Rumor from the .

[RegisteredUconn]

Uconn may have missed its window for the Big East anyway, but there are other threads to argue the Big East. If you don't like my idea, come up with one of your own, but UConn needs more revenue or it is probably never joining a P5. That is the reality.

Never is a long, long, LONG time. You must have the super deluxe crystal ball to see that far into the future.

Reality is that conference realignment has left the arena of prudent investment and entered the realm of venture capitalism. Risk has risen and potential reward had better be worth it.

Reality is New York City and the northeast megalopolis is a Target for both the B1G and the ACC because the reward there is colossal. Nothing else comes close.

Reality is that no one university can deliver NY on its own. Attempting to do so will result in frustration and failure.

Reality is that UConn is the only property available in that region. We are being actively considered by both conferences if we haven't already been penciled in by them.

Reality is that realignment is momentarily in limbo because Swofford is a bully, comfortable picking on weakness but with no stomach for a real fight, and Delany is busy digesting the meal he's just eaten.

Reality is we're headed for the B1G a whole lot sooner than never. Either your crystal ball can tell you that or you should take it in for a realignment of its own.

 

[huskyrob1]

Uconn may have missed its window for the Big East anyway, but there are other threads to argue the Big East. If you don't like my idea, come up with one of your own, but UConn needs more revenue or it is probably never joining a P5. That is the reality.

I don't see how you could be so negative about UCONN's predicament after the men just won their 4th national championship and the women won their 9th. Do you think it's possible UCONN might be becoming to college basketball what Notre Dame was for years to football? Meaning Notre Dame didn't need a conference affiliation for football to bring in revenue, they could make their own deal with a major network, which they did. As long as KO and Geno remain at UCONN I think time is on UCONN's side, not the other way around that you're saying. Geno is a living legend not unlike Knute Rockne or Jopa (before the scandal), and just like them one day he will have a statue on his schools campus. He's a god damned girls bball coach, but when he talks, people listen. Do you really think that Delaney and Swofford can make him and Calhoun fade away???? Name another women's program that does bring in revenue and profits to it's school. I can name at least 2 in the B1G that could get close to profitability with the UCONN women in their league. Also, as someone has already pointed out, Bob Diaco would not be our coach unless he already knew that UCONN's future conference is already cast in stone.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Never is a long, long, LONG time. You must have the super deluxe crystal ball to see that far into the future.

Reality is that conference realignment has left the arena of prudent investment and entered the realm of venture capitalism. Risk has risen and potential reward had better be worth it.

Reality is New York City and the northeast megalopolis is a Target for both the B1G and the ACC because the reward there is colossal. Nothing else comes close.

Reality is that no one university can deliver NY on its own. Attempting to do so will result in frustration and failure.

Reality is that UConn is the only property available in that region. We are being actively considered by both conferences if we haven't already been penciled in by them.

Reality is that realignment is momentarily in limbo because Swofford is a bully, comfortable picking on weakness but with no stomach for a real fight, and Delany is busy digesting the meal he's just eaten.

Reality is we're headed for the B1G a whole lot sooner than never. Either your crystal ball can tell you that or you should take it in for a realignment of its own.

New York City and a solid Connecticut market is a huge asset and the only reason UConn is even in the game for a P5 invitation. No one is arguing the other side of that. At this point, there are only 3 schools that are even on the CR radar for the P5: BYU, UConn and Cincinnati. BYU and UConn because of market, and UConn and Cincinnati because of geography (Cincinnati's proximity to WVU).

That said, if UConn to the B1G is as obvious as you say, how come it hasn't already happened?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't see how you could be so negative about UCONN's predicament after the men just won their 4th national championship and the women won their 9th. Do you think it's possible UCONN might be becoming to college basketball what Notre Dame was for years to football? Meaning Notre Dame didn't need a conference affiliation for football to bring in revenue, they could make their own deal with a major network, which they did. As long as KO and Geno remain at UCONN I think time is on UCONN's side, not the other way around that you're saying. Geno is a living legend not unlike Knute Rockne or Jopa (before the scandal), and just like them one day he will have a statue on his schools campus. He's a god damned girls bball coach, but when he talks, people listen. Do you really think that Delaney and Swofford can make him and Calhoun fade away???? Name another women's program that does bring in revenue and profits to it's school. I can name at least 2 in the B1G that could get close to profitability with the UCONN women in their league. Also, as someone has already pointed out, Bob Diaco would not be our coach unless he already knew that UCONN's future conference is already cast in stone.

