Commentary Thread for Premium Top-Shelf Tweets

[NYUConn]

That'd be a nice compromise, though it'd be great if we could find a way to shed Tulane and Tulsa.

If there is one thing this round has actually taught me it's that Tulane is actually pretty good company to keep academically. I don't hate having them in our conference, just wish they could be less of a dumpster fire in athletics. Plus always fun to visit New Orleans.

Tulsa should be fired into the Sun.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

If there is one thing this round has actually taught me it's that Tulane is actually pretty good company to keep academically. I don't hate having them in our conference, just wish they could be less of a dumpster fire in athletics. Plus always fun to visit New Orleans.

Tulsa should be fired into the Sun.

I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)

 

[Adios]

I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)

Because UH covers that market. I think.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Re boren's comments on fan excitement. Pro for BYU and UH. Semi-pro for UConn in terms of the basketball prestige. Not sure it affects Cincy (vanilla).

 

[huskymedic]

Re boren's comments on fan excitement. Pro for BYU and UH. Semi-pro for UConn in terms of the basketball prestige. Not sure it affects Cincy (vanilla).

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h 2 hours ago
Boren in weighing Big 12 candidates-Do they add financial strength? Do they add athletic/academic strength? Do they add athletic excitement?

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h2 hours ago
Boren: "I'm also listening to fans, not just to our coaches & AD ... How do they feel about it? Are they excited about the expansion pool?"

 

[huskymedic]

>>Boren said that while the pro rata bumps are motivation for expansion, they're also a concern. "We do have a relationship to maintain, not only short term, but long term with the networks," Boren said. "When you have a partnership and you have a friendship, it isn't just for today, it's long term. And I think you have to think about long-term implications in any action we take. If we were to expand by two teams, four teams, that has financial implications for the networks. I think we have to see if that adds to the long-term stability or not."<<

 

[Jimbo]

And right now everyone wants ESPN and Fox to help destroy the American by funding and pushing UConn.

So it's a bit hypocritical to be all bent out of shape. It was really Pittsburgh who screwed everyone anyway. They pushed for turning down the contract - which was the motivation to add them.

I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.

 

[whaler11]

I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.

And I'm sure Pitt would say the same thing about what they did.

It's everyone looking out for themselves and not being concerned about anyone else.

ESPN offered the Big East money that was more than fair. The schools turned it down - was ESPN just supposed to pay them more because they said no?

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h 2 hours ago
Boren in weighing Big 12 candidates-Do they add financial strength? Do they add athletic/academic strength? Do they add athletic excitement?

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h2 hours ago
Boren: "I'm also listening to fans, not just to our coaches & AD ... How do they feel about it? Are they excited about the expansion pool?"

At least he didn't refer to the fans as the "launchpad".

 

[Ha Who]

Any conference that seriously listens to fans deserves their fate.

 

[VPDcurt]

I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.

I'm pretty sure UConn could care less about the fate of the American if we were to leave. And it is about money - maybe not necessarily greed which is a bit excessive - but definitely about money. Our long-term survival depends on one thing - money.

 

[TRest]

Any conference that seriously listens to fans deserves their fate.

If you polled B12 fans they would all only want to play UT and OU in football every week.

 

[Kolumbo]

Eric Bailey ‏@EricBaileyTW 2h 2 hours ago
Boren in weighing Big 12 candidates-Do they add financial strength? Do they add athletic/academic strength? Do they add athletic excitement?

Yes!
Hell Yes!
!!

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

Yes!
Hell Yes!
!!

Hoping he carefully chose the words athletic excitement as opposed to football excitement

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I get the academic side of it but my god they're bad at everything. I mean, why not add Rice too? They suck but have great academics. (I'm not advocating this!!!!)

Because Tulane is in New Orleans and Rice isn't. Good football or not, having the excuse to grab a few buddies for a weekend in the French Quarter away from the misses and kids is worth it.

