More conference realignment Hunger Games

[billybud]

I don't think that conferences, as a whole, are measured by Women's Basketball...nor soccer, field hockey, softball, etc.

The revenue sports are the drivers.

 

[Bone Dog]

True enough, but in the context of a WBB thread it’s worth observing that the Big East may serve Geno’s purposes better than the ACC or the SEC.

 

[broooce]

The onus is on David Benedict and Dr. Maric to put on their salesmen's hats to show the benefit of adding UConn to the Big Ten, which IMO is the best fit for us and the BIG conference. Maybe even Gov. Lamont.

We all know the current weakness of UConn football and someone mentioned earlier that bringing on a school that finishes in the bottom half of the standings is not necessarily a knockout - Rutgers and Maryland have not impressed since joining BIG, and there are other perennial 2nd tier teams in that league too (including my dad's alma mater Purdue). That aside, the key to a UConn candidacy is the Olympic sports and how its addition to BIG has far more benefit to BIG than most other candidates. BIG has said that it's not only football but other sports and academic reputation and how accretive a new member will be.

Over the past 40 years UConn has won more national championships (22) across all NCAA sports than all other BIG school except Penn State (38) and Maryland (29). We know all about UConn WBB but if UConn joined BIG that its 4 NC's would be second only to Indiana's 5. Penn State's 38 are dominated by women's volleyball and wrestling, while Maryland has won many field hockey and men's & women's lacrosse championships. In doing the math that means UConn has more national championships than 12 other existing BIG members over the past 40 years (although both USC and UCLA jump right to the top upon joining BIG).

After football NCAA basketball is the second biggest revenue generator, followed by ice hockey and baseball. Softball is the fastest growing sport and both men's and women's lacrosse are rapidly growing a national footprint. Other Olympic sports that BIG is a top conference for include field hockey, volleyball, wrestling, swim & dive and gymnastics.

Basketball: Adding UConn MBB and WBB elevates the BIG to best basketball conference period (IMO). That's worth a lot of dough by itself.

Ice Hockey: Adding UConn ice hockey solidifies the men's conference with its 8th member and an important New England presence, while the women would be the 5th BIG team which means BIG only needs to get either Michigan or Michigan State to elevate it's club teams to create a 6-team BIG conference. These also add to the overall BIG media value.

Baseball: Husky baseball is also accretive to BIG, especially with the California schools. Believe it or not but Wisconsin does not offer D1 baseball. So UConn would be its 16th team. And don't forget Jim Pender's unranked squad ousted #15 Maryland in the regionals this year and gave a scare to #2 Stanford in the super regionals.

Other Husky Olympic sports teams: Women's lax can become the 8th BIG member and women's volleyball can only add to BIG dominance after adding USC and UCLA. UConn field hockey makes BIG a ridiculously good conference and softball helps too. And if UConn ever adds men's lacrosse there's no doubt in my mind that UConn can be a national power in a few years' time.

The Hartford DMA is 32nd in the US, ahead of most BIG markets! We could claim that we have a NY following (like Rutgers does) although one could argue that a FOX contract makes that moot.

I strongly believe that there's much upside and glamour in adding the pedigree of UConn to the BIG or any P5 conference. Football success ebbs and flows, as it does in many sports for every school, and I know all of us are hopeful that Coach Mora has us on the right track. Nevertheless, AD Benedict and President Maric need to accentuate the many, many positives of UConn as a great university with an athletic success story that not many other universities can claim.

And Dr. Maric needs to start working on AAU accreditation (although Nebraska doesn't have it nor does supposed candidate Notre Dame).

So let's focus on the positive attributes to get the attention of Kevin Warren, and let's not be shy to ask Warde Manuel for advice and guidance too.

Finally I think our Dairy Bar can compete with Penn State's Berkey Creamery for best ice cream in the BIG.

Go Huskies!

 

[socal613ws]

if basketball played a factor Uconn wouldn't have been in the American for 8 seasons or the big east. Football drives the bus and safe to say Uconn has the worst football program in America.

 

[SVCBeercats]

Really? 11 championships and Uconn should be settling for the ACC or Big 12? The ACC and Big 12 probably won't be viable conferences in a couple of years. Think ACC. Uconn belongs in the SEC OR BIG10.

The tail does not wag the dog.

 

[SCGamecock]

Really? 11 championships and Uconn should be settling for the ACC or Big 12? The ACC and Big 12 probably won't be viable conferences in a couple of years. Think ACC. Uconn belongs in the SEC OR BIG10.

Throughout this thread your fellow UConn fans have answered why neither conference is likely for the school, but if I had to guess which conference is more likely to pick up UConn it would be the B1G. The SEC is not a factor.

Expansion is being driven by TV market viability, but to specify, COLLEGE FOOTBALL market viability. UConn could argue that they bring NYC, but for college football do you really?

 

[billybud]

It is rapidly moving from markets and captured set top boxes to matches that generate TV viewership. Eyeballs tuned in.

