ACC

[Carl Spackler]

Wasn't 384 originally going to go from Hartford to Providence, but then they changed their mind / ran out of funding (or maybe ran into a NIMBY faction, like what happened with the Hartford loop that resulted in the Farmington/West Hartford Haystack)? That would have possibly been a fun alternate history of the UConn campus and UConn sports.

I don't know the reasons how or why it never was completed, but this is absolutely correct. I'm pretty sure it was the Rhode Island DOT that shut the project attempts down and ended up changing all the originally intended interstate plans for the northeast, CT was ready to take a highway from Hartford to the RI border, all along, and still would I think.

I read something a while back on this regarding the traffic along I-95. I-95 is a traffic volume nightmare from NYC through CT and is a major issue in Fairfield Cty and all the way up to New London/Groton. A second route through CT to reach RI and then up to Boston is basically the only way to fix any of the problems. There needs to be an interstate connecting HArtford to Providence to by-pass I-95, as was originally intended.

If I remember correctly, the section of highway north/east of Hartford wasn't even called I-84, I think it was I-86. (I'm not that old either) I don't remember when it happened, but I-84 up to the Mass PIke I-90 wasn't supposed to be that way - it was I-86 or I-82 or something and was supposed to head up through NH to Portland. I-84 was supposed to go through Harford to Providence. I-84 was originally intended to be a direct route from Pennsylvania through NY State, CT and ending in Providence. 384 was the CT effort to finish that project and then MA and the other NE states reconfigured too.

 

[epark88]

You remember correctly, Carl...

 

[SubbaBub]

Move the campus to East Hartford.

 

[UConnDan97]

Move the campus to East Hartford.

That's part of the UConn 3000 project. You're getting ahead of yourself.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Move the campus to East Hartford.

All jokes aside I've thought that the Greater Hartford Campus should be moved to Rentschler Field since I first saw the master plan for the area. That way UConn could technically have an on-campus stadium and a brand new Greater Hartford Campus.

 

[Dann]

NYC THEORY: NYC is the root of all evil and when someone in the ACC office wakes up and see the potential, all hell will break loose, but all will eventually be solved…

Let’s talk about NYC. There’s only a certain % that pays attention to college sports. You have to fully grab it or you just don't own it and not enough care.

If the ACC instead of half assing everything grabbed the whole market, things would be different. Someone has to have the balls to be the first to 16 or 18 and not sit and be poached. The issue is grab half and you will at most only get half the eyeballs but you risk pissing that half off because there not entertained by what’s left to see. You grab everyone, makes everyone happy and rivals come alive, u start a turf war and plan accordingly. You capture the whole market. Then over time that market expands with a successful product.

Right now the acc has half of NYC and the BE has half and then there’s ND. That’s a ugly split. No huge rivals going on and no togetherness from fans liking something. It causes a mishmosh of views that don't help any of the schools in the long run if it stays like this. Until the ACC adds 75% of the northeast or more, NYC will be no ones and more importantly without that northern group of schools hating the crap out of each other they will all slowly die BC style...

We have all heard the ND rumors about how they want to play on the east coast and yea it’s pretty obvious considering their recent ooc looks. I would bet that they aren’t sold 100% on the ACC because they are worried that the commissioner doesn’t have the balls to lock the whole coast up and therefore they don’t want to go to a conference where they could lose teams to the SEC/B10/B12. Just imagine if ND went to the ACC finally and then the next day the SEC grabbed VT/NCST and the B10 grabbed UVA/MD. ND would be up in flames. They bring a lot of money to the table which would hopefully be enough for a stable conference where teams didn’t leave, but if you grab the whole northeast, then you’re talking stability and good money.

What is the closest ACC school miles wise to NYC right now? BC? Cuse? Pitt? MD?
Rutgers/PSU/UConn would all be closer right?
What schools have the biggest alum chapters in NYC?
NYC tvs follow ND, PSU, Ruty/Cuse/UConn, MD, UVA/VT, BC. See where I’m going here????
Something doesn't add up….

