Rumor from the .

[Stray_Dog]

If I was Delaney, I would just call Swofford and say "if you don't, I won't" when it comes to inviting UConn. What can Swofford do? If the ACC makes an offer to UConn, Delaney can beat it, so what is the point of making an offer? By isolating UConn, the Big 10 is increasing the chances that UConn will whither and die in the AAC over the next 5 to 10 years, and then the Big 10 will not have to pay a nickel more for the New York market that Rutgers didn't deliver. If UConn does something extraordinary in that period, enough to get Swofford to try and force the issue, then Delaney can move at that point. Swofford may want to move, but roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of this membership is not interested or is actively against UConn, no matter how much Tobacco Road might like us, and he can't beat Delaney, so what's the point? Everyone sits tight and waits or UConn to die. If you were the ACC or Big 10, and wanted to increase your market penetration in New York and the northeast without spending another dime, then leaving UConn in the AAC would be the perfect solution.

Interestingly, most of the posters on this board agree with that strategy.

Do you know how to count? 5-10 years....I don't know a single poster that is ready to have UConn stay in hte AAC for five years never mind 10. I do know that we are looking to see what happens after this year and possibly next. After that, the fans will have reached terminal velocity and will be looking at any and all real possibilities besides the Big or the ACC but right now, most of us are not panicked...UNLIKE YOU!!!

 

[Dooley]

I don't think anyone is casting aspersions at the ACC. Every UConn fan would be ecstatic to join that league.

I am saying something different. We are not changing the dynamic of conference realignment by waiting patiently, and if we are willing to wait patiently, there is no reason for the ACC or Big 10 to make a move unless they think the other is about to do so. The problem is that it is easy for two groups to collude against the third.

I see what you're saying and I'd offer a third group that would have cause to collude against UCONN: ESPN. They own our rights for $2M/yr (thanks Aresco!). Why on Earth would ESPN advocate on UCONN's behalf, like they did for Pitt after BC led the anti-UCONN charge, when that would mean that they would have to pay 10x what they pay to air UCONN content?

That said, collusion is a dangerous business. If this was happening and if there was ever a mouthy AD like Flipper to open that can of worms, then that would be grounds for UCONN to open up its own investigation to determine if a lawsuit would be necessary. UCONN has said and shown repeatedly that it wants to gain entry into the P5 model. It's also shown that it can be competitive across all of its athletic programs in a P5/BCS conference (including football). I understand that UCONN is "new football money" and many feel that we have to earn our way in by playing 100 years of football, regardless if we're competitive or not (ex - Rutgers). But if CR is all about making money, and UCONN has demonstrated time and time again that it can make money, then colluding against UCONN would be pretty dangerous.

 

[UConnJim]

As for Diaco and football, I can not imagine a more difficult job in college athletics than UConn football coach. We are in a good southern mid-major league, which has several implications:

1) There are multiple quality programs: UCF, Houston, Cincinnati, SMU, ECU, USF (once they un-Skipify the program) that are going to be competitive a lot more often than they are not. These programs all have strong local recruiting bases that enable them to compete at a mid to low P5 level year over year, with the occasional break out season. The bottom programs are terrible though, with Tulane, Temple and Memphis among the worst FBS programs over the last 10 years and Tulsa appearing to be in decline.

2) The rest of the conference makes some geographic sense, with a western nexus of SMU, Houston, Tulsa, Memphis and Tulane, with Cincinnati not too far away, and an eastern nexus of UCF, USF, and ECU, with Temple and Navy not too far away. And then there is UConn, a program that is 250 miles from its nearest conference rival and over 1,000 miles from most of the league. This makes it difficult to develop rivalries or generate schedules that casual fans care about. We have already seen the impact in attendance for both hoops and football.

