Another WVU insider posting UVA and UConn to B1G

[Fishy]

Two things that we hoped were not actually an issue for the Big Ten were clearly defined as issues last week by Jim Delaney....

""We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, and let's figure out if there is a way to continue to bridge from Penn State into the Mid-Atlantic. Is there a way to collaborate with like institutions, to grow our footprint, to compete and to position ourselves for the future? We determined this is the best way to accomplish those ends."


I don't think there is any reason to be optimistic about UConn's chance at Big Ten membership. The first time the Big Ten expanded, they evaluated a number of schools and dismissed the likes of Missouri, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, etc. - those schools have all proven to be more desirable properties than UConn. They're not bumping us up now.

On the ACC - I think we perfect storm'd this one. We have somehow managed to make a shambles of our two major programs at a time when Louisville has managed not to trip on their own dicks. The perception in our programs could not possibly be more divergent.

We're even going to send our football team to be slaughtered in Louisville today while their basketball team gets to beat Duke in a preseason tournament. By Sunday morning, any UConn supporters in high places in the ACC will be looking for cover.

We've drawn a royal flush of disaster - two years ago, we roll through this - the ACC doesn't even stop to consider Louisville.

 

[CAHUSKY]

Two things that we hoped were not actually an issue for the Big Ten were clearly defined as issues last week by Jim Delaney....

""We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, and let's figure out if there is a way to continue to bridge from Penn State into the Mid-Atlantic. Is there a way to collaborate with like institutions, to grow our footprint, to compete and to position ourselves for the future? We determined this is the best way to accomplish those ends."


I don't think there is any reason to be optimistic about UConn's chance at Big Ten membership. The first time the Big Ten expanded, they evaluated a number of schools and dismissed the likes of Missouri, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, etc. - those schools have all proven to be more desirable properties than UConn. They're not bumping us up now.

On the ACC - I think we perfect storm'd this one. We have somehow managed to make a shambles of our two major programs at a time when Louisville has managed not to trip on their own dicks. The perception in our programs could not possibly be more divergent.

We're even going to send our football team to be slaughtered in Louisville today while their basketball team gets to beat Duke in a preseason tournament. By Sunday morning, any UConn supporters in high places in the ACC will be looking for cover.

We've drawn a royal flush of disaster - two years ago, we roll through this - the ACC doesn't even stop to consider Louisville.

Is the process really going to be determined by one seasons results on the court/ field? It seems to be there would be a bit more to it than that

 

[MattMang23]

Do we respect Eerlaw?

Because: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=159&f=4582&t=10657374

 

[upstater]

Do you have a source for this? While I don't doubt the University of Michigan's arrogance, they don't speak for the entire B1G, and Nebraska obviously had enough support to get into the B1G with or without them.

Look, I'm not trying to be negative. UConn is right in the middle of the B1G based on national rankings so I'm not saying they're not worthy of AAU, and I agree with the other post that says it's a matter of time before they apply. I'm just saying that the AAU membership is key to getting an invite, and if the B1G expands further (and that's still a pretty big if at this point), they'll likely use AAU as a criteria just so they can claim they're better than the other big conferences even if they constantly get wrecked in the football rankings.

Let's agree to disagree.

Michigan and Wisconsin, the schools that opposed Nebraska being in the AAU BEFORE Nebraska joined the AAU, voted in favor of Nebraska's entry into the B10. When interviewed on the subject, Wisky's President (now Pres. at Amherst Coll.) said that the AAU was not discussed at all during Nebraska's entry into the conference. Maybe she was lying because she opposed Nebraska for the AAU. It could be. But she opposed them there, and voted in favor of them for the Big10.

I tend to think that administrators put much more stock in academic organizations, much less stock in athletic conferences, as long as their schools are in a good conference, protected. The ADs however are concerned about competition (i.e. playing against schools with lower admission standards). Stanford seems to do just fine, but there are only so many Stanfords.

