Why would the ACC add UConn?

[Hoophound]

UCONN is a bigger factor in Boston at this point. BC has trouble selling tickets to basketball games against Duke. BC doesn't dominate Boston. They share it with UCONN and ND.

 

[businesslawyer]

I actually think they are one of the few trying to keep us out with FSU, VT, and Miami being the others. BC for regional marketing issues and the rest for football considerations.

btw If you really are a UConn fan I'm sorry I called you an idiot. I assumed you were a BC troll......

Why would VT be trying to keep us out? They were our co-plaintiff in the suit (and dropped it only when they got an invite).

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Why would VT be trying to keep us out? They were our co-plaintiff in the suit (and dropped it only when they got an invite).

I don't really think they are but I think they might be just due to football pedigree. BC and FSU, I think would definitely be working against us though. And I think all except BC would be fine if we came with ND instead of Rutgers.

 

[Dave Carlson]

The ACC took Pitt and Syracuse first for 1 and maybe 2 reasons. First, they were the logical geographical adds for the B10. By adding them, they took them from the B10's reach. Now UCONN and Rutgers, which are geographically less appealing to the B10, are available for the ACC whenever they wish. If the ACC took UCONN and Rutty first, the B10 might have grabbed Pitt and SU before the ACC had a chance. Neither conference would add all four at once because they want ND, Texas or both and are saving room for them at this point.

Second, UCONN was loyal to the Big East and didn't ask the ACC for membership. Pitt and SU were opportunisitc and quietly asked for admittance. It was easy for the ACC and a brilliant move.

UCONN is not a small market, it is a med/semi-large market school. It generates big revenue and is a national brand.. It is also the best basketball school (men's and women's) in the country. It is strong academically and has the support of the state. The football program has steadily improved and has been heavily invested in including some of the very best facilities in the country. UCONN is not a lesser add than Pitt or Cuse in any sense. It is a less strategic add at this point. Again, brilliant work by the ACC, but not a knock on UCONN.

I understand why the ACC added Pitt and Syracuse, and why they did it when they did it. The loyalty argument sounds nice, but it just doesn't wash. It's fairly obvious based on the current scrambling being done that, had the ACC called UConn and said that Pitt and Syracuse are coming over that we would have jumped at the offer. I just don't understand this leap where the ACC didn't think they should do that for some reason, but it's still cool because they will obviously take us down the road. The ACC presidents didn't get together and vote on this and then suddenly remember afterwards that UConn exists.

The ACC doesn't cares about our academics and obviously we are making an effort to make them put a lot of weight into the national following for our men's basketball. But all of this nonsense is driven by football, where we just aren't very significant.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

UCONN is a bigger factor in Boston at this point. BC has trouble selling tickets to basketball games against Duke. BC doesn't dominate Boston. They share it with UCONN and ND.

And with Beanpot-school hockey, quite frankly. During the winter time, BU and BC hockey, sometimes even Northeastern and Harvard, get as much play here as BC basketball. All of which receive less attention than UConn basketball did last year. This past year, there were game recaps on the Globe front page for practically every single game that wasn't against some schmuck like DePaul.

 

[upstater]

I was wondering how long it would take Chippy to show up.

 

[Hoophound]

I understand why the ACC added Pitt and Syracuse, and why they did it when they did it. The loyalty argument sounds nice, but it just doesn't wash. It's fairly obvious based on the current scrambling being done that, had the ACC called UConn and said that Pitt and Syracuse are coming over that we would have jumped at the offer. I just don't understand this leap where the ACC didn't think they should do that for some reason, but it's still cool because they will obviously take us down the road. The ACC presidents didn't get together and vote on this and then suddenly remember afterwards that UConn exists.

The ACC doesn't cares about our academics and obviously we are making an effort to make them put a lot of weight into the national following for our men's basketball. But all of this nonsense is driven by football, where we just aren't very significant.

