12 Reasons Why UConn Will Regret the New Big East

[DarthGrumpy]

I wish all of you the best going forward and hope this move will be a success. My biggest fear for you is that the move will push you to be more of a regional school than a national one like I believe you to are striving to be. Maybe (hopefully) I’m wrong and FSN will be a marketing boon for you, but I don’t see how this helps you become a more national school. Maybe I’m underestimating the reach of the Big East (most people here in Michigan didn’t even know what conference Villanova was in) or that UConn wants to be more regional/New England’s flagship. Who knows?

That is my concern, also. UConn wants to be a true national university and affiliate with such peers on the field and in the classroom. Outside one or two members (Tulane, Navy), the AAC is a not a national university affiliation and neither is the new Big East outside of Georgetown. This is an issue much lager than football and baseball.

Hopefully, someone in Storrs is looking at the big picture here. It is possible that this move, should it happen, is aimed at rehabbing the school's key athletic brand (basketball) and to address some of the budget issues within athletics overall, primarily football. That would allow for several fixes to be in place that may not have been possible within the AAC within the next 5 years when the current media deals end. At that point, I expect another wave of realignment. I resurgent basketball brand, maintaining the NYC metro exposure (SNY tier 3) and a stronger bottom line could make the school more attractive to the ACC or B1G. Of course, I could be dreaming as Connecticut as a whole is not great at long-term planning.

 

[Rufus]

UConn could play all 12 football games on the road vs. P5 teams. That payout should fix the budget problems pretty fast. Even if they only did it one or two years.

 

[FriarJ]

That is my concern, also. UConn wants to be a true national university and affiliate with such peers on the field and in the classroom. Outside one or two members (Tulane, Navy), the AAC is a national university affiliation and neither is the new Big East outside of Georgetown. This is an issue much lager than football and baseball.

Hopefully, someone in Storrs is looking at the big picture here. It is possible that this move, should it happen, is aimed at rehabbing the school's key athletic brand (basketball) and to address some of the budget issues within athletics overall, primarily football. That would allow for several fixes to be in place that may not have been possible within the AAC within the next 5 years when the current media deals end, which woudl in turn likely create another wave of realignment. I resurgent basketball brand, maintaining the NYC metro exposure (SNY tier 3) and a stronger bottom line could make the school more attractive to the ACC or B1G. Of course, I could be dreaming as Connecticut as a whole is not great at long-term planning.

Except for the one fact that almost all the schools outside of Tulane and Navy are not respected academically, otherwise you fit perfectly. Crappy schools, light years away geographically did nothing for the universities profile.

 

[don356]

UConn could play all 12 football games on the road vs. P5 teams. That payout should fix the budget problems pretty fast. Even if they only did it one or two years.

The players would never make it thru that gauntlet.

 

[businesslawyer]

The article, substantively, was well done.

 

[#MACtion]

1. There is not one team in the AAC that I would want to play more than nova, gtown, PC, Marquette. After Cincy - there is not another team that I would want to play more than the rest of the Big East. Maybe Memphis somewhere near the bottom. It may not be the old big east, but compared to the AAC ...
2. Streaming sports is early days. Nobody wants to be an early adopter. That UT, Ohio State and Alabama are not clamoring to move their valuable content to streaming is evidence of that fact.
3. Having a conference that spans the globe is not a benefit. We were on an island in the AAC. Look at all past expansions as an indication that regional creep is a problem, only those other conferences were paid for it.

Not even Temple? Or is that just a UMass obsession?

 

[hank970]

Except for the one fact that almost all the schools outside of Tulane and Navy are not respected academically, otherwise you fit perfectly. Crappy schools, light years away geographically did nothing for the universities profile.

Some of those so-called crappy schools beat the hell out of UConn in terms of research activity and endowment. Academic inferiority such as you allege doesn't attract research dollars. Oh, and the possessive form of "university" (singular) is university's, not universities.

 

[FriarJ]

Some of those so-called crappy schools beat the hell out of UConn in terms of research activity and endowment. Academic inferiority such as you allege doesn't attract research dollars. Oh, and the possessive form of "university" (singular) is university's, not universities.

Good grief Hank, take a toke and chill. Please tell me that you don’t want UConn to be associated academically with the AAC.

 

[DefCONNOne]

I feel stupider for reading that.

