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

[HuskylnSC]

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

Texas brings a lot of money and a probable win for many SEC teams. Clemson, not so much money and probably a loss for most SEC schools. It shouldn't be too hard to find 3 schools to agree with SCAR.

 

[TC22]

Texas brings a lot of money and a probable win for many SEC teams. Clemson, not so much money and probably a loss for most SEC schools. It shouldn't be too hard to find 3 schools to agree with SCAR.

I hope you're right. I really do. The one advantage we have over Clemson right now is SEC money. I do think the ACC is going to expand too and I don't think Clemson wants out - it's too easy for them to get to the play-off. We shall see what transpires over the next few weeks.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

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

Mabey they want one of the premier academic state schools in the nation, and which also fields a division one football team, a great baseball program, one the best men’s basketball programs in the history of the NCAA, and the best women’s basketball program in the history of college athletics, and several other solid men’s and women’s athletic programs. Beautiful new fields and facilities, and an AD who has reinvigorated the UConn brand. When you see people walking down streets all over the world and you see several UConn shirts and hats, that’s something. It’s a no brainer, that if the Big 12 or another P5 conf invites UConn, attendance at league games in men’s and women’s basketball goes up across the board, and recruitment gets a pop as well.

 

[Cuango]

I know this mostly revolves around football, but it does seem like the Big 12 minus two key players is in danger of not being considered a Power 5 conference. If they raid a couple of mediocre programs from other conferences they may just move to last on the Power 5 list, but I could see the possibility of further defections, particularly if the Texas/Oklahoma potential replacements are not impressive. Geographically the Big 12 is a little vulnerable, being kinda in the middle. It would not be unreasonable to add westernmost schools to the Pac12, northern to the BIG, and further eastern schools in the conference to the SEC or ACC.

A basketball school like Baylor could even consider joining the remaining Power 4 conferences, or even joining the Big East. If you take away one more basketball school from the Big 12 and switch them to the Big East at least from a basketball standpoint the conferences might be about even.

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.

“That’s way harsh, Tai!”

 

[Oracle9]

When considering UConn for conference alignment I take issue with one thing. This "pooh poohing" of their academics. I understand that some school's history were built around academic reps and became academic institutions that built sports reps. Just some nuggets:
1.The Dental school is ranks 8th in academic research.
2.Tied for 9th w/ Princeton for research output. ( By the way Uconn is a tier 1 research institution the highest Carnegie Mellon rating for a University) They ranked in the top 10 w/ other powerhouses such as Mellon and MIT.
3. 9th in the nation producing Fulbright scholars.
4.Their Physics department is award winning w/ top faculty so is their Engineering program
5.Their Med school graduates first time pass rate is 96%
6.Their Business programs notably their MBA and Finace are ranked among the best in the country. ( #77 Globally)
Their Communications & Media studies is also one of the tops in the country.
7. Uconn is ranked #23 among public uuniversities tied with PState and Rutgers. Ranked ahead of Va. Tech(29) and MState(32), U of Az(40).
I know the football has fallen a lot but these things count towards a school's viability also. UCONN also has good ties with professional sports. They're also in one of the top sports and media market. I don't think they are looking to leave the Big E either but I wouldn't discount them as a program that a conference wouldn't consider.
Just a note

 

[D J B]

When considering UConn for conference alignment I take issue with one thing. This "pooh poohing" of their academics. I understand that some school's history were built around academic reps and became academic institutions that built sports reps. Just some nuggets:
1.The Dental school is ranks 8th in academic research.
2.Tied for 9th w/ Princeton for research output. ( By the way Uconn is a tier 1 research institution the highest Carnegie Mellon rating for a University) They ranked in the top 10 w/ other powerhouses such as Mellon and MIT.
3. 9th in the nation producing Fulbright scholars.
4.Their Physics department is award winning w/ top faculty so is their Engineering program
5.Their Med school graduates first time pass rate is 96%
6.Their Business programs notably their MBA and Finace are ranked among the best in the country. ( #77 Globally)
Their Communications & Media studies is also one of the tops in the country.
7. Uconn is ranked #23 among public uuniversities tied with PState and Rutgers. Ranked ahead of Va. Tech(29) and MState(32), U of Az(40).
I know the football has fallen a lot but these things count towards a school's viability also. UCONN also has good ties with professional sports. They're also in one of the top sports and media market. I don't think they are looking to leave the Big E either but I wouldn't discount them as a program that a conference wouldn't consider.
Just a note

Thank you so much for the time you spent on research. Above and beyond.

