AAC & Grant-of-Rights

[CallMeBruce]

If we don't get into a P5 conference the next best scenario is we abandon the AAC with some leftover big 12 schools. UConn, USF, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis, ISU, K-State, TCU, Baylor, etc. It'd be an upgrade. If we get left out of that, though, we're screwed

I have little confidence that the Big 12 would seek to replace Oklahoma and Texas with the worst football program in the country, so I wouldn't be banking on that.

 

[Ajs120102]

That's $6mm/year/school. We'd get about as much in the Big East without having to spend ungodly sums on our embarrassing football program, AND it would be a huge boon for basketball.

It’s just the truth. UConn is NOT going to the big east at least for 5-10 years. Realignment needs to shake up. And yes there is way more money in the AAC than Big East.

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Like it or not the Big East is considered a power school when it comes to basketball. It's our best option. As much as I hate to say it, really think the P5 boat has come and gone. Time to focus on our strengths and put basketball in the best position to win, and for the fans to enjoy it. Not saying Big East solves all our problems, but I think it's a better experience for everyone involved.

 

[JMick]

I have little confidence that the Big 12 would seek to replace Oklahoma and Texas with the worst football program in the country, so I wouldn't be banking on that.

No, you hope the entire conference implodes. WVU gone, Texas gone, Oklahoma gone, Kansas gone. Then a new conference is formed from the rest of the Big XII and the best of the AAC. We do offer value in ways other than football and I find it unlikely we'd be left out of a merger in this scenario

 

[uconnphil2016]

UConn can’t (probably won’t) be getting rid of football with the Clemson, Purdue and other Big Ten school money games schedules. Might be floating going independent or seeing if the MAC accepts football only (which they didn’t for UMass). Big East might have a problem w them having football on the FBS level even independent. So as much as I wanna say yeah I think the more likely scenerio is that the big east commish was referring to St Louis or Dayton. Still wouldn’t sign a GOR just in case

If we move to the MAC, we might as well just drop or go FCS

 

[Ajs120102]

If we move to the MAC, we might as well just drop or go FCS

MAC at least has some ESPN money in it. Better than nothing? I’d say so. I’d rather play Buffalo and Ohio than Maine or Incarnate Word. That being said, Big ten has learned that adding Rutgers was a disaster and might avoid that with UConn seeing as Rutgers already has the New York market. ACC and Big 12 more likely. Big 12 is teetering currently as big ten wants to lure Texas and Oklahoma. Might be spots there but gotta assume UCF, Houston, Memphis, USF gets first crack. Power 5s don’t care about basketball (ACC excluded) and that’s just the matter of fact. However, UConn still believes it has a chance. Big east money isn’t as glorious as its made out to be.

 

[Drew]

Lol, no you did not read that anywhere but on an AAC fan message board. No one is paying Tulane $10mm/year.

Actually its from the article itself.



Right now UConn makes ~$2.5mm from the TV deal I believe. 4 times the current $2.5mm is $10mm

 

[CallMeBruce]

It’s just the truth. UConn is NOT going to the big east at least for 5-10 years. Realignment needs to shake up. And yes there is way more money in the AAC than Big East.

Then where is it?

 

[uconnell]

We should absolutely be willing to sacrifice football at this point. Bending over backwards to accommodate a sport that loses money and embarrasses the school nationally makes absolutely no sense. If football isn't even going to get us an invite as backfill for a crippled Big 12, then it's time to cut the cord and go to the Big East. Maybe we can park it in the AAC, maybe we can go Indy, maybe we can join the MAC. I don't know. What I do know is that those things not being viable options doesn't mean we continue to hurt our best brand in perpetuity on the off chance that our football program becomes good and the even more remote off chance that someone wants to add us to their league.

NO

 

[CallMeBruce]

Actually its from the article itself.



Right now UConn makes ~$2.5mm from the TV deal I believe. 4 times the current $2.5mm is $10mm

They put the number right there. $126mm*4 = $504mm. Divided by 12 schools and 7 years is a bit less than $6mm/year. And that's a high estimate coming from nowhere.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

We should absolutely be willing to sacrifice football at this point. Bending over backwards to accommodate a sport that loses money and embarrasses the school nationally makes absolutely no sense. If football isn't even going to get us an invite as backfill for a crippled Big 12, then it's time to cut the cord and go to the Big East. Maybe we can park it in the AAC, maybe we can go Indy, maybe we can join the MAC. I don't know. What I do know is that those things not being viable options doesn't mean we continue to hurt our best brand in perpetuity on the off chance that our football program becomes good and the even more remote off chance that someone wants to add us to their league.

