Candid Coaches: Is it better for UConn to stay in the Big East or try to join the Big 12 or ACC?

[temery]

Wonder if this thread will finally settle the argument once and for all?

Never.

 

[BGesus4]

If the Pac-12 fully dissolves, that is one less major basketball league to compete with regarding TV slots. If there are only 5 major basketball conferences, we will definitely be on TV.

Was the pac12 competing for our time slots?

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Sooner we get out of the Big East the better unless UConn FB only goes into something like PAC as temporary solution

 

[August_West]

Sooner we get out of the Big East the better

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Wonder if this thread will finally settle the argument once and for all?

I'm confused by your punctuation.

Is your post a question posed to others as to whether they wonder if this thread will finally settle the argument once and for all, or a statement about you wondering the same.

If it's the latter, then why is did you include a question mark?

If you intended your post to be the question you posed, I can answer that I do not wonder if this thread will finally settle the argument once and for all.

As long as people post annoying comments about punctuation, we'll never fully resolve our differences of opinion in this forum. I'm willing to concede that punctuation may not be the reason for this.

 

[shizzle787]

Was the pac12 competing for our time slots?

The 9 pm slot

 

[JohnFSilver]

This was a ridiculous article.

We have hoops coaches, upset over what football is doing to their sport, weighing in on UConn and what they should do.

How about they ask 100 athletic directors.

I like Matt, always a good guy and a good hoops guy, and Parish is all right.

But why not ask these same people if Syracuse and Boston College should leave ACC. Or, if, UNC should leave acc for big 10.

These guys will be the first to bury UConn.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

If the Pac-12 fully dissolves, that is one less major basketball league to compete with regarding TV slots. If there are only 5 major basketball conferences, we will definitely be on TV.

Albeit with 930/10pm ET tipoffs.

 

[hank970]

If an invitation to the ACC comes before an invitation to the B12, you take it. More money is more money.

I'll be interested in seeing 1st year ratings of games involving the new B12 additions. I don't think they're going to do well.

You're probably right. The B12's new additions are likely going to struggle against better competition for a while, and ratings might suffer. But what about years two and three and four, and beyond? They'll catch up, and they'll be pocketing cash. Short-term thinking is what prompted UConn to opt for the Big East instead of toughing it out in the AAC and building its football program. Thus, this thread...

 

[Sea Goat]

I would stay in the Big East, and keep playing an interesting football schedule, trying to attract dissatisfied 2nd and 3rd stringers from P4 schools through the transfer portal. Try to pick up a Randy Moss and a Tony Romo.

What does the Easter Bunny say?

 

[Sea Goat]

Let's have a list of coaches and how they voted, please. It's hard enough in this environment to believe someone who looks you in the eye with their name tag on. The bottom line remains - football dies if we stay in the BE. Further, there will be a distinct and growing shortage of funds to operate our athletic department. The BE is fine for all the other members. But staying put there for UConn hurts the entire athletic department, not just football. Sure the BIG would be the grand slam option. We would just have to convince the BIG that we won't screw it up like Rutgers has. This is unlikely, however.

Other than that, I think even if we end up in a depleted ACC, we would be better off. No doubt FSU and Clemson want out of the ACC.
Their boards show disdain for the ACC given that it will pay them about $30mm less than Vanderbilt gets this year. They have 7 votes to terminate the ACC's GOR and they only need one more. There is rank bitterness at FSU, Clemson and others over the performance of some of our former conference mates. FSU and Clemson see the SEC members getting nearly double the conference payout than the ACC pays. So the ACC will be much different soon enough IMO. A reconstituted ACC can have the best BB in the country as well as a lower tier of football, but still profitable. I do think the prestige league of 28 teams (see thread herein) is possible, but more likely I see 18-20 member SEC and BIG conferences. That leaves a lot of teams on the outside looking in. If we are good at one thing, it is being on the outside looking in...

 

[John]

I could care less what other basketball coaches think about our situation, but would be very interested to hear what other athletic directors would have to say.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I have a strong suspicion that the audience that received the question was selected by how they felt they would answer.

CBS Sports would not deliver a message that would support us looking for a new conference. They get overflow basketball games from our FOX deal (IIRC, they also get stray weekend games on actual CBS) and they have our (rising in profile) football games at the cost of a matinee and a medium popcorn. Best part of that is they have automatic renewals, so even if the program could demand a fair broadcast contract, it won't be up for negotiation.

 

[Rico444]

I have a strong suspicion that the audience that received the question was selected by how they felt they would answer.