 

[BlueDogs]

I understand the sentiment, but we don't need more lawsuits. Blumenthal did enough damage by taking that route. I just hope we end up in the Big 12 or, better yet, the B1G. Then the ACC, their duplicitous and useless collection of former BE members and the entirety of ESPN can settle beneath the waves, preferably stern first.

You're right for the very reason why a case should be made. There is no doubt a well funded litigation team could lay out a significant case against the evil empire for tortious interference. There is no political appetite because of the repurcussions of being blackballed....which is precisely the reason redress to the courts is ultimately needed to fix a broken system.

 

[Jimbo]

And I'm sure Pitt would say the same thing about what they did.

It's everyone looking out for themselves and not being concerned about anyone else.

ESPN offered the Big East money that was more than fair. The schools turned it down - was ESPN just supposed to pay them more because they said no?

No, of course not (and I agree that the money was more than fair). But ESPN could simply have let the Big East walk away from the table and try its luck negotiating with some other TV partner. Instead it opted to bankroll the Big East's destruction at the hands of the ACC. I understand that every party will act in its own interest, and doubtless ESPN was doing the same, but still, some self-interested moves are necessary and some aren't. I don't believe for a second that killing the Big East was essential to ESPN's long-term survival, whereas leaving the American probably is essential to UConn's. Hence my original point (which I won't belabor beyond this post) that I personally don't find it hypocritical to be indignant about the former scenario while condoning the latter.

 

[Jimbo]

Any conference that seriously listens to fans deserves their fate.

I had the same reaction, but I suspect (and hope) Boren is paying lip service to "listening to our fans" and plans to make whatever decision for Oklahoma he would have made anyway, regardless of the fans' input.

 

[gioff23]

Not sure what his message is, but mindful of the OU-UT relationship, he could be saying our fans have zero interest in being part of a conference that is essentially comprised of TX schools. Said differently, no Houston

 

[upstater]

I disagree about the hypocrisy because I don't think the two situations are remotely equivalent. The ACC/ESPN set out to kill the Big East out of greed. UConn is trying to exit the American, not kill it, and not out of greed but rather a desire for long-term survival.

The B12 is not looking at the American as competition it wants to destroy. The ACC looked at the BigEast as exactly that. So you're right. The two situations aren't comparable.

Consider, the ACC wanted to be known as the top bball conference. But the Big East stood in the way.
The ACC took Miami, BC, VT, Syracuse & Pitt, 5 of the 8 or 9 FB schools pre-2004. That's over 50% of the conference.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

And I'm sure Pitt would say the same thing about what they did.

It's everyone looking out for themselves and not being concerned about anyone else.

ESPN offered the Big East money that was more than fair. The schools turned it down - was ESPN just supposed to pay them more because they said no?

ESPN did pay them more, A LOT MORE.

The problem with your logic is that ESPN probably could have gotten away with paying a 17 team Big East $150 million a year. Instead, it ended up paying about the same amount for a lot less content. ESPN now only has Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, Notre Dame basketball, part of Rutgers, part of TCU and part of West Virginia from the Big East. It lost the foundation of its winter basketball coverage, put FS1 in business as a college sports network, brought the BTN into New York, and devalued the three remaining properties that it held onto (USF, Cincinnati and UConn). It also tipped the first domino that may take down the Big 12 also. If big time college athletics gets any more concentrated, it risks becoming a niche sport. ESPN also severely damaged the flagship university of a state that has given them over $100 million in tax credits, just as ESPN's business model is collapsing and it needs all the friends it can get.

