How would you rank the kick we will receive soon?

[IMind]

I've always thought the most over looked event that hurt UConn football was when the two Texas schools and the two OK schools did not go to the PAC-12. I'm not sure where UConn ends up, but I think it's in a P5. Instead the PAC-12 balks, ESPN jumps in with the LHN, and Beebe gets roses.

 

[SAMCRO]

RDX, it absorbs and disperses the kick to reduce the impact.... absorb and disperse, absorb.......disperse.

 

[RayIsTheGOAT]

My right nut still tingles from L'Ville to ACC in 2012.
I think death is the only option if Big 12/10 takes Cinci/BYU over us.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Taking timing out of the equation (so, removing the whole "last life boat" as a criteria), for me it would be:
1) SyraPitt to the ACC...what ? Two teams we had been beating in FB and BB on the regular; UConn was fresh off of winning a Men's BB NC, Women's BB had won 2 NC's and reached the FF in the last 3 seasons, and Football had just won the BE and went to a BCS bowl. UConn sports were at their pinnacle. Mind boggling really. More so than every other move that happened there-after... Friggin Hathaway.
2) UL to the ACC... the fact the ACC reversed course on their "like-minded academic institutions" criteria was mind blowing. But, UConn FB was sinking fast under PPGDL and ACC was looking for a FB school (who also was very good in hoops) to appease southern schools. Seeing this was a power play between Tobacco Road and FSU/Clemson... it still sucked, but I was less surprised given the landscape.
3) RU to the B1G. Wasn't too surprised given their proximity to NYC, AAU, and they'd been working on this for a very long time. Still laughable when you factor in every meaningful metric not related to # of cable subscribers and AAU.
4) BC/VT/UM - meh, we were just upgrading FB so not a real shocker here.
5) WVU and TCU to the B12 - good for them.

If we add in the "last life boat" criteria, if the B12 expands and we are not a part of it, then that would be #1!

UL to the ACC, was Tom Jurich taking 20 years of experience in all this mess, on looking in from teh outside, and then being on the inside, and then on the outside, and the inside.......

and seeing a window of opportunity and exploiting it, while UCONN was in the midst of a major administration change with Susan Herbst realizing that the financial backbone of the school had been in neglect for a long long time, and Warde Manuel being 'puzzled' about how and why schools were moving around the way the were between 2010-2012.

I'd like to think that Susan and Warde, have condensed the 20 years of learning, experience, and connections and relationship building, that Jurich gained, into 4 years, and will be in position to exploit any window of opportunity equally as well, should they open up.

West Virginia to the big 12, was essentially Oliver Luck - doing the same thing.

When you get right down to it, all of the actions and motion, and our failure to be anywhere but where we are now - is about personal relationships and nothing more.

 

[hexlub]

I'd put it below your #1 and #3. I would actually put #2 below those as well because I got it. This would be below Pitt and Cuse only because the idea is so far out there that it would probably be eclipsed only by a Pac 12 invite.

It would suck, but I guess I'm so programmed to think it won't happen that it won't really bother me UNLESS someone like UMass or Temple is chosen in front of us. At that point I start screaming.

 

[gioff23]

IMO, Pitt/Cuse was the worst of the 5. The original plan at the time was to invite UConn/Cuse. It was then revealed that there were factions in the ACC who wanted nothing to do with us, ever.

The Ville move, IMO, was very different than the former, in that the votes were against us and had been. I've never bought in to the narrative that we were next and Jurich leapfrogged us. There are factions in the ACC who will never forgive for the lawsuit.

The ACC could come back at some point, but I find it highly unlikely despite the fit.

And all this hand wringing over the B12 is odd to me. We have been near unanimous that we are lining up for a potential BIG invite. I get that the B12 might be the best we can hope for today, but I would not rank it in top 3. I get that the B12 is the AAC w/a better paint job (although it lacks a Florida school), but I'd think UConn would find only a temporary reprieve in a conference overshadowed by 2 schools that seem to be pining to play elsewhere.

