UConn doesn't have cause to throw stones at Pitt and Syracuse

Now that the $ figure for Pitt and SU are known, and that their departure happens 340 some odd days from now, UConn really can't complain about what they did.

We can begrudge them, envy them, whatever...but there is a big glass dome over Storrs:

Blast from the past, September 18, 2011

"UConn president Susan Herbst is aggressively pursuing membership in the ACC...According to the source, Herbst was having conversations recently but in light of Pittsburgh's and Syracuse's defections from the Big East, the talks have accelerated in the last 48 hours."

Right. We only had cause to complain before they gave us a payout...

That's bullsh1t. We're only forced into this situation because they left in the first place.

The Big East was a perfectly fine conference and if they didn't negotiate behind everyone's back we could have had an attractive league up for a new contract and all made out well.

I should have all of my Mark Nordenberg Google links lined up and ready to go for every third or fourth discussion thread that gets started in the Boneyard. It seems that people have already forgotten that Nordenberg led the charge in the Big East into rejecting the ESPN contract, only to turn around and announce the ACC departure soon thereafter. But I guess some people are worried about our glass dome...

The problem is, Herbst was talking to the ACC before SU and Pitt bolted. They beat UConn to it. Who knows the complete backstory ( Herbst was new, and probably got blindsided by the announcement).

Who was UConn talking to? How far along was the conversation? How aggressive was she prior to the announcement?

But no matter what, UConn tried to do what Pitt and SU did, but lost out.

until we join them, f them. all the media stuff about uconn #beggingharder was started by espn and spread. it was espn putting spin on stuff for there benefit. susan said we were not desperate, i'll wait to see what happens soon after the sec goes to 16, nd decides it future with cbs or joining a league and stuff falls in place from there.

You show me the dates of when the tv contract was rejected and any speculative dates of Pitt's discussions with the ACC, along with any speculative discussion dates between UConn and the ACC, and then we'll talk. You have offered a thread berating a fanbase without offering any data or information. I'm not sure what discussion you wanted to generate from the thread, but provide some substance and I'm sure the conversation will be more fruitful.

This is all supposition countered by plausible stories otherwise.

Just for the record, Rumrunner (so that I can help you on your quest for info), the ESPN contract was turned down by the Big East on May 25, 2011. Pitt and Cuse announced that they were leaving for the ACC on September 18, 2011. That's four months later. UConn was in discussions with the ACC??

Now for "ha has", explain to us all why our best friend, Gene DeFillippo, made the following comment?

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php...expansion-and-his-school-blocked-connecticut/'

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...ies-aggressively-seeking-acc-move-source-says

Again, perhaps Katz and Joe Schad are wrong, or their source was wrong, but there's no ambiguity. Herbst was speaking with the ACC prior to Pitt's and SU's defection.

The words are in black and white.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...ies-aggressively-seeking-acc-move-source-says

Well good thing I'm not Susan Herbst. Suck it Syracuse! Get bent Pitt!

Rumrunner,

Cut this blame the victim bs. It has been argued ad nauseum. If Pitt and Syracuse don't freak out and bolt, the Big East gets a deal worth at least $15MM/football school and everyone is fat and happy.

Your ESPN link was dated September 18th, the same day as the announcement of the Pitt / Cuse defection. Also, it says that UConn is trying to become either the 15th or 16th member of the ACC (words are in black and white, by the way). Finally, it is a story made for print (on the same day as Pitt / Cuse announce departure) by the very institution who started the defection process to begin with! For more on that, see my linked article from our boy Gene DeFillippo. That article strongly suggests that the order of occurrence was:

1) Pitt (led by Nordenberg) leads Big East to reject ESPN bid.
2) ESPN consults with ACC to add two Big East members in order to increase ACC contract (but also to decrease Big East property which may no longer be theirs).
3) ACC membership agrees to invite Syracuse, but cannot agree to invite UConn (insert Gene DeFillippo here ______).
4) ACC membership agrees to make second invite go to Pitt.
5) Pitt and Syracuse receive and accept invite.

The rest is history...

You know this for a fact? I'm guessing she was in full panic mode, as everyone was surprised how quickly this came together. Swofford wanted a quick answer from those two schools, correct?

Also, I agree we would have gone if invited, knowing the storm that would follow if we didn't get the invite. My biggest problem with it is that Pitt is the very definition of "meh", an athletic program brand name that is day-old bread. Having those assclowns leaving us behind is perplexing.

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Although I kind of liked where our conference was prior to the defections w/ West V/Cuse/Pitt, I still think there was much more below the surface that would not allow things to continue as they were. This change was going to happen and we were left behind, no doubt (IMO due to lack of conference strength and bargaining power for our new tv deal). I don't think we can solely blame those schools for doing what they did, it was self preservation. We CAN however blame the lack of BE leadership out of Providence over the last 10 years and the school presidents who allowed "basketball only" schools to dictate the direction of the conference when the environment of collegiate sports is driven by football. This lack of leadership forced their hand and I think that they hung on as long as they could. Last Sept, it was nearly armageddon in college sports and they reacted b4 they were left behind.

Definitely the BE's fault on many levels from a series of Commissioners who sought to protect the interests of an insignificant conference member, Providence, to a group of Presidents (mostly Catholic schools) who sought to just keep what they had as opposed to seeing that college sports was changing and to look for opportunities to improve the conference. Add in ND as a partial member whose interests carried way too much weight and you have the formula for why the BE has been left on the trash heap.

The fault for what happened to the Big East is 100% the responsibility for Syracuse and Pitt. Everything would have been fine if they hadn't stabbed everyone in the back.

Then why was Herbst talking with the ACC before it was announced that Pitt and SU were leaving? Or are Katz and Joe Schad lying?

No they are not lying you just need to read that again Rumrunner, somehow you're taking this statement, "In a statement earlier Sunday, Herbst said that although UConn was "a proud charter member of the Big East" the school was staying "actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program." and converting it to this quote from you, "The problem is, Herbst was talking to the ACC before SU and Pitt bolted. They beat UConn to it." but yet in your original post you used this quote from the artilce, "UConn president Susan Herbst is aggressively pursuing membership in the ACC...According to the source, Herbst was having conversations recently but in light of Pittsburgh's and Syracuse's defections from the Big East, the talks have accelerated in the last 48 hours."
Now in light of all the conference realignment garbage if an AD or President of any school is not constantly keeping all options on the table then they are not doing their jobs for their school or athletic department. The fact that she is talking to her counterparts across the country before Pitt and Syracuse left does not indicate she was trying to leap over Pitt. Their is nothing in the article that says she was, in fact it says she was trying to get us to be the 15th or 16th team added, in which case you would need a 13th and 14th added first. What Pitt and Syracuse did was shady to the conference to say the least and comparing what we are attempting to do in full view of the entire college sporting world to what those two schools did in a back room is ridiculous and naive.