we need a plan

[WestCoastHusky]

First of all, I feel sick that our fate is what the ACC wants. I am sure rest of you feel the same way. In addition, we all suddenly care about what BCU wants too?

We can only control what we can control. Yes we made clear we want to be in the ACC under the current situation, but we should not be actively pursuing it unless we know we got a shot. We need to do is control our own fate as much as we can and improve the BE. I know every BE school is out there shopping too but some of us will be left behind. We still got a BCS bid. We need to use that to build ourselves up. Even if we left at some point, it will at least provide a home for our other conference mates who might be left out of this realignment game.

Teams like USF, Cincy, RU and TCU might not have places to go. WVU and UL could be on this list too depending on things shake out. We need to get some agreement that we will build this conference up as much as we can even if all of us want to leave at some point. How? We need a strong football leader. Marinatto has proved time and time again he is an idiot. He is out there sending flowers while every other commissioner is out there looking at ways to pick his conference apart. He has to go. We need someone who can lead all of us. I would have said Jurich but UL is looking at B12 the first chance they got. Luck could be another but I am sure WVU is gone too the first chance they got. I don't have any idea who that person is at this point. All I do know is Marinatto is not the answer.

After we get some agreement to build up this conference, we need to go out and invite as many schools as possible immediately. Here is what I propose:

Invite for all sports:

Temple
ECU
Houston
UCF

That will get us back to 11. If someone else leave, then invite Navy and Air Force for FB only to get back to 12.

We need to execute this ASAP to at least have a home in case the ACC thing does not happen for the next 3 years or longer.

 

[UCHuskies08]

I have 100% confidence in John Marinatto to get 'er done. Why wouldn't I?

 

[jordoo]

I'm sure UConn has the same plan that all the other remaining BE fball scholols do . . . . . . say yes to the first offer from any other BCS conference.

 

[Carl Spackler]

TCU has been looking for a place to go since the Southwest conference folded in 1996 after some 80+ years of existence. They're old pros at what we're doing right now......

I agree that we need to focus just a handful of things.

The most important thing we've got is that BCS AQ status until the end of 2013 at least. Got to play that, and play it for all it's worth.

#1. Make sure TCU is coming.

#2. Adding jsut one more, all sports school that makes sense to get to 8 team football conference.

Adding football only programs to the conference makes no sense, it only makes it more unstable. Adding more basketball schools and no football would make me puke. The only one I can come up with, and I've looked long and hard at the list of division 1-A schools, is Temple. The big east has driven out every other 1-A all sports school north of mason-dixon and east of ohio that would make sense, and actually drove Temple out already once, too.

#3. Clearly establish some kind of shift in power in the conference to the all-sports/football schools away from Providence. If it can't be done in reality, for now, find a way to do it publicly,a good way to start would be in the form of a powerful binding agreement among the football schools only to stay together long term, that it becomes known and accepted around the country, that the football schools are no longer going to be controlled by basketball interests, and are just riding out the current situation as long as they have to, until binding contracts with broadcasting run out.

#4. Go out and recruit like hell for all of our sports.

 

[Carl Spackler]

BTW - The concept that our fate rests with an ACC commissioner, or the president's / AD's of another conference is entirely UNACCEPTABLE. We've made our intentions to find an ideal fit for our school known, and we've identifed the ACC as a desireable location.

No more to be said, pursue it quietly if there's anything to pursue, and focus on what we can control, and make that loud.

BCS AQ status. That's what we've got, and it's not a weak card to hold.

Malloy? The guy didn't say anything that you can't read in a million places literally, on the internet, but seriously - keep your trap shut, unless you've got something meaningful to say, not projecting a position of power you clown.

Ugh, was I annoyed to read the article about him. If he's got some pull, and he's got something he can do to help the university, awesome, but otherwise keep your trap shut, there are million people gabbing about the situation we're in already, don't need it coming from the governor of the state.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

CT governor out there talking openly about UCONN wanting to be in the ACC is not helping. Malloy needs to be working the ESPN angle hard. He needs to get his people on who within ESPN they should be talking to in order to help UCONN into a more stable conference behind the scenes. I have no idea what he is trying to do by going public about the ACC. We don't want to kill the B1G possibility if there is a slim chance.

The best thing we can do right now is build up our current conference. In addition, we might as well start planning for stadium expansion to 55K to show rest of the country we are serious about football.