 

[Waquoit]

I was playing tennis when my partner made a lob that was way short, no warning. The guy on the other side pounded it directly off my left nut. I went straight down, in agony, couldn't talk, in front of a bunch of people. Some were laughing so hard they were tearing up. This would be worse.

 

[amory]

And all this hand wringing over the B12 is odd to me. We have been near unanimous that we are lining up for a potential BIG invite. I get that the B12 might be the best we can hope for today, but I would not rank it in top 3. I get that the B12 is the AAC w/a better paint job (although it lacks a Florida school), but I'd think UConn would find only a temporary reprieve in a conference overshadowed by 2 schools that seem to be pining to play elsewhere.

the big 12 is the AAC with a better paint job? oh wait it's not even that because it doesn't have a florida school...?

jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus christ.

never mind that we'd instantly recruit better, bring in a ton more money (not to mention exposure), drastically increase our attendance, and actually have a seat at the table in the P5. all of this helps us to get somewhere else if/when the Big 12 isn't around anymore.

think of them as a passing cruise ship which may be graciously picking our dehydrated ass up from our desert island. delicious refreshments will be served on this cruise ship. this cruise ship has a gym where we can work out and get ourselves back in fighting shape. Maybe we can't stay forever, but they'll help deliver us to where we ultimately want to go.

The Big 12 may not be the B1G, but it's infinitely better than the AAC.

 

[Chuck]

IMO, Pitt/Cuse was the worst of the 5. The original plan at the time was to invite UConn/Cuse. It was then revealed that there were factions in the ACC who wanted nothing to do with us, ever.

The Ville move, IMO, was very different than the former, in that the votes were against us and had been. I've never bought in to the narrative that we were next and Jurich leapfrogged us. There are factions in the ACC who will never forgive for the lawsuit.

The ACC could come back at some point, but I find it highly unlikely despite the fit.

And all this hand wringing over the B12 is odd to me. We have been near unanimous that we are lining up for a potential BIG invite. I get that the B12 might be the best we can hope for today, but I would not rank it in top 3. I get that the B12 is the AAC w/a better paint job (although it lacks a Florida school), but I'd think UConn would find only a temporary reprieve in a conference overshadowed by 2 schools that seem to be pining to play elsewhere.

It may be temporary, but temporary could be 20 years. I think UConn is learning what college grads have to know. Aggressively pursue a job and don't assume it will be your last one. If you happen to find a job that lasts a lifetime so be it. I think we played it to cool with the ACC. "We're a member of the Big East. We'd be happy to talk to you if you are interested, but we'll let you make the first call." That allowed the schools that didn't like us dictate our story.

It buys UConn time for the next realignment shift, puts us in a grouping that will have a leg up in that next shift, increases revenues tremendously (no matter our deal), and helps with recruiting in all sports compared to the AAC. There will be challenges compared to going to the ACC or B1G, but not a single challenge over the AAC (geography, competition, perception, revenue...).

 

[John Greene]

I say we take in Army so that we can claim the Army /Navy game for the AAC .
We got the bright lights and the big cities.
We got Disney and Maudi Gras; Broadway and Elvis; the Seventh Fleet and the ghost of Sam Houston.
We need to add Generals Grant and Patton to our team.
America's league
All those clowns got are cornfields and cornballs.
We just need to win, baby, and the country is ours.
Go AAC.

A classic case of Stockholm Syndrome! Is there anyone on the BY who can help this poor tormented mind?

 

[upstater]

If Texas wanted expansion, it would have already happened.

 

[UCFBfan]

We talking where would it rank if the Big 12 takes two otehr schools not named UConn or if they take no one and stick with 10? If they take 2 others look out, we're in deep crap. Especially seeing how one is almost surely Cincy they are taking. The AAC is going to be worse then it looks now in terms of basketball. If they stick to 10 it doesn't it rank on my worst CR moments. In actuality, it might help UConn.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If Texas wanted expansion, it would have already happened.

