Assuming SDSU is gone, what's Aresco's next move?

[junglehusky]

It's bleacher report, so it's basically a fan making the case for NIU but:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1475134-big-east-conference-northern-illinois-huskies-next-target
Big East Conference: Northern Illinois Huskies Next Target?

NIU also mentioned in Frank the Tank's latest blog post along with USM but his guess is UMass and Tulsa might be ahead of them.

Oh and don't click that if you don't want to hear about the Big Ten not doing anything for a while. Interesting read on the rumored C7/Fox deal though.

 

[uconNYC]

Why can't the NNBE just take a page from the B12 and stick with 10 schools? What value does another school add? The C7 is also showing that there is some $$ in basketball. Basketball will get diluted with more additions. We need to play Cincy, Memphis and Temple at least twice a year.

 

[UConnDan97]

I wouldn't be opposed to Northern Illinois. They are one of the strongest football teams remaining for us to look at. Southern Miss used to be, but last year they were absolutely terrible. Tulsa is strong in football too. Assuming that SDSU goes back to the MW, I wouldn't mind seeing Tulsa and Northern Illinois. I also wouldn't mind seeing Northern Illinois and Ohio as additions. It would certainly allow us to penetrate into good recruiting areas (even if OSU, etc, are still first in the pecking order). I'm just really really really not sold on UMass. So having said that, I guess here is how I would rank my order of additions to the Big East if SDSU leaves:

1) Tulsa
2) Northern Illinois
3) Ohio U.
4) Louisiana Tech (will never happen because of market, but good team)
5) Army
6) UMass

 

[Lewconn]

UConnDan, I agree with most of your analysis and list, except that I would prefer Kent St. over NIU or Ohio. And IMO Army really would add nothing to the NBE as a member, except as a once in a while replacement game for the FCS team, that would be ok.

 

[UCFBfan]

I wouldn't be opposed to Northern Illinois. They are one of the strongest football teams remaining for us to look at. Southern Miss used to be, but last year they were absolutely terrible. Tulsa is strong in football too. Assuming that SDSU goes back to the MW, I wouldn't mind seeing Tulsa and Northern Illinois. I also wouldn't mind seeing Northern Illinois and Ohio as additions. It would certainly allow us to penetrate into good recruiting areas (even if OSU, etc, are still first in the pecking order). I'm just really really really not sold on UMass. So having said that, I guess here is how I would rank my order of additions to the Big East if SDSU leaves:

1) Tulsa
2) Northern Illinois
3) Ohio U.
4) Louisiana Tech (will never happen because of market, but good team)
5) Army
6) UMass

Here's the thing with NIU, their coach just left for greener pastures and I believe their QB is a senior. Look for regression there next year. It's similar to S. Miss. They lost their head coach and dive bombed. It's too hard to grab teams that just had big seasons and lost their head guy. I know it happens at the mid-major level often but it's bad practice and one the BE keeps doing, to add schools based on one year past success. I don't know who the best team to pick is but I agree that we'd be best to add ECU and Tulane early and keep it at 10. No need to dilute an already crappy tv deal that is almost guaranteed. Especially when any further adds does nothing to bring in more tv dollars.

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[UConnDan97]

UConnDan, I agree with most of your analysis and list, except that I would prefer Kent St. over NIU or Ohio. And IMO Army really would add nothing to the NBE as a member, except as a once in a while replacement game for the FCS team, that would be ok.

Why Kent State? I mean, I would be okay with them as well, since I don't see too much separation between Ohio and Kent State, but Ohio has been better for longer (this past year not withstanding), they have Frank Solich as a head coach, and I'm not sure how well Kent State does in either the Akron or Cleveland markets (although Ohio being in Athens isn't anything to write home about either). The fact that Northern Illinois could have some play in Chicago makes them hands down a better choice than the other two. It also doesn't hurt that they were in a BCS game this year and they didn't embarrass themselves on national tv.

As far as Army goes, their addition would not be done out of football quality, although they are admittedly better than they used to be. Their addition would be due to large fanbase and northeastern location. In a battle between Army and UMass, Army has the better football team and fanbase. If they were added, it would be for football-only, in order to match Navy's addition of football-only. If Navy were to back out of the Big East, then Army wouldn't be invited...

 

[UConnDan97]

Here's the thing with NIU, their coach just left for greener pastures and I believe their QB is a senior. Look for regression there next year. It's similar to S. Miss. They lost their head coach and dive bombed. It's too hard to grab teams that just had big seasons and lost their head guy. I know it happens at the mid-major level often but it's bad practice and one the BE keeps doing, to add schools based on one year past success. I don't know who the best team to pick is but I agree that we'd be best to add ECU and Tulane early and keep it at 10. No need to dilute an already crappy tv deal that is almost guaranteed. Especially when any further adds does nothing to bring in more tv dollars.