I feel stupider for having read your post.

 

[storrsroars]

I feel stupider for having read your post.

As it was only six words, I commend your efficiency!

 

[storrsroars]

That is my concern, also. UConn wants to be a true national university and affiliate with such peers on the field and in the classroom. Outside one or two members (Tulane, Navy), the AAC is a national university affiliation and neither is the new Big East outside of Georgetown. This is an issue much lager than football and baseball.

Hopefully, someone in Storrs is looking at the big picture here. It is possible that this move, should it happen, is aimed at rehabbing the school's key athletic brand (basketball) and to address some of the budget issues within athletics overall, primarily football. That would allow for several fixes to be in place that may not have been possible within the AAC within the next 5 years when the current media deals end, which woudl in turn likely create another wave of realignment. I resurgent basketball brand, maintaining the NYC metro exposure (SNY tier 3) and a stronger bottom line could make the school more attractive to the ACC or B1G. Of course, I could be dreaming as Connecticut as a whole is not great at long-term planning.

Thank you for an actual serious, thoughtful reply instead of a knee-jerk reaction.

But yeah, forethought is not a particular strong suit in Storrs.

 

[DefCONNOne]

As it was only six words, I commend your efficiency!

Efficiency? I thought you said you were more stupid after having read that?

 

[CallMeBruce]

I feel stupider for having read your post.

You should.

 

[ZooCougar]

Shameless promotion of your own ill conceived article. Blech. It's easier just to start over with a blank slate than refute the 12 points.

It’s called the internet you dipshyt. This is just another way to draw attention to content.

 

[dayooper]

As part of the Michigan team that was the runner-up in the 2018 NCAA Basketball Tournament, Moritz Wagner earned a ring. That ring did not impress his teammate with the Los Angeles Lakers, Josh Hart.

Hart got a hold of the ring and gave it a solid roasting.

And your point being?

 

[Zissou]

And your point being?

That Michigan fans know Villanova is in the Big East. Painfully, but they know.

 

[dayooper]

lol. hurley isn't trying to recruit your fair weather sports fan neighbors. but every highschool basketball player watching Nova win those chips knew exactly what conference they were in.

PS- didn't your head bball coach just run away to the NBA?

PPS- when uconn is dominating UM in the 2020 big east-big10 challenge everyone in michigan will know what conference we are in (hint- it's in the name of the challenge)

I know, what an ignorant comment, every Michigan fan watching them get their butts kicked knew what conference Nova was in.

So opinions that don’t match yours aren’t welcome on the CR board anymore and will earn cheap and juvenile retorts. Understood.

OK, let me try this again: This a super great deal and I see no possible issues with this move at all.

Does that make you happy?

I will say this again, I hope this move works out for you.

 

[dayooper]

That Michigan fans know Villanova is in the Big East. Painfully, but they know.

It hurts soooooooooooo much that a Big East school beat us in NCAA Basketball tournament a year ago. There, does that make your fragile ego feel better?

 

[Zissou]

Michigan is a great school. The Michigan folks that I’ve met are smart fans and good people. We had great interactions with Michigan fans at the Final Four. They know the Big East.

I guess every fan base has its 10% outliers. It’s easiest to find them on an internet blog.

 

[Zissou]

It hurts soooooooooooo much that a Big East school beat us in NCAA Basketball tournament a year ago. There, does that make your fragile ego feel better?

It’s pretty stupid of a Michigan fan not to know Nova is in the Big East. Especially Michigan. Ask Mo. Mo Knows.

 

[Zissou]

I know Michigan is in the Big 10.

 

[CallMeBruce]

So opinions that don’t match yours aren’t welcome on the CR board anymore and will earn cheap and juvenile retorts. Understood.

OK, let me try this again: This a super great deal and I see no possible issues with this move at all.

Does that make you happy?

I will say this again, I hope this move works out for you.

First of all, no one believes you that your neighbors are college basketball fans who don't know about the Big East. Secondly, it's not that your opinion "doesn't match" or whatever, it's that it's idiotic and wildly disingenuous. No one cares what you think. Go away.

 

[dayooper]

First of all, no one believes you that your neighbors are college basketball fans who don't know about the Big East. Secondly, it's not that your opinion "doesn't match" or whatever, it's that it's idiotic and wildly disingenuous. No one cares what you think. Go away.

