ACC coming for MSG now too

[Guapo]

Kohler would probably jump at the chance to be the Title Sponsor for the bowl game too.

The Hartford Boston Bowl

 

[intlzncster]

I deleted my post. It was unnecessary and I'm sorry to you for a wrong sentiment. I enjoy your contributions here.

That term for the conference just annoys me.

It can be a pejorative and not be anti-catholic at the same time. "The Catholics" implies a set of schools that are small, private and parochial. Their diminutive size, relevance, and reach makes them 'lesser', so to speak.

 

[Palatine]

There is no such thing as Duke country not even in North Carolina.

 

[SubbaBub]

First one to add UCONN wins and no we aren't dropping football.

 

[storrsroars]

I agree that the Big East is unlikely to hold MSG in perpetuity ... but when that day comes, all else equal, I cannot see MSG choosing the ACC over the B1G.

The B1G as a conference has proven to be more marketable, the schools have larger alumni base, bigger brands, maybe even greater geographic claim. I just don't see the ACC being more appealing to MSG or TV sponsors.

I may be wrong about what the current stats are, but I recall that Michigan > Syracuse as far as # of alumni in NYC Metro, with PSU not being too far behind. No other ACC schools make a dent, but Illini, Indiana, Northwestern, Maryland and certainly Rutty are all well represented.

 

[SubbaBub]

Lol luv u @Dooley but I sense a whole lot of pent up “passive” aggressiveness at the “UConn belongs in the NBE” crowd coming out here.



If FS1 wants us that bad, they can help us arrange an indy football schedule full of Big 10 and Big 12 schools and pay us to broadcast the bowl we host every year at Fenway.

Don't listen to them Dooley, you go right on hatin' those small minded C7 sycophants. If not for them we'd have upgraded football in 1984 and avoided this mess altogether.

 

[whaler11]

I got a place for the Big East Tourney. The second play they ever held it. It’s got an X and an L on the sign.

 

[pj]

Maybe. Having grown up in the heart of ACC country, it feels strange to associate the ACC with MSG. There's no question that folks from some of the schools travel well...but I still feel like it's a miss. Having it in Greensboro was always fun - the proximity to so many schools. Atlanta makes sense. But NY? I suppose it would be good for Syracuse fans

Don't forget the BC fan.

 

[Guapo]

Don't listen to them Dooley, you go right on hatin' those small minded C7 sycophants. If not for them we'd have upgraded football in 1984 and avoided this mess altogether.

Not to go too far down that rabbit hole, but the biggest mistake the UConn AD ever made was not going D1 (or whatever the “big time” equivalent was then) in the thr first half of the 20th century

 

[Tex-Lager93]

Don't forget the BC fan.

Who?

 

[DarthGrumpy]

True with the geographics but NJ is really Dook country. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more Dook fans in NJ than Rutgers fans.

Duke easily has more Duke fans in the NYC metro than people who will admit to being Rutgers fans.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I posted elsewhere that there maybe hope (doubtful) that the new Big E going after UConn to help them retain MSG beyond 2022 could force the ACC to consider UConn (assuming the old Tobbaco Road gentlemen finally realize that an ACC championship at MSG will generate far more money and media than the ACC being held in Greensboro) which could then force to take a look, too. Can only hope.

As for the new Big E, I can't see a confernece made-up of ten, relatively small, Catholic schools that don't travel well retaining MSG beyond 2022 no matter how many titles 'Nova wins. Plus, if they really want to stay in NYC, Barclays and Prudential are available while Comcast (Philly) and Verizon (DC) would also make sense while still keeping the East Coast urban vibe going.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I may be wrong about what the current stats are, but I recall that Michigan > Syracuse as far as # of alumni in NYC Metro, with PSU not being too far behind. No other ACC schools make a dent, but Illini, Indiana, Northwestern, Maryland and certainly Rutty are all well represented.

If memory services, total alumni in NYC was 1) Rutgers, 2) Penn St, 3) Syracuse, 4) UConn, 5) ND. Michigan and Duke are in the top 10. So for a basketball viewpoint, its #3 through 5 that matter as the first two are not traditional basketball powers.

 

[uconnfan68]

Hypothetical and highly tongue-in-cheek recap of UConn's move to this version of the so-called "Big East" conference. I dare anyone to say all of this wouldn't happen...