 

[upstater]

""We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, and let's figure out if there is a way to continue to bridge from Penn State into the Mid-Atlantic. Is there a way to collaborate with like institutions, to grow our footprint, to compete and to position ourselves for the future? We determined this is the best way to accomplish those ends."

They've said this since forever. What they say and what they do are two separate things. The ACC has also said things about academics. I'm not hanging my hat on them.

 

[SAMCRO]

Do we respect Eerlaw?

Matt, Matt, Matt, the BY respects all posters w/ positive news re: UConn and discounts Ll posters w/ negative news. You've been around long enough to know this.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Two things that we hoped were not actually an issue for the Big Ten were clearly defined as issues last week by Jim Delaney....

""We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, and let's figure out if there is a way to continue to bridge from Penn State into the Mid-Atlantic. Is there a way to collaborate with like institutions, to grow our footprint, to compete and to position ourselves for the future? We determined this is the best way to accomplish those ends."


I don't think there is any reason to be optimistic about UConn's chance at Big Ten membership. The first time the Big Ten expanded, they evaluated a number of schools and dismissed the likes of Missouri, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, etc. - those schools have all proven to be more desirable properties than UConn. They're not bumping us up now.

On the ACC - I think we perfect storm'd this one. We have somehow managed to make a shambles of our two major programs at a time when Louisville has managed not to trip on their own dicks. The perception in our programs could not possibly be more divergent.

We're even going to send our football team to be slaughtered in Louisville today while their basketball team gets to beat Duke in a preseason tournament. By Sunday morning, any UConn supporters in high places in the ACC will be looking for cover.

We've drawn a royal flush of disaster - two years ago, we roll through this - the ACC doesn't even stop to consider Louisville.

Of all the people to freak out, I would have never expected you to be one of them.

Louisville will run the score up on UConn, winning 49-10 or something like that. And Clemson's AD will fire off an email to the rest of his girlfriends in the ACC saying "I told you so". And then the Associate Commissioner of Media Relations will send back the same email he has sent over and over. The one that says Louisville is a poor city in a poor state with a bunch of inbred hillbillies, and there are 7 BCS programs within a 3 hour drive, including programs like Ohio State and Tennessee. Then he will send over Connecticut's demographic data, including its high PCI, lack of pro competition in the market. And the fact that while there are only 2 BCS programs within a 3 hour drive of UConn, both of whom suck, and there is roughly 15% of the population and close to 25% of the country's net worth within that same range. And that will be the end of the debate.

Unless Louisville figures out a way to move its program, and improve its academics, by Monday, I think it is going to lose. The Cardinals best hope is that both UConn and Louisville are taken.

 

[MattMang23]

Matt, Matt, Matt, the BY respects all posters w/ positive news re: UConn and discounts Ll posters w/ negative news. You've been around long enough to know this.

Indeed I have. This expansion stuff is causing me to lose my mind and think funny. OK, so we respect Eerlaw.

 

[husky210]

Do we respect Eerlaw?

Because: http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=159&f=4582&t=10657374

Eerlaw always seemed to be respected on BGN. If that says anything about anything that gives him a leg up in my mind over the opinions of the dude or mhver

 

[Fishy]

Of all the people to freak out, I would have never expected you to be one of them.

I have long, long history of freaking the duck* out.

I'm not even going to watch the game today - we have family over and I can't subject them to that.

 

[TRest]

Eerlaw always seemed to be respected on BGN. If that says anything about anything that gives him a leg up in my mind over the opinions of the dude or mhver

I respect whoever has the funniest signature pictures. I enjoy mhveer, for instance, because of that picture of the dude with the honking big old cell phone.

 

[CL82]

Two things that we hoped were not actually an issue for the Big Ten were clearly defined as issues last week by Jim Delaney....

""We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, and let's figure out if there is a way to continue to bridge from Penn State into the Mid-Atlantic. Is there a way to collaborate with like institutions, to grow our footprint, to compete and to position ourselves for the future? We determined this is the best way to accomplish those ends."