Yup, my time has come. After 6 years of great interactions with this awesome community, it’s time for me to go. Up until yesterday, I have felt like a part of your community. To all those UConn fans I’ve had great interactions with, I enjoyed discussing CR and other college sports with you. I wish you the best and hope this move works for you. I will always root for you when not playing Michigan.

 

[Zissou]

Outside one or two members (Tulane, Navy), the AAC is a national university affiliation and neither is the new Big East outside of Georgetown.

Check out the US News National Rankings in Nova and report back

 

[FriarJ]

Yup, my time has come. After 6 years of great interactions with this awesome community, it’s time for me to go. Up until yesterday, I have felt like a part of your community. To all those UConn fans I’ve had great interactions with, I enjoyed discussing CR and other college sports with you. I wish you the best and hope this move works for you. I will always root for you when not playing Michigan.

Big East Conference

The official athletics website for Big East Conference

www.bigeast.com

 

[Husky25]

Yup, my time has come. After 6 years of great interactions with this awesome community, it’s time for me to go. Up until yesterday, I have felt like a part of your community. To all those UConn fans I’ve had great interactions with, I enjoyed discussing CR and other college sports with you. I wish you the best and hope this move works for you. I will always root for you when not playing Michigan.

No reason for you to go. Honestly, I don't get why you got so much static for NOT being a troll.

 

[bendm]

(most people here in Michigan didn’t even know what conference Villanova was in)

So opinions that don’t match yours aren’t welcome on the CR board anymore and will earn cheap and juvenile retorts. Understood.

saying "most people here in Michigan didn't even know what conference Nova was in" isn't an opinion. at the very least it's anecdotal evidence of michiganders living under rocks. at the most it's trolling.

 

[The Funster]

Yup, my time has come. After 6 years of great interactions with this awesome community, it’s time for me to go. Up until yesterday, I have felt like a part of your community. To all those UConn fans I’ve had great interactions with, I enjoyed discussing CR and other college sports with you. I wish you the best and hope this move works for you. I will always root for you when not playing Michigan.

I guess this board is done for now. Thank you for your contributions. It was nice knowing that B1G fans appreciated our school.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Check out the US News National Rankings in Nova and report back

I am not disputing that Villanova is a a very good college, in fact, it is highly regarded in certain areas, especially around undergraduate education.

But, Villanova is a private, catholic affiliated university with 6,500 undergraduates and 3,500 postgraduates and an urban bent (I know Villanova is not in an urban area as I've driven by a dozen times). That is a very similar profile to the other members of the new Big East today. UConn is a state, land/sea/space-grant university with 24,000 undergraduates and 8,300 postgraduate students that includes both a medical school and expansive agricultural programs located in a rural location. UConn's profile and goals are more aligned with schools like Rutgers, Penn St, Maryland, SUNY Buffalo, UMass, etc. with hope of being the U Michigan/UVA of the region. Those type of schools do not participate in the new Big East.

Thus, while UConn and Villanova share history and goals on the basketball court, their univesity-wide goals do not align. That is why over the long-term, this potential arrangement will not work as much as it did not in the old Big East.

 

[Husky25]

I am not disputing that Villanova is a a very good college, in fact, it is highly regarded in certain areas, especially around undergraduate education.

But, Villanova is a private, catholic affiliated university with 6,500 undergraduates and 3,500 postgraduates and an urban bent (I know Villanova is not in an urban area as I've driven by a dozen times). That is a very similar profile to the other members of the new Big East today. UConn is a state, land/sea/space-grant university with 24,000 undergraduates and 8,300 postgraduate students that includes both a medical school and expansive agricultural programs located in a rural location. UConn's profile and goals are more aligned with schools like Rutgers, Penn St, Maryland, SUNY Buffalo, UMass, etc. with hope of being the U Michigan/UVA of the region. Those type of schools do not participate in the new Big East.

Thus, while UConn and Villanova share history and goals on the basketball court, their univesity-wide goals do not align. That is why over the long-term, this potential arrangement will not work as much as it did not in the old Big East.

Rutgers? Penn St.? Maryland? Michigan? UConn to the Big Ten. What's the issue? Oh...right.

Speaking of PSU. My, my how UConn's fortune could have changed if The Big East/AAC had accepted the Lion's plea back in the late 80's.