3) Recruiting is going to be very tough with no local rivals. We will not get much benefit from conference mates in Florida, because if a kid in Florida is more interested in playing time than program or conference prestige, he still has to be willing to attend school 1,000 miles away when there are several AAC schools with good coaches that are much closer and don't have a foot of ice on the ground in the winter. Likewise for Texas. What is the pitch to get a 3* Florida kid to not play for O'Leary or a 3* Texas kid to not play for June Jones? If they are willing to look past the coach's reputation, then there is USF and Houston.

It won't be any easier to get northeastern kids. When Pasqualoni was recruiting the northeast for Syracuse, or Schiano was doing the same for Rutgers later on, they had a league with BC, Rutgers and Temple, and later UConn, so he could pitch kids from New Jersey or New England on the fact that they will be playing multiple drivable games every year, and there were some rivalry games in the area. There was also no local competition from other equal or better leagues until BCU joined the ACC, and that was manageable. Now the Big 10 will be all over the mid-Alantic and New Jersey, and the ACC is already there. Navy and Temple will help a little in PA and the mid-Atlantic, but there is a lot of competition in that region.

So what does Diaco have to pitch with other than his own personality and leadership? He doesn't have the conference or geographic proximity, the program itself has limited prestige, and he has to sell kids on why travel is not going to kill them. He does have an athletic department that is supporting the program, for now, at a level that is probably better than most of our conference partners, and I think the basketball championships does help the football program somewhat.


I think Diaco is a good coach, and I really hope he will be successful, but we should recognize how hard his job is. We need him to win now in a situation that has a lot of challenges, and if he fails, our chances of getting into a major conference are likely over.

I disagree about football recruiting. Has joining the ACC changed recruiting for BC, Pitt, Miami, and Syracuse? Nope. Has joining the Big 10 changed recruiting for Rutgers and Maryland so far? Doesn't seem so. Has joining the Big 12 changed West Virginia's recruiting? Don't think so. Honestly, has joining the AAC impacted UConn's recruiting? Seems about the same to me.

It seems that recruiting is most impacted by coaching and winning. If Diaco wins and maintains a high energy level, UConn will recruit better. Do I think UConn would recruit better in a P5 conference? Marginally, unless we win. In the meantime, UConn needs to continue to develop players to compete and win. It worked for Edsall.

 

[businesslawyer]

If I was Delaney, I would just call Swofford and say "if you don't, I won't" when it comes to inviting UConn. What can Swofford do? If the ACC makes an offer to UConn, Delaney can beat it, so what is the point of making an offer? By isolating UConn, the Big 10 is increasing the chances that UConn will whither and die in the AAC over the next 5 to 10 years, and then the Big 10 will not have to pay a nickel more for the New York market that Rutgers didn't deliver. If UConn does something extraordinary in that period, enough to get Swofford to try and force the issue, then Delaney can move at that point. Swofford may want to move, but roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of this membership is not interested or is actively against UConn, no matter how much Tobacco Road might like us, and he can't beat Delaney, so what's the point? Everyone sits tight and waits or UConn to die. If you were the ACC or Big 10, and wanted to increase your market penetration in New York and the northeast without spending another dime, then leaving UConn in the AAC would be the perfect solution.

Interestingly, most of the posters on this board agree with that strategy.

It's amazing how easily you will accuse people of being willing to commit what would be flat out crimes. Not to mention the fact that killing UConn basketball does not just create a vacuum in metro NY -- it hurts the market by wronging a team that has become as popular in that market as any other and has clearly deserved a better fate. Not everything is a zero sum game.

 

[HuskyHawk]

As for Diaco and football, I can not imagine a more difficult job in college athletics than UConn football coach. We are in a good southern mid-major league, which has several implications:
....
So what does Diaco have to pitch with other than his own personality and leadership? He doesn't have the conference or geographic proximity, the program itself has limited prestige, and he has to sell kids on why travel is not going to kill them. He does have an athletic department that is supporting the program, for now, at a level that is probably better than most of our conference partners, and I think the basketball championships does help the football program somewhat.