The ACC needs to grow a sack for east coast football/all college sports or fall victim to the b4, make a stand this summer or forever sit and worry. FSU/Clem and others are checking the b12 out and the sec loves those 2 new markets in NC/VA. Either the ACC does something crazy/proactive or it’s over soon for that conf. Go out fighting right??? I would! I think that’s why we sat still. We didn't want to join a mess; we were only willing to join if everyone went and made it a solid landing spot and that didn’t happen because the ACC didn’t think big picture/outside the box. They just got a little worried and flinched.

Prestigious division-miami/gt/wake/duke/vt/pitt/cuse/bc/nd
Public division-fsu/clem/nc/ncst/uva/md/ruty/uconn/psu

-Play your 8 conf games in football plus 1 rival form the other division for 9(duke-unc/uconn-bc/nd-psu/fsu-u.....).

-In basketball play your round robin of 17 games plus 1 rival. Same as the football rivals^. makes everyone happy.

-This is the best lax/soccer/baseball etc conf ever to boot. Also puck can become interesting (ND/PSU/BC/UConn) all in HE maybe? Or w/e....

-Adding the rest of the NYC area, PSU and ND brings the big time tv $$ that this conference needs to stay alive. It covers the whole east coast and doesn't let any other conf touch some of the biggest tv markets there are. The B10 stops in Ohio. the SEC doesn’t touch NC. DC-PHili-NYC are the ACC’s now, time to now develop them into college markets….
-They wait till 2020 to grab MSG from the BE+A10 group of basketball onlys. Now they play there ACCt in MSG every year and its hot on ESPN all day. Just imagine the way they do up the BET every year, just add Duke/UNC and some other big names to it. HUGE!!! All the local big boy teams plus big names like Duke/UNC/ND/FSU/MD coming to town once a year. Gravy train!!!

-Play your acc ship game for the BCS playoff bid at the higher ranked teams place so it’s always a sellout and boom....now you have a freaking east coast conference that matters.

-18 works. Because during football season u can make a deal with ESPN/ABC to have a Friday night game every week and not hurt your Saturday numbers. With adding those teams/fan bases/markets, there is enough $$ to go around so that every team is getting $20mil+ a year. That would be the only conference that would have baseball/lax/soccer deals with ESPN also. The $$ is there in this, someone just has to make it happen. Then if someone makes it happen they need to immediately think about the future and an ACC network so that ESPN gets 2nd tier like the B10 does. Just imagine the ACC tv network with the markets it has land control over. Chesus big $$$!!! In basketball u have 4 of the top 12 teams all time. CBS will get in on the basketball like never before, and there’s more $$ plus several other good names that can come back to life with the boost of having a strong top half. Just imagine ESPN having a ACC Wednesday night every week or whatever…you can be THE player in basketball tv wise and just imagine those NCAAt payouts (kind of like what the BE has now). Making this move does several things:
1) It makes you one of the Big 4 football conferences. With FSU/PSU/ND, you are not being left out in any way. More likely the B12 then can’t stay stable. By going to 18, you show that it can work both on the field and $$ wise. You were the first to do it and now are sitting pretty because of it. Your TV contract will be the first of the next renegotiated ones up in the 2020’s.
Some of the dominos likely then to fall will be:
B10+ Kan/Kst/Ist/Mizzu/Lville or Cincy or Temple/?/?(only gets to 16 or adds all for 18)
SEC+ TEX/TT/OK/OKST/WVU
PAC+ Baylor/BYU/Nevada/UNLV/UH/TCU
There’s your Big4 for a playoff that will over time expand to 8 teams with the new Conf USA eventually getting an auto bid into spot #5 of the 8.
So, anyone get left out that was in a B4 conference? nope, only some CUSA to BE schools got left out.