You could say that about every conference.

 

[junglehusky]

We talking where would it rank if the Big 12 takes two otehr schools not named UConn or if they take no one and stick with 10? If they take 2 others look out, we're in deep crap. Especially seeing how one is almost surely Cincy they are taking. The AAC is going to be worse then it looks now in terms of basketball. If they stick to 10 it doesn't it rank on my worst CR moments. In actuality, it might help UConn.

Agree with the last part.

Again, what we know - OU and WVU are pro-expansion. Maybe Kansas or Kansas State, but with about 7 schools remaining, that's a whole lot of unknowns. I don't feel particularly confident yet. When the ACC expanded we had a few pro-UConn votes, the Carolina schools. Then there was a late emerging coalition to put football and geographic interests above basketball interests. The cherry on top of the * sundae was BC/Pitt/Cuse faction either not enamored of having another regional rival in their conference or being outright anti-UConn. A similar situation could happen if the Texas schools decide they'd rather be in Florida than the northeast.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I say we take in Army so that we can claim the Army /Navy game for the AAC .
We got the bright lights and the big cities.
We got Disney and Maudi Gras; Broadway and Elvis; the Seventh Fleet and the ghost of Sam Houston.
We need to add Generals Grant and Patton to our team.
America's league
All those clowns got are cornfields and cornballs.
We just need to win, baby, and the country is ours.
Go AAC.

I just threw up in my mouth.

 

[Pudge]

If we get this close to THE last life raft, only to see it drift away, where would you rank it?

My rank:

1) Louisville over UConn for last ACC spot. Jurich buys hookers and coke for ACC Presidents while Warde chills by the pool in the Bahamas. The ACC takes a community college over us.

2) Rutgers to Big 10. 50 years from now, there will be threads on message boards asking how the hell Rutgers ended up in the Big 10.

3) Pitt and Syracuse to ACC - How did we lose to these two? This is roughly the equivalent of your wife leaving you to be in a platonic relationship with a gay man.

4) Miami, VTech and BCU 2004 - It hurt at first, but we actually ended up better off without them.

5) TCU to Big 12 - It didn't really impact UConn much, and the only aspect of it that really mattered is that yet another mediocre athletic program got picked by a P5 league instead of UConn.

This one may end up being #1.

Classic NEW ENGLAND Curmodgeon - I rank Nelson Muntz relatively high. That's a personality you don't see outside many area codes. The Joe Bfstylifvik - cloud always over his head pessimism. LOOK at the Bright Side of Life Nelson baby.

 

[junglehusky]

Classic NEW ENGLAND Curmodgeon - I rank Nelson Muntz relatively high. That's a personality you don't see outside many area codes. The Joe Bfstylifvik - cloud always over his head pessimism. LOOK at the Bright Side of Life Nelson baby.

More like neurotic outer borough NYC resident who lived through the "Ford To City: Drop Dead!" era.

 

[gioff23]

the big 12 is the AAC with a better paint job? oh wait it's not even that because it doesn't have a florida school...?

jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus christ.

never mind that we'd instantly recruit better, bring in a ton more money (not to mention exposure), drastically increase our attendance, and actually have a seat at the table in the P5. all of this helps us to get somewhere else if/when the Big 12 isn't around anymore.

think of them as a passing cruise ship which may be graciously picking our dehydrated ass up from our desert island. delicious refreshments will be served on this cruise ship. this cruise ship has a gym where we can work out and get ourselves back in fighting shape. Maybe we can't stay forever, but they'll help deliver us to where we ultimately want to go.

The Big 12 may not be the B1G, but it's infinitely better than the AAC.

Ok, sorry, I missed that nuance. I see now that after a decade of being passed over by P5 conferences that if we get to the B12 that helps us get to the BIG. We'd go from no offers to 2, over night! I never thought if it that way - we can just tell the bartender on the ship while he is mixing us a nice drink to make it a small because we are actually waiting for a prettier cruise ship to pass by. That while we are grateful for their saving us, we really didn't want them to save us. And, all of this because we learned that when we had a seat in the P6, we were a much more attractive candidate.