April 2019: UConn pays $10M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 27 months. Mid-2021...OR...
April 2019: UConn pays ~$12M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 12 months. Begin-2020. Let's assume they take this route for ease of realistic (tongue-in-cheek), but incredibly hypothetical, timeline.
July 2019: AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announces new TV/Media Stream deal for AAC that will pay members $7M/per school, per year, across multiple platforms and also allowing schools to retain their own Tier 3 stream/media rights.

*Beginning of 2020: $12M exit fee - $5M/per school from Big East payment; UConn in red $7M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays Big East Conf tourney at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are happy. Everyone else wishes we had more money to fend off the rumors of dozens of P5 schools from poaching Dan Hurley. New AAC member UMass is also rumored to be enamored with Hurley and can afford to outbid UConn with their newly acquired influx of cash.
*End of 2020: Madison Square Garden announces they will opt out of Big East tourney agreement following the 2022 season. High stakes bidding between B1G10 & ACC ensues. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are livid.
**Also end of 2020: Following a Sweet 16 tournament run at UConn, Dan Hurley announces that he is resigning as head coach to be "closer with his family".
**2 weeks later: Rutgers University is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Hurley as its new men's basketball head coach. "We are excited to bring Coach Hurley and his family back home to New Jersey," Rutgers AD 'The Situation' said. "This move not only pays me more money than what UConn could afford, but I also get to coach against Seton Hall at a place that would actually be excited to see us schedule Seton Hall," new Rutgers Coach Dan Hurley said.
**1 month later: After an exhaustive and expensive search firm panel recommendation, new UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 makes the following announcement: "We would first like to thank our state's elected officials for bonding us the required $1,000,000 to hire Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct our coach search. After a thorough and extensive process, we are excited to introduce Dave Leitao as our new men's basketball head coach. Coach Leitao's ties to UConn, his resume at Big East powerhouse DePaul, and the fact that he'd accept a salary of less than $50,000/year were essential to this hire. We listened to our fanbase and wanted to ensure stability with this hire, so we are also excited to announce that we have included a $10M buyout clause of Coach Leitao's contract. Ironically, we have already been contacted by Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, UMass, Pitt, and Virginia about the buyout. Apparently, all of those schools have more money than they know what to do with. Must be nice."

*Beginning 2021: ACC announces deal with MSG to begin conference tourney games beginning in 2023.
UConn in red $2M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays in its 2nd conference tournament at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans want to leave the Big East, bring back football, and go to the ACC before it's too late.

2022: FS1 airs a tearful 3 minute lead-in to its final telecast of the Big East conference tournament at MSG. Celine Dion and Bette Middler are asked to sing a Big East sendoff but both decline. Strapped for cash, the Big East settles on Drake to sing. UConn finally in green $3M - all other things remaining equal.
End of 2022: Big East commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that the Big East has come to an agreement to play its conference tournament games at the beautiful newly redesigned Villanova Pavilion. "It was always important to us to reward our most loyal schools for their unwavering continued support of Big East basketball", Hathaway said. "Plus, we had nowhere else to go after the unfortunate XL Center roof collapse."

May 2023: The Power 6 conferences announce a new gazillion, bazillion dollar deal to break away from the rest of college athletics to form their own football/basketball hybrid crossover challenge. All football and all basketball games will be aired across all channels on all cable and stream platforms. Run in a similar manner as the old Capital One Cup, the winner of each year's challenge will get to personally hand select a non-P6 school to blow up, pave over, and construct a parking garage.
June 2023: UMass and Boston College announce a joint acquisition of Gilette Stadium and surrounding properties from the Kraft Family Estate, valued at an estimated gazillion trazillion dollars. "It has always been a matter of turf", BC's Father Aiden Leahy said. "And we are humbled to share that turf with the only other New England school that we have ever felt threatened by. Plus we both have more money than we know what to do with."
July 2023: Villanova announces that they will play football and have accepted an invitation to join Power 6 conference AAC for the 2024 season. "While we are saddened to have lost our most beloved member," Big East Commissioner Hathaway said. "We are also excited that nobody cares about our conference any more and likely won't notice that Villanova left." UConn officials also announce that they have re-hired Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct a 10 year study on the feasibility of re-adding football.
August 2023: Big East Commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that original Big East 3.0 conference members - DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, St John's, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Providence, and Georgetown have all added football and have accepted invitations to join Power 6 conference AAC once the FOX/FS1 Big East contract expires. "It's probably 10 years too early for us to comment on adding football back," UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 said. "But I promise you this: we will spend alot of unnecessary money that we don't have so that I can continue making these vague statements in the future."
September 2023: Warde Manuel 2.0 steps down from his role as UConn AD to pursue his dream job of emptying the spittoon at Michigan football practices. Acting UConn President Mark Emmert Jr. announces that Jeff Hathaway will resume his role as acting UConn AD. "There is no conflict of interest here because there is no interest left in UConn or the Big East," Hathaway said. "I don't even know who is paying me. Is it UConn or the Big East or Emmert Jr's side hustle or the Power 6 Capital One Cup Selection Committee? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We're folding all sports at UConn and going back to agricultural only course offerings."

