B12 and ACC on the clock!

[CL82]

Was anyone in Boston, Albany, Worcestor, Nashua, Brattleboro, Westchester, Nassau, or Suffolk excited when UConn won its MBB title? I am sure, but in vanishingly small numbers. A hundred mile radius might work in the midwest, but not so much in the northeast.

Well the answer is that that's the metric that they use for measuring the population impact of the University. If it's the metric you use at West, it's the metric you use in the East too.

And yes I'm quite sure they were people in all of those communities excited about Connecticut's win. I mean there's not like anyone else in New England to root four, am I right?

In any event, don't underestimate the reach of Connecticut's fanbase. I live more than 100 miles away from Storrs in New Jersey and within a quarter mile of my home there are a half dozen Connecticut fans who fly flags game days. Within the same area I can't think of a single Rutgers fan. Five national championships buys you a little bit of a brand awareness and fan loyalty, I guess.

 

[Skies2018]

Because making $36 million a year more for 10 years total is $360 million. If you guarantee me that the big 12 falls off a cliff at the end of year 10 but offers us full membership today, it's still the smart thing to do.

UConn is located in Connecticut. CT is nowhere near 5 million population.

The exact number was off by a bit but the point still stands. We still have many more people than Iowa or Kansas - both of which support 2 football teams each.

 

[RSTuthill]

Well the answer is that that's the metric that they use for measuring the population impact of the University. If it's the metric you use at West, it's the metric you use in the East too.

And yes I'm quite sure they were people in all of those communities excited about Connecticut's win. I mean there's not like anyone else in New England to root four, am I right?

In any event, don't underestimate the reach of Connecticut's fanbase. I live more than 100 miles away from Storrs in New Jersey and within a quarter mile of my home there are a half dozen Connecticut fans who fly flags game days. Within the same area I can't think of a single Rutgers fan. Five national championships buys you a little bit of a brand awareness and fan loyalty, I guess.

Not to mention the 11 in WBB, 3 in field hockey, and 2 in men's soccer. The last two may not count for much, but they sure as heck don't hurt.

 

[CL82]

The exact number was off by a bit but the point still stands. We still have many more people than Iowa or Kansas - both of which support 2 football teams each.

What's the exact number in your opinion? Do you have a better site to use?

 

[CL82]

Not to mention the 11 in WBB, 3 in field hockey, and 2 in men's soccer. The last two may not count for much, but they sure as heck don't hurt.

Uh that's five natties in field hockey and 3 in men's soccer... just saying. It's 24 total.

 

[Kolumbo]

Big 12 membership would force us to move Men's Soccer to the Sun Belt with WVU and Kentucky. Seriously though, I'm not sure the Big 12 has any reason to expand right now other than getting into the northeast. The only path I can see for football would be an ACC implosion and UConn joins our old Big East mates and ACC remnants.

 

[Sportsman5]

Big 12 membership would force us to move Men's Soccer to the Sun Belt with WVU and Kentucky. Seriously though, I'm not sure the Big 12 has any reason to expand right now other than getting into the northeast. The only path I can see for football would be an ACC implosion and UConn joins our old Big East mates and ACC remnants.

Getting into the North East gets them a lot of money and exposure, which is what every conference has been prioritizing with expansion. They also ideally want top brands in order to secure themselves as a power conference.

 

[RSTuthill]

Uh that's five natties in field hockey and 3 in men's soccer... just saying. It's 24 total.

I am aware of 1981 (before it was an NCAA championship, but still counts) under Morrone, and 2000 under Reid. I am unaware of any other UConn national soccer championships. Women perhaps? Under Tsantiris?

I don't follow field hockey other than noting when they win one.

 

[RSTuthill]

And yes I'm quite sure they were people in all of those communities excited about Connecticut's win. I mean there's not like anyone else in New England to root four, am I right?

In any event, don't underestimate the reach of Connecticut's fanbase. I live more than 100 miles away from Storrs in New Jersey and within a quarter mile of my home there are a half dozen Connecticut fans who fly flags game days. Within the same area I can't think of a single Rutgers fan. Five national championships buys you a little bit of a brand awareness and fan loyalty, I guess.