This is overthinking it. Parrish and Norlander are basketball writers, so of course they're going to poll basketball coaches.

 

[storrsroars]

You're probably right. The B12's new additions are likely going to struggle against better competition for a while, and ratings might suffer. But what about years two and three and four, and beyond? They'll catch up, and they'll be pocketing cash. Short-term thinking is what prompted UConn to opt for the Big East instead of toughing it out in the AAC and building its football program. Thus, this thread...

"Toughing it out?" Be serious. We'd not only be stuck in the new all-misfits AAC for football, but also wouldn't be celebrating a fifth NC with AJax going to Cuse. And UConn would truly be irrelevant across the board.

 

[noeynox]

You're probably right. The B12's new additions are likely going to struggle against better competition for a while, and ratings might suffer. But what about years two and three and four, and beyond? They'll catch up, and they'll be pocketing cash. Short-term thinking is what prompted UConn to opt for the Big East instead of toughing it out in the AAC and building its football program. Thus, this thread...

The AAC for UConn was garbage. The former conference USA schools had success because those were their peer schools for decades. UConn was truly a fish out of water in that conference.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There is a lot great basketball talent in the northeast (East Coast - DC, Philly, NYC, Boston). It is very attractive for these players to get to play in Madison Square Garden several times a year, play in DC, Philly, etc. These players don’t want to spent half a year touring Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska. As long as there is good competition in the Big East, UConn will get top talent. The basketball TV contracts will ultimately go to whatever leagues attract the future NBA players. The Big East currently has a fantastic group of coaches, and as long as the Big East retains these coaches, and produces multiple top 25 teams, we are in the best spot for basketball. I think most people who have dreams of changing are thinking with football in mind.

Nice argument, except UConn and Villanova are the only truly strong programs in the Northeast. A superstar kid from Maine is probably going to go to Duke. Meanwhile, our 5 star this year is from Georgia. Things have changed. It's all national now. Flory Bidunga, top 5 kid from Indiana, just announced for Kansas. In the past, IU would lock that kid up.

I'm not saying the American didn't hurt UConn, it did. Mostly because we had a bad coach and because our fans reacted badly, even though we never won the league. Houston had no trouble recruiting. UConn recruiting would be fine in any P4 conference.

 

[JeepCSC]

The AAC for UConn was garbage. The former conference USA schools had success because those were their peer schools for decades. UConn was truly a fish out of water in that conference.

25% of them are now in the Big XII.

 

[noeynox]

25% of them are now in the Big XII.

75% if them are not. Next.

 

[CL82]

Nice argument, except UConn and Villanova are the only truly strong programs in the Northeast. A superstar kid from Maine is probably going to go to Duke. Meanwhile, our 5 star this year is from Georgia. Things have changed. It's all national now. Flory Bidunga, top 5 kid from Indiana, just announced for Kansas. In the past, IU would lock that kid up.

I'm not saying the American didn't hurt UConn, it did. Mostly because we had a bad coach and because our fans reacted badly, even though we never won the league. Houston had no trouble recruiting. UConn recruiting would be fine in any P4 conference.

Our biggest problem was we had a coach you didn't want do the work. I don't dispute that. The modern recruiting game is a very time intensive effort.

That said, the American was absolutely abysmal for us. That doesn't mean that it has to be absolutely abysmal for every other school. The argument that it may not have been a bad fit to school that was 1775 miles away from us, and thus shouldn't have been a bad fit for us is a silly one. We were a geographic outlier with no natural affiliations in that conference. It was a horrible conference for us to compete in and put ridiculous demands upon our coaches and student athletes. At the same time we had a coach who had decided to phone it in after he won a national championship. Both things can be true.

 

[Greedo]

25% of them are now in the Big XII.

We would be on the outside looking in right now whether we stayed in the AAC or not. And if we had stayed we’d be stuck in an absolutely garbage conference at this point. Our independent football schedule is way better than the current AAC. Big East for bball is no contest.

 

[hank970]

"Toughing it out?" Be serious. We'd not only be stuck in the new all-misfits AAC for football, but also wouldn't be celebrating a fifth NC with AJax going to Cuse. And UConn would truly be irrelevant across the board.

That's possible. Or, you might have maintained some semblance of football respectability, fared just as well in basketball, and received an invitation to join the B12 at the expense of another AAC candidate -- one of those commuter schools with the inferior academics that UConn fans are so dismissive of. We'll never know.

