Could UConn leave the Big East if conference realignment revs up again?

[hoophuskee]

Why would any mega-conference want UConn? For its awesome football program? Academic prestige? For its basketball programs neither of which has won anything in the better part of a decade? And when Geno's contract is up in a few years and he retires our most prominent brand is gonna get double tapped. Or maybe it's the TV market which is mostly a pro-sports market? The mega-conferences are gonna be formed by those already in the P5.

Because they could be better than Boston College, Rutgers and Syracuse. Not saying they will be - but can be.

Let's face it-- Boston College has been a joke. And there was a time when UCONN during Edsall's 1st run that he was very even with Rutgers while Syracuse was tanking. When CT was part of a sub-par but not terrible Big East Conference -- UCONN competed very well with Rutgers and Syracuse. What makes you think if they ever did get into it again - and if they had a fine coach they couldn't compete with some of the ACC teams?

Why should we ignore that during that Edsall time - UCONN showed they weren't so awful?

 

[triaddukefan]

The ACC may not fare much better. The B1G is looking at UNC and UVA. The SEC is looking at Clemson and FSU. If realignment does affect the ACC, you have to think that WVU and maybe The Yooo would be looking for a soft place to land.

Football vs basketball. The ACC has become the old BE.

Nonsense.

 

[SoFla Steve]

Nonsense.

It's coming.

 

[triaddukefan]

It's coming.

Ok buddy.

 

[CL82]

Really someone explain why another league would want UCONN to join?

Off the top of my head:

1. Four men’s basketball national championships in the last 22 years.
2. 23 National championships, if you include soccer in 1948. Now, before anyone says no one cares about women’s basketball, which I disagree, and women’s field hockey, which I pretty much agree with, keep in mind that 23 national championships is an indication of a healthy athletic department. Yeah, woman’s field hockey doesn’t drive the bus, but having success across multiple sports is noteworthy.
3. Having the 33rd overall media market and being a part of the New York city DMA. I agree the metric is shifting away from broadcast TV being the definitive statement of value, but those things are both good things.
4. While we’re talking about New York City, the fact that you can’t fans show up to games, and especially in MSG also is noteworthy and has value.
5. Brand value. UConn is a known national brand. And that drives eyeballs, which in turn contributes to value.
6. I can’t remember which poster it was who pointed out that there are approximately 11 million people within a 2.5 hour of UConn. Why does that matter? Arguably, they are all potential viewers, but practically speaking it is equally important that in that group there are many other alumni of other institutions. Playing games against UConn gives those schools the opportunity for outreach to those alumni.
7. Let’s talk women’s basketball. Posters love to write off its significance but keep in mind that their games regularly draw more than many DI men’s teams and have drawn more than pro sports. Someone must be watching. That is definitely noteworthy. Also keep in mind that while most women’s basketball teams play in front of empty arenas Connecticut fills up arena even on the road. They also have incredible brand value. Does that get us into a conference? Of course not. But it can’t be discounted as having no value either.
8. Despite being located in a relatively small state Connecticut as fans who are pretty rabid and will likely subscribe in order to get digital access to games, even for sports that are not traditionally revenue producing like baseball and hockey. And digital subscribers are the next cash cow for conferences.
9. Facilities. Gampel, the Werth Champions Center, Burton, Shenkman, Elliot Ballpark, the new softball and soccer fields and the new hockey arena that we are building are all first class facilities appropriate for an elite DI institution. Unlike a lot of other schools Connecticut wouldn’t need to spend millions upgrading their facilities in order to be able to compete. That has considerable value. The Rent is a little small, it is easily upgradable to a 50,000 seat arena. We would do it in a heartbeat if it meant admission to a P5 conference. It also is a great venue to see a game, with great site lines from literally every seat and can be incredibly loud when fans are given a reason to cheer. The tailgating around the stadium in the old airfields is excellent. Overall, it’s a pretty nice venue.
10. We play all the revenue sports that any conference would be interested in. Sure, footballs had a bad eight years, but we still play it, well except for last year, but let’s not get into that.
    
    
11. We are the flag ship land grant institution for our state. In that way, we are more alike to most of the P5 schools than we are to the G5 schools.
12. UConn is the only game in town for Connecticut. We do not compete with other major universities or other in-state professional teams. That means we are more likely to draw the attention of the 3 million people in our state. Keep in mind though there are many other states with greater landmass, there aren’t all that many that have more people and certainly none that have more people and only one University, and no pro teams.

You’re welcome.