Do they still teach reading at UConn?

An athletic program that is bleeding cash is not going to be real appealing to either the ACC or B1G. UConn needs to stop the bleeding.

Diaco was an assistant who wanted his first job. He could have pulled a Narduzzi and kept waiting for a P5 job, or he could sack up, show some confidence, and take over one of the top non-P5 jobs. If it was "cast in stone", Narduzzi would be our Head Coach. Diaco is the right guy for UConn, but his taking the UConn job does not indicate anything about conference realignment.

 

[kibblesnbits]

A couple of observations.

The B1G Tier 1 and partial Tier 2 Rights go on the open market for bid in 2016.

Part of this package includes basketball rights currently held by both ESPN and CBS, including the B1G Tournament Semis and Championship Games. I wonder if they would be worth more with a National Title Contending Team situated in the shadows of the media capital of the world? Hey Jim, do you want to host a tourney in MSG or Barclays? You know what you have to do.

August appears to be a very important month for revelations regarding the new P5 Conference Structure. More information regarding the new unbalanced conference structure proposal will definitely be discussed.

IIRC UCONN is still in a position to collect exit fees from the break up of the old Big East. I believe the figure is somewhere in the Ball Park of 20 -30 million dollars. This is not chump change. It will also collect some nice scratch from The AAC's performance in this year's tournament.

Hypothetically UCONN could give the full 27 month notice playing football in The ACC over the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Seasons then pay a manageable exit fee to become a free agent. In the three year window leading up to this Diaco could work to get the program back on a firm footing, your fans will have to do their part in football by selling out The Rent every week.

On the academic side UCONN can use this time to continue working towards AAU Status. This will not be a make or break issue for the conference. Demonstrating an increase in conference payout will be.

Imagine a 2017 season consisting of the following set up.
4 games in division. 1 permanent cross over, and 2 games in each of the other 2 divisions on rotation.

Div A- OSU, PSU, RU, UMD, UCONN.

Swap MSU for OSU if the wonder twins can't be separated. However if they take one for the team, you preserve PSU/OSU, PSU/UMD, PSU/RU, and RU/UCONN as rivalries.

Div B- UM, MSU, PU, IU, IL

UM/MSU is a heated rivalry as is IU/PU and IU/IL. MSU and both Indiana Schools as well as OSU and IL are all trophy games.

Div C- UNL, UW, IA, Minny, NW

Lots of traditional rivalries and sensible geographic match ups.

Nice balance with 2 quality Football Brands in each division. The B1G can petition further for a semi
final round. Can you say cha ching? 3 Divison Champs and one wildcard among whomever finishes with the best combination of conference record and national ranking. That way a school isn't rewarded for having a great year by only one of these metrics.

The B1G could go on this way indefinitely or wait out the end of the Big 12 and ACC GOR. At that point they could take a stab at going to 16, 18 or 20 if the money is there. Personally I believe the ACC is more committed to long term survival than the Big 12 is. I think Kansas would walk over hot coals for a Big 10 invite that reunited them with Nebraska in football and put them in a BBall league with Indiana, MSU, UM, UW, OSU, IL, UMD, and UCONN.

Keep the faith Husky Fans. I believe there is a plan in place, but logistics necessitate things are kept quiet for a while longer.

 

[djct1999]

New York City and a solid Connecticut market is a huge asset and the only reason UConn is even in the game for a P5 invitation. No one is arguing the other side of that. At this point, there are only 3 schools that are even on the CR radar for the P5: BYU, UConn and Cincinnati. BYU and UConn because of market, and UConn and Cincinnati because of geography (Cincinnati's proximity to WVU).

That said, if UConn to the B1G is as obvious as you say, how come it hasn't already happened?

It hasn't happened yet because it was a tiered plan from the beginning. UConn was presented with a to do list to make it appear more "Big 10 compliant" with a target date of 2016-17. Nothing else makes sense.............from the silence from our administration, to the constant ESPN bashing(clearly they didn't get their way), to the addition of Rutgers as a stand alone in this market.

 

[djct1999]

Do they still teach reading at UConn?

An athletic program that is bleeding cash is not going to be real appealing to either the ACC or B1G. UConn needs to stop the bleeding.

