Big 12 will make significant push for UConn (merged)

[oldhusky]

Question; as it stands today is the BigEast now one of the P5 conferences?

You could in theory be the 5th best conference but wouldn't have the P in front. The P5 were the P5 because they were all very good and a clear notch above 6th and 7th. Right now it might be a P3, maybe P4 if you include a shaky ACC. The fifth best conference is no longer a "power" conference, be it a reformulated Pac + Mountain combo, the Big East or another conference. There will be a big gap between the best and the next tier behind the now fewer super conferences.

 

[Centerstream]

If football breaks away and forms its own entity per se then what funds the sports that don't make money? You can't just say cut those sports with Title IX involved.

I agree with Pitino that food in airport restaurants tends to be subpar but these days you're lucky to get a bag of chips on a flight so you're often stuck with no choice.

The same as the way they are funded now. The conference or University negotiates their media rights, and any other income sources, and the university then decides where the money goes, right?

 

[SEbluebood]

I tend to agree with you. At some point simply adding teams that have no history with one another (like rivalries) will not be valued by media partners - diminishing returns. For example, who thinks a Rutgers-Washington football game is compelling except those teams' fans and alumni? Rivalry games have national interest, think Army-Navy, Civil War (OR-OSU), Red River Showdown, etc., as do prominent national matchups in football and basketball.

I read an article (can't remember where) that discussed that what the Big Ten is doing might actually lure Notre Dame which is the gold ring of universities to add. That's because ND has valued its independence so that it could schedule the likes of USC, Stanford, several traditional midwest rivals like Purdue, Michigan and Michigan St., and also Navy. But if Stanford gets an invitation to the Big Ten then essentially everything ND wants for football is right there. As noted by another BYer, ND hockey already plays in the Big Ten, and moving their other Olympic sports from the ACC would be a no-brainer.

Here are some "headlines" from my research today about how UConn compares to other schools if we were invited to the Big 12:
1. From Day 1 we'd have the most successful men's and women's basketball programs (thus Brett Yomark's interest) - men have one more than Kansas;
2. UConn would be tied for 3rd most varsity teams with Utah and BYU, and only behind Arizona State and TCU. TCU's 20 teams include equestrian, rifle and triathlon, while ASU's 24 teams includes triathlon;
3. Only four Big 12 universities have more than UConn's 23 national championships (ASU, Utah, Colorado and Oklahoma St.);
4. UConn has the most national championships since 2000: 17 (Baylor is next with 14);
5. UConn has the most national championships since 1990: 19 (Colorado is next with 17);
6. While we have regional sports teams like ice hockey, field hockey and women's lacrosse, they've accounted for just five NC's (all FH). For Colorado (19 ski titles/total 28 titles) and Utah 14 ski titles/total 25 titles they are dominant in a sport that is also very regional.

The facts seem to show that UConn is one of the hottest and relevant athletics programs of the past 23 and 33 years, football notwithstanding, and in particular we're doing that in the 2nd largest revenue sport. We'd make any conference BETTER!

Great post! So sad that in college athletics today, none of this is considered in decision making!

 

[fireford]

The same as the way they are funded now. The conference or University negotiates their media rights, and any other income sources, and the university then decides where the money goes, right?

This article is a few years old but the concept hasn't changed. Most college sports other than football and basketball operate at a deficit and the shortfall is made up from the money making sports (i.e., football).

Does Football Fund Other Sports At College Level?

On my site BusinessofCollegeSports.com last week we looked at the Top 25 recipients of student activity fees. As I researched, I was looking for a correlation between those who rely on student fees and football profit. Then someone asked me how sports outside of football and men’s basketball...

www.forbes.com

 

[sun]

I like the idea of a revival of the "old" BIG EAST. Any thoughts about a combination
of the BIG EAST and the ACC??

Disagreements between the football schools & basketball schools are what led to the break up of the old Big East.
That makes it very unlikely that the 2 will ever get back together again especially after the 7 sisters paid all of the exit fees & then bought the rights to the Big East.
They must have learned a painful lesson about how to avoid getting mixed up with football.