They do care about academics to some degree. It doesn't really matter though since UCONN, Rutgers, SU and Pitt are similar academically. As far as football goes, we arent insignificant in this market and we have a brand name to build with elsewhere. There aren't endless big name football programs to add that have a TV market the size of Hartford/New Haven and the money of the people of CT. You can play devil's advocate all you want but the fact is UCONN is worth its presence in the ACC. UCONN provides a lot of good TV.

 

[HuskyNan]

I was wondering how long it would take Chippy to show up.

Not Chip. Besides, this guy uses multi-syllabic words.

 

[ctchamps]

I understand why the ACC added Pitt and Syracuse, and why they did it when they did it. The loyalty argument sounds nice, but it just doesn't wash. It's fairly obvious based on the current scrambling being done that, had the ACC called UConn and said that Pitt and Syracuse are coming over that we would have jumped at the offer. I just don't understand this leap where the ACC didn't think they should do that for some reason, but it's still cool because they will obviously take us down the road. The ACC presidents didn't get together and vote on this and then suddenly remember afterwards that UConn exists.

The ACC doesn't cares about our academics and obviously we are making an effort to make them put a lot of weight into the national following for our men's basketball. But all of this nonsense is driven by football, where we just aren't very significant.

That's an extrapolation (in red) that may or may not be true. If UConn believed there was solidarity amongst the schools they may have thought such a statement by the ACC was made in an attempt to try to get UConn to start the dominoes falling. And UConn may not have been comfortable to be the first domino to fall for all we know.

And without the putdown you started with this thread, there would have been a lot less antagonism directed your way. Many posters have written in several threads the possibility exists for no UConn invite. So I'm not sure whether you need to look for invective to come your way, or this whole process (the breakup of the BE and not these forums) just has you frustrated. But you certainly are coming along as condescending and in my book, that isn't very intelligent.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

And Boston is a bigger market than Hartford.

Professionally, sure. But college-wise? Absolutely not. In Boston, people care about BC -- after they stop caring about the Red Sox, the Patriots, and the Bruins. In CT, UConn is pretty much the only game in town. Ask DePaul how things are going competing in a pro sports market as opposed to, say, Ann Arbor. But who puts more butts in the seats?

 

[jrazz12]

You people are certifiable if you think uconn captures any kind of relevant tv market outside of cowtown storrs. Fairfield county, the area that matters because it's populated and has all the money (residents went to real colleges and make actual money) has a bigger Fairfield U following than uconn. People in fairfield county simply don't care about uconn. As for Boston, no freaking way. Providence College has a 10x bigger footprint than uconn in the bean. Get serious, outside of hartford, nobody cares.

This board is entertaining. I love reading about the strength of women's basketball as a determining factor in an acc invite.

The ACC isn't happening for you. Rumor is BC has more than enough votes to keep you out, and as long as their AD is in charge, your invite won't come. It's all about football, and your product brings nothing, it's pure economics.

My nomination for MORON OF THE DAY

 

[businesslawyer]

You people are certifiable if you think uconn captures any kind of relevant tv market outside of cowtown storrs. Fairfield county, the area that matters because it's populated and has all the money (residents went to real colleges and make actual money) has a bigger Fairfield U following than uconn. People in fairfield county simply don't care about uconn. As for Boston, no freaking way. Providence College has a 10x bigger footprint than uconn in the bean. Get serious, outside of hartford, nobody cares.

This board is entertaining. I love reading about the strength of women's basketball as a determining factor in an acc invite.

The ACC isn't happening for you. Rumor is BC has more than enough votes to keep you out, and as long as their AD is in charge, your invite won't come. It's all about football, and your product brings nothing, it's pure economics.

I'm confused. If we're not getting an invite because of "pure economics," why does BC need to round up votes? It would be much easier to follow your put downs if you could make one coherent argument.

Thank you for your interest in UConn football.

 

[ctchamps]

Now this is a troll.