 

[Greedo]

That's possible. Or, you might have maintained some semblance of football respectability, fared just as well in basketball, and received an invitation to join the B12 at the expense of another AAC candidate -- one of those commuter schools with the inferior academics that UConn fans are so dismissive of. We'll never know.

No, we know. Staying in the AAC would not have improved any program. Football would be in the same place as today. RE 2.0 still would have sent football into a complete death spiral. Only difference is Jim Mora may not have agreed to coach a team in the AAC, and we’d be stuck with some Bob Diaco retread.

Football would suck and the Big 12 would not want us. The same schools would have still gone.

 

[superjohn]

Nice argument, except UConn and Villanova are the only truly strong programs in the Northeast. A superstar kid from Maine is probably going to go to Duke. Meanwhile, our 5 star this year is from Georgia. Things have changed. It's all national now. Flory Bidunga, top 5 kid from Indiana, just announced for Kansas. In the past, IU would lock that kid up.

I'm not saying the American didn't hurt UConn, it did. Mostly because we had a bad coach and because our fans reacted badly, even though we never won the league. Houston had no trouble recruiting. UConn recruiting would be fine in any P4 conference.

If you don't see how UConn in the Big East is attractive to recruits you're lost. A superstar kid from Maine is deciding between Duke and UConn. Kansas has always pulled top kids from all over the country. Syracuse is a truly strong program.

 

[JeepCSC]

No, we know. Staying in the AAC would not have improved any program. Football would be in the same place as today. RE 2.0 still would have sent football into a complete death spiral. Only difference is Jim Mora may not have agreed to coach a team in the AAC, and we’d be stuck with some Bob Diaco retread.

Football would suck and the Big 12 would not want us. The same schools would have still gone.

Is the thought Mora was in love with the Independent schedule? I get the BE is better for parking basketball, but clearly winning football games in the AAC (even over bad teams) is not detrimental for making a case for the BXII.

It might have been right for UConn to leave the AAC, but it definitely isn’t a clear-cut issue on the football side. Particularly if the messaging people got out of it is that UConn is good to pair with Gonzaga.

 

[JohnFSilver]

That's possible. Or, you might have maintained some semblance of football respectability, fared just as well in basketball, and received an invitation to join the B12 at the expense of another AAC candidate -- one of those commuter schools with the inferior academics that UConn fans are so dismissive of. We'll never know.

I been around program for about 25 years. Yes. UConn didn’t perform. Even if they did. No one would care.

 

[Greedo]

Is the thought Mora was in love with the Independent schedule? I get the BE is better for parking basketball, but clearly winning football games in the AAC (even over bad teams) is not detrimental for making a case for the BXII.

It might have been right for UConn to leave the AAC, but it definitely isn’t a clear-cut issue on the football side. Particularly if the messaging people got out of it is that UConn is good to pair with Gonzaga.

I just think Mora would have seen the AAC as beneath him. But our schedule is also just better than the AAC. This season we have 4 Pwhatever schools. That wouldn’t be achievable without independence. It also matters for fan engagement. UConn fans just didn’t care about the teams in the AAC and attendance plummeted. Getting more Power schools and scheduling schools closer to home like UMass and BC gets more fans to care.

 

[HuskyHawk]

If you don't see how UConn in the Big East is attractive to recruits you're lost. A superstar kid from Maine is deciding between Duke and UConn. Kansas has always pulled top kids from all over the country. Syracuse is a truly strong program.

The Big East isn't more attractive than the Power conferences. Nor less attractive, at the moment. Yes, a superstar kid from Maine is considering not joining the reigning national champion New England school that plays in the Big East. If it was that attractive, he'd be a UConn lock.

You have to go to #46 on this list to find a North East recruit going to a Big East school. Unless you count Solo from MD. The next one I see is Ducharme going to Xavier at #96. I'm not saying the Big East is a negative at all, just that it isn't more appealing than the power conferences.

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[Tampahusky]

When did we leave?

AAC times… that didn’t work out much did it?

 

[CL82]

That's possible. Or, you might have maintained some semblance of football respectability, fared just as well in basketball, and received an invitation to join the B12 at the expense of another AAC candidate -- one of those commuter schools with the inferior academics that UConn fans are so dismissive of. We'll never know.

Hank, you do realize that you are the only person on this board who talks about "inferior schools" "dismissively", right? I mean are you so unhappy with the school you attended? Did you feel that your education was inferior? Is that why you always focus on that point over and over again?

I hope your reply. I think talking it out will help you to feel better about yourself again. Oh, and I want you to know you are absolutely the best Hank 970 that you can be.

I hope that helps!