All you need to know about Aresco

[ctchamps]

Wait did Frank just lose credibility or did Scoot just gain credibility?

Frank isn't any different than some of the more informed posters in this forum. He presents things well but when it comes down to it he's backfilling things to conform with an opinion. His arguments are logical and have merit, but a lot of CR is subjective. Things play out in weird ways as often as they do in logical ways. When they work they're logical and when they fail they were irrational. We'll just have to wait and see how things play out.

I live in an area with a lot of Ohio State retired alumni and they are totally against the addition of Rutgers and Maryland. Any advantage gained by the BTN push into the Southeast can be offset by the guys with the discretionary monies deciding to pull back contributions to their schools.

 

[freescooter]

frank,
I've been saying this for years but UConn has been very slow to make much of its football program...the UConn narrative on football should have been Look what we've accomplished in only X years...Facilities? Rentschler Field is a great facility for the fans, terrific for tailgating, and if we have to or want to expand it, it is already designed and we can do it. As far as practice facilities, we have some of the best in the nation. The Burton-Shenkman complex was designed based on Nebraska's facilities but with more updated technology and equipment. Record-instead of apologizing for only playing 1A football since 2002, we ought to be pointing out that in 10 years we've managed to win multiple conference titles, go to multiple bowl games and already have winning records against Syracuse, Pitt, and are even with Louisville and Rutgers. First team ever to beat Notre Dame at South Bend in its first try. That in such a short time we've already equalled or surpassed these allegedly storied programs ought to have been the message. But too often it wasn't. Too often the image was "someday maybe our football team will be as good as our basketball team." And our marketing to other conferences seems to be "look at our mens and womens basketball...oh yeah, we have a football team too. I've found that world view to be extremely frustrating. Understandable, maybe, but none the less frustrating.

 

[ctchamps]

frank,
I've been saying this for years but UConn has been very slow to make much of its football program...the UConn narrative on football should have been Look what we've accomplished in only X years...Facilities? Rentschler Field is a great facility for the fans, terrific for tailgating, and if we have to or want to expand it, it is already designed and we can do it. As far as practice facilities, we have some of the best in the nation. The Burton-Shenkman complex was designed based on Nebraska's facilities but with more updated technology and equipment. Record-instead of apologizing for only playing 1A football since 2002, we ought to be pointing out that in 10 years we've managed to win multiple conference titles, go to multiple bowl games and already have winning records against Syracuse, Pitt, and are even with Louisville and Rutgers. First team ever to beat Notre Dame at South Bend in its first try. That in such a short time we've already equalled or surpassed these allegedly storied programs ought to have been the message. But too often it wasn't. Too often the image was "someday maybe our football team will be as good as our basketball team." And our marketing to other conferences seems to be "look at our mens and womens basketball...oh yeah, we have a football team too. I've found that world view to be extremely frustrating. Understandable, maybe, but none the less frustrating.

I'm surprised that someone with your memory forgets that the type of marketing you mention was done after UConns BCS bowl invite. UConn was more a victim of losing its premier coach (JC) and a non sexy hire of a football coach in PP as opposed to inadequate marketing. If JC was 15 years younger and RE was still at UConn and Hathaway allowed the university to create an academic atmosphere for its student athletes in the same manner that other university ADs allowed for their programs things would have been different.

 

[Fishy]

We're bad at bragging. But more important, we got perfect storm'd. Calhoun retired, the APR thing was invented out of thin air to penalize us, bad football season, etc. We were bouncing while UL was peaking. Two years ago or two years from now, we're up and UL is down.

Louisville is positively, absolutely nothing special on the football field - which, actually, makes them perfect for the ACC. They're up this year and perhaps next year, but when Strong and Bridgewater move on, and they will, it's back to the middle.

Somehow, however, during those two weeks before the ACC vote, the media decided that they were the greatest football team on the planet and actually losing to UConn did nothing to temper that enthusiasm.

In any event, the ACC replaced a team we beat with a team we beat.

 

[ZooCougar]

Louisville is more in the south. More of their fans eat at Cracker Barrel and have COPD. That makes them a better candidate.

 

[frankthetank]

We're bad at bragging. But more important, we got perfect storm'd. Calhoun retired, the APR thing was invented out of thin air to penalize us, bad football season, etc. We were bouncing while UL was peaking. Two years ago or two years from now, we're up and UL is down.

Louisville is positively, absolutely nothing special on the football field - which, actually, makes them perfect for the ACC. They're up this year and perhaps next year, but when Strong and Bridgewater move on, and they will, it's back to the middle.

Somehow, however, during those two weeks before the ACC vote, the media decided that they were the greatest football team on the planet and actually losing to UConn did nothing to temper that enthusiasm.

In any event, the ACC replaced a team we beat with a team we beat.