You see the B12 as a cruise ship that will save us from desertion. I see it as an illusion. I've said countless times that the B12 is wholly dependent on both Bevo and Boomer Sooner sticking around - knowing all the while, both are looking around. We'd be a horrible fit in the B12 on almost any basis, other than it'd offer them the opportunity to get NY exposure, it'd be a return to Swofford for him outmaneuvering them for Ville, and it'd bring money in to our program, which we desperately need. And I don't see how aligning with the B12 for a few years will help us get to our ultimate destination.

I look at every step this administration has taken to position us for the BIG first and ACC 2d. I see no reason to throw that to the wind so we can align with B12. I simply see all of this pub as a smart administration trying to garner the attention of its desired suitor - you might want to move before we take the move away from you.

Oh, and my comment was that getting passed by the B12 would not be the biggest kick in the nuts if we were passed by the B12 (hence, the thread title). Yes, it would sting, a lot.

 

[Kolumbo]

 

[amory]

Ok, sorry, I missed that nuance. I see now that after a decade of being passed over by P5 conferences that if we get to the B12 that helps us get to the BIG. We'd go from no offers to 2, over night! I never thought if it that way - we can just tell the bartender on the ship while he is mixing us a nice drink to make it a small because we are actually waiting for a prettier cruise ship to pass by. That while we are grateful for their saving us, we really didn't want them to save us. And, all of this because we learned that when we had a seat in the P6, we were a much more attractive candidate.

You see the B12 as a cruise ship that will save us from desertion. I see it as an illusion. I've said countless times that the B12 is wholly dependent on both Bevo and Boomer Sooner sticking around - knowing all the while, both are looking around. We'd be a horrible fit in the B12 on almost any basis, other than it'd offer them the opportunity to get NY exposure, it'd be a return to Swofford for him outmaneuvering them for Ville, and it'd bring money in to our program, which we desperately need. And I don't see how aligning with the B12 for a few years will help us get to our ultimate destination.

I look at every step this administration has taken to position us for the BIG first and ACC 2d. I see no reason to throw that to the wind so we can align with B12. I simply see all of this pub as a smart administration trying to garner the attention of its desired suitor - you might want to move before we take the move away from you.

Oh, and my comment was that getting passed by the B12 would not be the biggest kick in the nuts if we were passed by the B12 (hence, the thread title). Yes, it would sting, a lot.

Can you explain why we're any worse of a "fit" in the Big 12 than we are in the American, when in our present position we already travel to Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida on a regular basis? We're in a spread out conference as it is, the difference is right now we're barely getting paid for it.

And it's not just that we'd be bringing in more money. It's actually more about how being in the P5 would improve our recruiting and football attendance. The B1G and ACC need to see that we can compete and fill a stadium when we're given a fair chance and exciting opponents. I like what Diaco's doing. If we get to the Big 12, maybe he'll stick around a little longer than the day he gets his first offer somewhere else.

I agree with you that the Big 12 isn't exactly stable, and someday it will crumble the way the Big East did. But if we have to wait out an invite somewhere, why wouldn't we do it there?

There are no conceivable scenarios where we turn them down if we're invited. Zero. We're not in a position to play games.

 

[Nostical]

When Louisville was chosen UCONN was in the midst of a major administration change with Susan Herbst and Warde Manuel. I'd like to think that Susan and Warde, have condensed the 20 years of learning, experience, connections and relationship building (that Jurich had) into 4 years, and will be in position to exploit any window of opportunity should it open up.

This is our best reality. As Donald Trump says, its all about competent and talented leaders in charge. Had Susan and Warde been in place in 2004 is there any doubt where we'd be right now? Endowment would be soaring, football growing, AAU more likely. In short we'd be living large in a P-5 world.

 

[dwalks93]

Ok none of us actually know what UCONN's status is with the Big10 but if there is not a firm deal in place UCONN must take the B12 offer.