 

[CL82]

If the Big 12 loses TX & OK, they will most certainly want to add 2 teams, for the simple reason that the NCAA requires a conference to have a minimum of 12 teams in football, in order to hold a conference championship game, which generates millions in revenue for the Big 12.

So they need a couple D1 football schools who are willing to leave their current conference or are currently unaffiliated. Forget the fact that UConn to the Big 12 makes no sense geographically. WV in the Big 12 doesn’t make much sense either. UConn would jump at the chance to join the Big 12. Whether the Big 12 would have any interest in UConn is something of a stretch.

We would have accepted the opportunity to play in the big 12 win Oklahoma and Texas were there. I’m not so sure that we would now that they are leaving. It will be an inherently unstable conference. I don’t get me wrong if we were still in the American we would jump at it in a heartbeat, but now we have to be more careful. Once we leave the Big East there will likely be no returning to it, so we need to leave for our “forever home.“

 

[01Neaggrad02]

Could we go a month without the could, would type of speculation that always occurs? It is funny you cannot talk about player transfer speculation. So why not prevent Conference Realignment Speculation?

 

[oldude]

Could we go a month without the could, would type of speculation that always occurs? It is funny you cannot talk about player transfer speculation. So why not prevent Conference Realignment Speculation?

If the BY goes a month without any speculation, the mods might as well just shut the forum down until September…….

 

[mbr33ct]

If the BY goes a month without any speculation, the mods might as well just shut the forum down until September…….

Didn't read all the posts, did I miss any regarding UConn not playing "tough conference games (AAC/BigEast) in their last 8-10 games of season...for reason they been losing NC's for last 4-5 years?

 

[oldude]

Didn't read all the posts, did I miss any regarding UConn not playing "tough conference games (AAC/BigEast) in their last 8-10 games of season...for reason they been losing NC's for last 4-5 years?

No. This speculation is about potential P5 conference realignment, where UConn could end up, etc.

 

[stamfordhusky]

We would have accepted the opportunity to play in the big 12 win Oklahoma and Texas were there. I’m not so sure that we would now that they are leaving. It will be an inherently unstable conference. I don’t get me wrong if we were still in the American we would jump at it in a heartbeat, but now we have to be more careful. Once we leave the Big East there will likely be no returning to it, so we need to leave for our “forever home.“

The new Big 12 may look very much like the AAC. Would be a very bad move, and is not happening.

 

[broooce]

Off the top of my head:

1. Four men’s basketball national championships in the last 22 years.
2. 23 National championships, if you include soccer in 1948. Now, before anyone says no one cares about women’s basketball, which I disagree, and women’s field hockey, which I pretty much agree with, keep in mind that 23 national championships is an indication of a healthy athletic department. Yeah, woman’s field hockey doesn’t drive the bus, but having success across multiple sports is noteworthy.
3. Having the 33rd overall media market and being a part of the New York city DMA. I agree the metric is shifting away from broadcast TV being the definitive statement of value, but those things are both good things.
4. While we’re talking about New York City, the fact that you can’t fans show up to games, and especially in MSG also is noteworthy and has value.
5. Brand value. UConn is a known national brand. And that drives eyeballs, which in turn contributes to value.
6. I can’t remember which poster it was who pointed out that there are approximately 11 million people within a 2.5 hour of UConn. Why does that matter? Arguably, they are all potential viewers, but practically speaking it is equally important that in that group there are many other alumni of other institutions. Playing games against UConn gives those schools the opportunity for outreach to those alumni.
7. Let’s talk women’s basketball. Posters love to write off its significance but keep in mind that their games regularly draw more than many DI men’s teams and have drawn more than pro sports. Someone must be watching. That is definitely noteworthy. Also keep in mind that while most women’s basketball teams play in front of empty arenas Connecticut fills up arena even on the road. They also have incredible brand value. Does that get us into a conference? Of course not. But it can’t be discounted as having no value either.
8. Despite being located in a relatively small state Connecticut as fans who are pretty rabid and will likely subscribe in order to get digital access to games, even for sports that are not traditionally revenue producing like baseball and hockey. And digital subscribers are the next cash cow for conferences.
9. Facilities. Gampel, the Werth Champions Center, Burton, Shenkman, Elliot Ballpark, the new softball and soccer fields and the new hockey arena that we are building are all first class facilities appropriate for an elite DI institution. Unlike a lot of other schools Connecticut wouldn’t need to spend millions upgrading their facilities in order to be able to compete. That has considerable value. The Rent is a little small, it is easily upgradable to a 50,000 seat arena. We would do it in a heartbeat if it meant admission to a P5 conference. It also is a great venue to see a game, with great site lines from literally every seat and can be incredibly loud when fans are given a reason to cheer. The tailgating around the stadium in the old airfields is excellent. Overall, it’s a pretty nice venue.
10. We play all the revenue sports that any conference would be interested in. Sure, footballs had a bad eight years, but we still play it, well except for last year, but let’s not get into that.
    