Diaco was an assistant who wanted his first job. He could have pulled a Narduzzi and kept waiting for a P5 job, or he could sack up, show some confidence, and take over one of the top non-P5 jobs. If it was "cast in stone", Narduzzi would be our Head Coach. Diaco is the right guy for UConn, but his taking the UConn job does not indicate anything about conference realignment.

If things remain static, Nelson is right. UConn will need to stop bleeding. I just don't feel they will remain static much longer. I agree with Nelson on one thing......playing football in the AAC with this tv contract is unsustainable long term.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It hasn't happened yet because it was a tiered plan from the beginning. UConn was presented with a to do list to make it appear more "Big 10 compliant" with a target date of 2016-17. Nothing else makes sense...from the silence from our administration, to the constant ESPN bashing(clearly they didn't get their way), to the addition of Rutgers as a stand alone in this market.

Do you realize how delusional and crazy that sounds?

People on this board act like UConn is already in the B1G and there is nothing to worry about. You are all completely insane, because there is NO reality to base that on. UConn is not in the B1G, and there is no open invitation or punch list to complete. UConn is still selling itself hard.

If you are talking about that AAU as being for "Big 10 compliant", that is a HUGE freaking deal which will take over 5 years if it ever happens at all. And even if UConn gets admitted to the AAU, it doesn't mean UConn is in the Big 10.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I think Herbst is correctly focused on the academics because that is more in her control. I think becoming a member of the AAU is very important to UConn's administration, much more important than getting in a P5 conference. I think the plan is to continue to upgrade the academics and hope that tips the balance somewhere while being opportunistic if the situation changes elsewhere.

I am reasonably confident that the athletic program is already exploring Big East membership as the exit fees wind down, and the rumor I have heard is that football independence is not the problem with that plan. UConn recognizes that they need more revenue, and everything is on the table right now. It may turn out that there are avenues within the AAC structure that are better than anything else. UConn will have to be creative though. I do not think ESPN has an appetite for a league-wide increase for the AAC, so UConn will probably need to cut some sort of a side deal with the worldwide leader.

 

[kibblesnbits]

A couple of observations.

The B1G Tier 1 and partial Tier 2 Rights go on the open market for bid in 2016.

Part of this package includes basketball rights currently held by both ESPN and CBS, including the B1G Tournament Semis and Championship Games. I wonder if they would be worth more with a National Title Contending Team situated in the shadows of the media capital of the world? Hey Jim, do you want to host a tourney in MSG or Barclays? You know what you have to do.

August appears to be a very important month for revelations regarding the new P5 Conference Structure. More information regarding the new unbalanced conference structure proposal will definitely be discussed.

IIRC UCONN is still in a position to collect exit fees from the break up of the old Big East. I believe the figure is somewhere in the Ball Park of 20 -30 million dollars. This is not chump change. It will also collect some nice scratch from The AAC's performance in this year's tournament.

Hypothetically UCONN could give the full 27 month notice playing football in The ACC over the 2014, 2015, and 2016 Seasons then pay a manageable exit fee to become a free agent. In the three year window leading up to this Diaco could work to get the program back on a firm footing, your fans will have to do their part in football by selling out The Rent every week.

On the academic side UCONN can use this time to continue working towards AAU Status. This will not be a make or break issue for the conference. Demonstrating an increase in conference payout will be.

Imagine a 2017 season consisting of the following set up.
4 games in division. 1 permanent cross over, and 2 games in each of the other 2 divisions on rotation.

Div A- OSU, PSU, RU, UMD, UCONN.

Swap MSU for OSU if the wonder twins can't be separated. However if they take one for the team, you preserve PSU/OSU, PSU/UMD, PSU/RU, and RU/UCONN as rivalries.

Div B- UM, MSU, PU, IU, IL

UM/MSU is a heated rivalry as is IU/PU and IU/IL. MSU and both Indiana Schools as well as OSU and IL are all trophy games.

Div C- UNL, UW, IA, Minny, NW

Lots of traditional rivalries and sensible geographic match ups.

Nice balance with 2 quality Football Brands in each division. The B1G can petition further for a semi
final round. Can you say cha ching? 3 Divison Champs and one wildcard among whomever finishes with the best combination of conference record and national ranking. That way a school isn't rewarded for having a great year by only one of these metrics.