2033: Mike Tranghese Associates recommends that UConn upgrades football again. "Have you seen how much money UMass has made in the AAC after they replaced UConn?," Tranghese Associates' spokesperson Tom Jurich said. "They have bought out the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Boston College in the past 10 years alone. Also, can you believe that my 2011 Louisville pact with the devil has kept me alive for this long?"

Like for creativity.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

Hypothetical and highly tongue-in-cheek recap of UConn's move to this version of the so-called "Big East" conference. I dare anyone to say all of this wouldn't happen...

April 2019: UConn pays $10M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 27 months. Mid-2021...OR...
April 2019: UConn pays ~$12M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 12 months. Begin-2020. Let's assume they take this route for ease of realistic (tongue-in-cheek), but incredibly hypothetical, timeline.
July 2019: AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announces new TV/Media Stream deal for AAC that will pay members $7M/per school, per year, across multiple platforms and also allowing schools to retain their own Tier 3 stream/media rights.

*Beginning of 2020: $12M exit fee - $5M/per school from Big East payment; UConn in red $7M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays Big East Conf tourney at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are happy. Everyone else wishes we had more money to fend off the rumors of dozens of P5 schools from poaching Dan Hurley. New AAC member UMass is also rumored to be enamored with Hurley and can afford to outbid UConn with their newly acquired influx of cash.
*End of 2020: Madison Square Garden announces they will opt out of Big East tourney agreement following the 2022 season. High stakes bidding between B1G10 & ACC ensues. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are livid.
**Also end of 2020: Following a Sweet 16 tournament run at UConn, Dan Hurley announces that he is resigning as head coach to be "closer with his family".
**2 weeks later: Rutgers University is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Hurley as its new men's basketball head coach. "We are excited to bring Coach Hurley and his family back home to New Jersey," Rutgers AD 'The Situation' said. "This move not only pays me more money than what UConn could afford, but I also get to coach against Seton Hall at a place that would actually be excited to see us schedule Seton Hall," new Rutgers Coach Dan Hurley said.
**1 month later: After an exhaustive and expensive search firm panel recommendation, new UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 makes the following announcement: "We would first like to thank our state's elected officials for bonding us the required $1,000,000 to hire Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct our coach search. After a thorough and extensive process, we are excited to introduce Dave Leitao as our new men's basketball head coach. Coach Leitao's ties to UConn, his resume at Big East powerhouse DePaul, and the fact that he'd accept a salary of less than $50,000/year were essential to this hire. We listened to our fanbase and wanted to ensure stability with this hire, so we are also excited to announce that we have included a $10M buyout clause of Coach Leitao's contract. Ironically, we have already been contacted by Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, UMass, Pitt, and Virginia about the buyout. Apparently, all of those schools have more money than they know what to do with. Must be nice."

*Beginning 2021: ACC announces deal with MSG to begin conference tourney games beginning in 2023.
UConn in red $2M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays in its 2nd conference tournament at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans want to leave the Big East, bring back football, and go to the ACC before it's too late.

2022: FS1 airs a tearful 3 minute lead-in to its final telecast of the Big East conference tournament at MSG. Celine Dion and Bette Middler are asked to sing a Big East sendoff but both decline. Strapped for cash, the Big East settles on Drake to sing. UConn finally in green $3M - all other things remaining equal.
End of 2022: Big East commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that the Big East has come to an agreement to play its conference tournament games at the beautiful newly redesigned Villanova Pavilion. "It was always important to us to reward our most loyal schools for their unwavering continued support of Big East basketball", Hathaway said. "Plus, we had nowhere else to go after the unfortunate XL Center roof collapse."