 

[Hoophound]

You can only tell those of us who live or have lived in Fairfield County that nobody there cares about UCONN so many times, it doesn't fool us. Yes, they like the Yankees, but UCONN is very well followed there. BC fans act as if nobody on this board lives in Fairfield County or grew up there. Morons. UCONN gets more ink in Greenwich than BC does in Chesnut Hill for God sake. I lived in Fairfield County for years and I lived in Brookline for years. BC hasn't been a name since they stopped playing UCONN. Nobody cares about BC at all. Its just beyond pathetic what has happened to BC. UCONN in the ACC is just about the only hope BC has of getting back on top. BC has no rivals and gets no national media coverage--NONE. You guys are a joke.

 

[IMind]

The real answer is because there just aren't that many schools out there with established BCS football programs that meet the criteria the ACC seems to be using. If this was "All about football" West Virginia would already be in the ACC. So it's clearly not "All about football." The real question is: Is the ACC going to 16 teams... not "Why UConn?" If they ARE going to 16 teams there are only a few schools that meet the criteria that the ACC has... and who would be willing to leave their conference and join the ACC... and one of those schools is UConn.

 

[ctchamps]

You can only tell those of us who live or have lived in Fairfield County that nobody there cares about UCONN, it doesn't fool us. Yes, they like the Yankees, but UCONN is very well followed there. BC fans act as if nobody on this board lives in Fairfield County or grew up there. Morons. UCONN gets more ink in Greenwich than BC does in Chesnut Hill for God sake. I lived in Fairfield County for years and I lived in Brookline for years. BC hasn't been a name since they stopped playing UCONN. Nobody cares about BC at all. Its just beyond pathetic what has happened to BC. UCONN in the ACC is just about the only hope BC has of getting back on top. BC has no rivals and gets no national media coverage--NONE. You guys are a joke.

And very nervous of getting exposed if UConn ends up in the ACC.

 

[UCDaveD]

LOL @ Providence has a 10x bigger foothold. Dude, I just moved from living right next to BC. I could see the campus from my window. The number of people I saw walking around Beacon St. donning some sort of UConn paraphernalia was astounding.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I understand why the ACC added Pitt and Syracuse, and why they did it when they did it. The loyalty argument sounds nice, but it just doesn't wash. It's fairly obvious based on the current scrambling being done that, had the ACC called UConn and said that Pitt and Syracuse are coming over that we would have jumped at the offer. I just don't understand this leap where the ACC didn't think they should do that for some reason, but it's still cool because they will obviously take us down the road. The ACC presidents didn't get together and vote on this and then suddenly remember afterwards that UConn exists.

The ACC doesn't cares about our academics and obviously we are making an effort to make them put a lot of weight into the national following for our men's basketball. But all of this nonsense is driven by football, where we just aren't very significant.

History will show that this was a really stupid business decision by the ACC, WVU, Syracuse and Pitt. The ACC's problem was and is the fact that it has the worst TV deal of any major, including the Big 12. The Big East's big advantage was that it's TV deal was about to expire, leaving it in the driver's seat in a seller's market for television rights. Then WVU started flirting with the SEC, and Pitt and Syracuse panicked, because they were the weakest and they were afraid of getting left behind.

Even if the ACC wanted to raid the Big East, the smart way to do it would be to merge into the Big East, dissolving the old, bad contract from the ACC. In this market, the combined league could have gotten a record deal and generated better than $20 million per team. That is a fantasy now for either membership. As far as I can tell, this whole process went down the way it did so that the ACC would be the surviving entity (as if that matters to the members) and Swofford would keep his job. It wouldn't be the first time a company made a deal that was really bad for the shareholders and good for the CEO.

 

[ctchamps]

History will show that this was a really stupid business decision by the ACC, WVU, Syracuse and Pitt. The ACC's problem was and is the fact that it has the worst TV deal of any major, including the Big 12. The Big East's big advantage was that it's TV deal was about to expire, leaving it in the driver's seat in a seller's market for television rights. Then WVU started flirting with the SEC, and Pitt and Syracuse panicked, because they were the weakest and they were afraid of getting left behind.