I think Diaco is a good coach, and I really hope he will be successful, but we should recognize how hard his job is. We need him to win now in a situation that has a lot of challenges, and if he fails, our chances of getting into a major conference are likely over.

It's tough, but don't overstate it. He is at a flagship state university, most coaches are not. His school just won two basketball championships. It just had the #1 pick in the MLS draft. It has several players in the NFL and NBA, including some star level talent in the NBA. His facilities are superb.

The reality is, kids in high school have heard of UConn. It isn't Buffalo. It has brand power, pretty considerable brand power. More than many schools in P5 conferences. What that means, in my mind, is that it is a highly leveraged program. A little success, at this juncture, with a telegenic guy like Diaco at the helm, could just explode things.

 

[Dooley]

And I would bet that as long as the ACC has any doubt about that, that if the ACC feels UConn's administration is anything less than 100% desirous of joining the ACC, the ACC will not offer membership to UConn.

If you think that UCONN's administration hasn't desired, for one second, a P5 invitation, then you really haven't been paying attention to this and should stop posting things of this nature. UCONN has tried to get Bill Clinton to reach out to Donna Shalala to answer our phone calls. UCONN (and our state Governor...a BC grad) has tried time and time again to open a dialogue with BC only to be refuted. Just about every single member of UCONN's administration has made comments in the media over the years about their desire to join a P5 conference. Ironically, when they did that, the national media and fans across the country labeled UCONN as desperate and whiny. So in response, UCONN has tightened up the CR rhetoric and now you are accusing them as not wanting to join???

No. If the ACC wants UCONN, all it has to do is pick up the phone. If the B1G wants UCONN, all it has to do is pick up the phone. If the conference deregulation passes and conference do not need to be equally balanced to have a championship game, then UCONN wouldn't need a "partner" and can be added ASAP. The invite isn't in UCONN's hands and never has been. If it was, we would be in the ACC right now with Syracuse. But the ACC has passed on UCONN on several occasions and now UCONN's profile is becoming attractive to B1G fans and, hopefully, administrators. That's not UCONN's fault. That is 100% on the ACC.

Stop posting garbage like this.

 

[huskyrob1]

If I was Delaney, I would just call Swofford and say "if you don't, I won't" when it comes to inviting UConn. What can Swofford do? If the ACC makes an offer to UConn, Delaney can beat it, so what is the point of making an offer? By isolating UConn, the Big 10 is increasing the chances that UConn will whither and die in the AAC over the next 5 to 10 years, and then the Big 10 will not have to pay a nickel more for the New York market that Rutgers didn't deliver. If UConn does something extraordinary in that period, enough to get Swofford to try and force the issue, then Delaney can move at that point. Swofford may want to move, but roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of this membership is not interested or is actively against UConn, no matter how much Tobacco Road might like us, and he can't beat Delaney, so what's the point? Everyone sits tight and waits or UConn to die. If you were the ACC or Big 10, and wanted to increase your market penetration in New York and the northeast without spending another dime, then leaving UConn in the AAC would be the perfect solution.

Interestingly, most of the posters on this board agree with that strategy.

You don't seem to realize that UCONN is calling the shots here. They are becoming in college basketball what Notre Dame was to college football for many years until recently joining the ACC, when they had their own lucrative football deal, EVEN as they muddled through several coaches and several losing years. I don't know the terms of the present SNY deal, but can see Warde signing a major deal with ESPN or CBS for the men's and women's teams if the deal is sweet enough for them to leave the AAC in m's & w's bball only. UCONN is a $basketball factory$ and will not wither and die period, even after Geno and Kevin retire.

 

[noeynox]

You don't seem to realize that UCONN is calling the shots here. They are becoming in college basketball what Notre Dame was to college football for many years until recently joining the ACC, when they had their own lucrative football deal, EVEN as they muddled through several coaches and several losing years. I don't know the terms of the present SNY deal, but can see Warde signing a major deal with ESPN or CBS for the men's and women's teams if the deal is sweet enough for them to leave the AAC. UCONN is a $basketball factory$ and will not wither and die period, even after Geno and Kevin retire.