To be sure, Louisville completely pummeled a Florida team that would have been in the top 4 playoff if it had existed this year beyond recognition. It was a serious beatdown. Now, the ACC obviously extended the invite to Louisville before that happened, but credit needs to go where it's due on the field in this case. Also, Louisville was extremely consistent from 1998 (the first year of the BCS system) through 2006 covering 2 separate coaches (John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino), culminating in an Orange Bowl win in 2006. Looking back at the BCS era, I think it's reasonable to say that the 3 awful seasons with Steve Kragthorpe at the helm were completely an exception as opposed to the norm. In fact, those were the only 3 seasons in the BCS era when Louisville failed to make it to a bowl game. As soon as Strong was hired, they've made a bowl every single season again.

So, since the BCS system began in 1998, Louisville has won 2 BCS bowls and made a bowl every single year with 3 different coaches except for a 3-year period with a coach that was promptly fired when he didn't meet expectations. I don't think Louisville is the second coming of Alabama, but it's not fair to suggest that they're some type of a one-trick coach-specific pony, either. There are a heck of lot of power conference programs that would be extremely happy to have had Louisville's consistent track record over the past 15 seasons with multiple coaches (much less 2 BCS bowl trophies being taken home). I'd take that track record in a heartbeat at Illinois.

 

[OkaForPrez]

To be sure, Louisville completely pummeled a Florida team that would have been in the top 4 playoff if it had existed this year beyond recognition. It was a serious beatdown. Now, the ACC obviously extended the invite to Louisville before that happened, but credit needs to go where it's due on the field in this case. Also, Louisville was extremely consistent from 1998 (the first year of the BCS system) through 2006 covering 2 separate coaches (John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino), culminating in an Orange Bowl win in 2006. Looking back at the BCS era, I think it's reasonable to say that the 3 awful seasons with Steve Kragthorpe at the helm were completely an exception as opposed to the norm. In fact, those were the only 3 seasons in the BCS era when Louisville failed to make it to a bowl game. As soon as Strong was hired, they've made a bowl every single season again.

So, since the BCS system began in 1998, Louisville has won 2 BCS bowls and made a bowl every single year with 3 different coaches except for a 3-year period with a coach that was promptly fired when he didn't meet expectations. I don't think Louisville is the second coming of Alabama, but it's not fair to suggest that they're some type of a one-trick coach-specific pony, either. There are a heck of lot of power conference programs that would be extremely happy to have had Louisville's consistent track record over the past 15 seasons with multiple coaches (much less 2 BCS bowl trophies being taken home). I'd take that track record in a heartbeat at Illinois.

Touche' Mr. Tank. Touche'.

 

[upstater]

I think there are a few factors here to account for what, on its face, looks like a huge disparity between what next year's Big East will be receiving for basketball compared to what the C7 will be receiving down the line:

(1) The $10 million basketball amount for next year is really looked at as a 1-year extension of the current basketball deal for practical purposes. ESPN may be looking at it as taking the old basketball amount and discounting it for Pitt and Syracuse leaving.

(2) Louisville, Rutgers, ND and the C7 may not be receiving any of that hoops TV money even if they stay next year. It's fairly typical for departing schools to give up their media revenue for the last year that they're in the conference. $10 million divided by the 8 teams that will be playing basketball next year and for the long haul thereafter plus whatever they're getting for football is pretty much in line with their average take over the life of the contract. That's all subject to negotiation, though, so this is simply a theory based on typical practices.

(3) A 1-year deal for anything that's not named the NFL is essentially worthless for a cable network. ESPN (and NBCSN and the new Fox Sports 1) need to enter into long-term agreements in order to gain enough in rises in cable subscriber fees to make these types of deals profitable. That's why every sports TV contract that's worth anything is on the order of 10 years long or more. You get clipped with a haircut if it's shorter-term (see the new 6-year Big East deal with ESPN) and essentially nothing if it's a 1-year deal. In a 1-year scenario, the cable network is almost solely dependent upon ad revenue to recoup their costs and that may not be worth it. So, even though the C7 will end up having fewer brand names than next year's Big East, it's a complete apples-and-oranges comparison when looking at a 1-year deal versus a 12-year deal. You can amortize the cost of a 12-year deal with a lot of revenue streams, while a 1-year is dependent upon only 1 revenue stream (so the prices reflect that).

1. I thought the current schools make much more than 600k. The basketball schools all make around $2m.
2. Whatever the reason, the fact is, they are only getting $10m, so whether the remaining schools get it or the departing schools get some, this is the value ESPN and NBC placed on it. And this value is below the prior ESPN value for bball and 1/3rd to 1/4 of the value of the C7.
3. Right. This was my point initially. Whatever the valuation, it's not based on the content nor on the level of competition, but rather on a range of factors that don't take the level of competition into account.