 

[Carnac]

I've followed this story for a week and keep shaking my head at the world of college athletics now.

Yes I am a SEC graduate and live smack in the middle of the area plus truly loved college football more than any sport until recently. I get the SEC is a media and corporate giant as is the B10 but at this point what is happening to D1 athletics is awful.

Two major sports networks have basically attempted to consolidate the biggest teams/markets into fewer networks and the money keeps getting larger, but it has to stop at some point. I already miss the SEC of pre 2010 with just 12 teams and frankly 16 is more than enough. No Clemson or FSU if you ask me and if one or both winds up moving to another conference, so be it.

I think UConn got shafted again. The school really should be in the ACC. Actually, for the good of sports, schools like Rutgers, WVU, UConn, BC, Syracuse, should reform the old BE and forget trying to get sports all across the country just for the sake of football broadcasting deals.

The B12 won last week but it now has a cross country conference with an almost silly mix of schools. Yes it has a media deal but for all the bravado of adding the four corner schools last week, I really don't think audiences will get amped up for ASU and UCF or Utah and Houston. What made college football so much fun is tradition, rivalries, and proximity to each other. Those have largely fallen by the wayside.

Lastly if I read one more article about this conference or that conference fussing about the academic quality of schools I will vomit. Consider this: West Virginia and UCF are in the B12 while Stanford and Cal didn't get invites.

You make some great points. You're looking at this thing through the same prism I am. Things are changing by the minute. The dust should settle by the end of the month. Keeping my fingers crossed for UConn. Regardless of where they end up, I hope it's financially beneficial for them.

I see the PAC 4 merging with the Mountain West. Those schools need the MW more than the MW needs them. Those 4 are out in the middle of the ocean with nothing more than a life jacket. All 4 are holding on to one life preserver. At his point, they don't have a lot of options. Get ready to call "Ralph" and Earl". You're not done hearing schools whine and complain about how dissatisfied they are receiving millions of dollars when they think they should be getting a lot more. These are unprecedented times.

 

[Carnac]

Late night updates from around the horn: PAC4 meeting with MWC leadership on Monday to look at merger options. Not saying it’s happening but it does seem the most likely. I’m hearing Stanford is not on board with a merger but is going to participate out of respect for the other 3.......that and they do have a vested interest in the outcome.

As I see it, Stanford has 3 options....
1. Go along with whatever the other 3 decide to do.
2. Breakaway and make their own deal with the BIG 12 or B1G or.......
3. Go independent.

View attachment 90435
The PAC 4 has to do something fast. Time IS NOT on their side. The game is poker, and they're out of chips.

Last week when I first posted this depiction of the Titanic going down in the early morning hours of 15 April 1912 in the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, and liking it to the PAC 12's "current state,"

Some scoffed and thought I was being over dramatic and a bit hasty in forming my opinion. Fast forward to today. How about now?
That was low-hanging fruit....an easy read.

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[visitingcock]

The All Coastal Conference?

It can only happen if ESPN gives the ACC a new contract with a revenue boost to split more ways..

How do Clemson and FSU react? A new conference members contract would be needed to placate them on revenue distribution.

 

[Carnac]

One of the 3 options I mentioned a few days ago........The remaining 4
1. Merge into the Mountain West Conference or one of the other Western Regional Conferences.
2. Each school breaks away and cuts its own separate deal with another conference.
3. Go independent.

The remaining 4 PAC 4 programs need somebody to throw them (as a group or separately) a lifeline. They have no bargaining power and no chips.

Some of the deals that don't look attractive today to the PAC4, might well look a whole lot better as the days/weeks go by.

 

[HuskyNan]

The All Coastal Conference?

It can only happen if ESPN gives the ACC a new contract with a revenue boost to split more ways..

How do Clemson and FSU react? A new conference members contract would be needed to placate them on revenue distribution.

There are rumors of FSU and Clemson to the SEC. It’s dizzying

 

[Carnac]

The ACC - All of this possible shuffling of deck chairs, and still no talk of looking over their glasses at UConn?