The B1G could go on this way indefinitely or wait out the end of the Big 12 and ACC GOR. At that point they could take a stab at going to 16, 18 or 20 if the money is there. Personally I believe the ACC is more committed to long term survival than the Big 12 is. I think Kansas would walk over hot coals for a Big 10 invite that reunited them with Nebraska in football and put them in a BBall league with Indiana, MSU, UM, UW, OSU, IL, UMD, and UCONN.

Keep the faith Husky Fans. I believe there is a plan in place, but logistics necessitate things are kept quiet for a while longer.

That doesn't work. If you have an odd number of teams playing an odd number of games you will be left with an outlier (15 teams x 9 games per team / 2 teams per contest = 67 1/2 contests). A league with an odd number of full members has to play an even number of in conference games.

 

[djct1999]

Do you realize how delusional and crazy that sounds?

People on this board act like UConn is already in the B1G and there is nothing to worry about. You are all completely insane, because there is NO reality to base that on. UConn is not in the B1G, and there is no open invitation or punch list to complete. UConn is still selling itself hard.

If you are talking about that AAU as being for "Big 10 compliant", that is a HUGE freaking deal which will take over 5 years if it ever happens at all. And even if UConn gets admitted to the AAU, it doesn't mean UConn is in the Big 10.

You need to step off the ledge and relax. I assume that you where one of the guys who during the financial crisis felt the stock market was going to 0. UConn is to valuable of a brand, to good of an academic institution to be left out of the P5. To think that UConn and all that it has invested would sit idle in all of this is what is insane. Seriously. Just because we fans lack transparency on the matter doesn't mean things haven't occurred behind closed doors.

 

[Seaa Blue]

That doesn't work. If you have an odd number of teams playing an odd number of games you will be left with an outlier (15 teams x 9 games per team / 2 teams per contest = 67 1/2 contests). A league with an odd number of full members has to play an even number of in conference games.

I believe all B1G football teams have had a bye week the last couple years. The bye weeks and ooc games take care of the ".5" problem.

Edit: Never mind, I see what you're saying. Yes, somebody would have to have an extra game or be shorted one.

 

[huskyrob1]

If things remain static, Nelson is right. UConn will need to stop bleeding. I just don't feel they will remain static much longer. I agree with Nelson on one thing.playing football in the AAC with this tv contract is unsustainable long term.

I agree also, but the bleeding is coming from the football program, NOT basketball. I also disagree with him that Diaco took the job on a sinking ship (to use Muntz's description) without any assurances from WM or SH that they are moving on soon into another conference.

 

[Adios]

The only way I see one side or the other adding UConn is if one conference starts to emerge clearly victorious in NYC over the next few years, with the loser willing to make an addition.

I had no idea New England cares about BC.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You need to step off the ledge and relax. I assume that you where one of the guys who during the financial crisis felt the stock market was going to 0. UConn is to valuable of a brand, to good of an academic institution to be left out of the P5. To think that UConn and all that it has invested would sit idle in all of this is what is insane. Seriously. Just because we fans lack transparency on the matter doesn't mean things haven't occurred behind closed doors.

"They are taking care of it" is one way to approach this situation. How did that work in the fall of 2012 when the ACC added Louisville?

 

[CTMike]

You need to step off the ledge and relax. I assume that you where one of the guys who during the financial crisis felt the stock market was going to 0. UConn is to valuable of a brand, to good of an academic institution to be left out of the P5. To think that UConn and all that it has invested would sit idle in all of this is what is insane. Seriously. Just because we fans lack transparency on the matter doesn't mean things haven't occurred behind closed doors.

Everything you mentioned is true, yet here we are on the outside looking in. Nothing is in hand until we are at that press conference announcing our membership in the B1G or ACC. UConn spent too much time in the past resting on its laurels saying "we are awesome" without realizing how dire the situation was outside of CT. I think this administration gets it, but take nothing for granted because CR is life and death for UConn Athletics and we are on the brink. I hope those meetings are happening but I won't rest easy until our future is certain.

I will now light myself on fire for partially defending Nelson.

 

[djct1999]

Everything you mentioned is true, yet here we are on the outside looking in. Nothing is in hand until we are at that press conference announcing our membership in the B1G or ACC. UConn spent too much time in the past resting on its laurels saying "we are awesome" without realizing how dire the situation was outside of CT. I think this administration gets it, but take nothing for granted because CR is life and death for UConn Athletics and we are on the brink. I hope those meetings are happening but I won't rest easy until our future is certain.

