With the notable exception of Rutgers (Rutgers got lucky), I don’t see the B1G or SEC adding any school in need of football development, like UConn, assuming those two apex conferences intend to grow to 20, or, possibly, to 24 schools.
Nonetheless, is there a path UConn might position itself in to someday rate the B1G or the SEC? I think yes, maybe so. It is a longer-shot scenario, but nonetheless a possible future, increasingly discussed.
More specifically, from the pov of UConn, UConn needs to position itself to become indispensable for the B1G or SEC if a mythical “NCAA breakaway” causes those two P2 conferences to move to 27, or, possibly, 32. A breakaway magnifies the value of basketball, with which UConn is blessed abundantly.
Before the future breakaway (assuming it happens), I think UConn could mature it’s football (and infrastructure) in the right football developmental league into an attractive candidate for the B1G or SEC. Here’s why:
1) UConn is located squarely in the middle of the NE Corridor, sitting right there between NYC and Boston. Recall that Delaney always dreamed of the B1G owning the NE Corridor. Can any league control the NE Corridor without UConn?
2) UCon is a public university, not a private university (like BC). UConn will therefore be likely to have greater future revenue projection than most private football universities.
3) There is no other public university north of Maryland (to include Boston) to compete with UConn. I’m thinking UMass cannot develop more quickly than can UConn.
So, what are UConn’s realistic options?
The B12 and the ACC seem to be the only eastern, or near eastern, “major developmental football leagues” going into the future. I include the ACC as a “developmental football league” only because it seems inevitable today that the ACC will get picked over no later than 2033-34, perhaps much earlier, but certainly long before 2036. IOW, also long before a “breakaway” will likely occur.
The obvious football developmental league for UConn is the ACC, right? For the nearer term, should UConn be hoping for an ACC invitation? Maybe. Then again, maybe not.
To divine the best path forward, we need to think about the B1G and SEC viz-a-viz the ACC and the PAC.
If either or both of the B1G and SEC expand 20 or 24 schools, those additions will come from, best I can tell, ND, the PAC, or the ACC, which leaves out UConn.
We’ve all read rumblings from all 3 of ND (they want a $70m+ TV deal), the PAC (much uncertainty over no TV deal), and the ACC (much uncertainty over their TV deal).
TV, TV, TV -> viewers, viewers, viewers -> population, population, population. Population is up UConn’s alley.
I don’t think the SEC has interest in any PTZ or MTZ schools, best I can tell, but, obviously, the PAC has such western interest. IMO, the B1G will be forced to look west again to add at least two additional PAC schools, due to USCLA [soon to be] crying for a couple of additional western outposts for USCLA Olympic sports.
Luckily for USCLA, Washington has excellent TV value, as does Oregon, and, to a lesser extent, Utah. Why wouldn’t the B1G want to own the majority of West Coast college football TV viewers?
For UConn, the B1G’s west coast needs are important to consider with respect to UConn’s prospects as a member of the ACC, especially if UConn somehow eschews a possible future B12 offer.
Can we all agree the ACC has problems - serious problems - with its membership? Clemson and FSU, ringleaders of the “Unhappy Mag7”, seem like they would bail on the ACC immediately if they can successfully manipulate the rocks and shoals of the GOR, right? The SEC would take them both, no questions asked, and possibly the B1G would, too.
If the ACC gets around the GOR, I could see both the B1G and the SEC being willing to take in some combination of Clemson, FSU, Miami, UNC, UVA, VT, NCSU, and possibly GT, Duke, and Pitt, but, if UConn were suddenly in the ACC, probably not UConn (although I could be wrong - I’m only guessing).
The B1G could accept 2-6 ACC schools, but not 8, due to remaining western expansion (and the SEC will be taking ACC schools, too). The SEC, being fully oriented to the east, could take up to 8 ACC schools (but I think the SEC would stop at 4 or 5 ACC schools).
IOW, the heart of the ACC may well be ripped out by the B1G and the SEC once the ACC cracks open, which seems sooner rather than later.
The point is that if the ACC is picked over by both the B1G and the SEC, which seems likely, the B12 over the ACC might be a better football choice regardless of timing - and certainly a more stable choice - for UConn, within which to await a breakaway.
While I understand that the majority of UConn posters on this site seem to favor accepting a B12 offer if one comes - and no B12 offer has been extended, I get it - I guess this post, in the end, is just another “I concur” opinion coming from a long-time reader of this board (albeit not a UConn guy).
So, the ACC? UConn? Maybe a mistake? The B12? UConn? I concur.
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