    
11. We are the flag ship land grant institution for our state. In that way, we are more alike to most of the P5 schools than we are to the G5 schools.
12. UConn is the only game in town for Connecticut. We do not compete with other major universities or other in-state professional teams. That means we are more likely to draw the attention of the 3 million people in our state. Keep in mind though there are many other states with greater landmass, there aren’t all that many that have more people and certainly none that have more people and only one University, and no pro teams.

You’re welcome.

Couldn't have explained it better, thanks for a thorough analysis.

With today's article in ESPN it begs the question of whether UConn, despite it's national prominence in men's and women's basketball, soccer, field hockey and recent addition of men's hockey ("Olympic sports" as Notre Dame calls these sports, among others) - will we be relegated to second tier status when the realignment dust settles this time around? UConn's sports offerings would make it very attractive to a conference looking to bolster participants in certain sports, and IMO men's (not currently offered) and women's lacrosse would make it very attractive to B1G/Notre Dame (ND plays with B1G in hockey and lax). If Texas & Oklahoma don't join the SEC until the 2025-26 academic year then UConn football has a few more years to make the improvements needed to overcome the only weakness on our resume in order to lure an invitation to a bigger, more financially lucrative conference. Big East can't do it and BE will be hard-pressed to compete with super conferences as mainly a basketball league, IMO.

Answering the biggest questions for Texas, Oklahoma and what comes next

There's a lot to be determined as Texas and Oklahoma take the first steps toward leaving the Big 12. Our reporters break down what we know and what questions remain.

www.espn.com

 

[Fairfield Fan]

The simple answer is that UConn will do whatever brings in the most TV revenue.

 

[willtalk]

The idea of the Super conferences eliminating the NCAA was talked about when Oklahoma and Texas were in a discussion of joining the Pac 12 some years ago. It is more feasible now that the NCAA has lost so much of its teeth and control in the last few years. It does not require two super conferences to get that done. Four major P4 conferences makes it workable. Without Texas and Oklahoma the Big 12 will no longer be a P conference. Oklahoma St and Texas Tech might have a shot at joining the Pac 12 but thats about it.

 

[fireford]

In the end these higher tv revenues that these teams will be getting will be paid by.....you guessed it.....us (aka the fans). Cable prices go up. Streaming prices go up. The fees networks pay to the teams have to be recouped somehow. As long as we are willing to pay the increased prices to watch these games the madness will continue forever.

 

[ocoandasoc]

A good rule in both politics and sports -- even "amateur" sports now -- is to "follow the money." The money comes from football -- from boosters, ticket sales, merchandise. but mostly from the media, and most of the media money now comes from ABC/ESPN/Disney and Fox, but CBS and Comcast/NBC could decide to get more involved. What these media giants want, and what they are willing to pay for it, will be the biggest determining factor in where everything in college football shakes out.

I believe you'll see ESPN engineer some deals that will have TX and OK playing in the SEC (or whatever they rename it) long before 2025. And now that college players can get paid (let's call it what it is!) it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. The SEC or any super conference with a big media deal could guarantee each of their players a certain number of dollars, with star players making more. (Alabama's new quarterback hasn't started a game yet and he's already assured of nearly a million dollars!)

Worried about what the NCAA might say? Don't be. They are virtually irrelevant now when it comes to top level college football. They control every other college sport championship -- but not football. And they are unlikely to be able to control or object to any player, team, or football conference financial arrangements because of recent legal precedent. You thought athletic gear deals were an issue? You're about to see football players and teams sponsoring cars, vacation destinations, cruises, TV shows, events, and all sorts of products. The only upside is that it will become so lucrative for star players that they'll lose the incentive to turn pro early! ("Sure, I'll stay another year coach, if you can guarantee me a million in endorsements!) There are already new sports agencies being formed to handle this universe of new high-earning sports stars. You can expect players to be taking voice and acting lessons to get them more TV-genic.

Where does UConn fit? Well let's start with the elephant -- the football program is almost a national joke and it will be a long road back no matter how much money is spent and I'm not sure that much will be. UConn Football and its fans will continue to pay for the awful mistakes made by the University's sports administrators. There's still an untapped media interest in a good football program in the NY media market. But Rutgers seems a more likely candidate to eventually provide it and, boy, isn't that saying something!

