Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[huskeynut]

Title change again... Big 12 Won't Expand, UConn's Power Five Dreams On Hold; Herbst Says She's Not Surprised

>>Benedict was asked if he was upset that ESPN, a Bristol-based corporation that gets tax breaks from the state of Connecticut, might have played a role in the Big 12's efforts to nix expansion, which would have cost the network more money.

"Not truly understanding all the ins and outs of their contracts and their conference relationships, it would be hard for me to comment on whether it was good idea or bad idea," Benedict said. "ESPN is a partner in our [American] league. I think ESPN has done an amazing job helping college athletics.

"I would say I am very interested in having a dialogue with ESPN now that this is over and talking about how we can partner with them. We are the state flagship university. They reside in the state of Connecticut. I think we should have a relationship like many other universities do with big corporate partners do in their states. I look forward to those conversations.<<

Good for Benedict. ESPN has some explaining to do. And I hope Hartford puts some serious pressure on ESPN.

 

[TRest]

Time for Jeff to uphold his promise(or was it a resolution) to use the power of the pen to apply the needed pressure on ESPN and whoever the hell else he can to get answers and help to make this happen. Blowhard article a year ago and then. Nothing from him.

I heard him on the radio with Joe D. He has some point about ESPN shafting us in a way, but cannot articulate it to save his life.

 

[noeynox]

I heard him on the radio with Joe D. He has some point about ESPN shafting us in a way, but cannot articulate it to save his life.

What exactly did he say, I don't get impression he as comfortable in front of the mic as Warde was for sure. His voice almost quivers at times.

 

[TRest]

What exactly did he say, I don't get impression he as comfortable in front of the mic as Warde was for sure. His voice almost quivers at times.

I literally couldn't tell you, other than the UConn fans have a right to be mad about ESPN's actions in conference realignment. He does stutter and search for words, almost like he had a stroke.

 

[huskymedic]

I heard him on the radio with Joe D. He has some point about ESPN shafting us in a way, but cannot articulate it to save his life.

What exactly did he say, I don't get impression he as comfortable in front of the mic as Warde was for sure. His voice almost quivers at times.

He's talking about Jacobs I believe - not Benedict.

 

[JMick]

Anyone have a source?

 

[jostar1]

The Big 12 owes a lot of people an apology
The league made a mockery of conference expansion
By Stewart Mandel Oct 17, 2016 at 7:35p ET

Conference realignment’s strangest saga yet came to an anticlimactic end Monday in Dallas. For that, the Big 12 owes a whole lot of people an apology.

It should apologize to the leaders at BYU, Houston and Cincinnati for dangling a coveted Power 5 golden ticket and inspiring them to publicly grovel for it. It should apologize to fans of Connecticut, UCF, USF and Colorado State for giving them months of false hope. It should apologize to administrators at SMU, Tulane, Air Force and Rice for putting time and effort into delivering needless presentations last month for invitations the league surely knew were never coming.

And it should apologize to American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco for treating it as a farm league team where the star players could get called up at any moment.

The Big 12 was never under any obligation to expand, so it’s not like it made a right or wrong call Monday when it “unanimously” elected to remain at 10 members. But imagine being a supporter of one of the supposed finalists when board chairman David Boren said at a press conference Monday that he and his colleagues did not even discuss individual candidates at their meeting.

The weakest of the Power 5 conferences spent the past 18 months standing in judgment of all those purportedly inferior programs. The 10-team league hadn’t added new members since 2012 because it didn’t think any of the available candidates were attractive enough. And after compelling presidents and ADs of those schools to desperately court its favor, the conference came to the conclusion that … nope, still not good enough.

More at:
The Big 12 owes a lot of people an apology

 

[huskymedic]

Anyone have a source?

pg 58 - first document (Response to Big12 Due Diligence). Big 12 Records | University of Connecticut

 

[JMick]

pg 58 - first document (Response to Big12 Due Diligence). Big 12 Records | University of Connecticut

thanks

 

[noeynox]

He's talking about Jacobs I believe - not Benedict.

Ahhh

 

[TRest]

Ahhh

Yep

 

[huskymedic]

Austin American Statesmen: Big 12 expansion reactions range from disappointed to 'pissed off' | Hookem.com

>>UConn went the extra mile on Monday and released all of the school’s presentation materials. It was a move designed for Huskies fans who probably would like to know how much work went into this. Other schools were considering whether to release their pitch materials, but one source said, “What’s the point now?”<<

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

"what's the point now?" after Uconn's presentaton materials completely trumped ours in every way.

The reality for the other expansion schools is that the B12 was their only hope. UConn actually fits academically, culturally and athletically in the B10 and ACC. Not that they are getting into either of those conferences, but at least they fit if either ever expands again.

 

[upstater]

"what's the point now?" after Uconn's presentaton materials completely trumped ours in every way.

The reality for the other expansion schools is that the B12 was their only hope. UConn actually fits academically, culturally and athletically in the B10 and ACC. Not that they are getting into either of those conferences, but at least they fit if either ever expands again.

I wish this were true. Unfortunately, UConn will be competing against Cincy and Houston for entry into the ACC, should ND ever join. Worse, if it happens in several years, you might even add West Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State into the competition.

 

[noeynox]

If nothing else fawk that Texas Governor and lieutenant governor.