 

[upstater]

Fear kept us out of the ACC. Fear of Clempsun and Free Shoes U taking off in a temper tantrum if the didn't get their way. You might as well call it the Louisville Compromise.

This is my viewpoint too. Succinct.

 

[upstater]

frank,
I've been saying this for years but UConn has been very slow to make much of its football program...

To be sure, Louisville completely pummeled a Florida team that would have been in the top 4 playoff if it had existed this year beyond recognition. It was a serious beatdown. Now, the ACC obviously extended the invite to Louisville before that happened, but credit needs to go where it's due on the field in this case. Also, Louisville was extremely consistent from 1998 (the first year of the BCS system) through 2006 covering 2 separate coaches (John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino), culminating in an Orange Bowl win in 2006. Looking back at the BCS era, I think it's reasonable to say that the 3 awful seasons with Steve Kragthorpe at the helm were completely an exception as opposed to the norm. In fact, those were the only 3 seasons in the BCS era when Louisville failed to make it to a bowl game. As soon as Strong was hired, they've made a bowl every single season again.

So, since the BCS system began in 1998, Louisville has won 2 BCS bowls and made a bowl every single year with 3 different coaches except for a 3-year period with a coach that was promptly fired when he didn't meet expectations. I don't think Louisville is the second coming of Alabama, but it's not fair to suggest that they're some type of a one-trick coach-specific pony, either. There are a heck of lot of power conference programs that would be extremely happy to have had Louisville's consistent track record over the past 15 seasons with multiple coaches (much less 2 BCS bowl trophies being taken home). I'd take that track record in a heartbeat at Illinois.

No doubt Louisville has more history, but bowl season is really silly season. Even against the 3rd place SEC teams. This isn't the first time a BE team beat down a SEC team, WV did it to Georgia, even UConn did it to South Carolina in a bowl. But most of the UConn responses are regarding what the football team has done against Ville head to head, and they've been pretty much even (though Uconn is 4-2 in the last 6). Indeed, UConn has winning records against Cuse and Pitt as well.

I think Fishy is right. If this happened 2 years ago before Calhoun's retirement and while Kragthorpe was still coach of Ville, there's no question about who comes out ahead.

 

[UCFBfan]

How long of a history does Cincy have in football? I mean that honestly. They were in C-USA for how long? I know we have a shorter football history than they do at the FBS level but what was their program like pre-Big East?

 

[Vuce]

To be sure, Louisville completely pummeled a Florida team that would have been in the top 4 playoff if it had existed this year beyond recognition. It was a serious beatdown. .

Eh, L'ville aint bad. We beat em, on the road, with Paul Pasqualoni as coach - take that!

 

[ddminct]

I get why Frank loves this CR stuff. If I was an Illinois football fan I would need something to preoccupy my time.

 

[ZooCougar]

I get why Frank loves this CR stuff. If I was an Illinois football fan I would need something to preoccupy my time.

Pretty much. He's another Ike Clanton type being dragged along on the coattails of relevance. Somewhere Jeff George is so proud.

 

[zls44]

I get why Frank loves this CR stuff. If I was an Illinois football fan I would need something to preoccupy my time.

Guy comes on here, provides nice insight, is open and friendly...people bash his program.

Stay classy.

Crap like this...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Im a Frank The Tank fan too and hope he stills posts here as well.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Frank is a big boy. He can defend himself. I like Frank for the most part although there is a bit of concern trolling in his posts.

 

[Jimdish255]

We look like a bunch of sissies when we start name-calling every visitor with a different point of view. I wish we had regular input from at least 1 fan of each team. Even if we had to set up a separate thread for it.

 

[Pudge]

We're bad at bragging. But more important, we got perfect storm'd. Calhoun retired, the APR thing was invented out of thin air to penalize us, bad football season, etc. We were bouncing while UL was peaking. Two years ago or two years from now, we're up and UL is down.

Louisville is positively, absolutely nothing special on the football field - which, actually, makes them perfect for the ACC. They're up this year and perhaps next year, but when Strong and Bridgewater move on, and they will, it's back to the middle.

Somehow, however, during those two weeks before the ACC vote, the media decided that they were the greatest football team on the planet and actually losing to UConn did nothing to temper that enthusiasm.

In any event, the ACC replaced a team we beat with a team we beat.

O ... man.

Louisville is a far better Program than UConn in Football. Call this the Tom Jurich-factor. We were giftwrapped a great Rentschler field and a Big East BCS Conference affiliation. Edsall was darn good; PP ... hmmm. But a decade of Jeff Hathaway and this bag of bolts that hit us you referenced, in Calhoun/APR/downward trending attendance, hurt. But, beyond the field results with Louisville, you cannot go visit their Stadium and observe their overall atmosphere & say that we are quite there today. They snapped in that expansion; got 200% more Sponsors (in a state they share with UK and in a far less money'd region). I think you are selling them short when you compare apples to apples. It was NOT just perception that pushed Clemson & FSU to yell: they are at a higher level.