 

[GoingPostal]

Could Uconn leave the Big East if conference realignment heats up? Of course they could. The bigger question is should They?

My take is they should thank their lucky stars they took a "leap of faith" and went back to their roots and rejoined the Big East. Is it the Big East we all remember? No. But It's head and shoulders better than what they left.

Some of the rivalries with the "old" Big East remain but the new rivalries are still intriguing.

The Big 12 (?) Is imploding. Maybe Houston or Cinncinatti will replace TX and OK but really, who cares? Houston and Cinncinattii were simply two wins for Uconn, let's move on.

I love the Big East. Call me nostalgic but the majority of the teams are actually in the East and their natural rivals, so bring on Seton Hall, Providence, St John's, etc.

We've got it good. Let's enjoy it.

 

[Oracle9]

Thank you so much for the time you spent on research. Above and beyond.

You're welcome!

 

[CL82]

Could Uconn leave the Big East if conference realignment heats up? Of course they could. The bigger question is should They?

My take is they should thank their lucky stars they took a "leap of faith" and went back to their roots and rejoined the Big East. Is it the Big East we all remember? No. But It's head and shoulders better than what they left.

Some of the rivalries with the "old" Big East remain but the new rivalries are still intriguing.

The Big 12 (?) Is imploding. Maybe Houston or Cinncinatti will replace TX and OK but really, who cares? Houston and Cinncinattii were simply two wins for Uconn, let's move on.

I love the Big East. Call me nostalgic but the majority of the teams are actually in the East and their natural rivals, so bring on Seton Hall, Providence, St John's, etc.

We've got it good. Let's enjoy it.

FYI, the Big 10 makes over $50M per school in media rights money, the SEC makes over $40M per school, the ACC makes over $30M per school. The Big East? About $4M per school. That differential is likely to grow. Eventually it will mean that the university of Connecticut and other Big East schools will not be able to afford top coaches and top facilities.

Should UConn make a move if it got the opportunity to go to a stable P5 conference? Absolutely, if we intend to continue to have our teams complete at the highest level.

Stable is the keyword here, so not the BIg12. I wouldn’t worry about it, though. I don’t think an offer is likely to come.

 

[Littlemin]

Conference realignment is about football, specifically football $, and football $ only, no other sport, academic standing, nor anything else factors in. No secret ESPN (Disney) is behind it as they have been behind virtually all the conference re-alignment, directly or indirectly, with the dominos that fall after they are done with their plotting and maneuvering.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Conference realignment is about football, specifically football $, and football $ only, no other sport, academic standing, nor anything else factors in. No secret ESPN (Disney) is behind it as they have been behind virtually all the conference re-alignment, directly or indirectly, with the dominos that fall after they are done with their plotting and maneuvering.

Really????? Football only??????? Why are Wake Forest, Louisville, Syracuse, BC, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Colorado in P5 conferences? Those schools suck in almost all major college sports? Not to mention football. UConn has 22 National Championships in major college sports. 22!!!! Can any of these schools even come close to matching that??????

 

[broooce]

Really????? Football only??????? Why are Wake Forest, Louisville, Syracuse, BC, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Colorado in P5 conferences? Those schools suck in almost all major college sports? Not to mention football. UConn has 22 National Championships in major college sports. 22!!!! Can any of these schools even come close to matching that??????

UConn has a lot going for it that's for sure. Football looms as a negative for now given the priority this sport has in realignment but I think when it comes to future media contracts that other sports add to year-round programming value. Look how D-1 softball is so popular now, even pulling better ratings than baseball. Lax will continue to grow as its footprint expands across the country - that adds value to an overall contract. I'd like to think that ESPN, being based in CT, has a vested interest if not obligation to ensure that its home state university eventually settles in a terrific conference that can yield it the annual payments of one of the top 3 conferences today.

Someone should be hitting up Disney/ESPN or a famous alum to donate enough money to name the UConn School of Communications that can be a feeder to careers at that company.

 

[Littlemin]

Really????? Football only??????? Why are Wake Forest, Louisville, Syracuse, BC, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Colorado in P5 conferences? Those schools suck in almost all major college sports? Not to mention football. UConn has 22 National Championships in major college sports. 22!!!! Can any of these schools even come close to matching that??????

Syracuse, BC, Louisville were part of the ESPN plan to destroy the BE, period. The others have been members of their current conferences long before any of this garbage, except Colorado, who somewhat fits your otherwise flawed reply.
If you don’t think all of this is about football $, why don’t we talk about a bridge I just put on the market?