Right, because a bad football program is why we finished under .500 the last two seasons in men's basketball? The basketball program has done enough on it's own to hurt itself without somehow blaming it on football.

We're coming off 2 sub .500 hoop seasons and quite possibly one of the worst FBS seasons of all time. UCF, Cincinnati, Houston, Memphis have likely surpasses us on any P5 pecking order.

I don't think any $ amount from a TV deal for the AAC would be worth signing a GOR, but hell, it's probably in our interests.

 

[Drew]

They put the number right there. $126mm*4 = $504mm. Divided by 12 schools and 7 years is a bit less than $6mm/year. And that's a high estimate coming from nowhere.

Its my understanding the distributions aren't equal but maybe I'm incorrect on that. Also that $6mm figure assumes another 7 year contract

 

[BlueDogs]

Exactly. That’s why we should go to the big east. If you think a program who can’t beat a D1 football team is going take us anywhere but further down then I feel sorry for you.

If UConn wants to be a national flagship university on the same level as a Michigan, it needs football. If we want to be like Providence, Villanova or Seton Hall, then yes by all means. The state pisses away money like it’s going out of style, and $6 Million a year is couch change. I wouldn’t get too heady about Hurley’s success as a reason to trash the football program. I never understand the animosity some BB fans have against their own school when it comes football. It’s pretty ok to root and support both.

 

[Ajs120102]

Then where is it?

Future tv deal will show that. Listen, I’m in favor of the big east. I think UConn belongs there. I’m just thinking in terms of what the admin is probably believing at the moment. They have this football dream. I think UConn should drop football but they’ve locked into so many money game deals it’s not happening anytime soon. AAC basketball is good enough to keep them in I guess. UConn was electric when football was “working”. Might happen again. You never know

 

[CallMeBruce]

If UConn wants to be a national flagship university on the same level as a Michigan, it needs football. If we want to be like Providence, Villanova or Seton Hall, then yes by all means. The state pisses away money like it’s going out of style, and $6 Million a year is couch change. I wouldn’t get too heady about Hurley’s success as a reason to trash the football program. I never understand the animosity some BB fans have against their own school when it comes football. It’s pretty ok to root and support both.

The "animosity" is my awareness that our football program is the worst in the country and not getting better, and that it is handcuffing us to a league we don't fit in at all. I would love it if UConn could have a competitive football program in a real league, but that's not going to happen, and I don't want to see the rest of the athletic department dragged down to accommodate a team that can't beat anyone or draw any fans.

 

[Drew]

Future tv deal will show that. Listen, I’m in favor of the big east. I think UConn belongs there. I’m just thinking in terms of what the admin is probably believing at the moment. They have this football dream. I think UConn should drop football but they’ve locked into so many money game deals it’s not happening anytime soon. AAC basketball is good enough to keep them in I guess. UConn was electric when football was “working”. Might happen again. You never know

UConn also receives $$ from the CFP (unsure how much) annually that they would lose going to the Big East.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Its my understanding the distributions aren't equal but maybe I'm incorrect on that. Also that $6mm figure assumes another 7 year contract

Why is that your understanding?

 

[CallMeBruce]

UConn also receives $$ from the CFP (unsure how much) annually that they would lose going to the Big East.

It doesn't come close to paying for the football program. Any of these comparisons needs to account for the fact that the football program loses lots of money.

 

[CL82]

It’s make too much sense for UConn and the big east. Football is never going to get us to a power conference

The only way to be certain of defeat is to surrender before the first shot.

 

[Drew]

The "animosity" is my awareness that our football program is the worst in the country and not getting better, and that it is handcuffing us to a league we don't fit in at all. I would love it if UConn could have a competitive football program in a real league, but that's not going to happen, and I don't want to see the rest of the athletic department dragged down to accommodate a team that can't beat anyone or draw any fans.

I agree that we don't fit in the American but realistically the University doesn't fit with the other schools in the Big East at ALL. UConn would be the only land grant state university in a league with majority private catholic schools spread all the way from Nebraska to Rhode Island. Its one thing to want to play basketball in the Big East but lets not act like Creighton DePaul Butler and Marquette are peer institutions to UConn either

 

[Ajs120102]

The question for the future is: does UConn want to be associated with major state universities like it should be? Or do they want better basketball and associated with catholic schools with student population rarely exceeding 6,000?