This may be over stating things. Just a bit.

 

[Stray_Dog]

This doesn't make any sense. How does killing UConn increase market penetration? Maybe it helps them carve up the existing market. OTOH, a strong UConn program could expand the existing market, one with huge growth potential.

Lets PRETEND for a moment that UConn athletics disappeared. People who watched UConn are not going to switch allegiances to other schools or programs. My guess, these fans would just dig their heals in and follow the PROS, whether this is the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. And this would be especially true for those that aready have a PRO team that they follow. Others might develop a fan support for a particular close by pro team. But my opinion is that in general, fans, would snub the college game as their team is no longer in it. I do not see these fans touting any of the C-7 or rooting for Syracuse, Rutgers, or any other proposed NYC Team from the tri-state area.

 

[Sea Goat]

If you think that UCONN's administration hasn't desired, for one second, a P5 invitation, then you really haven't been paying attention to this and should stop posting things of this nature. UCONN has tried to get Bill Clinton to reach out to Donna Shalala to answer our phone calls. UCONN (and our state Governor...a BC grad) has tried time and time again to open a dialogue with BC only to be refuted. Just about every single member of UCONN's administration has made comments in the media over the years about their desire to join a P5 conference. Ironically, when they did that, the national media and fans across the country labeled UCONN as desperate and whiny. So in response, UCONN has tightened up the CR rhetoric and now you are accusing them as not wanting to join???

No. If the ACC wants UCONN, all it has to do is pick up the phone. If the B1G wants UCONN, all it has to do is pick up the phone. If the conference deregulation passes and conference do not need to be equally balanced to have a championship game, then UCONN wouldn't need a "partner" and can be added ASAP. The invite isn't in UCONN's hands and never has been. If it was, we would be in the ACC right now with Syracuse. But the ACC has passed on UCONN several occasions and now UCONN's profile is becoming attractive to B1G fans and, hopefully, administrators. That's not UCONN's fault. That is 100% on the ACC.

Stop posting garbage like this.

Nice reply - Thanks - I just don't the energy today to confront the haughty, overrated, underachieving Catholics from South Bend. Go B1G!

 

[Dooley]

Lets PRETEND for a moment that UConn athletics disappeared. People who watched UConn are not going to switch allegiances to other schools or programs. My guess, these fans would just dig their heals in and follow the PROS, whether this is the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. And this would be especially true for those that aready have a PRO team that they follow. Others might develop a fan support for a particular close by pro team. But my opinion is that in general, fans, would snub the college game as their team is no longer in it. I do not see these fans touting any of the C-7 or rooting for Syracuse, Rutgers, or any other proposed NYC Team from the tri-state area.

If it's not UCONN, it's crap. Similar to when the Whalers left and Whaler fans didn't warm up to the idea of supporting the Rangers' farm team, I find it very hard to believe that UCONN fans would warm up to watching Syracuse or BC games. If it weren't for the occasional UCONN game aired, I would cancel my ESPN cable package right now.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I am sure that UConn's National Championship got Herbst and Manuel a pat on the head from the ACC and Big 10. Since both conferences fully expect UConn's athletic program to whither and die in the AAC, I doubt they will do anything other than say "attaboy" and wait for UConn to fade away.

Why would either conference prefer the withering death of a successful athletics program to capitalizing on the success instead?

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I am pretty certain that most ADs/Presidents/Commissioners lose very little sleep over the success of the UConn athletic programs. Instead, the NYC/Tri-State market probably has caused a few restless nights. While UConn remains in purgatory, that market remains up for grabs and the threat for these above mentioned people to miss out on it remains real. I will say it again......UConn is the missing link. Whichever conference gets them wins, the other clearly loses. My theory has been consistent: The Big 10, while inviting Rutgers and Maryland, gave UConn a "to do" list to prep for admission.