If what you say is true, then UConn should hire a polling firm today. Those data would be invaluable for making their case for P5 membership. I am thinking that if they have already done that, and it turned out favorably, it would not be a secret. So either they have done that and the results were nothing to brag about, or they don't think that would be a wise expenditure of funds.

 

[CL82]

I am aware of 1981 (before it was an NCAA championship, but still counts) under Morrone, and 2000 under Reid. I am unaware of any other UConn national soccer championships. Women perhaps? Under Tsantiris?

I don't follow field hockey other than noting when they win one.

That's OK, I'm happy to give you the right info you on it, so that next time you cite the number you'll get it correct.

University of Connecticut men's soccer won the national championship in 1948, 1981, and 2000. The 1981 championship is an NCAA championship. I believe the NCAA started hosting national soccer championships in the late 1950s, say 1958 give or take.

Women's field hockey has five national championships (1981,1985, 2013, 2014, 2017) including, if I recall correctly, the very first woman's national championship in any sport which was the 1981 field hockey national championship. It was held on the university campus in Storrs, Connecticut

 

[noeynox]

Big 12 membership would force us to move Men's Soccer to the Sun Belt with WVU and Kentucky. Seriously though, I'm not sure the Big 12 has any reason to expand right now other than getting into the northeast. The only path I can see for football would be an ACC implosion and UConn joins our old Big East mates and ACC remnants.

I think the Big 12 has been told to look to increase inventory by their media partners. Just a guess on my part. But with the B1G and SEC having more teams and possibly growing in the future, via decimation of the ACC sometime in the 2030s, the Big 12 would be wise add at least 2 teams now.

 

[Stinger92860]

Was anyone in Boston, Albany, Worcestor, Nashua, Brattleboro, Westchester, Nassau, or Suffolk excited when UConn won its MBB title? I am sure, but in vanishingly small numbers. A hundred mile radius might work in the midwest, but not so much in the northeast.

Was anyone in New Jersey, NYC, and Fairfield County excited that B1G Network was added to their channel lineup so they could sit home and watch Rutgers?

 

[Stinger92860]

I think the Big 12 has been told to look to increase inventory by their media partners. Just a guess on my part. But with the B1G and SEC having more teams and possibly growing in the future, via decimation of the ACC sometime in the 2030s, the Big 12 would be wise add at least 2 teams now.

And it’s likely they were told to add team’s outside of their current DMA footprints.

 

[CL82]

I live in Fairfield County and while I understand that this one county may not be representative of the rest of CT, the number of new houses and apartment buildings here is astounding.

I took a quick look and this is what I found:

 

[giddyup]

The exact number was off by a bit but the point still stands. We still have many more people than Iowa or Kansas - both of which support 2 football teams each.

Also West Virginia, Utah, MS seem to do just fine.

 

[Stinger92860]

Also West Virginia, Utah, MS seem to do just fine.

A big data point, loved by many advertisers is average household income. I’m not saying those states you list are poor, however CT is #6 in that respect based on a quick google search. WVA is 2nd to last. Now does this move the realignment needle? No, but it is one of the data points and it was integral for Rutgers and Maryland. BTW DC is #1. Football with Mora is trending up and the poor performance after RE 1.0 is what has held us back.

Median Household Income by State 2023

 

[Hogoff]

Was anyone in New Jersey, NYC, and Fairfield County excited that B1G Network was added to their channel lineup so they could sit home and watch Rutgers?

There’s got to be one guy.

 

[B1GEast]

We Get Out of Our Box to Check the ACC, Conference Realignment, and Yormark Targets

It's summer and that means following the conference spring business meetings that realignment is on the lips of media and college administrators, but which ones said it first.

pokesreport.com

"Yormark has also shown heavy interest in UConn and Memphis back the other direction"

"By the end of summer, Yormark could have as many as six new schools either set to join or considering to join the Big 12. The number of 20 teams in a conference has come up with Yormark before."

 

[FfldCntyFan]

There’s got to be one guy.