 

[noeynox]

Lol, no you did not read that anywhere but on an AAC fan message board. No one is paying Tulane $10mm/year.

This is flawed thinking. Someone is getting ready to pay Rutgers 50 million. Someone pays Vanderbilt close to that.

If the money is enticing enough, UConn should consider this. I don't what that number is however to be enticing enough when all factors are taken into consideration.

 

[CallMeBruce]

I agree that we don't fit in the American but realistically the University doesn't fit with the other schools in the Big East at ALL. UConn would be the only land grant state university in a league with majority private catholic schools spread all the way from Nebraska to Rhode Island. Its one thing to want to play basketball in the Big East but lets not act like Creighton DePaul Butler and Marquette are peer institutions to UConn either

The Big East is not an academic consortium. It's an athletic conference. Your disingenuous attempts to paint the Big East as sprawling is absurd when compared to our current league. Yes, we'd still have to play games in Nebraska, Chicago, Indiana, and Wisconsin, but we'd also be adding games in NYC, northern Jersey, Providence, and DC. The travel is better. There are rivalries. The competition is better. It's clearly a better fit.

What does football provide us with? Getting our brains beat in at Tulsa and SMU? What value does that have? The only reason to keep losing money with football is if we think we might have a chance at a real conference. We don't. It's never, ever, ever, ever, ever going to happen.

 

[CallMeBruce]

The question for the future is: does UConn want to be associated with major state universities like it should be? Or do they want better basketball and associated with catholic schools with student population rarely exceeding 6,000?

Which "major state universities" are we being associated with? Memphis? ECU? This is nonsense.

 

[Ajs120102]

Which "major state universities" are we being associated with? Memphis? ECU? This is nonsense.

I’d rather be associated with UCF, USF, Houston, Cincy. Not even a question

 

[Ajs120102]

Which "major state universities" are we being associated with? Memphis? ECU? This is nonsense.

Also Memphis athletic department is currently ahead of UConn especially if basketball gets better

 

[tcf15]

 

[gampelcrazies]

If UConn wants to be a national flagship university on the same level as a Michigan, it needs football. If we want to be like Providence, Villanova or Seton Hall, then yes by all means. The state pisses away money like it’s going out of style, and $6 Million a year is couch change. I wouldn’t get too heady about Hurley’s success as a reason to trash the football program. I never understand the animosity some BB fans have against their own school when it comes football. It’s pretty ok to root and support both.

MICHIGAN????????? You can’t be serious. UConn will never ever be like Michigan.

And by the way I am a season ticket holder for both basketball and football.

 

[CL82]

What does football provide us with? Getting our brains beat in at Tulsa and SMU?

Because if you have a bad season (or 8) you will always have a bad season. Should we abandon basketball? We've had two losing seasons in a row and last year brought us the most 20+ point defeats ever in school history.

 

[Drew]

The Big East is not an academic consortium. It's an athletic conference. Your disingenuous attempts to paint the Big East as sprawling is absurd when compared to our current league. Yes, we'd still have to play games in Nebraska, Chicago, Indiana, and Wisconsin, but we'd also be adding games in NYC, northern Jersey, Providence, and DC. The travel is better. There are rivalries. The competition is better. It's clearly a better fit.

What does football provide us with? Getting our brains beat in at Tulsa and SMU? What value does that have? The only reason to keep losing money with football is if we think we might have a chance at a real conference. We don't. It's never, ever, ever, ever, ever going to happen.

I'm not ignoring that the AAC is extremely spread out. I'm just also not ignoring the reality that the University of Connecticut as an institution does not fit with any school in the Big East. You are ignoring that because you'd rather play basketball in the league but it doesn't make it untrue.

Just because you personally don't care about/like UConn football doesn't mean UConn should drop the sport. We've been playing football since 1896. You don't just drop athletic programs like that. We're in a thread talking about making more money than the Big East would because we have FBS football. You can't just ignore that.

We play games against the teams from the old Big East that we want to play (Cuse, GTown, Villanova, Providence, etc). If UConn can make $10mm a year in TV money and still play basketball against those teams while keeping football its really a no brainer.

 

[CL82]

MICHIGAN????????? You can’t be serious. UConn will never ever be like Michigan.

And by the way I am a season ticket holder for both basketball and football.

I remember fans and media alike advocating for UConn to leave the original Big East. We couldn't compete and were never likely to. Life was much better in the Yankee Conference. Regional rivalries with UMass, URI, Delaware and Holy Cross made travel so much easier, etc.

Thank God John Toner aspired to greater things.