CUSA: (left over’s from Big4)
East (some will be in B10)-USF/UCF/ECU/Navy/Army/Temple/Lville/Cincy/Tulsa/Memphis/Tulane/Smiss/UAB
West-Hawaii/SDSU/SJ/Fresno/Idaho//Utah st/WY/NM/NMst
2) Your on top of college basketball, the SEC and B10 are 2nd and 3rd. You get to pick which of the two you want to work with for a “challenge” in basketball season. Take that relationship and form great OOC games in football and other sports.

3) Your other sports are top dog also; you can eventually make money off that. When you build your ACC network, sign HE if PSU/ND/UConn/BC are all in it for example.

4) I forgot

Who wouldn't of those 18 teams not sign up for that? the only 1 i even see putting up a argument is PSU becuase half of there fanbase and school loves the B10 while the other half dreams of a eastern league which is what i made here. If PSU is a no go then grab WVU and bite on the not so great classroom stuff there. Don't you think that over time they could improve as a school with some effort and help form every other great ranking school in this league.....

 

[CTMike]

I think there's a lot of sense in creating a dominant East Coast league, and the Big East ain't the closest to being it. Love the Dan Plan. If I were the ACC I'd try to set up every other year at the new Barclay's Center for their conference hoops tournament. Question is : how do you get PSU and ND to accept your plan? I know UConn would.

 

[Dann]

nd joins becuase with cuse/pitt/ruty/bc/uconn the nyc/ne region is now locked in with the league. when nd joins it also gets games with gt/miami which it wants. when nd joins we now need 1 more team. you first flirt with wvu who i think would want to leave to be apart of this, maybe even call temple just to get the psu ppl to look. they would see the writing on the wall that 18 is the end goal and know they need to be apart of it becuase texas and crew will bolt without notice. so u flirt with them. make them figure out how the heck they are going to get the tv rights they just signed away for years back somehow etc.. all at the same time u let the intern in the office leak something to psu about wvu done deal blah blah. then make your pitch to them and sell them on nd plus regional rivals and that "eastern league" that was always joes dream. show them the 2 divisions and explain they get nd every year as the cross division rival(they will like that alot). they get fsu so they play in fl and clemson so they play in the south atleast once every year for recruiting goodies...and so on with the selling of it. basically get them in and if its a no at the end of the day, figure out wvu and bite on the bad academics.

looks like i made EO again. thats like the 4th time recently, lol love how they wait for my usual crazy ideas on conf's and stuff. they hate it all cause it always ends with bc getting screwed or uconn playing them. haha

 

[tzznandrew]

If the ACC instead of half assing everything grabbed the whole market, things would be different. Someone has to have the balls to be the first to 16 or 18 and not sit and be poached. The issue is grab half and you will at most only get half the eyeballs but you risk pissing that half off because there not entertained by what’s left to see. You grab everyone, makes everyone happy and rivals come alive, u start a turf war and plan accordingly. You capture the whole market. Then over time that market expands with a successful product.

I posted a while back that I thought 18 would make the most sense for an endgame for exactly the reasons you said.

I don't think PSU leaves the B1G. I think the only chance they would ever do such a thing left when Paterno's legacy was tarnished.

I love fantasizing about this sort of thing. Unfortunately, for the near time, it is just fantasy.

 

[Wekivanole]

I have a question for the Insider if he's still around. There's a question on the FSU boards about Tier 3 rights. It's my understanding that the ACC has assigned Tier 1, 2, and 3 rights to the networks as part of their contract. It appears the other conferences have only assigned Tiers 1 andd 2.

FSU has a contract with ISP ($66MM over ten years that was I believe signed prior to the ACC contract) for Tier 3 rights.
http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jo...ISP-Deal-Would-Put-Georgia-Into-Top-Tier.aspx

Just curious, if you know this, but does FSU get to keep this or is now property of the conference/network?

 

[frankthetank]

I have a question for the Insider if he's still around. There's a question on the FSU boards about Tier 3 rights. It's my understanding that the ACC has assigned Tier 1, 2, and 3 rights to the networks as part of their contract. It appears the other conferences have only assigned Tiers 1 andd 2.

