AAC & Grant-of-Rights

[Tenspro2002]

The fact is that UConn has much more in common culturally with schools like Villanova, Georgetown and Providence than they do with public schools like Memphis or UC.

UConn competes with those schools for perspective students and those student bodies come from the same geographic and socio economic background.

UConn has absolutely nothing in common with the Memphises of the world. The schools in the AAC that UConn has most in common with are the private schools (SMU and Tulane) so the whole public vs private debate is totally irrelevant here.

Quite frankly(TM), we don't have much in common culturally with either Villanova/Georgetown or Memphis/UCF.

We are a flagship public university. The question that's being sorted out in CR is:

Are we more like URI/UMass/UNH/Vermont or more like Michigan/UNC/Kansas/Oregon?

In the eyes of the national football powers, who largely drive the bus, the answer is clearly the former. That is killing us.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Am I the only one that thought part of Danny Hurley wanting to come to UConn had something to do with UConn going to the Big East in the works?

I have been thinking the same.

 

[Ajs120102]

Quite frankly(TM), we don't have much in common culturally with either Villanova/Georgetown or Memphis/UCF.

We are a flagship public university. The question that's being sorted out in CR is:

Are we more like URI/UMass/UNH/Vermont or more like Michigan/UNC/Kansas/Oregon?

In the eyes of the national football powers, who largely drive the bus, the answer is clearly the former. That is killing us.

I’d say we are more like a better Rutgers. I don’t think the country associates UConn w the former. In the middle of the two

 

[Pudge]

1. This State University is not walking away from Football. That is ... Dumb as a Rock. The investment is over $400m and far broader in terms of what place the Brand can range. We are far beyond just a Group of basketball centric Catholic schools.

2. Conference realignment is not over.

3. You don’t know what 15 years time brings. All Our UConn can do ... is be prepared. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati, Houston, UCF, USF, Temple peers are the ones rising and developing far faster than the urban Catholic. In all ways academics as well.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

If there is a fracture in the AAC (and we aren’t part of the fracture) we will absolutely go to the Big East and figure football out. No reason to be in a league that’s been back filled with Coastal Carolina and Liberty.

 

[tcf15]

Am I the only one that thought part of Danny Hurley wanting to come to UConn had something to do with UConn going to the Big East in the works?

I have been thinking the same.

Too much smoke.

 

[Guapo]

Quite frankly(TM), we don't have much in common culturally with either Villanova/Georgetown or Memphis/UCF.

We are a flagship public university. The question that's being sorted out in CR is:

Are we more like URI/UMass/UNH/Vermont or more like Michigan/UNC/Kansas/Oregon?

In the eyes of the national football powers, who largely drive the bus, the answer is clearly the former. That is killing us.

I’m sorry, but this is a totally 2 demensional way of looking at this.

The students who attend UConn have much more in common with the students who attend Villanova and Georgetown than attend either UCF or Memphis OR URI/UNH.

This is reflected in both academic rankings and the quality of student enrolling at UConn as shown in SAT scores, GPA, class rankings etc.

Furthermore, Georgetown and Villanova are academic powerhouses respected the world over (especially Georgetown) that far out paces any “size” issue you might have with them.

Any school would want their brands associated with them, either on the basketball court or in the classroom.

It takes a lot of mental gymnastics to say the same for ANY AAC school from UConn’s perspective.

 

[UConnJim]

Why would you not sign a GORs? Let's say another conference was being paid $25 million per year and the AAC paid $10 million per year. If the other conference offered membership, you walk and pay the penalties as you would make up the money in the near future. And, don't you think donors would ante up if a P5 conference offered membership? Right now, you do what you have to do to maximize current revenues.

 

[zls44]

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

Ah, yes, this would be the first shot, not the 100000 times conference realignment shot UConn in the head so far.

 

[UConn Dan]

There are two possible solutions here for the best possible outcome for UConn athletics and academics (read: fundraising, endowment), and none of them involve dropping football and going back to the big east:

1) Just win baby
2) Chaos

One or both of those are bound to happen over the next 5 to 10 years.

For those looking at the last 8 years, your shortsighteness will be your own undoing. Play long ball. You can ride the storm for 10 more years, basketball isn't going to be irrelevant and football can only get better.

 

[CL82]

Ah, yes, this would be the first shot, not the 100000 times conference realignment shot UConn in the head so far.

Ha ha ... fair point. Still UConn needs to position itself to have a chance to succeed. Better?

 

[Storrs South]

I read the entire article so let me clear up what was actually discussed and what one can conclude:

1) UConn is in a bad place in terms of conference realignment...for now (I know I'm stating the obvious but this is reiterated in the piece more by what wasn't said than what was said)

2) TV money is currently split evenly among AAC members. The article discussions the possibility of top tier AAC teams getting a disproportionate amount of money as part of the GOR to keep these teams happy and agree to this. It is not clear who would make the cut. The majority of conferences share revenue evenly.

3) The whole point of a GOR is that ESPN doesn't invest in the conference only then for its most valuable assets to leave.

4) GORs are NOT ironclad

5) current AAC deal is well below market

 

[UConnNick]

Yeah Unless the amount of money you are getting for the deal is much larger with the GOR I don’t see how the big fish in the conference sign it (UCF, USF, Cincy, Memphis, Houston, UConn). For the other big schools don’t know if you wanna risk possible P5 realignment before 2025 with a huge exit fee. And for UConn in the more likely scenerio they ditch AAC it would be for the Big East. But if the tv deal with GOR brings in an incredible amount of money compared to now they might be compelled to sign. Idk very tricky. Also don’t wanna be the rumors guy but it can’t be a coincidence that it’s coming right off the Big east commissioners comments about expanding to 11 which i would think would be UConn or less likely Gonzaga

The NBE wants nothing to do with UCONN unless we axe the FBS football program. That's not happening anytime soon, if at all.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I am astounded that there are still people who think the Big East is some kind of solution to our situation. It's arguably not much better than the American in basketball right now, and the clear trend is that AAC teams are improving.