May 2023: The Power 6 conferences announce a new gazillion, bazillion dollar deal to break away from the rest of college athletics to form their own football/basketball hybrid crossover challenge. All football and all basketball games will be aired across all channels on all cable and stream platforms. Run in a similar manner as the old Capital One Cup, the winner of each year's challenge will get to personally hand select a non-P6 school to blow up, pave over, and construct a parking garage.
June 2023: UMass and Boston College announce a joint acquisition of Gilette Stadium and surrounding properties from the Kraft Family Estate, valued at an estimated gazillion trazillion dollars. "It has always been a matter of turf", BC's Father Aiden Leahy said. "And we are humbled to share that turf with the only other New England school that we have ever felt threatened by. Plus we both have more money than we know what to do with."
July 2023: Villanova announces that they will play football and have accepted an invitation to join Power 6 conference AAC for the 2024 season. "While we are saddened to have lost our most beloved member," Big East Commissioner Hathaway said. "We are also excited that nobody cares about our conference any more and likely won't notice that Villanova left." UConn officials also announce that they have re-hired Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct a 10 year study on the feasibility of re-adding football.
August 2023: Big East Commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that original Big East 3.0 conference members - DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, St John's, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Providence, and Georgetown have all added football and have accepted invitations to join Power 6 conference AAC once the FOX/FS1 Big East contract expires. "It's probably 10 years too early for us to comment on adding football back," UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 said. "But I promise you this: we will spend alot of unnecessary money that we don't have so that I can continue making these vague statements in the future."
September 2023: Warde Manuel 2.0 steps down from his role as UConn AD to pursue his dream job of emptying the spittoon at Michigan football practices. Acting UConn President Mark Emmert Jr. announces that Jeff Hathaway will resume his role as acting UConn AD. "There is no conflict of interest here because there is no interest left in UConn or the Big East," Hathaway said. "I don't even know who is paying me. Is it UConn or the Big East or Emmert Jr's side hustle or the Power 6 Capital One Cup Selection Committee? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We're folding all sports at UConn and going back to agricultural only course offerings."

2033: Mike Tranghese Associates recommends that UConn upgrades football again. "Have you seen how much money UMass has made in the AAC after they replaced UConn?," Tranghese Associates' spokesperson Tom Jurich said. "They have bought out the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Boston College in the past 10 years alone. Also, can you believe that my 2011 Louisville pact with the devil has kept me alive for this long?"

this oddly brought me back to good will hunting's NSA scene.... totally unrelated

 

[CL82]

Hypothetical and highly tongue-in-cheek recap of UConn's move to this version of the so-called "Big East" conference. I dare anyone to say all of this wouldn't happen...

April 2019: UConn pays $10M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 27 months. Mid-2021...OR...
April 2019: UConn pays ~$12M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 12 months. Begin-2020. Let's assume they take this route for ease of realistic (tongue-in-cheek), but incredibly hypothetical, timeline.
July 2019: AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announces new TV/Media Stream deal for AAC that will pay members $7M/per school, per year, across multiple platforms and also allowing schools to retain their own Tier 3 stream/media rights.

*Beginning of 2020: $12M exit fee - $5M/per school from Big East payment; UConn in red $7M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays Big East Conf tourney at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are happy. Everyone else wishes we had more money to fend off the rumors of dozens of P5 schools from poaching Dan Hurley. New AAC member UMass is also rumored to be enamored with Hurley and can afford to outbid UConn with their newly acquired influx of cash.
*End of 2020: Madison Square Garden announces they will opt out of Big East tourney agreement following the 2022 season. High stakes bidding between B1G10 & ACC ensues. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are livid.
**Also end of 2020: Following a Sweet 16 tournament run at UConn, Dan Hurley announces that he is resigning as head coach to be "closer with his family".
**2 weeks later: Rutgers University is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Hurley as its new men's basketball head coach. "We are excited to bring Coach Hurley and his family back home to New Jersey," Rutgers AD 'The Situation' said. "This move not only pays me more money than what UConn could afford, but I also get to coach against Seton Hall at a place that would actually be excited to see us schedule Seton Hall," new Rutgers Coach Dan Hurley said.
**1 month later: After an exhaustive and expensive search firm panel recommendation, new UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 makes the following announcement: "We would first like to thank our state's elected officials for bonding us the required $1,000,000 to hire Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct our coach search. After a thorough and extensive process, we are excited to introduce Dave Leitao as our new men's basketball head coach. Coach Leitao's ties to UConn, his resume at Big East powerhouse DePaul, and the fact that he'd accept a salary of less than $50,000/year were essential to this hire. We listened to our fanbase and wanted to ensure stability with this hire, so we are also excited to announce that we have included a $10M buyout clause of Coach Leitao's contract. Ironically, we have already been contacted by Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, UMass, Pitt, and Virginia about the buyout. Apparently, all of those schools have more money than they know what to do with. Must be nice."