 

[Zinethar]

The PAC12 TV contract has been a killer for those teams. They get little exposure out of market because of their network not making deals with other providers. Very rare to find a cable or streaming service that has that network. Many great athletes would like a better TV exposure to show the country what they can do. UConn had an advantage as their games were visible country wide (and even overseas).. A bit trickier now that they are a FOX product and FS2 isn't included in all packages but at least the FOX sports app has the games even though it is harder to find them. And of course those of us lucky enough to get SNY are happy .

 

[broooce]

Throughout this thread your fellow UConn fans have answered why neither conference is likely for the school, but if I had to guess which conference is more likely to pick up UConn it would be the B1G. The SEC is not a factor.

Expansion is being driven by TV market viability, but to specify, COLLEGE FOOTBALL market viability. UConn could argue that they bring NYC, but for college football do you really?

There are no D1 FBS football programs in NYC: Columbia, Fordham and Wagner are all FBS teams. The closest FBS teams are Rutgers and Army West Point, both about 40 miles away; Storrs is about 140 miles away. When Rutgers under Schiano and UConn under Edsall were doing well in the 2000-2010 era (give or take) I remember that the NYC TV stations would report on both teams' seasons and bowl appearances as if they were their own. It's happened before and it can happen again. Let's be honest - Rutgers might actually be in the NYC DMA but it has been similarly dismal in football while UConn has been far more successful in most of the other sports.

If football is the sole driver, then why do I read about Kansas and Missouri as potential BIG targets (as it is rumored that both BIG and SEC are eventually going to become 20-25 team super conferences)? Kansas brings basketball caché but UConn men's has won more NC's in the past 23 years (4 vs 2) and Kansas football has historically been an extremely middling football program. Missouri? Pish-posh.

DON'T underestimate or undervalue the other revenue producing sports of basketball, ice hockey and baseball where UConn matches up better than just about any other possible BIG or SEC target school. FOX and/or ESPN want to expand programming and these other sports will do that and help grow overall advertising revenue.

 

[JordyG]

Both the SEC and the B1G covet non-revenue generating assets when considering new members..

For example, the B1G places a high value on future members already having AAU membership. The SEC places high value on Southern flagships in states contiguous to current member states (preserves regional integrity).

For those reasons above, I think if the B1G expands further they’ll look at ND (not AAU), Oregon, Washington and possibly UNC/Duke. The SEC is likely looking at the NC schools, along with the VA schools, and Clemson.

A lot of the next round of expansion will be determined by what happens with the ACC. Will they band together and fortify the league or will the entire thing fall apart? If the latter happens then it’ll be a mad dash between the SEC and B1G to secure the best schools.

Everything at this point hinges on ND. If they make the move to the B1G the ACC is as done as the PAC-8 (12). If ND moves to the B1G then watch Clemson, Virginia and at least NC jump to the SEC, with maybe (maybe) Florida State move to the SEC. Stanford may yet go to the B1G. Within 5-10 years there will only be 4 conferences: the BIG West, the B1G 10 (20), the SEC (the Big South), and generalized basketball only conferences (The Super East? The Super West?) with a few independents.

 

[broooce]

These expanded conferences are being created by the media, not the conferences. This is all about maximizing advertising revenue and UConn does exist in a prime market region. There are a lot of bad P-5 football programs.

Hartford-New Haven DMA is 32nd in the USA, ahead of most BIG markets. Cable/streaming makes the DMA's moot as these contracts are all about national following. And if we're talking about bad football then would BIG jettison some teams on that alone? I don't think so - remember when Northwestern was considered the worst football team in the country in the 70's and 80's, even worse than Ivy League? Joining a conference like BIG results in a revenue stream that allows members to invest in its infrastructure and become better, that is, if it has effective leadership to get there. Read my other posts about the next three largest revenue producing sports after football and how UConn fits the bill. IMO UConn leadership needs to become aggressive in promoting all its great qualities and change the narrative about its credentials as a future BIG member, or it'll be left standing when this round of musical chairs ends.

 

[HuskyNan]

I think the Big East deserves a little more respect, at least with regard to WBB. We sent 4 teams to the tournament, three advanced, two made it to the Elite Eight, and one was in the NC game. I think a case could be made for Marquette having been included, too. The Big East went 9-4 in the tournament, which is better than the Pac 12 the Big 10 or the Big 12 did.

ACC and SEC were clearly more competitive. It just irritates me to see those other conferences consistently rated higher than the Big East. This last year, it was the third most competitive as measured by NCAA tournament success.

Basketball has zero influence on conference realignment,neither the men nor the women. It’s all about football

 

[Bone Dog]

Basketball has zero influence on conference realignment,neither the men nor the women. It’s all about football

I never said it did. And it is plenty obvious that Football drives all these decisions. But the question of conferences will inevitably have an influence for good or ill on UConn WBB. This was the point of my post.