Yes, his handle is RutgersAl

 

[hardcorehusky]

Thoughts:

1) Currently schools are looked at as P5 and G5. Better to be considered a P vs G in every scenario.
2) The money makes a huge difference. That is for the school. The NIL piece will be even bigger
3) The Big 12 is up for renewal in 2030. The ACC won't be up until 2036 or until the rats jump the ship and will need enough money for exit fees and buying back GOR. Good luck there. So, why should UConn want to give up any money for that to happen.
4) There is no equation between Big 12 and AAC. No one wanted to go to Temple, Tulsa, etc. Replace those with Iowa St and Kansas St. 2 different worlds.
5) We are not a Catholic school and are aLand Grant institution. We belong with other Land Grant institutions.
6) Basketball suffered from a league with no cache (just because Houston was good didn't help UConn). Now pair us with Kansas, etc and tell me how that will hurt basketball. I don't buy the travel piece as an impediment because the last I checked, we don't use trains to get to the next city.
7) Football is the cash cow. Not basketball. You want money, get into a conference that is good in both football and basketball (men's and women's).
8) I still hate Cinnci like I do Seton Hall. I didn't like WVU either just like I don't like Nova. There are some old rivals still in that conference.
9) The tectonic plates will turn every few years for many many years. Going to the Big 12 isn't a death sentence nor locks UConn in unless Yormak wants everyone to sign a 20 year GOR - and that ain't happening.
10) UConn has been in the wilderness and getting back to the Big East is great, but only for basketball and cost cutting. If we get an invite, there are very few reasons to stay if you look at the big picture on what is best for the athetic department.

 

[RSTuthill]

I think the winning move is not to play for awhile. Going to the B12 strikes me as more money on the plus side but one helluva lot more expense, no regional affinity, long travel, and a situation not yet stable and predictable on the negative side. The ACC looks similar but at least now the travel times are less and they have a bit more geographical and cultural affinity. Of course, stability is an issue there too. No rush in my opinion. And certainly not for a reduced share.

 

[RSTuthill]

That's OK, I'm happy to give you the right info you on it, so that next time you cite the number you'll get it correct.

University of Connecticut men's soccer won the national championship in 1948, 1981, and 2000. The 1981 championship is an NCAA championship. I believe the NCAA started hosting national soccer championships in the late 1950s, say 1958 give or take.

Women's field hockey has five national championships (1981,1985, 2013, 2014, 2017) including, if I recall correctly, the very first woman's national championship in any sport which was the 1981 field hockey national championship. It was held on the university campus in Storrs, Connecticut

Well you forced me to look it up and you are correct. But like I said, if they are not revenue sports, they count for little. On the other hand, that is a helluva lot of titles either way. We are in agreement on the overarching point.

 

[CL82]

Well you forced me to look it up and you are correct. But like I said, if they are not revenue sports, they count for little. On the other hand, that is a helluva lot of titles either way. We are in agreement on the overarching point.

Not a problem. Connecticut fans know these numbers, but I wouldn't expect visiting fans to.

We may disagree a bit on the value of non-revenue sport titles. When you see a number of national titles over a number of different sports spanning decades it's a pretty good indication of athletic department health and commitment to athletics.

 

[giddyup]

I think the Big 12 has been told to look to increase inventory by their media partners. Just a guess on my part. But with the B1G and SEC having more teams and possibly growing in the future, via decimation of the ACC sometime in the 2030s, the Big 12 would be wise add at least 2 teams now.

There will be 3 power conferences in 10 years..B1G, SEC and Big12. PAC and ACC will be torn apart with well positioned schools going to the Top 2, mid-tier going to the B12, and the rest forming glorified G5 like conferences. The B1G and SEC will be taking in huge dollars. The B12 will follow with decent sustainable dollars, and the rest will be fighting for survival dollars. Whether the B12 can hold its own and not get ultimately frozen out by a B1G vs SEC National Championship maneuver will be interesting. The only long term hope for CFB is adults step in and demand the game return to some level of parity, but that’s a pipe dream.

 

[Kolumbo]

Is the Big XII's GOR as ironclad as the ACC's supposedly is? I haven't found much info on it.

The Big XII has flagships Kansas & WVU and then some more large state U's: K-State, Okie State, Iowa State, UCF, Texas Tech, Cincy and some privates
The PAC is most similar to the B1G and SEC in terms of its makeup, large flagships and state U's plus Stanford and has the pacific coast
The ACC has a mix of everything but most importantly has the east coast

Could the PAC or ACC conceivably poach the Big XII? I haven't heard anything about that but I also don't see the GOR detailed anywhere. Kansas in particular seems like it should do better.