*Beginning 2021: ACC announces deal with MSG to begin conference tourney games beginning in 2023.
UConn in red $2M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays in its 2nd conference tournament at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans want to leave the Big East, bring back football, and go to the ACC before it's too late.

2022: FS1 airs a tearful 3 minute lead-in to its final telecast of the Big East conference tournament at MSG. Celine Dion and Bette Middler are asked to sing a Big East sendoff but both decline. Strapped for cash, the Big East settles on Drake to sing. UConn finally in green $3M - all other things remaining equal.
End of 2022: Big East commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that the Big East has come to an agreement to play its conference tournament games at the beautiful newly redesigned Villanova Pavilion. "It was always important to us to reward our most loyal schools for their unwavering continued support of Big East basketball", Hathaway said. "Plus, we had nowhere else to go after the unfortunate XL Center roof collapse."

May 2023: The Power 6 conferences announce a new gazillion, bazillion dollar deal to break away from the rest of college athletics to form their own football/basketball hybrid crossover challenge. All football and all basketball games will be aired across all channels on all cable and stream platforms. Run in a similar manner as the old Capital One Cup, the winner of each year's challenge will get to personally hand select a non-P6 school to blow up, pave over, and construct a parking garage.
June 2023: UMass and Boston College announce a joint acquisition of Gilette Stadium and surrounding properties from the Kraft Family Estate, valued at an estimated gazillion trazillion dollars. "It has always been a matter of turf", BC's Father Aiden Leahy said. "And we are humbled to share that turf with the only other New England school that we have ever felt threatened by. Plus we both have more money than we know what to do with."
July 2023: Villanova announces that they will play football and have accepted an invitation to join Power 6 conference AAC for the 2024 season. "While we are saddened to have lost our most beloved member," Big East Commissioner Hathaway said. "We are also excited that nobody cares about our conference any more and likely won't notice that Villanova left." UConn officials also announce that they have re-hired Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct a 10 year study on the feasibility of re-adding football.
August 2023: Big East Commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that original Big East 3.0 conference members - DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, St John's, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Providence, and Georgetown have all added football and have accepted invitations to join Power 6 conference AAC once the FOX/FS1 Big East contract expires. "It's probably 10 years too early for us to comment on adding football back," UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 said. "But I promise you this: we will spend alot of unnecessary money that we don't have so that I can continue making these vague statements in the future."
September 2023: Warde Manuel 2.0 steps down from his role as UConn AD to pursue his dream job of emptying the spittoon at Michigan football practices. Acting UConn President Mark Emmert Jr. announces that Jeff Hathaway will resume his role as acting UConn AD. "There is no conflict of interest here because there is no interest left in UConn or the Big East," Hathaway said. "I don't even know who is paying me. Is it UConn or the Big East or Emmert Jr's side hustle or the Power 6 Capital One Cup Selection Committee? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We're folding all sports at UConn and going back to agricultural only course offerings."

2033: Mike Tranghese Associates recommends that UConn upgrades football again. "Have you seen how much money UMass has made in the AAC after they replaced UConn?," Tranghese Associates' spokesperson Tom Jurich said. "They have bought out the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Boston College in the past 10 years alone. Also, can you believe that my 2011 Louisville pact with the devil has kept me alive for this long?"

This is my image of Dooley posting this:

"Idiots! I'm working with idiots here!"​

 

[Dooley]

This is my image of Dooley posting this:

View attachment 35735
"Idiots! I'm working with idiots here!"​

That dude has waaaaaaay too much hair.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

That dude has waaaaaaay too much hair.

Since that's the only thing you disputed, the rest is about right?
BTW, good to have you back and posting.

 

[Dooley]

Since that's the only thing you disputed, the rest is about right?
BTW, good to have you back and posting.

I'm on new meds so I'm much calmer these days...but, still bald.