I will now light myself on fire for partially defending Nelson.

agree 100%

 

[itgoeslike]

Who appointed Nelson as UConn's accountant? While not Michigan or Texas, UConn's AD has been much better off financially than most P5 schools. In terms of revenue, we will net more total revenue in the next 3-4 years than we were making with our former BE contract, and we proved we could compete then. Over the long term the revenue gap will be an issue should we remain in the AAC. That is a fact. But, even then it wouldn't make sense to even consider joining the Big East prior to 2019. With the introduction of P5 legislation, it's likely the landscape will be changing in near future. I have to assume that UConn's administration has devoted substantial time to position itself for a potential transition. For now, it makes sense to continue to win, improve academics, grow research, and support our teams. Doing so will affect our bottom line more than any of the schemes that have been posted.

 

[djct1999]

"They are taking care of it" is one way to approach this situation. How did that work in the fall of 2012 when the ACC added Louisville?

Again, I wont panic until we know the entire story. If I recall correctly, weren't you saying that UConn had a 3-5 year window for survival?(which at the time I agreed with) Well, it hasn't been 3 -5 years yet. I have faith that our situation will be rectified by then. Regardless, I won't speak of UConn's implosion until that time frame is up. I realize that I am speculating just as you are. To me, there are just too many subtle clues that suggest UConn's current situation won't remain static. So I certainly have a hard time believing that UConn will simply bleed to death.

 

[freescooter]

Do they still teach reading at UConn?

An athletic program that is bleeding cash is not going to be real appealing to either the ACC or B1G. UConn needs to stop the bleeding.

Well, the following suggests that's not exactly true:

 

[huskyrob1]

Do you realize how delusional and crazy that sounds?

People on this board act like UConn is already in the B1G and there is nothing to worry about. You are all completely insane, because there is NO reality to base that on. UConn is not in the B1G, and there is no open invitation or punch list to complete. UConn is still selling itself hard.

If you are talking about that AAU as being for "Big 10 compliant", that is a HUGE freaking deal which will take over 5 years if it ever happens at all. And even if UConn gets admitted to the AAU, it doesn't mean UConn is in the Big 10.

The reality is UCONN just won 2 NC's in basketball, the 4th for the men and a record 9th for the women, and you act as though it doesn't mean anything and Warde's dept is going to implode tomorrow, and recruits will scorn UCONN. I mean the god damned New York Knicks cannot fill their home court but a New England State Univ, that you say is about to fall off a cliff, can. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a trolling BC fan, worried about your standing in the northeast.

 

[nomar]

Really? Aren't there confidentiality agreements?

I would imagine that UConn would need to sign something, but there are always back channels.

 

[nomar]

Okay, I am not sure what more can be said about ESPN… unless the BOneyard ponies up some money and find a disgruntled employee who has been axed and has documents stating that ESPN is forcing us outside or we are going to start looking like Mel Gibson from Conspiracy Theory.

Wasn't he right?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The reality is UCONN just won 2 NC's in basketball, the 4th for the men and a record 9th for the women, and you act as though it doesn't mean anything and Warde's dept is going to implode tomorrow, and recruits will scorn UCONN. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a trolling BC fan, worried about your standing in the northeast.

I never said basketball championships didn't matter. You just made that up.

 

[UConn9604]

The reality is UCONN just won 2 NC's in basketball, the 4th for the men and a record 9th for the women, and you act as though it doesn't mean anything and Warde's dept is going to implode tomorrow, and recruits will scorn UCONN. I mean the god damned New York Knicks cannot fill their home court but a New England State Univ that you say is about to fall off a cliff, can. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're a trolling BC fan, worried about your standing in the northeast.

If Nelson's mere point is that we don't have a single fact to rely on in terms of believing that we're *already* in the B1G, he's correct. Unless any of us taps Jim Delany's, Susan Herbst's or Larry McHugh's phone lines or hacks their E-mail accounts, everything is mere speculation at this point.

I just refuse to believe that we're dead or that our future is ruinous, that's all. Jim Calhoun taught me to believe that our alma mater can be the very best in the country in anything, with the right amount of effort, energy and support from its alumni. I believed him, he was right, and I am not about to stop believing now.