We (UConn) could have had the same damn decade that Rutgers & Louisville had (and we had no Kragthorpe); but, the AD part that is tied to the Randy Edsall construction was not nearly as productive or successful.

And it is funny that many here post that we simply didn't lobby or PR enough.

 

[huskypantz]

O ... man.

Louisville is a far better Program than UConn in Football. Call this the Tom Jurich-factor. We were giftwrapped a great Rentschler field and a Big East BCS Conference affiliation. Edsall was darn good; PP ... hmmm. But a decade of Jeff Hathaway and this bag of bolts that hit us you referenced, in Calhoun/APR/downward trending attendance, hurt. But, beyond the field results with Louisville, you cannot go visit their Stadium and observe their overall atmosphere & say that we are quite there today. They snapped in that expansion; got 200% more Sponsors (in a state they share with UK and in a far less money'd region). I think you are selling them short when you compare apples to apples. It was NOT just perception that pushed Clemson & FSU to yell: they are at a higher level.

We (UConn) could have had the same damn decade that Rutgers & Louisville had (and we had no Kragthorpe); but, the AD part that is tied to the Randy Edsall construction was not nearly as productive or successful.

And it is funny that many here post that we simply didn't lobby or PR enough.

It's all the AD's fault......except for the fact that UL and RU were both able to expand their stadiums because they have better fan support. It may only be 5-10k more, but it makes a difference. The UL/RU fans beat the Huskies football fans. We need to step it up.

 

[zls44]

It's all the AD's fault......except for the fact that UL and RU were both able to expand their stadiums because they have better fan support. It may only be 5-10k more, but it makes a difference. The UL/RU fans beat the Huskies football fans. We need to step it up.

It's both.

 

[Pudge]

Not for nothing ...

We really are a 15 year entity. It is noticeable when you contrast UConn's Program to Louisville & Rutgers. 5 years into the RENT, people were just starting to learn to tailgate & how to manage their Gameday experience. When I was at UCLA, these family traditions were generations old. So, I really don't kick "our" fanbase too hard. We can get there fairly easily ... but things just got a lot harder with CR.

 

[auggie22]

It's all the AD's fault......except for the fact that UL and RU were both able to expand their stadiums because they have better fan support. It may only be 5-10k more, but it makes a difference. The UL/RU fans beat the Huskies football fans. We need to step it up.

Rutgers was LITERALLY giving away 40 percent of their tickets, and still falling far short of a full house. Their draw is fraudulent and yet still mediocre.

 

[Pudge]

And YET ... Rutgers was promoted.

Honestly, the whole thing has made me puke for 10 years. Schiano with the helicopter; the mansion on the Nature Preserve; the Star ratings; and all that crap. They never had the excellence through the AD we did ... on the field. But first Mulcahy and then Pernetti just promoted & promoted. It is fraudulent. But, they stuck to their knitting ... and advanced. UNLIKE PREMIER LEAGUE soccer, advancement seems to have little to do with the field production.

 

[freescooter]

I know people will not take kindly to my saying this, but you can't take issue with Jeff Hathaway and not give at least a bit of the blame to Jim Calhoun, at least if you want to be honest about it. In 1999, indeed thoughout the 1990s, UConn was one of the darlings of college basketball, then with the 2nd title in 2004 it became a borderline blueblood. Had likeable players...even people who hated el Amin loved him, if you know what I mean. Okafor was the prime example of a true college student athlete...honors student, all American, graduated in 3 years. Likeable. You couldn't have gotten a guy from central casting to play the role better. Then it all fell apart. 2006 team started with laptopgate and ended with George Mason and while you can argue all you want that Williams was treated the same as any other student who had committed a comparable crime, that wasn't the perception in the world north of Suffield and west of Danbury. Follow that up with the 2007 squad that liked to brag and then didn't deliver and Calhoun's unfortunate post season comments about changes that sounded like an NBA GM rather than a college coach....then Wiggins, and Nate Miles, and Dyson and Stanley Robinson qutting school then returning and playing as news reports came out that he hadn't passed a single course in his last semester...Then of course APR, and Calhoun getting suspended and Boatright getting suspended (as much for hanging around with a guy the NCAA had already found as a rules violator as anything else)...and somehow a program that was seen as clean and ethical and even likeable has emerged by the end of Calhoun's tenure as a dirty program that would do anything, recruit anyone, to win. That is the narrative, and the killer is that Calhoun could have been jerry Tarkanian and almost played it up,or Boeheim and come across as utterly clueless, but in not doing that he probably made things worse. That has contributed to the decline in fans. It has contributed to the negative perception.