 

[Carnac]

This reminds me of little kids going up to a neighbor's door on Halloween ringing the doorbell and saying.....TRICK OR TREAT.

 

[Carnac]

There are rumors of FSU and Clemson to the SEC. It’s dizzying

I said as much this past weekend that all this major shuffling of cards and deck chairs was beginning to give me a headache.
Decisions and loyalties were being changed by the hour. I'm trying to keep up with the latest deals, changes, and agreements here but it's hard.

 

[CTBballfan243]

This is the conference change that FSU and Clemson will use as a vehicle to get out of the GOR.

 

[CTBballfan243]

I said as much this past weekend that all this major shuffling of cards and deck chairs was beginning to give me a headache.
Decisions and loyalties were being changed by the hour.

On ESPN radio college sports channel they mentioned a rumor of Clemson, FSU, UNC, and Virginia to the B1G

 

[CONN78SEJ]

I think UConn could be one of the next ones to get in, the northeast corridor/NYC market, a newly competitive football team with an excellent coach, and two premier basketball teams, that the Big 12 wants more than football fans might think.

 

[HuskyNan]

The ACC - All of this possible shuffling of deck chairs, and still no talk of looking over their glasses at UConn?

Boston College blackballed UConn. I don’t know if it’s forever but maybe hard feelings persist on their side after UConn football gave BC a beating last year

 

[visitingcock]

There are rumors of FSU and Clemson to the SEC. It’s dizzying

FSU seems to want to go somewhere. Clem’s Son doesn’t seem to be moving that way- though they do want an increased share of football revenue.

The SEC has been silent- but it was silent before Tex and Okie joined too. I would imagine they are conferring to see if the pie gets bigger before they offer a piece to somebody new. Would espn support FSU in wrecking their ACC puppet? I have doubts.

 

[visitingcock]

One of the 3 options I mentioned a few days ago........The remaining 4
1. Merge into the Mountain West Conference or one of the other Western Regional Conferences.
2. Each school breaks away and cuts its own separate deal with another conference.
3. Go independent.

The remaining 4 PAC 4 programs need somebody to throw them (as a group or separately) a lifeline. They have no bargaining power and no chips.

Some of the deals that don't look attractive today to the PAC4, might well look a whole lot better as the days/weeks go by.

I see no potential value in Cal for any conference. Though it’s in one of the nation’s largest metros, it has little fan:alumni support. It don’t see any growth potential. Half their alums and students hate football. Indeed, one of my slightly weird predictions is that they will seek to have Cali ban high school football to invest the savings in more untiring programs.

But Stanford . . . ! Oh I hope they find a worthy home.

 

[triaddukefan]

 

[Carnac]

Boston College blackballed UConn. I don’t know if it’s forever but maybe hard feelings persist on their side after UConn football gave BC a beating last year

Don't we talk about not holding grudges when the subject of Tennessee WBB comes up here in the yard? And how some "old guard" posters still hold a grudge and a hard line against Ol' Rocky Top? There are a lot of UConn fans and boosters here that comment continuously that UConn Nation should forgive and forget. Pat is gone, and Geno has moved on.

Is Boston College still holding a grudge against UConn and preventing them from receiving so much as a modicum of consideration for admission into the ACC? I'm not being facetious here. I'm really not familiar with the details that led up to the rift between BC and UConn.

 

[Carnac]

I see no potential value in Cal for any conference. Though it’s in one of the nation’s largest metros, it has little fan:alumni support. It don’t see any growth potential. Half their alums and students hate football. Indeed, one of my slightly weird predictions is that they will seek to have Cali ban high school football to invest the savings in more untiring programs.

But Stanford . . . ! Oh I hope they find a worthy home.

You can be sure....................like a cat, Stanford WILL land on its feet. Stanford is a well-run private institution of higher learning.
How much money does Stanford have in endowments? $37.8 billion.

