Blauds - "Big Ten, ACC? Why not UConn?"

[tzznandrew]

I guess people like even divisions.

They don't really "like" even divisions, there's a mandate on it. Once you get to 12 in football, you must have even divisions. Which means neither the B1G nor the ACC could add UConn without a partner...which would put the ACC at 17 in basketball, which is probably too much for the Tobacco road folks to handle (justifiably).

Swofford is trying to change that, though. If that gets changed, it does at least bring hope.

 

[JayRU09]

Swofford changes it so if ND goes 5-0 against the ACC in any given year it goes to the title game.

The ultimate Notre Dame trolling.

 

[CL82]

This is going to hit the fan soon. UCONN can not be continually shut out without something happening. UCONN basketball is the Elite program in the ENTIRE COUNTRY. Is there any doubt that football can't be good in a better conference? I'm not saying National Championship good,...

Well I say it, just not out loud, yet. There's too much history of the university achieving extraordinary success against great odds for me not believe. I'm a big believer in the salami approach to lofty goals. Just make incremental progress "one thin slice at a time." This year's goal for football is, candidly, not to suck and that means a bowl game. Baby steps.

 

[Stinger92860]

In the B1G scenario, it would seem to me that the B1G we want ohio st vs Michigan as much as possible in the championship game. Is this an accurate assessment.

 

[Gfunk]

In the B1G scenario, it would seem to me that the B1G we want ohio st vs Michigan as much as possible in the championship game. Is this an accurate assessment.

- u- c -k that rivalry. The Rust Belt BIG has been calling too many shots for too long. We here in the western BIG are EDIT HERE: less EXCLUSIVE not "inclusive" and certainly proving to be as capable on the biggest stages. Their influence has thank God diminished due to OSU's rash of violations and the Mi blunder, aka RRod hire.

A school like Wisconsin has learned to carry its own football weight and now has the most Rose Bowl appearances in the BIG since PSU joined. PSU won't be down much longer and MSU has owned the in-state football rivalry for nearly a half decade.

One of these years, and I'm betting on this season, Neb is going to take care of both in the same season. They've already beaten each, at least once, since joining the conference.

The OSU-Mi rivalry and dominance of the BIG is more myth than reality at this point. And damn if they're not going to cancel each other out in the foreseeable future, since both are in the same football division.

 

[Dooley]

- u- c -k that rivalry. The Rust Belt BIG has been calling too many shots for too long. We here in the western BIG are less inclusive and certainly proving to be as capable on the biggest stages. Their influence has thank God diminished due to OSU's rash of violations and the Mi blunder, aka RRod hire.

A school like Wisconsin has learned to carry its own football weight and now has the most Rose Bowl appearances in the BIG since PSU joined. PSU won't be down much longer and MSU has owned the in-state football rivalry for nearly a half decade.

One of these years, and I'm betting on this season, Neb is going to take care of both in the same season. They've already beaten each, at least once, since joining the conference.

The OSU-Mi rivalry and dominance of the BIG is more myth than reality at this point. And damn if they're not going to cancel each other out in the foreseeable future, since both are in the same football division.

To say that I LOVE the way Wisconsin plays football would be an understatement. Wisconsin and MSU are football models that I would love to see UCONN emulate.

 

[Seaa Blue]

In the B1G scenario, it would seem to me that the B1G we want ohio st vs Michigan as much as possible in the championship game. Is this an accurate assessment.

Preserving the end-of-season rivalry game is paramount over the championship game. A nightmare scenario for both fan bases would be a repeat back-to-back matchup for the championship. And so, we have Ohio State and Michigan in the same division starting next year. Either school will trigger a sellout (or close) for the championship game.

But yes, it is THE game for those that care about it (and a bazillion people do).

 

[Seaa Blue]

Odd numbers work when you don't have a championship game.

The MAC has done it for several years now (perhaps UMass changed that).

 

[B1GALUM]

- u- c -k that rivalry. The Rust Belt BIG has been calling too many shots for too long. We here in the western BIG are less inclusive and certainly proving to be as capable on the biggest stages. Their influence has thank God diminished due to OSU's rash of violations and the Mi blunder, aka RRod hire.

A school like Wisconsin has learned to carry its own football weight and now has the most Rose Bowl appearances in the BIG since PSU joined. PSU won't be down much longer and MSU has owned the in-state football rivalry for nearly a half decade.

One of these years, and I'm betting on this season, Neb is going to take care of both in the same season. They've already beaten each, at least once, since joining the conference.