 

[gibhunter]

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson

Consider Pitt and Cuse leaving as UConn getting punched in the face. Now it's just going with the flow. Any schools out there (UCF, ECU, Boise, TCU, service academies) would form a nucleus of a glorified CUSA. Any one of the schools left is gone the second it is invited.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson

Consider Pitt and Cuse leaving as UConn getting punched in the face. Now it's just going with the flow. Any schools out there (UCF, ECU, Boise, TCU, service academies) would form a nucleus of a glorified CUSA. Any one of the schools left is gone the second it is invited.

True but they will be around if they got nowhere else to go What other choice do we have? Go indy? I think that would be suicide for our program at this stage. We need a conference to play in to be successful. Hopefully, we can form one within reasonable distance so we don't have to fly all over the place.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face." - Mike Tyson

Consider Pitt and Cuse leaving as UConn getting punched in the face. Now it's just going with the flow. Any schools out there (UCF, ECU, Boise, TCU, service academies) would form a nucleus of a glorified CUSA. Any one of the schools left is gone the second it is invited.

So you are against having a plan. Or do you just like to whine?

 

[mattp]

personally i'd rather stay in a BE with Temple in all sports and Army/NAvy as FB only than go to the ACC. everything about the ACC is rotten. all they've done over the last 10 years is accumulate mediocre has-been programs. if they didn't add VTech and took syracuse as originally planned they'd have been on probation to lose their BCS bid by now. they have no sense of responsibility in maintaining the supposed "higher standards" of collegiate athletics, and i HATE the idea of being one of them. if we joined the ACC tomorrow i would accept that we had to do it, but i wouldn't be dancing in the streets by any means. the bowl arrangements would be nice, but that's about the only part i'd like even a little bit

 

[nelsonmuntz]

To be fair to Gib, it appears that the Big East has no plan at all right now, almost two weeks later. The football schools don't have a plan, the basketball schools don't have a plan, Notre Dame doesn't have a plan.

 

[Carl Spackler]

To be fair to Gib, it appears that the Big East has no plan at all right now, almost two weeks later. The football schools don't have a plan, the basketball schools don't have a plan, Notre Dame doesn't have a plan.

Shocking. Providence buries it's head in the sand.

I'll predict that if Pendergast earns the AD job outright, it's going to come by having a part, if not being the only one taking the lead on following some kind of path very much like I just laid out for an 8 team football/all sports division of the current conference.

The only thing of real value, even though you seem to cling to the idea that the catholics own a ton of market potential, the only commodity of real value we've got in this conference right now is the BCS AQ status.

That needs to be priority number one, and we need to put 8 schools together that can show, project and act upon real and measurable solidarity in the future, around that BCS AQ status as a conference, independant from the catholics. that does not mean we need to split, although I can't possibly imagine how the catholics keep control in providence and maintain this thing beyond 2013 and the expiration of the current ESPN deal, it could be held together if te power is in the right hands.....but the reality that we've been a revolving door programs in the BCS ranks has to get plugged and stopped.

Sooner or later there won't be enough chairs left at the big boys table, and we need to make sure we've got a chair.

The focus on saving basketball is the gasp for the ACC. This is the irony in all of it. We're not looking to the ACC to save football, we're looking at it to save basketball from having to start over.

The BCS AQ status, is solid, and only gets better with the addition of TCU and the loss of Pitt and Syracuse.

we need one more all sports school and solidarity among those 8.

 

[Rumrunner]

The plan on Sunday should be to ask Marinatto if he really wants to demonstrate commitment, let's first go over to the Pres of Notre Dame, and ask him what his perspective on commitment is. Oh, you say, you are more committed to independence than to the Big East. At that point, UofL, UConn, Rutgers and WVU should likewise declare the same.

 

[toppencil]

To be fair to Gib, it appears that the Big East has no plan at all right now, almost two weeks later. The football schools don't have a plan, the basketball schools don't have a plan, Notre Dame doesn't have a plan.

I'm not so sure. The basketball only schools and Notre Dame sans football are just waiting this out. Notre Dame football wants to stay independent, that's their plan. The football schools, especially UConn, seem to be in panic mode. I live in Florida and there is little noise coming from USF. Until the panic stops, what can the Big East really do? You need everyone ready to work together, that's not possible right now.