Thanks! I've been lurking here for a while, just not posting. Cutting social media out of my life.

 

[browndog319]

Maybe I'm reading into this comment wrong, but it's not up to the Big East to "let" the B1G have one year out of 5. If MSG can come to terms with the ACC and B1G to alternate years, they can tell the Big East they'll have to work around those dates, or find a new home. The Big East, IMO, has the least bargaining power here.

Can’t they just schedule around each other these years? Like oh, this year the other conference is at MSG, so why don’t we plan your tournament for the prior weekend??

If memory services, total alumni in NYC was 1) Rutgers, 2) Penn St, 3) Syracuse, 4) UConn, 5) ND. Michigan and Duke are in the top 10. So for a basketball viewpoint, its #3 through 5 that matter as the first two are not traditional basketball powers.

anecdote isn’t fact but I’ve lived in NJ or worked in NJ since oh, 2002. I think I’ve met 5 Rutgers alumni... who are these people?

 

[businesslawyer]

Can’t they just schedule around each other these years? Like oh, this year the other conference is at MSG, so why don’t we plan your tournament for the prior weekend??

anecdote isn’t fact but I’ve lived in NJ or worked in NJ since oh, 2002. I think I’ve met 5 Rutgers alumni... who are these people?

Rutgers is a larger university than UConn. Make fun of their athletic program all you want, but there are have to be hundreds of thousands of alumni in New Jersey.

 

[browndog319]

Maybe. Having grown up in the heart of ACC country, it feels strange to associate the ACC with MSG. There's no question that folks from some of the schools travel well...but I still feel like it's a miss. Having it in Greensboro was always fun - the proximity to so many schools. Atlanta makes sense. But NY? I suppose it would be good for Syracuse fans - but it almost feels like the conference would need to add another local institution of higher learning for it to make sense. The MSG and NBE still makes sense to me - it's their hood.

They WOULD need to add another local school... perhaps one that refers to MSG as their home away from home?

 

[browndog319]

Rutgers is a larger university than UConn. Make fun of their athletic program all you want, but there are have to be hundreds of thousands of alumni in New Jersey.

I get it... and numerically what you say makes sense. I guess I am a Rutgers alum (grad degree - lol, I just forgot, for real!).
It’s just, we don’t really talk about it.
Where are these hundreds of thousands of people?
I know you’re right but they hide...

 

[browndog319]

Hypothetical and highly tongue-in-cheek recap of UConn's move to this version of the so-called "Big East" conference. I dare anyone to say all of this wouldn't happen...

April 2019: UConn pays $10M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 27 months. Mid-2021...OR...
April 2019: UConn pays ~$12M to drop football and hoops to leave AAC in 12 months. Begin-2020. Let's assume they take this route for ease of realistic (tongue-in-cheek), but incredibly hypothetical, timeline.
July 2019: AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco announces new TV/Media Stream deal for AAC that will pay members $7M/per school, per year, across multiple platforms and also allowing schools to retain their own Tier 3 stream/media rights.

*Beginning of 2020: $12M exit fee - $5M/per school from Big East payment; UConn in red $7M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays Big East Conf tourney at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are happy. Everyone else wishes we had more money to fend off the rumors of dozens of P5 schools from poaching Dan Hurley. New AAC member UMass is also rumored to be enamored with Hurley and can afford to outbid UConn with their newly acquired influx of cash.
*End of 2020: Madison Square Garden announces they will opt out of Big East tourney agreement following the 2022 season. High stakes bidding between B1G10 & ACC ensues. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans are livid.
**Also end of 2020: Following a Sweet 16 tournament run at UConn, Dan Hurley announces that he is resigning as head coach to be "closer with his family".
**2 weeks later: Rutgers University is excited to announce the hiring of Dan Hurley as its new men's basketball head coach. "We are excited to bring Coach Hurley and his family back home to New Jersey," Rutgers AD 'The Situation' said. "This move not only pays me more money than what UConn could afford, but I also get to coach against Seton Hall at a place that would actually be excited to see us schedule Seton Hall," new Rutgers Coach Dan Hurley said.
**1 month later: After an exhaustive and expensive search firm panel recommendation, new UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 makes the following announcement: "We would first like to thank our state's elected officials for bonding us the required $1,000,000 to hire Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct our coach search. After a thorough and extensive process, we are excited to introduce Dave Leitao as our new men's basketball head coach. Coach Leitao's ties to UConn, his resume at Big East powerhouse DePaul, and the fact that he'd accept a salary of less than $50,000/year were essential to this hire. We listened to our fanbase and wanted to ensure stability with this hire, so we are also excited to announce that we have included a $10M buyout clause of Coach Leitao's contract. Ironically, we have already been contacted by Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, UMass, Pitt, and Virginia about the buyout. Apparently, all of those schools have more money than they know what to do with. Must be nice."