FSU has a contract with ISP ($66MM over ten years that was I believe signed prior to the ACC contract) for Tier 3 rights.
http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jo...ISP-Deal-Would-Put-Georgia-Into-Top-Tier.aspx

Just curious, if you know this, but does FSU get to keep this or is now property of the conference/network?

You have to differentiate between TV and other media rights. My understanding is that the ACC deal covers all TV rights (from tier 1 to tier 3). This is actually also the case with the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big East (all of whom have their members assign all tiers of TV rights to the conference, although the Big Ten and Pac-12 split those rights with different partners). However, there is also another bucket of media rights such as radio rights, coaches shows on TV and radio and various Internet rights. That's likely what the ISP deal covers with Florida State, so the ESPN deal doesn't affect that.

 

[Dann]

From PSU/WVU boards:

Some twitter traffic from a...source. I know some don't think much of Greg Swaim but the rumor of B12 expansion has been persistent.


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
Coaches and administrators beginning to check in at #NOLA for the #FinalFour. The #Clemson and #FSU talk to #Big12 definately has legs!!


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
As we’ve always said, #BYU continues to be strongly tied to the #Big12′s future as is #CardNation. More later tonight…


Justin Keith ‏ @Justin_Keith18 Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
@GSwaim so We might see #4 added this Summer?


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
@Justin_Keith18 I don’t have confirmation that they’d add as many as four all at once, or any this year, but there will be teams added.


Christopher Finnegan ‏ @FinneISU Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
@GSwaim ISU AD said yesterday that he would bet his kids the Big 12 wasn’t talking to any ACC schools about expansion. hope he is lying


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
@FinneISU No offense to ISU, but they don’t rank quite as high on the list of “deciders” as a few schools I know of http://s1./wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif?m=1336659725g


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
“@TheCaseter: @GSwaim When are you gonna post your updates #BYU” // As soon as we hear something new it’ll be tweeted right here.


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
@tevita_mac Everyone could potentially have a source, but mine at both the #Big12 and #BYU says talks are still ongoing…and going well.

Top six major programs most likely to make a move by this summer… #BYU, #CardNation, #FSU, #Clemson, #Rutgers, #UConn.

“@kotisamani: @GSwaim Any specific order out of those six?” // that is in order.


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
“@MatthewGaylor: @GSwaim So have the talks died down from #FSU and #Clemson until a new Commish comes through?” // Ongoing.


BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim Reply Retweet Favorite · Open
“@dburr10: @GSwaim So if you were a betting man would you buy a ticket for #BYU to the #Big12 lottery sweepstakes?” // Yes I would.

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acc needs to go for the monster move or it will be in pieces by da 4th of jew-lie.
bummer is that theres a decent chance that uconn and ruty will end up in the acc post fsu/clem and that league will be a great bball/all sports league but not challenege us in fball. then u also have to worry about the b10 picking uva/md/uncs of the world before us also.

things 2 watch:
1)b12 do they go to 14, 16 or 18. byu/lville/fsu/clem are 14. how much farther do they go? do they take more acc/eastern teams?

2)b10 has been real quiet. do they goto 14/16/18 and who? this is the dream sleeper move for uconn fans as the b10 has to be interested in big public east coast schools and nd for solid conf adds and great tv potential.

3)the sec is going to be in the mix for a 2nd tex market, a va mk and a nc mk among others.....depending on who dies first(acc or b12) is going to get wild with this.

4) as soon as the 4 big boys are set, is it 16 or 18 per? the bca playoff will happen and i think the 4 will come to a agreement to speed all things up to 2015 and drop all tv issues and $$ issues.

BigTime Sports ‏ @GSwaim

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"@HuskyfanDan: @GSwaim where would #uconn be going with #rutgers? #acc or #B1G?" /// As of today ACC more likely.

 

[epark88]

Greg Swaim has yet to be right about anything major concerning expansion. Plus he's gotta be like, twelve years old or something.

A very immature Tweep with minimal class. Hard to take him seriously...