Even if the ACC wanted to raid the Big East, the smart way to do it would be to merge into the Big East, dissolving the old, bad contract from the ACC. In this market, the combined league could have gotten a record deal and generated better than $20 million per team. That is a fantasy now for either membership. As far as I can tell, this whole process went down the way it did so that the ACC would be the surviving entity (as if that matters to the members) and Swofford would keep his job. It wouldn't be the first time a company made a deal that was really bad for the shareholders and good for the CEO.

At least this is the first plausible explanation for the ACC approach to the deal. Still scratching my head about Cuse and Pitt. It must be they saw the contract and know it can be renegotiated under certain circumstances. Probably the hook Swofford used to reel in the schools to approach some easy marks.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Lulz at the PC comment. Over the last six months, I have seen a grand total of zero PC t-shirts, bumper stickers, hoodies, etc. on anyone walking around Boston. I have seen numerous of the aforementioned items with a UConn logo. I haven't seen a PC related article in the Globe since they hired their new coach. UConn had one last week on the front page covering a mundane comment from the women's basketball coach.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

History will show that this was a really stupid business decision by the ACC, WVU, Syracuse and Pitt. The Even if the ACC wanted to raid the Big East, the smart way to do it would be to merge into the Big East, dissolving the old, bad contract from the ACC. In this market, the combined league could have gotten a record deal and generated better than $20 million per team. That is a fantasy now for either membership. As far as I can tell, this whole process went down the way it did so that the ACC would be the surviving entity (as if that matters to the members) and Swofford would keep his job. It wouldn't be the first time a company made a deal that was really bad for the shareholders and good for the CEO.

This is an interesting perspective but I don't think the ACC has any interest in Cinci, USF, or even WVU really. That is why they had to do it this way in my opinion and they want ND and the number is 16.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This is an interesting perspective but I don't think the ACC has any interest in Cinci, USF, or even WVU really. That is why they had to do it this way in my opinion and they want ND and the number is 16.

Notre Dame is not joining the ACC and their lousy TV deal. If playing a couple of games against USF or Cincinnati is the price for ACC members to pay for a $20MM/year/school deal, it seems like a pretty good tradeoff, no?

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Notre Dame is not joining the ACC and their lousy TV deal. If playing a couple of games against USF or Cincinnati is the price for ACC members to pay for a $20MM/year/school deal, it seems like a pretty good tradeoff, no?

The ACC only needed 4 more teams though. Unless they wanted to go to 20 in Football I'm just not seeing how that would work.

 

[uconndogs]

The ACC just expanded their conference by adding two mediocre (I'm being charitable to Syracuse) football programs (albeit with some history of past success and decent-sized fanbases). Why does a seeming consensus of people on this board think it's logical for the ACC to add another mediocre football program, one with almost no following to speak of and one that plays in a nothing market? If the ACC wanted UConn, why wouldn't they have coordinated the addition of UConn at the same time they added Pitt and Syracuse? Are we supposed to believe the ACC doesn't have UConn's phone number? Did you people also believe the Patriots were going to move to Hartford?

Reading this board is like listening to Veronica explain why Archie inviting Betty to the prom is a sign that he's really in love with Veronica. It's embarassing.

Hey Dave, you know what a is?

Someone who turns into a blowhard after the fact.

You know what an idiot is?

Someone who is a blowhard before all the facts are in.

Pick your poison pall..........

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The ACC only needed 4 more teams though. Unless they wanted to go to 20 in Football I'm just not seeing how that would work.

When you get past 9 or 10 teams, the only reason to expand is for the money. What difference does it make how it will work? Probably build some kind of regional pod system to build TV friendly rivalries and then some mechanism for a championship game.

Or don't do anything and wait for the SEC to move first. The Big East schools will be there if the ACC wanted them. Either way, the ACC would have come out the other end with a huge deal instead of what they got.

Amazingly, while the Pac 12, Big 10 and SEC have made expansion very lucrative, the ACC has not.