1. You do not sign a GOR at this point in time. The Big 12 may soon lose members. Nothing is settled in CR.

2. UConn cannot drop football, and independence is a death sentence given where we are right now.

3. The AAC deal will increase a lot, with or without a GOR.

 

[AllAbout5]

I think a lot of players wanted to play for UConn because we had all these Big East games against teams like St. John’s, Villanova, Syracuse, and Georgetown. If we could get back into the Big East, I would be ecstatic.

 

[kansashusky]

I am astounded that there are still people who think the Big East is some kind of solution to our situation. It's arguably not much better than the American in basketball right now, and the clear trend is that AAC teams are improving.

1. You do not sign a GOR at this point in time. The Big 12 may soon lose members. Nothing is settled in CR.

2. UConn cannot drop football, and independence is a death sentence given where we are right now.

3. The AAC deal will increase a lot, with or without a GOR.

Why can't UConn drop football?

 

[Drew]

I'll add this- if they sign this they better get a NY6 or equivalent tie in for the AAC Champion. Current bowl configuration is not great.

 

[AllAbout5]

Why can't UConn drop football?

Football is too big to drop. We suck at it, but we still need it

 

[UConnJim]

I think a lot of players wanted to play for UConn because we had all these Big East games against teams like St. John’s, Villanova, Syracuse, and Georgetown. If we could get back into the Big East, I would be ecstatic.

The old Big East? Sure, that would be fun. But, the Big East today includes 5 Midwestern teams: DePaul, Butler, Xavier, Creighton, Marquette, and 5 Eastern teams: Villanova, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John's. This is not the Big East of old as that is gone.

In my opinion, the AAC has as much upside as a basketball conference as the New Big East. The only thing that has been missing is UConn and Memphis being elite.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

I think a lot of players wanted to play for UConn because we had all these Big East games against teams like St. John’s, Villanova, Syracuse, and Georgetown. If we could get back into the Big East, I would be ecstatic.

Yeah gotta get back to the Big East and play Syracuse.

 

[Drew]

Memphis' AD went on a Memphis radio show this AM and they asked him about it (Hour 2 start at 26:00)

SPORTS 56 | REAL SPORTS TALK | WHBQ-AM Memphis, TN

Summary pulled from CSNbbs:

"Well, we're all caught off a little guard this morning. And, I got an email from the commissioner, Mike Aresco, this morning as well and asking everybody to refer all those inquiries to him. So, we're telling every media local, national and regional to go to the conference because the conference has to really address this at a national level. I mean, I can give my personal opinion on it, but I'm not gonna. But, it's unfortunate that it appears as there's been a breach of confidentiality on some discussions that have taken place. Nothing is what's being reported. I can tell you that. We're referring everything to Mike Aresco right now so he can come out and make a national statement about this and get this clarified and get this calmed down..."

 

[Ajs120102]

Memphis' AD went on a Memphis radio show this AM and they asked him about it (Hour 2 start at 26:00)

SPORTS 56 | REAL SPORTS TALK | WHBQ-AM Memphis, TN

Summary pulled from CSNbbs:

"Well, we're all caught off a little guard this morning. And, I got an email from the commissioner, Mike Aresco, this morning as well and asking everybody to refer all those inquiries to him. So, we're telling every media local, national and regional to go to the conference because the conference has to really address this at a national level. I mean, I can give my personal opinion on it, but I'm not gonna. But, it's unfortunate that it appears as there's been a breach of confidentiality on some discussions that have taken place. Nothing is what's being reported. I can tell you that. We're referring everything to Mike Aresco right now so he can come out and make a national statement about this and get this clarified and get this calmed down..."

Someone is ticked

 

[AllAbout5]

The old Big East? Sure, that would be fun. But, the Big East today includes 5 Midwestern teams: DePaul, Butler, Xavier, Creighton, Marquette, and 5 Eastern teams: Villanova, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, and St. John's. This is not the Big East of old as that is gone.

In my opinion, the AAC has as much upside as a basketball conference as the New Big East. The only thing that has been missing is UConn and Memphis being elite.

I would love a conference with UConn, Cincy, Nova, St. John's, Cuse, GTown, Butler, SMU, Louisville and Pitt. Maybe add USF and UCF as they always follow which conference we go to.

 

[Storrs South]

Memphis' AD went on a Memphis radio show this AM and they asked him about it (Hour 2 start at 26:00)

SPORTS 56 | REAL SPORTS TALK | WHBQ-AM Memphis, TN

Summary pulled from CSNbbs:

"Well, we're all caught off a little guard this morning. And, I got an email from the commissioner, Mike Aresco, this morning as well and asking everybody to refer all those inquiries to him. So, we're telling every media local, national and regional to go to the conference because the conference has to really address this at a national level. I mean, I can give my personal opinion on it, but I'm not gonna. But, it's unfortunate that it appears as there's been a breach of confidentiality on some discussions that have taken place. Nothing is what's being reported. I can tell you that. We're referring everything to Mike Aresco right now so he can come out and make a national statement about this and get this clarified and get this calmed down..."

Member when our AD would actually do public outreach with the fanbase? 2016 feels like a long time ago.

 

[Waquoit]

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.

John Toner, the guy who rarely showed up in the office? The guy who took pride in giving AD money back to the school?