*Beginning 2021: ACC announces deal with MSG to begin conference tourney games beginning in 2023.
UConn in red $2M - all other things remaining equal. UConn plays in its 2nd conference tournament at MSG. Nostalgic UConn Big East fans want to leave the Big East, bring back football, and go to the ACC before it's too late.

2022: FS1 airs a tearful 3 minute lead-in to its final telecast of the Big East conference tournament at MSG. Celine Dion and Bette Middler are asked to sing a Big East sendoff but both decline. Strapped for cash, the Big East settles on Drake to sing. UConn finally in green $3M - all other things remaining equal.
End of 2022: Big East commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that the Big East has come to an agreement to play its conference tournament games at the beautiful newly redesigned Villanova Pavilion. "It was always important to us to reward our most loyal schools for their unwavering continued support of Big East basketball", Hathaway said. "Plus, we had nowhere else to go after the unfortunate XL Center roof collapse."

May 2023: The Power 6 conferences announce a new gazillion, bazillion dollar deal to break away from the rest of college athletics to form their own football/basketball hybrid crossover challenge. All football and all basketball games will be aired across all channels on all cable and stream platforms. Run in a similar manner as the old Capital One Cup, the winner of each year's challenge will get to personally hand select a non-P6 school to blow up, pave over, and construct a parking garage.
June 2023: UMass and Boston College announce a joint acquisition of Gilette Stadium and surrounding properties from the Kraft Family Estate, valued at an estimated gazillion trazillion dollars. "It has always been a matter of turf", BC's Father Aiden Leahy said. "And we are humbled to share that turf with the only other New England school that we have ever felt threatened by. Plus we both have more money than we know what to do with."
July 2023: Villanova announces that they will play football and have accepted an invitation to join Power 6 conference AAC for the 2024 season. "While we are saddened to have lost our most beloved member," Big East Commissioner Hathaway said. "We are also excited that nobody cares about our conference any more and likely won't notice that Villanova left." UConn officials also announce that they have re-hired Mike Tranghese Associates to conduct a 10 year study on the feasibility of re-adding football.
August 2023: Big East Commissioner Jeff Hathaway announces that original Big East 3.0 conference members - DePaul, Marquette, Seton Hall, St John's, Butler, Creighton, Xavier, Providence, and Georgetown have all added football and have accepted invitations to join Power 6 conference AAC once the FOX/FS1 Big East contract expires. "It's probably 10 years too early for us to comment on adding football back," UConn AD Warde Manuel 2.0 said. "But I promise you this: we will spend alot of unnecessary money that we don't have so that I can continue making these vague statements in the future."
September 2023: Warde Manuel 2.0 steps down from his role as UConn AD to pursue his dream job of emptying the spittoon at Michigan football practices. Acting UConn President Mark Emmert Jr. announces that Jeff Hathaway will resume his role as acting UConn AD. "There is no conflict of interest here because there is no interest left in UConn or the Big East," Hathaway said. "I don't even know who is paying me. Is it UConn or the Big East or Emmert Jr's side hustle or the Power 6 Capital One Cup Selection Committee? I don't know, but it doesn't matter. We're folding all sports at UConn and going back to agricultural only course offerings."

2033: Mike Tranghese Associates recommends that UConn upgrades football again. "Have you seen how much money UMass has made in the AAC after they replaced UConn?," Tranghese Associates' spokesperson Tom Jurich said. "They have bought out the Patriots, Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and Boston College in the past 10 years alone. Also, can you believe that my 2011 Louisville pact with the devil has kept me alive for this long?"

You really have to admire the creativity and/or the cynicism that’s come from being a fan all these years.
It’s like seriously, Charlie Brown, not once will you kick that ball.

 

[CL82]

Rutgers is a larger university than UConn. Make fun of their athletic program all you want, but there are have to be hundreds of thousands of alumni in New Jersey.

and perhaps more importantly a state population of 9M.