14 of the 17 Big East schools DOUBLED the payout that ESPN offered them in 2011. ESPN's offer was clearly a lowball, and most of the Big East made the correct decision in turning it down. Sponsoring the ACC raid on the Big East was a stupid business decision that looks like it was emotionally driven to teach the Big East a lesson, and which backfired badly.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Not sure what his message is, but mindful of the OU-UT relationship, he could be saying our fans have zero interest in being part of a conference that is essentially comprised of TX schools. Said differently, no Houston

No likely. I think the fans want Houston and BYU, tolerate UC and don't want UConn, except maybe KU fans.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

>>Boren said that while the pro rata bumps are motivation for expansion, they're also a concern. "We do have a relationship to maintain, not only short term, but long term with the networks," Boren said. "When you have a partnership and you have a friendship, it isn't just for today, it's long term. And I think you have to think about long-term implications in any action we take. If we were to expand by two teams, four teams, that has financial implications for the networks. I think we have to see if that adds to the long-term stability or not."<<

Breaking: The Big 12 may not expand. Got it.

There are a lot of programs that are only in P5 leagues because 40 years ago they were in a league that became a P5 league. The problem for the Big 12 is that at least half their programs fall into that category. UConn, Cincinnati, BYU and Houston would all be upgrades for the Big 12, particularly when measured by things like market size and athletic success. The problem for the Big 12 and the expansion candidates is that some of the schools probably do not see it that way, and some of the other schools do not care what happens to the Big 12.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

That'd be a nice compromise, though it'd be great if we could find a way to shed Tulane and Tulsa.

You could add a couple of west coast teams, maybe Fresno State and UNLV.

 

[MountainMan]

Breaking: The Big 12 may not expand. Got it.

There are a lot of programs that are only in P5 leagues because 40 years ago they were in a league that became a P5 league. The problem for the Big 12 is that at least half their programs fall into that category. UConn, Cincinnati, BYU and Houston would all be upgrades for the Big 12, particularly when measured by things like market size and athletic success. The problem for the Big 12 and the expansion candidates is that some of the schools probably do not see it that way, and some of the other schools do not care what happens to the Big 12.

I hate to break it to you but even lowly ISU is a P-5 school in every way imaginable when you look at the data. ISU has a 75 Million $ AD that requires less than 3% subsidy to operate. They have excellent fan support across the board and I believe enrollment is over 35k. They are a P-5 program in every sense. Just expanded the stadium to over 60k during a bad run of football.

If ISU was available for expansion they would get in ahead of Cinci, BYU, or Houston. It's hard to imagine but ISU and KSU have much better AD's than schools like Colorado or Utah so comparing them to Houston and Cincy is just ridiculous as they require the state to write a check for half the AD budget because they can't raise any money, have terrible ticket sales, lack donations, and are just welfare AD's.

Kansas State Big 12 $75,323,278 $67,316,209 $862,680 1.15
Iowa State Big 12 $75,283,516 $75,209,309 $2,044,400 2.72
Connecticut AAC $72,155,789 $72,062,423 $28,070,681 38.90
Rutgers Big Ten $70,558,935 $70,558,935 $23,803,903 33.74
Colorado Pac-12 $67,852,236 $65,273,311 $12,216,734 18.00
Utah Pac-12 $62,441,552 $58,734,014 $8,799,939 14.09
Cincinnati AAC $52,536,185 $51,717,370 $23,182,129 44.13
Houston AAC $44,815,210 $45,437,942 $25,994,014 58.00

For example lets imagine if UConn, Cinci, and Houston got in the Big 12 and received a 25 Million $ payout to offset subsidy. Compare apples to apples as a p-5 program. Becomes really clear that UConn, ISU, and KSU are the only P-5 AD's on that list with Colorado being close but still too poor and requires too much subsidy to operate. When you look at it that way UConn fits right in the Big 12.

KSU 75 Million $ AD with less than 1 Million Subsidy
ISU 75 Million $ AD. 2 Million Subsidy
UConn 72 Million $ AD. 3 Million Subsidy
Rutgers 70 Million AD 28 Million Subsidy
Colorado 67 Million $ AD 12 Million Subsidy
Cinci 54 Million $ AD with 0 Subsidy
Houston 44 Million $ AD with 0 Subsidy