I couldn't like this post any more if I tried.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

And I would bet that as long as the ACC has any doubt about that, that if the ACC feels UConn's administration is anything less than 100% desirous of joining the ACC, the ACC will not offer membership to UConn.

Think about what you wrote.
You've got it completed backwords. UConn's adminstration pursued the the ACC .
Herbst is a proud Acedemic type,from Duke. How could she not take that rejection somewhat personally in light of a perceived Acedemic lightweight besting her.
Connecticut and ND have one similarity
For ND it's been a decades long shedding of its Catholic identity to gain acceptance from the Acdemic elites. For UConn it's a struggle to get out of the shadow of those same elites and gain an equal footing with the top State flagships through out the country. Your disdain for the Big is born of your inferiority complex fostered from past rejection by your closest neighbors. Our current ACC distain is born from a similar rejection. That's called pride.
You can call our current strategy what ever you like.
If you were not only rejected but embassessed by an 8th grade girl . Chasing her usually has the opposite effect. Pursuing other options is normaly the better solution.
Usually you become better looking to the original girl as more of her peers become interested in you.
This Jr high stragey in variation is used on the consumers daily.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I have a feeling Diaco will soon have folks talking about us even more. We are currently poised at the best possible place (given our current reality). BBall heaven with fantastic coaches leading our storied programs. A great showing of fan support--especially in the NYC/Boston areas. Great practice facilities for FBall and soon BBall. An expandable stadium. Now we need FBall to shine. We need to make some early noise, get noticed, draw loud crowds, and become a credible party in ACC/B1G conversations. With our extremely competent President and our rising, respected and ever more connected AD, the stage is set. It's lights, camera, action time.
That means a fast start this fall---and beating BYU.

We need to stack our schedule for early success. Starting 8-0 or 9-0 gets us on the map and gets people talking. We need that buzz. Even if we lose 3 of the last four, that won't negate a fantastic start. Let's stop finding ourselves at 5-2 or 6-3. That gets us nowhere. Even if we win the last 3, 9-3 relegates us to the "ignore" column. But finishing 9-3 after a 9-0 start means we remain in the conversation because 9-0 puts us there and 9-1 and then 9-2 don't remove us. Front load the schedule with the games we have the best chance of winning.

 

[Sea Goat]

If it's not UCONN, it's crap. Similar to when the Whalers left and Whaler fans didn't warm up to the idea of supporting the Rangers' farm team, I find it very hard to believe that UCONN fans would warm up to watching Syracuse or BC games. If it weren't for the occasional UCONN game aired, I would cancel my ESPN cable package right now.

Let's be clear - I wouldn't watch Bf...ingC or Syraf... at the point of a gun.

 

[huskyrob1]

Because this isn't about UConn's certain death. Its about tv rights, branding, and marketing. The goal for both Delaney and Swofford is NYC. All along, this board has broken down and over analyzed tv markets, number of households, neilsen ratings, etc. Not once I have read about the intrinsic value that UConn will immediately add by joining either conference. Addition by subtraction. My guess is UConn will add at least 10million per by the reverse effect it will have on the conference left out. If the ACC adds UConn, it immediately locks in the northeast. IF the Big 10 adds UConn, if leaves the ACC with a huge hole it can't fill and a minimum of two programs in realignment Sibera. UConn in all of this is still an extremely valuable pawn and will come at a relatively cheap price long term. It isnt about an unwillingness to spend another dime. Its more about spending that dime to make a quarter.

Swofford's under a lot of pressure and sweating it. Lately he looks in the mirror and he is seeing John Maranato looking back at him, I mean can history repeat itself? If Miami and FSU ever left the ACC (and there have been rumors), he's left with a basketball league and Notre Dame only in some sports, and Virginia Tech bolts to the Big 12. He's left with an ACC championship game with ratings in the toilet, and ESPN wants his head.