And frankly, if I was the Big East commissioner, I would be more than annoyed with UConn's disrespect. The least Herbst could have done was show up at the last meeting. I wonder what the other school presidents and ADs think about her behavior? Since she clearly wants nothing to do with the Big East, maybe UConn should just become an independent like Notre Dame and BYU. Then the remaining football schools could sit down and figure out a plan to move forward together, with or without the BB schools.

 

[Rumrunner]

Too bad Marinatto isn't deserving of UConn's respect. When he pledges more fealty to Providence College and its band of leaches, and his grand plan was to upgrade Villanova and have them play in an 18k seat soccer stadium, I doubt if Herbst is really worried about what Marinatto says, thinks, cares about, had for breakfast... nevermind if he "respects" her.

And frankly, if I was the Big East commissioner, I would be more than annoyed with UConn's disrespect. The least Herbst could have done was show up at the last meeting. I wonder what the other school presidents and ADs think about her behavior? Since she clearly wants nothing to do with the Big East, maybe UConn should just become an independent like Notre Dame and BYU. Then the remaining football schools could sit down and figure out a plan to move forward together, with or without the BB schools.

 

[Carl Spackler]

If the president of the university of connecticut, in any way, feels that the best interests of this university moving forward as an academic institution involved in the highest level of intercollegiate athletics, should be left in the hands of Marinatto and the providence leadership, then she should be fired immediately.

USF?

When you realize that all of this ACC/Big East crap is about basketball, rather than football, and football money is just the lever arm, it makes a lot of sense that the people and reps from schools saying the most, guys like Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzykstan, Roy W, etc. etc. Herbst, Calhoun saying line up em anywhere, let's go, and you don't hear anything from USF.

As soon as a leader steps up in the big east, that takes control of the priority, and that' BCS AQ status, and makes it solid, that's when things stop "panicking" for athletic departments.

The way the basketballs ide of things eventually shakes out, might not be ideal nostalgically (is that a word?)

But the money in intercollegiate sports, and the health of athletic departments is more important.

 

[toppencil]

Too bad Marinatto isn't deserving of UConn's respect. When he pledges more fealty to Providence College and its band of leaches, and his grand plan was to upgrade Villanova and have them play in an 18k seat soccer stadium, I doubt if Herbst is really worried about what Marinatto says, thinks, cares about, had for breakfast... nevermind if he "respects" her.

Respect the rank if you can't respect the person. If there is a band of leaches, it resides in Storrs, greedily begging for money from the ACC.

 

[toppencil]

If the president of the university of connecticut, in any way, feels that the best interests of this university moving forward as an academic institution involved in the highest level of intercollegiate athletics, should be left in the hands of Marinatto and the providence leadership, then she should be fired immediately.

USF?

When you realize that all of this ACC/Big East crap is about basketball, rather than football, and football money is just the lever arm, it makes a lot of sense that the people and reps from schools saying the most, guys like Rick Pitino, Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzykstan, Roy W, etc. etc. Herbst, Calhoun saying line up em anywhere, let's go, and you don't hear anything from USF.

As soon as a leader steps up in the big east, that takes control of the priority, and that' BCS AQ status, and makes it solid, that's when things stop "panicking" for athletic departments.

The way the basketballs ide of things eventually shakes out, might not be ideal nostalgically (is that a word?)

But the money in intercollegiate sports, and the health of athletic departments is more important.

Last I checked USF plays basketball too.

 

[uc1974]

It's leeches, not leaches unless there was humor intended. The respecting the rank remark used to be used all the time when I was in the Army many years ago. The trouble is, your CO is an idiot and he gets people killed. Respect the rank my ass. Marinade is incompetent and he's done terrible damage. I'm sure he's a nice guy but he's dangerous and professionally not worthy of respect, nor is the rank.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You sound like you were in a medevac unit.

 

[upstater]

Respect the rank if you can't respect the person. If there is a band of leaches, it resides in Storrs, greedily begging for money from the ACC.

So what do you do, tell your boss to keep the money?

 

[upstater]

It's leeches, not leaches unless there was humor intended. The respecting the rank remark used to be used all the time when I was in the Army many years ago. The trouble is, your CO is an idiot and he gets people killed. Respect the rank my ass. Marinade is incompetent and he's done terrible damage. I'm sure he's a nice guy but he's dangerous and professionally not worthy of respect, nor is the rank.