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I agree with your one-year premise, but NIU is not a one year team. They have been to bowl games in 6 of the last 7 years (and 7 of the last 9). They have been a solid mid-major for the last decade, and they fit in with the model of large metropolitan area school, even if they are playing third fiddle in Chicago (or fourth)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Illinois_Huskies_football

 

[nycscooby]

I wouldn't be opposed to Northern Illinois. They are one of the strongest football teams remaining for us to look at. Southern Miss used to be, but last year they were absolutely terrible. Tulsa is strong in football too. Assuming that SDSU goes back to the MW, I wouldn't mind seeing Tulsa and Northern Illinois. I also wouldn't mind seeing Northern Illinois and Ohio as additions. It would certainly allow us to penetrate into good recruiting areas (even if OSU, etc, are still first in the pecking order). I'm just really really really not sold on UMass. So having said that, I guess here is how I would rank my order of additions to the Big East if SDSU leaves:

1) Tulsa
2) Northern Illinois
3) Ohio U.
4) Louisiana Tech (will never happen because of market, but good team)
5) Army
6) UMass

Holy duck, you have got to be kidding. Any of the above and this UMass/Tulsa discussion is making me sick. Let's just go Independent until the current conference structure gets blown up, I can't stomach this any longer.

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

Outside of going to Army every two years, there isn't one NNNNBE game I care to see. 20k at the Rent for that schedule is a lock. I'd rather kill the football program and offer up the Olympics to the ACC than play that dreck

 

[NutmegState]

I wouldn't be opposed to Northern Illinois. They are one of the strongest football teams remaining for us to look at. Southern Miss used to be, but last year they were absolutely terrible. Tulsa is strong in football too. Assuming that SDSU goes back to the MW, I wouldn't mind seeing Tulsa and Northern Illinois. I also wouldn't mind seeing Northern Illinois and Ohio as additions. It would certainly allow us to penetrate into good recruiting areas (even if OSU, etc, are still first in the pecking order). I'm just really really really not sold on UMass. So having said that, I guess here is how I would rank my order of additions to the Big East if SDSU leaves:

1) Tulsa
2) Northern Illinois
3) Ohio U.
4) Louisiana Tech (will never happen because of market, but good team)
5) Army
6) UMass

Southern Miss has ONE bad year, and you are dismissing them? Good Lord.

2012 was the first time Southern Miss had a losing season SINCE 1993.

 

[NutmegState]

This is what I think we should do :

West

Memphis
Houston
SMU
Tulane
Tulsa
Southern Miss

East

UConn
Cincinnati
Temple
ECU
UCF
USF

If Navy still want in, in 2015, add them to the East and someone to the West...Arkanas State if they continue on their path, perhaps...

 

[UConnDan97]

Southern Miss has ONE bad year, and you are dismissing them? Good Lord.

2012 was the first time Southern Miss had a losing season SINCE 1993.

Settle down, now. Southern Miss would enter my list after UMass (number 7). But let's be clear about something; it wasn't just a bad year. It was a WINLESS year. 0-12. For all the funnies that we made about Memphis, I'm not sure they have ever been winless. That year for Southern Miss was the type of year that sets a program back a decade. Here at UConn, we jump off bridges when we go 5-7 versus Big East talent. Southern Miss went 0-for against C-USA talent. Couple that with the fact that they are in Hattiesburg, and I'm not sure how much we gain with their addition, unless Brett Favre comes back and donates a few million to his alma mater...

 

[Glastonhusky]

It's bleacher report, so it's basically a fan making the case for NIU but:
Big East Conference: Northern Illinois Huskies Next Target?

NIU also mentioned in Frank the Tank's latest blog post along with USM but his guess is UMass and Tulsa might be ahead of them.

Oh and don't click that if you don't want to hear about the Big Ten not doing anything for a while. Interesting read on the rumored C7/Fox deal though.

So according to him, Depaul will be making more from it's TV deal than us? Beautiful.

 

[UConnDan97]

Holy duck, you have got to be kidding. Any of the above and this UMass/Tulsa discussion is making me sick. Let's just go Independent until the current conference structure gets blown up, I can't stomach this any longer.

Yeah. I'm kidding. We aren't really going to be in this conference. It was all an April Fool's Day prank by Syracuse.

If you can't stomach this, then don't join in on a conference realignment thread. This is the situation we're in. If we indeed have to expand to 12 in order to maximize money (I don't know that we do, but if we do), then here are your choices. If you have any better REALISTIC choices, I'm all ears...