At the beginning of the fiscal year 2021-22, Stanford's endowment was valued at $37.8 billion. The endowment payout of $1.47 billion — 3.9% of the endowment's value — covered about 21 percent of the university's operating costs of $6.84 billion. They're solvent and will remain so for years to come. The Stanford Management Company (SMC) is the office within Stanford University that invests the Endowment and other financial assets to provide long-term support to the University.

 

[HuskyNan]

Don't we talk about not holding grudges when the subject of Tennessee WBB comes up here in the yard? And how some "old guard" posters still hold a grudge and a hard line against Ol' Rocky Top? There are a lot of UConn fans and boosters here that comment continuously that UConn Nation should forgive and forget. Pat is gone, and Geno has moved on.

Is Boston College still holding a grudge against UConn and preventing them from receiving so much as a modicum of consideration for admission into the ACC? I'm not being facetious here. I'm really not familiar with the details that led up to the rift between BC and UConn.

BC Admits It Doesn't Want UConn in ACC

We can add another voice to the ACC-Big East debate, particularly as it relates to UConn‘s plans to possibly leave the former for the latter. Boston College, former Big East member which jumped ship for the ACC in 2005, is opposed to the idea that the Huskies might do the same at some point in...

www.nbcconnecticut.com

 

[Carnac]

BC Admits It Doesn't Want UConn in ACC

We can add another voice to the ACC-Big East debate, particularly as it relates to UConn‘s plans to possibly leave the former for the latter. Boston College, former Big East member which jumped ship for the ACC in 2005, is opposed to the idea that the Huskies might do the same at some point in...

www.nbcconnecticut.com

Thanks, Nan................now I know the rest of the story (Paul Harvey). Those "vitriolic" comments will do it every time.

 

[triaddukefan]

Don't we talk about not holding grudges when the subject of Tennessee WBB comes up here in the yard? And how some "old guard" posters still hold a grudge and a hard line against Ol' Rocky Top? There are a lot of UConn fans and boosters here that comment continuously that UConn Nation should forgive and forget. Pat is gone, and Geno has moved on.

Is Boston College still holding a grudge against UConn and preventing them from receiving so much as a modicum of consideration for admission into the ACC? I'm not being facetious here. I'm really not familiar with the details that led up to the rift between BC and UConn.

Boston College doesn't have that much power in the ACC. It wasn't just them that didn't want UConn in the ACC. FSU, Clemson, Ga Tech, Miami, State and probably VPI didn't want UConn either. Duke and Chapel Hill were in favor of adding the Huskies.

 

[Carnac]

I see no potential value in Cal for any conference. Though it’s in one of the nation’s largest metros, it has little fan:alumni support. It don’t see any growth potential. Half their alums and students hate football. Indeed, one of my slightly weird predictions is that they will seek to have Cali ban high school football to invest the savings in more untiring programs.

But Stanford . . . ! Oh I hope they find a worthy home.

Cal may piggyback on Stanford's coattails and go or do whatever they decide to do.

 

[broooce]

You can be sure....................like a cat, Stanford WILL land on its feet. Stanford is a well-run private institution of higher learning.
How much money does Stanford have in endowments? $37.8 billion.

At the beginning of the fiscal year 2021-22, Stanford's endowment was valued at $37.8 billion. The endowment payout of $1.47 billion — 3.9% of the endowment's value — covered about 21 percent of the university's operating costs of $6.84 billion. They're solvent and will remain so for years to come. The Stanford Management Company (SMC) is the office within Stanford University that invests the Endowment and other financial assets to provide long-term support to the University.

You know it will be big news if the Ivy League decides to move up to FBS and then adds Stanford and Cal Berkeley lol! Ivy League will be one of the richest conferences just from collective endowment values!

 

[Carnac]

Boston College doesn't have that much power in the ACC. It wasn't just them that didn't want UConn in the ACC. FSU, Clemson, Ga Tech, Miami, State and probably VPI didn't want UConn either. Duke and Chapel Hill were in favor of adding the Huskies.

The article said that ESPN told BC what to do, even though ESPN denied it. Guess who I believe.