UCONN athletics are hemorrhaging money. Our athletics are operating at a major loss and UCONN cannot sustain this model indefinitely. If UCONN is not in a P5 program it will eventually be less competitive against other P5 programs. If you ask a girl to marry you ten years from now and in that time she gets fat and ugly you don't go through with the marriage. If the ACC and Big10 aren't at the alter now then UCONN needs to say "I do" to the first P5 suitor while we are still beautiful.

The new arms race is around TV access and facilities. Big time athletes want to play in big games and the AAC does not offer enough exposure. Moreover, eventually UCONN will not able to match facilities with P5 schools who are taking in $20 million plus for conference affiliation. UCONN will not be able to match coaching salaries and fan interest will wan if UCONN's success on the court and field decline

Even if the B12 implodes in 5 years UCONN would be better off in it now. We can gain nationwide coverage and continue to improve our nationwide brand.

The ACC tried to drown UCONN by not selecting us...at a minimum a Big12 invite allows us to keep breathing and plan for the future...now UCONN just needs an invitation.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Have you ever seen those Captain Obvious commercials? I'm imagining you look like that guy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Ok, sorry, I missed that nuance. I see now that after a decade of being passed over by P5 conferences that if we get to the B12 that helps us get to the BIG. We'd go from no offers to 2, over night! I never thought if it that way - we can just tell the bartender on the ship while he is mixing us a nice drink to make it a small because we are actually waiting for a prettier cruise ship to pass by. That while we are grateful for their saving us, we really didn't want them to save us. And, all of this because we learned that when we had a seat in the P6, we were a much more attractive candidate.

You see the B12 as a cruise ship that will save us from desertion. I see it as an illusion. I've said countless times that the B12 is wholly dependent on both Bevo and Boomer Sooner sticking around - knowing all the while, both are looking around. We'd be a horrible fit in the B12 on almost any basis, other than it'd offer them the opportunity to get NY exposure, it'd be a return to Swofford for him outmaneuvering them for Ville, and it'd bring money in to our program, which we desperately need. And I don't see how aligning with the B12 for a few years will help us get to our ultimate destination.

I look at every step this administration has taken to position us for the BIG first and ACC 2d. I see no reason to throw that to the wind so we can align with B12. I simply see all of this pub as a smart administration trying to garner the attention of its desired suitor - you might want to move before we take the move away from you.

Oh, and my comment was that getting passed by the B12 would not be the biggest kick in the nuts if we were passed by the B12 (hence, the thread title). Yes, it would sting, a lot.

The P5 is first and foremost, a club. This is not the English Premier League. There is no relegation, or we'd already be there. It's a bunch of people in a club who realize that people who are in the club make way more money than people not in the club. Therefore, their primary motivation is (a) stay in the club and (b) keep everybody else out of the club. Every great once in a while, some group in the club decides that certain people outside the club may benefit them and they are invited. So far that tally really stands at two. Rutgers and Louisville (I'm not counting TCU because they, like SMU and Houston were once in the club and were kicked out).

Once you are in the club, you are thereafter in the club, and perception of you is immediately enhanced in the eyes of everyone else in the club. This is our situation. You do not turn down any invite to the club. You burn to the ground anybody and anything required to gain admission to the club. You don't sit around waiting for someone you like better to invite you. You go. If you have to ditch your date later...then you do that. It's much easier once you are in.

 

[gioff23]

I'll try and clarify, because I think the differences here are extremely narrow

do I want to stay in the AAC? God no
Is B12 better than AAC? God yes
Would I rather watch us win in AAC or lose in B12? The latter
Does B12 make us prettier to BIG? I just don't see it. It wouldn't be the first time I was wrong, I just think we are on B12's and BIG's radar already and that won't change because we are in the cartel. my concern would be that joining B12 might actually make us less attractive.
in the end, if B12 calls, we have to take it (assuming we first call big Jim and ask him if he'd reconsider), put on a pair of frigging boots, and say yee-haw