 

[UConnDan97]

From PSU/WVU boards:

Some twitter traffic from a...source. I know some don't think much of Greg Swaim but the rumor of B12 expansion has been persistent.

I have to admit that a large part of me wanted this thread to die, but since you've opened it back up...If the Clemson / FSU thing really does have legs (I don't know much about Swaim, but I've heard this rumor in other places too), then that might actually push the ACC into inviting UConn / Rutgers without the ND stipulation.

If the Big10 were to push for Rutgers / UConn for the NYC market, that would be both a miracle and a curse from a football perspective. A miracle because we would make fantastic money and be affiliated with many big-time football programs, but a curse because it would almost guarantee that we go 5-7 / 4-8 every year (unless we had a 1990-like "dream season").

As always, some interesting and nerve-bending chatter going on again about realignment...

 

[HuskyFan16]

this thread:

 

[Dann]

i refuse to let this thread die. it put the BY on the map of other fanbases. b12/sec/acc/b10 boardd all had links to this and chats around it on boards. its great for uconn that other fanbases were coming here from a perception standpoint. shows that were atleast in the conversation as compared to 10 years ago...

bottom line is that 4 confs are going to eb the big boys no matter the size. only 1 of the acc or b12 can be that right now, becuase the other will get torn apart by the 3 safe confs(b10/sec/pac) there are only 2 or 3 schools in those 3 confs that would consider moving around. that psu/mizzu/uk. everyone else in those 3 aren't moving.

southern acc schools feel any of cuse/pitt/ruty/uconn aren't enough both on the fball field and in a raise tv $$ wise. can't argue that imo they are right. if the b12 pulls a death trigger, things will happen quick afterwards. byu is a national team, they bring tv $$. lville is at worst a even add $$ wise and good on the field/court. fsu/clem would add to the $$ and on the field. among other adds so the b12 would defacto become that 4th conf.

the only way for the acc to stop that is go big. not becuase its cute to have the most teams, but to be able to raise its tv $$ by so much that it makes a good case for southern acc schools to stay. the only way to do that is grab all of nyc prox and nd and possibly psu(the dream eastern league attempt). i know its a wild thought but that the only way the acc will be the 4th conf. if they did make that move happen somehow, then tex/tt/ok/okst would eventually pull the plug on the b12 and then the pac/sec will have a fieldday.

if the b12 makes its move, uconn is basically in the acc, but its a 5th whell fball conf. imo at this point that is ok but not the best. it beats the crap out of the nnbe but its barley alive fball wise. its great fro bball and other sports and put us with all the rivals we want to be with. but this league could get more watered down from the sec/big10 adding teams which puts us in a crapy spot once again.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I would love for Clemson and Florida State to join the Big12.

It either increases our chances of going to the ACC or further weakens ACC Football.

Would be funny if the divisions ended up as essentially the old Big East and essentially the old ACC - minus West Virginia and Clemson.

BC, UConn, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Miami

Ga Tech, UNC, NC State, Wake, Duke, Virginia, Maryland

 

[Dann]

I would love for Clemson and Florida State to join the Big12.

It either increases our chances of going to the ACC or further weakens ACC Football.

Would be funny if the divisions ended up as essentially the old Big East and essentially the old ACC - minus West Virginia and Clemson.

BC, UConn, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Miami

Ga Tech, UNC, NC State, Wake, Duke, Virginia, Maryland

the problem is that won't happen. if the acc losses fsu/clem to the b12, then the acc becomes the league that gets torn apart. the sec will look for a va and nc team(vt/ncst) most likely. the b10 will look for big eastern publics like uvs/md and so on...the acc if fsu/clem go becomes the 5th league thats like the old BE. uconn/ruty/cuse/pitt/bc/duke/wake are the only teams that are for sure in that league. thats a horrible fball league compared to the big 4 then...

 

[Fishy]

There are five major conferences left. The idea that there can only be four is the product of your head and not based in any kind of reality - there are five. There will be five. The ACC and Big 12 are two of them.