 

[broooce]

There are no D1 FBS football programs in NYC: Columbia, Fordham and Wagner are all FBS teams. The closest FBS teams are Rutgers and Army West Point, both about 40 miles away; Storrs is about 140 miles away. When Rutgers under Schiano and UConn under Edsall were doing well in the 2000-2010 era (give or take) I remember that the NYC TV stations would report on both teams' seasons and bowl appearances as if they were their own. It's happened before and it can happen again. Let's be honest - Rutgers might actually be in the NYC DMA but it has been similarly dismal in football while UConn has been far more successful in most of the other sports.

If football is the sole driver, then why do I read about Kansas and Missouri as potential BIG targets (as it is rumored that both BIG and SEC are eventually going to become 20-25 team super conferences)? Kansas brings basketball caché but UConn men's has won more NC's in the past 23 years (4 vs 2) and Kansas football has historically been an extremely middling football program. Missouri? Pish-posh.

DON'T underestimate or undervalue the other revenue producing sports of basketball, ice hockey and baseball where UConn matches up better than just about any other possible BIG or SEC target school. FOX and/or ESPN want to expand programming and these other sports will do that and help grow overall advertising revenue.

Sorry I meant Columbia, Fordham and Wagner are FCS teams in NYC.

 

[Alibi Ike]

(JUST KIDDING). It is rumored that the B1G moved one step closer to fulfilling its long term desire to capture the New York viewing market by extending offers to join the conference to the New York Giants and the Jets. It is also rumored that the two NFL teams are seriously considering the offer since it may be their last chance to have a winning season. Apparently they also wanted to include the Pats in the deal, but that was quickly squashed by BC who believe they own the football rights to all New England. (JUST KIDDING)

SEC teams would still beat them.

 

[Wbbfan1]

No way the Big Ten would accept UConn. UConn is not worth giving them $100 Million Dollar Share of TV Revenue. $100 Million Dollar per school is the projected Revenue each Big Ten school would receive once they sign a contract with Fox Sports. That's one of the reason the Big Ten is not interested in Stanford and Cal which IMO would be more deserving then UConn. If Stanford gets invited it will happen if ND accepts an invite and demand that Stanford is also included.

 

[broooce]

No way the Big Ten would accept UConn. UConn is not worth giving them $100 Million Dollar Share of TV Revenue. $100 Million Dollar per school is the projected Revenue each Big Ten school would receive once they sign a contract with Fox Sports. That's one of the reason the Big Ten is not interested in Stanford and Cal which IMO would be more deserving then UConn. If Stanford gets invited it will happen if ND accepts an invite and demand that Stanford is also included.

With that thinking then why wouldn't BIG kick some schools to the curb? Rutgers? Illinois? Northwestern? Purdue? Minnesota? Indiana? Maryland?

Then they can take Clemson and all those other football powers in the Big 12 and ACC instead.

If they go to 20-25 teams then I think UConn's merits stack up to most other schools and should earn a spot at the trough/table. This is an M&A situation and the smartest conferences look at the entire resumé of each candidate. Even ND has a downside - not AAU accredited.

 

[visitingcock]

With that thinking then why wouldn't BIG kick some schools to the curb? Rutgers? Illinois? Northwestern? Purdue? Minnesota? Indiana? Maryland?

Then they can take Clemson and all those other football powers in the Big 12 and ACC instead.

If they go to 20-25 teams then I think UConn's merits stack up to most other schools and should earn a spot at the trough/table. This is an M&A situation and the smartest conferences look at the entire resumé of each candidate. Even ND has a downside - not AAU accredited.

The Power Two don’t kick their schools to the curb. Bad business. Vandy will get their free ride as long as they want. So will Rutgers (who does have decent fan support.)

 

[Alydar]

We are close to where college football splits from the NCAA. There's too much $$$ at stake to allow a bean counter like the pres. of the NCAA to have a say.

 

[JordyG]

The Power Two don’t kick their schools to the curb. Bad business. Vandy will get their free ride as long as they want. So will Rutgers (who does have decent fan support.)

Indeed. There is nothing to keep the B1G from becoming a 20 or even a 25 team conference. As long as that TV money is ripe the B1G is ready. But 20 teams is a nice number for 4 divisions and a sweet conference playoff scheme.

 

[JordyG]

We are close to where college football splits from the NCAA. There's too much $$$ at stake to allow a bean counter like the pres. of the NCAA to have a say.

3-5 years before the split. Probably sooner.

 

[Bone Dog]

I always thought the BCS would lead to something like this.

 

[JordyG]

I always thought the BCS would lead to something like this.

BCS was just a symptom, a toe dip.

 

[JordyG]

ND just said hell no to joining the B1G. So for now the ACC is safe. The question is, did ND say no to the B1G price and is just trying to negotiate a better deal, or is this a firm no? Will ND join the ACC full time in football?

 

[broooce]

ND just said hell no to joining the B1G. So for now the ACC is safe. The question is, did ND say no to the B1G price and is just trying to negotiate a better deal, or is this a firm no? Will ND join the ACC full time in football?

I haven't seen this anywhere, source?