 

[jostar1]

Brian Davis ‏@BDavisAAS · 3h3 hours ago
Here’s a full look at UConn’s pitch materials to the Big 12 and the school’s statements after today’s news. Big 12 Records | University of Connecticut …

 

[junglehusky]

I noticed this in the Athletics viewbook...

 

[jostar1]

Jarom Jordan‏@jaromjordan
BYU releases the following statement.

 

[huskymedic]

Thamel: As expansion charade finally ends, where does Big 12 go from here?

Within:

Where do schools go from here? (BYU, Houston Cincy, USF/UCF discussed)

>>UConn: There’s been a popular media theory floated that UConn could explore moving to the Big East in basketball and then move football somewhere else. That’s highly unlikely, as the $10 million and 27-month wait that’s required to leave the AAC is virtually untenable. (Cutting back the 27-month window would cost more money.) UConn would have paid it knowing there was a Power Five payday on the other end, as it would have made the money back quickly. That wouldn’t be the case going to the Big East. UConn is one of many schools facing difficult financial decisions, as it’s nearly impossible to fund football on the AAC’s modest television contract. (The AAC deal runs through 2020 and pays just $126 million from ESPN for the entirety of the deal. There’s a secondary deal with CBS, but the spending significantly outweighs the income for most AAC schools.)<<

>>AAC: One can imagine a few employees of the American Athletic Conference clinking glasses of celebration in Providence on Monday night. The outlook for the league looked bleak in August. But is sitting tight good enough? “We are not going to sit back and be identified as irrelevant and accept status quo,” said a source in the league. “We don’t want to be labeled by others as not adding value. It’s not true. We expect our leaders in the league to find solutions.” Could that mean the AAC looks at adding schools before its next television negotiation? That likely depends on whether the AAC can find value in the new media market—Facebook, Google, Twitter, Amazon, etc. Would attempting to lure a brand name like BYU or Air Force change the financial paradigm on a deal? BYU would be unlikely to go, but much will depend on what the marketplace looks like in a few years. All we know is that it should look much different, but speculation beyond that is tricky.<<

 

[jostar1]

Kellis Robinett‏@KellisRobinett
@ddkuester @mellinger
Texas wanted Houston. Northern schools said no. OU wanted BYU, honor code made that impossible. Here we are.


Kellis Robinett@KellisRobinett
K-State beat writer for the Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star.

 

[jostar1]

1. Beverly Davenport Retweeted
   U of Cincinnati ‏@uofcincy 2h2 hours ago
   UPDATE: 24/7 Counseling services available via hotline at 513-556-0648, press 1. http://on.uc.edu/1szgOP0
   

 

[huskymedic]

1. Beverly Davenport Retweeted
   U of Cincinnati ‏@uofcincy 2h2 hours ago
   UPDATE: 24/7 Counseling services available via hotline at 513-556-0648, press 1. http://on.uc.edu/1szgOP0

Yeah but that was probably related to shots fired/lockdown on campus tonight.

 

[jostar1]

John E. Hoover: Big 12 Conference expansion was always just a bluff to get more money

The Big 12 Conference spent hundreds of thousands of dollars paying two independent consulting firms to figure out, among other things, if expansion was good for the league or not.

Ultimately, those firms determined expansion from its current membership of 10 would be beneficial.

So Big 12 CEOs authorized commissioner Bob Bowlsby to solicit presentations from 11 schools who desperately wanted into a Power 5 conference — presentations that have been reported as costing between $10,000-15,000 each.

And Sunday and Monday, those same Big 12 presidents and chancellors met for 6 ½ hours and came to the conclusion that expansion, well, it’s just not the Big 12’s cup of tea.

...“We don’t feel a sense of urgency to expand,” Boren said, “just for expansion’s sake.”

That’s obvious. The Big 12 was never interested in expansion. This was a money grab, plain and simple, a bluff with the television networks.

...And hey, who can blame the Big 12 for such a bluff? The league — which was minutes from dissolving in 2010 — will now die a slow but profitable death, with each school taking in more than $30 million annually. Services are pending, but interment should be sometime around 2025, though sooner than that is certainly possible depending on what Oklahoma and Texas want to do.

John E. Hoover: Big 12 Conference expansion was always just a bluff to get more money

 

[CoastAtlantic]

 

[atom58]

I think UH became a poison pill for Big XII expansion. UT wanted them only b/c of about 332 acres they have in Houston as a potential UT expansion campus (and to kowtow to State politicians pretending that they are a team player). I think UH will oppose that now. Most of the other schools were not happy with another team in Texas which would steal recruits from them and which was ranked only 187 among US News National Universities. The conference really needed 4 new states for TV purposes rather than a SWC reunion and the presidents would want the highest ranked academic institutions. The Big XII GOR ends in 2025 and the LHN in 2031 - I really don't see anyone else picking up that network as ESPN which has lost about $48 MILLION on it so far will NOT renew it unless it becomes a conference network - they are simply losing too many viewers and Disney will continue to pressure ESPN to cut costs anywhere possible. In 15 more years the landscape will really be much different than today in terms of telecommunications, computer networks >> TV networks. This doesn't take into account the lawsuits against the NCAA and the possibility that most private schools might drop FB if those copy and paste "closed head injury" lawsuits gain any traction in the courts. Finally, the country is being flooded with immigrants for whom FB means soccer so the long term TV viewership likely will decline as the population changes - I believe this is already under way with the NFL.