The OSU-Mi rivalry and dominance of the BIG is more myth than reality at this point. And damn if they're not going to cancel each other out in the foreseeable future, since both are in the same football division.

Gfunk. It is not my intention to start a B1G family feud here. Since this is a UConn board, it is not the place.

I do though want to speak about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry in the context of conference realignment. You certainly recognize that the B1G has made it a priority to preserve this rivalry game above all others for end of season play and in that sense the rivalry will always be a dominant force in the B1G regardless of the individual on field success of these two universities.

The construct of the Legends and Leaders (just vomited in my mouth saying that again) divisions, were it not for the importance of this rivalry, would have made more sense to have Ohio State and Michigan play an early season crossover game and then finish the season with the intra-division Ohio State-Penn State and Michigan-MSU games. This was an absolute non-starter. The end of season Ohio State-Michigan game was not going to be changed even at the risk of a repeat of the game a week later in the B1G championship game.

Obviously, moving Ohio State and Michigan into the East division eliminates the issue. However, any future B1G expansion and how divisions or perhaps even pods are created will always seek to preserve the end of season Ohio State and Michigan game and the game will always be the dominant force in the B1G from that perspective.

My apologies to Fishy for posting in this thread.

 

[Adios]

So the eastern division would be...

UConn
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana

I can live with that!

 

[Gfunk]

Gfunk. It is not my intention to start a B1G family feud here. Since this is a UConn board, it is not the place.

I do though want to speak about the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry in the context of conference realignment. You certainly recognize that the B1G has made it a priority to preserve this rivalry game above all others for end of season play and in that sense the rivalry will always be a dominant force in the B1G regardless of the individual on field success of these two universities.

The construct of the Legends and Leaders (just vomited in my mouth saying that again) divisions, were it not for the importance of this rivalry, would have made more sense to have Ohio State and Michigan play an early season crossover game and then finish the season with the intra-division Ohio State-Penn State and Michigan-MSU games. This was an absolute non-starter. The end of season Ohio State-Michigan game was not going to be changed even at the risk of a repeat of the game a week later in the B1G championship game.

Obviously, moving Ohio State and Michigan into the East division eliminates the issue. However, any future B1G expansion and how divisions or perhaps even pods are created will always seek to preserve the end of season Ohio State and Michigan game and the game will always be the dominant force in the B1G from that perspective.

My apologies to Fishy for posting in this thread.

Agree, but the game is now what it should be, as you, Sea Blue & I stated: a divisional rivalry. The game is currently not on par with Bama-Burn anymore, but history moves forward.

This rivalry should also not dominate BIG issues in general - neither should football.

 

[tzznandrew]

So the eastern division would be...

UConn
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana

I can live with that!

Season tickets please! Something like this, and I'm driving down from Boston to the Rent all the time...

 

[Dooley]

So the eastern division would be...

UConn
Rutgers
Maryland
Penn State
Ohio State
Michigan
Michigan State
Indiana

I can live with that!

Yeah, no kidding. That is a very good football division and OUTSTANDING basketball pod, if pods are kept for basketball scheduling purposes. I would think long and hard about cutting off my left nut (sorry Senhor!) to join this. Eh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't think long at all!

 

[tzznandrew]

Yeah, no kidding. That is a very good football division and OUTSTANDING basketball pod, if pods are kept for basketball scheduling purposes. I would think long and hard about cutting off my left nut (sorry Senhor!) to join this. Eh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't think long at all!

It sort of wouldn't be fair...at least for basketball. I guess it depends on who the partner is. Let's just say it's Kansas.

The other side would be:

Kansas
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue

I think you'd probably have to flip Northwestern-Indiana, or Purdue-Michigan State, to balance off the basketball...even with Kansas there, because only Kansas and Wisconsin have solid basketball histories on that side, as opposed to UConn, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, and even Maryland on the other.

And if it were not Kansas, but some school like Mizzou...you just couldn't have one side stacked that heavily.

 

[Dooley]

It sort of wouldn't be fair...at least for basketball. I guess it depends on who the partner is. Let's just say it's Kansas.

The other side would be:

Kansas
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue

I think you'd probably have to flip Northwestern-Indiana, or Purdue-Michigan State, to balance off the basketball...even with Kansas there, because only Kansas and Wisconsin have solid basketball histories on that side, as opposed to UConn, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, and even Maryland on the other.

And if it were not Kansas, but some school like Mizzou...you just couldn't have one side stacked that heavily.

Agreed. But to get us out of the AAC, I'd swallow the unbalanced basketball schedule! But yes, the eastern basketball pod would be ridiculous. The energy inside Gampel would be Syracuse/Pitt/Louisville intense.