 

[UConnDan97]

So according to him, Depaul will be making more from it's TV deal than us? Beautiful.

I don't buy that for a second. The nice thing is that it appears the C-7 will complete their tv deal first. It will set the baseline for what we can earn. It also may mean that FOX is in the market for more inventory, as it has already been suggested that they are the main players for the Big East football league along with ESPN. I'd be shocked if we made less than them, considering we have the football...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

STOP ADDING SH1TTY TEAMS TO THIS HELL HOLE OF A CONFERENCE.


Why make an awful conference worse? Kent State or N Illinois? Have you guys losy your damn minds?

 

[HuskyHawk]

Here's the thing with NIU, their coach just left for greener pastures and I believe their QB is a senior. Look for regression there next year. It's similar to S. Miss. They lost their head coach and dive bombed. It's too hard to grab teams that just had big seasons and lost their head guy. I know it happens at the mid-major level often but it's bad practice and one the BE keeps doing, to add schools based on one year past success. I don't know who the best team to pick is but I agree that we'd be best to add ECU and Tulane early and keep it at 10. No need to dilute an already crappy tv deal that is almost guaranteed. Especially when any further adds does nothing to bring in more tv dollars.

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This^ Recent on field performance is almost meaningless. By that metric, the BE would cut UConn loose. You need to look at what school you are adding. Is it a major university? Does it have a decent reputation, academically and athletically? Does it have potential to be something more? NIU flunks all those tests. Tulane has far more potential than NIU. These are long term decisions and the conference needs to consider a very long view. That's why nobody wants Boise...nobody thinks they will be any different than Wyoming ten years from now. It's also why UConn's biggest problem is not PP or 5 win seasons, but the fact that we haven't fielded a D1 team for very long and have a small campus.

Delany didn't add Maryland because they were good on the field, but because they had a huge campus, good academics and a huge market around them.

 

[UConnDan97]

This^ Recent on field performance is almost meaningless. By that metric, the BE would cut UConn loose. You need to look at what school you are adding. Is it a major university? Does it have a decent reputation, academically and athletically? Does it have potential to be something more? NIU flunks all those tests. Tulane has far more potential than NIU. These are long term decisions and the conference needs to consider a very long view. That's why nobody wants Boise...nobody thinks they will be any different than Wyoming ten years from now. It's also why UConn's biggest problem is not PP or 5 win seasons, but the fact that we haven't fielded a D1 team for very long and have a small campus.

Delany didn't add Maryland because they were good on the field, but because they had a huge campus, good academics and a huge market around them.

You aren't still on the academics thing, are you? My God, nobody but the B1G cares about academics, period. If academics mattered, would Louisville be going to the ACC right now instead of us?

As for NIU flunking; they don't flunk the athletic test. They've been to more bowl games in the last 7 years than we have been in our entire history. If that's flunking the class, then we just got held back a grade. And I can assure you that nobody sees Boise as turning into Wyoming in ten years. That's an absurd statement...

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's bleacher report, so it's basically a fan making the case for NIU but:

Big East Conference: Northern Illinois Huskies Next Target?

NIU also mentioned in Frank the Tank's latest blog post along with USM but his guess is UMass and Tulsa might be ahead of them.

Oh and don't click that if you don't want to hear about the Big Ten not doing anything for a while. Interesting read on the rumored C7/Fox deal though.

Wow. Agree with almost everything Frank has said here. Including the B10 pausing for now, the ACC probably surviving and schools like UNC and UVA being very, very reluctant to leave it, and the choice of SLU over VCU for the C7 (no brainer in my view).

I think his characterization of the ACC and B12 are spot on. One has a bad TV deal but the schools love it, the other a great deal but the schools have little love for it. I think the old Big 8 schools loved the Big 8, but Nebraska and Mizzou are gone, as well as Colorado (a latter addition). It just isn't the same. If the Big 12 TV deal came sooner, and UT wasn't so power-mad, I think the current Big 12, with the old members (Mizzou, A&M, Colorado, Arkansas, Nebraska) minus WVU and plus Utah, would be a superb and stable league. They botched it badly.

 

[nycscooby]

Yeah. I'm kidding. We aren't really going to be in this conference. It was all an April Fool's Day prank by Syracuse.

If you can't stomach this, then don't join in on a conference realignment thread. This is the situation we're in. If we indeed have to expand to 12 in order to maximize money (I don't know that we do, but if we do), then here are your choices. If you have any better REALISTIC choices, I'm all ears...

