Yes, we're contiguous, because although the word 'state' is used, the definition and goal is shifting to refer to media markets rather than states. Since we actually share the NYC media market with Rutgers, we're more than contiguous, we're overlapping.
An important point: When Delany says Rutgers and Maryland added 30% to the B1G's population footprint, he's obviously counting more than Maryland and New Jersey, which combined have a population of 14.8 million. By my count, he's counting an additional 11 million people from New York (19.6 million) and New England (14.4 million) -- a 7-state region of 34 million people with no B1G schools. (Based on the populatin of the B1G states ex Rutgers and Maryland being about 80 million -- I haven't added it up -- the missing 11 million is roughly the population of greater NYC.) Since he's obviously counting NYC already as part of the B1G footprint, we are already contiguous -- indeed, our state probably lies partially within Delany's current B1G footprint; and since UConn has the same penetration into NYC that Rutgers does, if Rutgers adds NYC, so does UConn.
Now look at the 7-state northeast region with 34 million people. UConn is the only public university supporting high-level athletics in the region.
In addition to its research and athletics initiatives, UConn should offer in-state tuition to the top 3,000 academic applicants from the other New England states and New York. Get the better students thinking of UConn as another "state university" for them. Get an increased mindshare from teachers, guidance counselors, parents in those states. The great bulk of the population of those states, probably 25 million of the 34 million, lives within a 2.5 hour drive of Rentschler field. They are ready to be won as fans. The increased quality of the student body, due to skimming off some high-achieving students, will improve university metrics; the larger student body will enable the school to hire more research faculty, which will help us meet AAU metrics. Top faculty will be attracted to a university with more highly intelligent students.
With this change in policy, UConn could make a compelling case that it brings a lot to the B1G's demographic and market footprint. It's questionable that Rutgers really brought NYC, so arguably Rutgers and Maryland only increased the population footprint by 18-19%; but with UConn positioned as a regional public university, the B1G would have a creditable claim to the whole 7-state region, and the Rutgers/Maryland/UConn adds would bring in 49 million and increase the B1G population footprint by 62%.
Finally, the state should invest in infrastructure, giving better highway access to campus. Make a spur from I-84 to the north side of campus and extend I-384 to the southwest side. Make it easier for people to visit; increase knowledge of the university just by having a big exit sign on I-84 saying "UConn Expressway" and a big sign at the I-84 / I-384 split saying "This way to the University of Connecticut". Half of New England drives by those exits 3-4 times a year at least. The cost of those extensions would be roughly equal to the cost of the stupid Hartford-New Britain busway. If the state could also invest in the highways in the southwest part of the state and around Hartford and relieve bottlenecks to people driving from NYC, that would be even better. It would benefit the economy of the state greatly.
In regard to athletic performance, they should get creative. Somebody mentioned that UConn has a puppetry program. UConn should establish an academic program, open to all, in athletic coaching, with an emphasis on football coaching. Let players take academic courses that teach them aspects of the game that under NCAA time restrictions the coaches wouldn't have time to teach, but that would help their games ("Offensive Line Coaching in Football," "Defensive Backs Coaching in Football," etc). Make these classes easy A's. If UNC can run fake classes for players and it's not a violation because the classes were technically open to all, this has to be legal. Let the UConn coaches pass material to the instructors, so that material taught is directly relevant to on-field performance.
We have about 4 years until the exit rights fee windfall from the AAC winds down. If we get these things underway, and our mindshare is rising in New England / New York (enabling us to be a stronger draw in NYC) and our performance on the field is interesting, the university could make a credible threat of executing on a plan like that in the other thread of going independent in football and gaining control of its media rights in all sports (many lesser conferences might accept UConn basketball and other sports in exchange for simply getting rights to UConn's away games -- so we could work out deals that let us control our home media rights, and do a SNY type deal with games sold on top to other cable channels in the 7-state footprint like NESN where SNY doesn't go, and whenever possible sold nationally). In this scenario, ESPN might outbid SNY for UConn's rights, rather than lose us completely.
If we can get $8 million a year from that, which Connecticut cable alone plus a few national basketball and football games could generate, we could continue to fund a high-level athletic program. The regional cable network and regional in-state tuition program would start proving that we have market share in the rest of the 7-state region. Getting in the AAU which should be easy with a 20% larger student body and 25% larger faculty. Overall, we'd have a compelling case for the B1G.