 

[Adios]

The SEC can handle the SEC West for football. The B1G can handle the B1G East for basketball. And it would make them insane amounts of money from basketball and football.

 

[DDaileyuconn]

You pointed it out in a different thread but it should be said again. I get BC wanting to keep us out to an extent. The lawsuit, the harshwords, Blumenthal's rhetoric, etc. RU and SU fans sharing similar sentiments doesn't make sense to me. SU is hoping UConn becomes irrelevant, RU is I don't know what they're hoping for truthfully. I think they somehow think if UConn BBall fades they will emerge as Northeast BBall power.

None of those things make sense to me. BC is struggling with attendance big time. UConn games would get them sell outs for those games.

LIke you said other parts of the country live for local rivalries. Our nearby rivals just want UConn to wither away on the vine. Their desire to not want to compete is sad.

BC has Notre Dame backing, that's Y

 

[Dooley]

This popped up on my Yahoo fantasy baseball page (yes, I am a fantasy geek)...

Yahoo Sports Fantasy Baseball
in partnership with MLB.com

Nice to see UPS giving us some props.

 

[BlueWhiteOrange]

The acc is a basketball conference first. Pitt, cuse, Lousiville are all better basketball schools than football schools right now. When duke played cuse, espn made a huge deal out of it both times and it got great ratings. But north Carolina is not benefitting from these new additions. The acc is about duke and Carolina, and Carolina is not getting theirs. UConn could be to Carolina what cuse is to duke. Have Carolina play UConn in MSG every year, get an instant rivalry, promote the hell out of it and get great ratings. None of the new additions to the acc will give you anywhere near what UConn can in this game. Sell this.

 

[ZooCougar]

The acc is a basketball conference first. Pitt, cuse, Lousiville are all better basketball schools than football schools right now. When duke played cuse, espn made a huge deal out of it both times and it got great ratings. But north Carolina is not benefitting from these new additions. The acc is about duke and Carolina, and Carolina is not getting theirs. UConn could be to Carolina what cuse is to duke. Have Carolina play UConn in MSG every year, get an instant rivalry, promote the hell out of it and get great ratings. None of the new additions to the acc will give you anywhere near what UConn can in this game. Sell this.

I like the way you think.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

The theory has been that UConn will always be there for the taking. Winning both titles this year may be the one thing that changes that. The Big 10 hasn't won the title in 15 years. Delany saw the electricity of UConn playing in Madison Square Garden with his own eyes. Then there is the ACC who wants to claim that they are the premier basketball conference in the country. Both conferences want to claim NYC. The Big 10 has a TV contract coming up. Hopefully, both conferences are eying one another and one blinks.

I think the the Dual titles created cognitive dissonance among the decision makers.
The ACC may not want us but they don't want us in the B1G even more.
The steps for the B1G are clearly outlined but could the timing required for these methodical steps cause us to be grabbed by the ACC first.
In short it's a good thing.

 

[Gfunk]

It sort of wouldn't be fair...at least for basketball. I guess it depends on who the partner is. Let's just say it's Kansas.

The other side would be:

Kansas
Nebraska
Iowa
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Purdue

I think you'd probably have to flip Northwestern-Indiana, or Purdue-Michigan State, to balance off the basketball...even with Kansas there, because only Kansas and Wisconsin have solid basketball histories on that side, as opposed to UConn, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, and even Maryland on the other.

And if it were not Kansas, but some school like Mizzou...you just couldn't have one side stacked that heavily.

Even though I root for Sparty in hoops, I'm loyal to the BIG West & Minnesota for everything else. Your divisional setup is fine.

You're forgetting that Illinois is quite honestly a dormant power, a true underachiever, that could become a powerhouse once they find a way to consistently keep the best of the in-state talent. They're probably the best program TO NOT WIN A NC. That was a great team in 2005, throw in 1989 as well - Michigan finally beat them to win an improbable NC that year. The 89 Flying Illini had destroyed them in two previous games & could have beaten Seton Hall as well. I think Illinois has 5 Final Fours.

Think about this: the last 3 NCs have each had a KEY player hail from Illinois: Anthony Davis, Wayne Blackshear and Boatright - you can go back further an find even more evidence. Schools like Ky, KU and Duke have scored huge recruits out of Illinois for decades.

Lastly, in your proposed division - all but Northwestern have at least one Final Four in their history, though Minnesota's 97 FF was vacated. NW hasn't made the tourney yet - that may change with Chris Collins as coach. He really had them playing competitively by season's end & they do have the Chicago Land pipelines, they just need to mine them.