I don't think there is any reason to be optimistic about UConn's chance at Big Ten membership. The first time the Big Ten expanded, they evaluated a number of schools and dismissed the likes of Missouri, Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers, etc. - those schools have all proven to be more desirable properties than UConn. They're not bumping us up now.

On the ACC - I think we perfect storm'd this one. We have somehow managed to make a shambles of our two major programs at a time when Louisville has managed not to trip on their own dicks. The perception in our programs could not possibly be more divergent.

We're even going to send our football team to be slaughtered in Louisville today while their basketball team gets to beat Duke in a preseason tournament. By Sunday morning, any UConn supporters in high places in the ACC will be looking for cover.

We've drawn a royal flush of disaster - two years ago, we roll through this - the ACC doesn't even stop to consider Louisville.

Agree. I don't like it but I could not agree more. It the end I think we get into the ACC but it is far closer then I would like. I think that we'd be a good fit in the B1G over time, but I agree that it isn't going to happen.

 

[jostar1]

"We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, ..."

Well, they did that first. Now they're at second.

 

[mavblues]

"We said, how do we participate in the new paradigm? Our answer was let's look at contiguous states first, let's look at AAU members first, ..."

Well, they did that first. Now they're at second.

Yes!

We're number 2!!

Wait, that doesn't sound right...

 

[MTHusky]

Nebraska had AAU status when they joined the B1G. They didn't lose it until they were already in.

So, based on your thinking, ND would be rejected because they aren't AAU either! Dumb

 

[FfldCntyFan]

So, based on your thinking, ND would be rejected because they aren't AAU either! Dumb

ND, more so to the B1G than any other conference is a special case.

The B1G has historically been the major conference in middle America, towering over everything else (look at average attendance for a MAC game) yet arguably the biggest property in college football, one that is in the heart of the B1G's traditional footprint and the dominant college team in the (pre-adding Rutty) BiG's largest market (also the second largest in the country) is not a B1G school. Yes, the B1G has nobody to blame but themselves for ignoring this school more than a century ago but as long as there is a chance that ND will join a conference for football the B1G needs to find a way to try to get them in their conference.

 

[junglehusky]

eerlaw's post sounded like a compendium of stuff that's already been on twitter. *shrug*

 

[phild]

So, based on your thinking, ND would be rejected because they aren't AAU either! Dumb

I thought I addressed this but maybe it was a different thread - ND is the exception because of their history with the Big Ten (especially rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, and to a lesser extent Purdue) and their national brand. If you really think UConn is on the same level nationally as Notre Dame, I won't waste my breath trying to convince you otherwise. I just think we should focus on more realistic goals like the ACC.

 

[noeynox]

I thought I addressed this but maybe it was a different thread - ND is the exception because of their history with the Big Ten (especially rivalries with Michigan, Michigan State, and to a lesser extent Purdue) and their national brand. If you really think UConn is on the same level nationally as Notre Dame, I won't waste my breath trying to convince you otherwise. I just think we should focus on more realistic goals like the ACC.

Yes, this board thinks were on the same level nationally as Notre Dame. You figured it out.

 

[Oxford Bob]

Hold on, we're not

 

[SAMCRO]

Hold on, we're not

But, but.....33-30

 

[Waquoit]

if UConn is added to the ACC the ACC will blow up.

Is that good?

 

[Rumrunner]

What's old is new again:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChipBrownOB#!/ChipBrownOB

@ChipBrownob Chip Brown
I'm hearing the #BigTen may not be done with expansion yet.

 

[specialisthusky]

Is that good?

I was deciphering that awful text, its not my prediction. Of course its not good that the ACC may blow up if uconn is added.

 

[FrostyNuggets]

KPatera from The Daily Tar Heel just tweeted:

"Big10 if we can, ACC if we must, but always cheat"