If any of those conferences choses to expand again, the Big East will almost certainly be damaged further. The individual teams that are plucked from it will benefit, but the conference's future arc is downward.

Hopefully, we'll stay pretty enough to matter when the time comes.

 

[UConnDan97]

the problem is that won't happen. if the acc losses fsu/clem to the b12, then the acc becomes the league that gets torn apart. the sec will look for a va and nc team(vt/ncst) most likely. the b10 will look for big eastern publics like uvs/md and so on...the acc if fsu/clem go becomes the 5th league thats like the old BE. uconn/ruty/cuse/pitt/bc/duke/wake are the only teams that are for sure in that league. thats a horrible fball league compared to the big 4 then...

I don't pretend to know what's going to happen, because it seemingly changes every 6 seconds. But one of the things that I am 90% confident in is the fact that there WILL be an east coast conference as one of the big boys. You can mark me down for saying that. Call it an east coast media bias; call it a population density thing; whatever. There will not be a set up where there is only representation from the south, midwest, and west. The east will be represented, but I just don't know who falls in that category.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

the problem is that won't happen. if the acc losses fsu/clem to the b12, then the acc becomes the league that gets torn apart. the sec will look for a va and nc team(vt/ncst) most likely. the b10 will look for big eastern publics like uvs/md and so on...the acc if fsu/clem go becomes the 5th league thats like the old BE. uconn/ruty/cuse/pitt/bc/duke/wake are the only teams that are for sure in that league. thats a horrible fball league compared to the big 4 then...

In your scenario - assuming NC State, VT, UVA, Maryland all get poached, we'd end up in this conference - which would be great with me. Regional rivalries, winnable football and awesome hoops.

UConn
Rutgers
Syracuse
Pitt
BC
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Louisville
South Florida
Cincinnati
Temple

 

[UConnDan97]

In your scenario - assuming NC State, VT, UVA, Maryland all get poached, we'd end up in this conference - which would be great with me. Regional rivalries, winnable football and awesome hoops.

UConn
Rutgers
Syracuse
Pitt
BC
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Louisville
South Florida
Cincinnati
Temple

And that is still a "BCS level" conference in my opinion. In other words, it is more than marginally better than MW, C-USA, MAC, WAC, or Sunbelt. The east coast will be represented.

 

[Dann]

In your scenario - assuming NC State, VT, UVA, Maryland all get poached, we'd end up in this conference - which would be great with me. Regional rivalries, winnable football and awesome hoops.

UConn
Rutgers
Syracuse
Pitt
BC
Duke
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Louisville
South Florida
Cincinnati
Temple

close to what i was in the end thinking also
but lville would be in the b12 for starters. see what im saying tho, its clearly the 5th best fball league that will get left out of the big 4 playoff. yes its a decent home for uconn but fball wise we need to aim higher. other sports wise thats great fwiw...in the end thats great compared to the nnbe but its still not a great ending in the overall grand look at the landscape.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

And that is still a "BCS level" conference in my opinion. In other words, it is more than marginally better than MW, C-USA, MAC, WAC, or Sunbelt. The east coast will be represented.

Agreed. To add to that though, BCS or not, as long as we can play: BC, Rutgers, Syracuse, Pitt and in addition to a decent OOC, the conference we're in doesn't even matter to me.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

close to what i was in the end thinking also
but lville would be in the b12 for starters. see what im saying tho, its clearly the 5th best fball league that will get left out of the big 4 playoff. yes its a decent home for uconn but fball wise we need to aim higher. other sports wise thats great fwiw...in the end thats great compared to the nnbe but its still not a great ending in the overall grand look at the landscape.

Yeah, I agree - that would be a clear step below the Big10, SEC, Pac12 and Big12. However, I find the political side of college football to be too much to overcome for UConn at this stage in the game.

Not to get all Carl Spackler on everyone - but I agree with him that realignment won't stop until there is a legitimate FCS style playoff in place.