 5. Now they will take the BE's revenue, too. But, hey, all's right in the world.

So rejoice that the power 5 have thrown the little 5 a bone of having 60 teams for one spot. I'm sure that feeling of joy will be amplified when the power conference schools are cashing their BCS checks of $10 million and the BE teams will be getting their $2 million. But it's more than the BE receives now, so it's all good, right?

But since we can't do anything about it, let's pretend it didn't happen. Now what was I saying?

Why are you making yourself sick over this? Can anything you do or say change things? Stop wringing your hands. Loosen the collar and relax. It is what it is now, Aresco is doing the best he can with a bad situation. We have access. The Big East, 9 or more times out of 10, will have the highest ranked champion of the remaining conferences. It's our spot. If our champ isn't ranked higher than the CUSA or MWC Champ, we don't deserve the spot anyway. You're being a drama queen.

 

[uconnfan68]

Wow! I am so glad folks didn't put limitations on basketball when the decision was being considered about going "big time". Why not just stay in the Yankee Conference. Better to compete well against the Vermont's & Maine's. What a nuisance it would be to have to compete after the first round of the NCAA. Pursuing a National Championship?? Nonsense, could never happen.

Apples and oranges. No one wants to be in the smaller ponds, but you can't invite yourselves unless you're ND.

 

[rich1122]

Think about it. Do we deserve to get any better. We lost to W. Michigan.

If we begin to consistently beat the Michigan's and the SEC teams etc. well then it will get better.

Be realistic here. We are who are our record says we are.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

Think about it. Do we deserve to get any better. We lost to W. Michigan.

If we begin to consistently beat the Michigan's and the SEC teams etc. well then it will get better.

Be realistic here. We are who are our record says we are.

So's Duke, Indiana, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Kentucky, and more. If they are what they're record normally says they are, they'd be in the CAA. UConn very definitely needed to beat Western Michigan . . . . and NCState for sure. These games are crucial for perception. But a second tier conference does not as a rule attract first tier athletes . . . an important ingrediant in beating these better programs.