UConn's spot in the Big East is safe, so WBB, MBB and all the other sports should be fine, or at least as fine as they are now, no matter what the football gods do. Geno and his players will be able to take in some promotional dollars on both a local and national scale (unless ESPN moves their HQ!) to a greater extent than almost any other program because they'll continue to have the notoriety and marketing help to do it. It remains to be seen if teams and conferences will try to come up with sharing schemes for player promotional dollars or put some controls on payments to players. (I think they'll have to! "Hey coach, Jen and I can't make practice today because we're shooting a Lincoln dealership commercial.")

Interesting times ahead, for sure.

 

[HuskylnSC]

The ACC may not fare much better. The B1G is looking at UNC and UVA. The SEC is looking at Clemson and FSU. If realignment does affect the ACC, you have to think that WVU and maybe The Yooo would be looking for a soft place to land.

Football vs basketball. The ACC has become the old BE.

Clemson and FSU do not add to the SEC foot print. IF the SEC is looking for two more teams pick two schools with history and a large followings that are not within the current SEC geography. You get the west coast, USC, UCLA, Oregon With UVA an outlier. Then the PAC 12 counters by adding BYU and Utah.

Basketball is the sport least affected by conferences because of the 10-12 OOC games that can be scheduled. A non-power 5 school can still make its mark, i..e., Gonzaga in the men and us for the women and men.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Utah has been in the Pac 12 for a decade.

 

[hoophuskee]

Where does UConn fit? Well let's start with the elephant -- the football program is almost a national joke and it will be a long road back no matter how much money is spent and I'm not sure that much will be. UConn Football and its fans will continue to pay for the awful mistakes made by the University's sports administrators. There's still an untapped media interest in a good football program in the NY media market. But Rutgers seems a more likely candidate to eventually provide it and, boy, isn't that saying something!



Interesting times ahead, for sure.

I am not arguing -- just asking. How hard is it to eventually dethrone Rutgers at some point in the distant future if a school close to them location-wise- whether it be UCONN or other school - if they got an Invitation to the ACC or even B1G ?

 

[ocoandasoc]

I am not arguing -- just asking. How hard is it to eventually dethrone Rutgers at some point in the distant future if a school close to them location-wise- whether it be UCONN or other school - if they got an Invitation to the ACC or even B1G ?

There's a vacuum, and Rutgers hasn't filled it yet. So the door is open, there's nobody to dethrone. But it will still be hard for UConn to be the school/team that does it.

 

[TC22]

Clemson and FSU do not add to the SEC foot print. IF the SEC is looking for two more teams pick two schools with history and a large followings that are not within the current SEC geography. You get the west coast, USC, UCLA, Oregon With UVA an outlier. Then the PAC 12 counters by adding BYU and Utah.

Basketball is the sport least affected by conferences because of the 10-12 OOC games that can be scheduled. A non-power 5 school can still make its mark, i..e., Gonzaga in the men and us for the women and men.

Clemson, as much as I hate it, is a National brand so it does add to the media market. I don’t think Dabo wants in, but the obscene amount of money member Schools will make just off the tv contract makes it tempting for the athletic dept. there. $100 mil is a lot of cash to turn down.

 

[ConwayGmck]

The way the P-5 is teetering on restructuring some independents might have a decent schedule. All those B12 teams have to make up missing conference games.

UConn's hope is for football conferences to merge into a league independent of the NCAA. With football removed UConn would be welcome in any basketball friendly major conference.

What major conference would be left, if all the football conferences merge into a league independent of the NCAA?

 

[HuskylnSC]

Clemson, as much as I hate it, is a National brand so it does add to the media market. I don’t think Dabo wants in, but the obscene amount of money member Schools will make just off the tv contract makes it tempting for the athletic dept. there. $100 mil is a lot of cash to turn down.

SCAR would veto Clemson. They just have to get 3 other schools to agree with them and that won't be difficult.

 

[TC22]

SCAR would veto Clemson. They just have to get 3 other schools to agree with them and that won't be difficult.

I agree SC would LIKE to veto them, much like TAMU tried to veto Texas. We see how well that worked.

 

[Alydar]

What major conference would be left, if all the football conferences merge into a league independent of the NCAA?

I don't see them taking all their sports to the new "league". Just football. And it will be a football league, independent of other sports and independent of the conferences. I also suspect that the TV people (after all it's media $$$ paying for this) may not want entire conferences, just programs that draw viewership.
I'm just speculating but it may be premature to assume that every P5 school will be invited.