Commissioner of a conference is actually beneath the rank of a university president. Look at Marinatto's paycheck, compare it to Herbst's.

 

[SubbaBub]

I do suspect the certain schools have an good idea where they may end up,even if it is a contingent one. Everyone could use a backup plan. Assuming the following as conventional wisdom:
1.Though it may survive in some form Big East as we knew it is dead.
2. The B12 slap fight between UT and OU will settle down with both staying.
3. UConn, WVU, Louisville, TCU, and Rutgers will 100% jump to another conference if invited.
4. The over/under is (2) on the number of the above schools leaving in the next 5 years.
5. Notre Dame is the golden poodle 4 of the 6 AQ conferences are staring at waiting for it to take a dump.
6. Nothing other than SEC #14 is likely to happen until said poodle does its business, one way or another.

It is in the best interests of the remaining 7 to do the following:
a. Incentivize ND to make its intentions clear to join a conference or indicate that they're good regardless of what happens even if it means {gasp!} threatening to split from the BB schools and following through if necessary.
b. Secure the AQ bid for the next cycle.
c. Prepare the league to absorb 2 more hits, not knowing who it might be, but recognizing that they will come. (this means expand the football side to 10.)
d. Put together the most attractive media package possible.
e. Expansion candidates need a significant commitment to BCS AQ FOOTBALL, as in capable of sniffing the Top 25, and be able to demonstrate it. (Sorry Nova, Army, Navy, or any school with less than 20,000 students, a stadium of less than 40,000, or an inability to sell at least 30k tickets a game)
f. Agree that if the BCS AQ bid is retained and the media rights fees meet an agreed to goal, then the FB schools commit to each other for the duration of the contract and the execution of the next media deal. Until then schools are free to explore their options.
g. Extend invitations to UCF, ECU, and Houston to get to 10. Tell Temple to it can be #11 if it meets certain requirements. Thrashing Maryland aside, I need to see more out of them beyond the Al Golden era.

Once the other conferences know what ND will do, the rest can get on with life in whatever form that will be. Schools with better options can take them, anyone left behind will at least have a foundation of 2-3 years to build on. The key to keeping the AQ, other than pure politics, is to have a 2-3 top 25 teams and one Top 10 team in your conference each year. If WVU and TCU stay, the top 10 team is covered for now. I think the rest can produce enough to produce at least a couple teams in the top 30 every year, assuming the bottom doesn't fall out of recruiting league-wide. Still, I'd prefer the ACC or the B1G for UConn because this would still be the least stable conference.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[Skiblets]

Here's the plan based on observations.

1. Develop the business case for why Uconn adds value to the ACC membership. Have to prove why adding UConn adds $$ to the equation and why it's in their best interest to add us. Share business case with key constituents (ACC presidents and AD's)
2. Leverage political capital (national and local) with ESPN if we have any
3. Leverage other resources (media, persons of influence etc.) in a subtle way to build momentum for our candidacy. Lots of ESPN and other media stories so far.
4. Leverage other potential options to create some urgency with ACC (not sure this is possible but a well placed Big 10 rumor might suffice)
5. Wait for the invite

Seems like that is the plan from watching Uconn's maneuverings over the past week +. Not sure what else they could be doing.

 

[upstater]

Here's the plan based on observations.

1. Develop the business case for why Uconn adds value to the ACC membership. Have to prove why adding UConn adds $$ to the equation and why it's in their best interest to add us. Share business case with key constituents (ACC presidents and AD's)
2. Leverage political capital (national and local) with ESPN if we have any
3. Leverage other resources (media, persons of influence etc.) in a subtle way to build momentum for our candidacy. Lots of ESPN and other media stories so far.
4. Leverage other potential options to create some urgency with ACC (not sure this is possible but a well placed Big 10 rumor might suffice)
5. Wait for the invite

Seems like that is the plan from watching Uconn's maneuverings over the past week +. Not sure what else they could be doing.

Place all emphasis on #2. Do it without threatening. The only reason that any of the big conferences would add Pitt and Cuse is because all conferences are going to 16. The only reason. That means #1 is moot since the end game is not about markets and schools. It's about separating the wheat from the chaff. A network can offer the ACC more simply because they offer the BE nada. Essentially, any bump up for the ACC comes at the expense of BE schools. It all depends on ESPN.