We should negotiate our own deal with SNY, go indy in football and see what happens. Seriously, this new conference will only further damage the brand and the perception of UConn football. Just wait until you see the Rent half filled for every game and the dismal TV ratings. I suppose one more year while the NBE has a BCS spot and then jump. An indy football schedule with a dynamic coach is exactly what we need.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You aren't still on the academics thing, are you? My God, nobody but the B1G cares about academics, period. If academics mattered, would Louisville be going to the ACC right now instead of us?

As for NIU flunking; they don't flunk the athletic test. They've been to more bowl games in the last 7 years than we have been in our entire history. If that's flunking the class, then we just got held back a grade. And I can assure you that nobody sees Boise as turning into Wyoming in ten years. That's an absurd statement...

Academics do matter...definitely to the PAC and ACC as well as the B1G. Boise's are so much worse than Louisville's it isn't even comparable. There is no way Boise could compete and even field a winning team if faced with any kind of academic requirements in a real conference.

Frank is right. Being a national brand or flagship university is far more important that on field performance. That's why Tulane was in and NIU was not. That's why UMass is probably ahead of them too. Tulsa has had success, their weakness is that it's an extremely small campus, so they really have no upside. They are good now, but have no real room to improve. Somebody like Rice would be in ahead of NIU as well, and had a good team this year. Rice is also tiny. If you want to see why NIU is out, look at their endowment. Not even $3M. UConn's is terrible at $300M. Louisville's by the way, is over $750M. Boise State $75M.

 

[UConnDan97]

We should negotiate our own deal with SNY, go indy in football and see what happens. Seriously, this new conference will only further damage the brand and the perception of UConn football. Just wait until you see the Rent half filled for every game and the dismal TV ratings. I suppose one more year while the NBE has a BCS spot and then jump. An indy football schedule with a dynamic coach is exactly what we need.

Independence is an extremely bad idea. Extremely bad. You're talking to me about a half-filled Rent. Let me then talk to you about a half-filled schedule if we go independent. Most of the leagues now are moving to a 9-game conference schedule, not 7 or 8 like in the past. It is going to be EXTREMELY difficult to organize a schedule at all, much less one that is better than the NNBE, if we go indy. I'm not sure why people don't understand this fact when they spout off about independence. You will end up with a schedule decidedly worse than the one we are all complaining about...

Let me just put this question out there for everyone, because I feel like I'm on crazy pills; Do people actually believe that the university presidents of the NNBE haven't been weighing all of their options from a monetary perspective?

 

[Whale22]

At this point I would rather just go independent. I am not going out of my way to go to see any of those teams, and I have missed 2 home games since the Rent opened. Actually I would rather have the old Yankee Conference back than play these mid tier teams that are just going to continue to drift away from the haves. Playing that schedule locks us into the have nots. BBall can survive off their name football cannnot.

 

[UConnDan97]

Academics do matter...definitely to the PAC and ACC as well as the B1G. Boise's are so much worse than Louisville's it isn't even comparable. There is no way Boise could compete and even field a winning team if faced with any kind of academic requirements in a real conference.

Frank is right. Being a national brand or flagship university is far more important that on field performance. That's why Tulane was in and NIU was not. That's why UMass is probably ahead of them too. Tulsa has had success, their weakness is that it's an extremely small campus, so they really have no upside. They are good now, but have no real room to improve. Somebody like Rice would be in ahead of NIU as well, and had a good team this year. Rice is also tiny. If you want to see why NIU is out, look at their endowment. Not even $3M. UConn's is terrible at $300M. Louisville's by the way, is over $750M. Boise State $75M.

Again, explain to me why Louisville beat out UConn if academics matters? Explain to me why WVU beat out Louisville for the Big12? The answer is simple, but you keep harping on about it like it's true. It isn't true. MONEY is true.

Now if you want to talk about monetary arguments as to why Tulane might work and NIU might not, fine. I'm assuming that some version of numbers is what Aresco based the Tulane move on (even if I don't agree with it). But everyone please stop with the academics. Outside of the B1G, nobody gives a . The reason Boise hasn't been added to the Pac12 is because the Pac12 doesn't believe that Idaho adds anything to their bottom line. Period.

 

[UConnDan97]

Let me put the following request out there for all the "Independence" people on this thread. Construct for me a perspective schedule that one might expect UConn to be able to play as an independent in football, including the times of year that we would be able to play the games, so as to fit them into the opponents' league schedules. Do that for me, and maybe I'll be able to shut up about how bad independence would be for us. People are complaining about a schedule of Cincy, Temple, USF, SMU, UCF, Houston, etc., but I'd love to see what they come up with...