 

[noeynox]

We need to stack our schedule for early success. Starting 8-0 or 9-0 gets us on the map and gets people talking. We need that buzz. Even if we lose 3 of the last four, that won't negate a fantastic start. Let's stop finding ourselves at 5-2 or 6-3. That gets us nowhere. Even if we win the last 3, 9-3 relegates us to the "ignore" column. But finishing 9-3 after a 9-0 start means we remain in the conversation because 9-0 puts us there and 9-1 and then 9-2 don't remove us. Front load the schedule with the games we have the best chance of winning.

So what you're saying is... you're a fan of the Syracuse let's start 25-0, and print up some T Shirts

 

[RegisteredUconn]

If I was Delaney, I would just call Swofford and say "if you don't, I won't" when it comes to inviting UConn. What can Swofford do? If the ACC makes an offer to UConn, Delaney can beat it, so what is the point of making an offer? By isolating UConn, the Big 10 is increasing the chances that UConn will whither and die in the AAC over the next 5 to 10 years, and then the Big 10 will not have to pay a nickel more for the New York market that Rutgers didn't deliver. If UConn does something extraordinary in that period, enough to get Swofford to try and force the issue, then Delaney can move at that point. Swofford may want to move, but roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of this membership is not interested or is actively against UConn, no matter how much Tobacco Road might like us, and he can't beat Delaney, so what's the point? Everyone sits tight and waits or UConn to die. If you were the ACC or Big 10, and wanted to increase your market penetration in New York and the northeast without spending another dime, then leaving UConn in the AAC would be the perfect solution.

Interestingly, most of the posters on this board agree with that strategy.

Absolutely the wrong strategy unless you enter the NYC market with the intention of enjoying a microscopic presence there. The way to penetrate a market is to provide compelling viewing there. The product for sale is the contest. A contest requires two teams. The best way to provide compelling viewing is a heated rivalry. It's either Syracuse and UConn or Rutgers and UConn.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

This is probably true, but I doubt it was a sure thing. More like, if you do this, you'll enhance your position down the road if we decide to expand again.

I'll bet the B1G already knows its position on future expansion.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

So what you're saying is... you're a fan of the Syracuse let's start 25-0, and print up some T Shirts

Absofreakinglutely! Not as a long term position, but as a way to generate program buzz.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

You can smell the fear in ACC fans already.

So that's why I've had to hold my nose.

 

[businesslawyer]

We need to stack our schedule for early success. Starting 8-0 or 9-0 gets us on the map and gets people talking. We need that buzz. Even if we lose 3 of the last four, that won't negate a fantastic start. Let's stop finding ourselves at 5-2 or 6-3. That gets us nowhere. Even if we win the last 3, 9-3 relegates us to the "ignore" column. But finishing 9-3 after a 9-0 start means we remain in the conversation because 9-0 puts us there and 9-1 and then 9-2 don't remove us. Front load the schedule with the games we have the best chance of winning.

You realize (I hope) that you can't do this, because you only control your non-conference schedule?

 

[thatguyed]

I had a dream that UConn agreed to join the ACC. There was a special signing ceremony covered by ESPN. SH and WM were seated at a table with 2 ACC hats in front of them.

They pulled out their pens and went to grab the ACC hats and then paused. They looked at each other, smiled, and then reached behind their chairs to grab their B1G hats, put them on and yelled in unison...."psych"...pulled out their B1G documents and we joined the B1G.

It felt so real....

I'd be happy if they just signed it on the hood of a car.

 

[thatguyed]

It's tough, but don't overstate it. He is at a flagship state university, most coaches are not. His school just won two basketball championships. It just had the #1 pick in the MLS draft. It has several players in the NFL and NBA, including some star level talent in the NBA. His facilities are superb.

The reality is, kids in high school have heard of UConn. It isn't Buffalo. It has brand power, pretty considerable brand power. More than many schools in P5 conferences. What that means, in my mind, is that it is a highly leveraged program. A little success, at this juncture, with a telegenic guy like Diaco at the helm, could just explode things.

Secondary sports for college but field hockey championship too and making some noise in MLB.