 

[Alydar]

A possible silver lining is that Texas may not have the same attraction to in-state recruits whose families will get to see far fewer games in person unless they don't mind travelling to "foreign" lands.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

UConn has a lot going for it that's for sure. Football looms as a huge negative for now given the priority this sport has in realignment but I think when it comes to future media contracts that other sports add to year-round programming value. Look how D-1 softball is so popular now, even pulling better ratings than baseball. Lax will continue to grow as its footprint expands across the country - that adds value to an overall contract. I'd like to think that ESPN, being based in CT, has a vested interest if not obligation to ensure that its home state university eventually settles in a terrific conference that can yield it the annual payments of one of the top 3 conferences today.

Someone should be hitting up Disney/ESPN or a famous alum to donate enough money to name the UConn School of Communications that can be a feeder to careers at that company.

I wouldn’t call the football program a huge negative as long as the athletic Dept, the school in general, and the coaching staff continues to endeavor to improve the program. Though I can’t argue with someone just calling the program a negative and dropping the word “huge”.

 

[broooce]

I wouldn’t call the football program a huge negative as long as the athletic Dept, the school in general, and the coaching staff continues to endeavor to improve the program. Though I can’t argue with someone just calling the program a negative and dropping the word “huge”.

agree and edited. I believe in Randy Edsall and think UConn football is on the right track.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Travel expenses from being in a conference outside the Northeast makes any move impossible. Get used to the Big East.

 

[fireford]

Travel expenses from being in a conference outside the Northeast makes any move impossible. Get used to the Big East.

While I wouldn't expect Uconn to get an offer from the Big 10 or ACC anytime soon, those schools aren't any further away than Creighton, Marquette, and Butler and they'd be getting a bigger payout. So in the off chance the offer comes they're taking it if their net bottom line after travel expenses is bigger than it is now (and it iikely would be).

 

[CL82]

Really????? Football only??????? Why are Wake Forest, Louisville, Syracuse, BC, Kansas, Vanderbilt, and Colorado in P5 conferences? Those schools suck in almost all major college sports? Not to mention football. UConn has 22 National Championships in major college sports. 22!!!! Can any of these schools even come close to matching that??????

23. Don’t forget to he 1948 men’s soccer championship.

 

[TC22]

With the new TV contract for the SEC (including Texas and Oklahoma) each school's cut of JUST the TV revenue is estimated to be $70 mil.

 

[hoopsfan22]

With the new TV contract for the SEC (including Texas and Oklahoma) each school's cut of JUST the TV revenue is estimated to be $70 mil.

The big schools have athletic dept. revenues in the $170 to $240 million range. Don't think we are in that club.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Travel expenses from being in a conference outside the Northeast makes any move impossible. Get used to the Big East.

Doesn’t seem to bother BC or Syracuse flying all over the eastern third of the country. Not to mention a few OOC trips to Texas, sunny California or Hawaii.

 

[Tank]

It would be a great thing if UConn was invited to the ACC or BIG. Except it's not gonna happen. First, we don't really know what is going to happen with Texas and Oklahoma. If they do opt to move, the dominos will fall in the big 12 and in the other P5 conferences. The AAC could become stronger, or they can get weaker. Clemson has been threatening to move recently, and Georgia Tech could be right behind them. If UConn was still in the AAC then this could present an opportunity, but the move to the BE was celebrated by us and the conference. Trying to leave now would not help UConns Rep, and they would be looked upon as a bad partner. If Randy can bring back the football program we would have a chance next time someone wants to make a move. This year will be critical for the football team, especially since there are a number of P5 teams on the schedule, including Clemson. As far as teams joining the BE, Kansas has a poor football program and may want to look into an independent schedule. All in all, Uconn has to sit this one out and become an observer until they are also financially sound. They are not ready to move anywhere.

No university gets an invitation to the SEC, ACC, B1G or the PAC12 unless they have a big time football program. Big time as in financially attractive to ESPN. FB pays the bills, always has. Those conferences are not looking to add new members that don’t “pay their way”.

The B1G paid out $54million to each of its 14 members last year. They aren’t dividing the pie more unless a new member(s) can bring the kind of pull needed to renegotiate the TV deal so that revenue and payments go up, not down. Think ND. Don’t think UCONN.

Same for the ACC, which paid $34million to each member, it’s ND or they take a hard pass. They don’t want to divide their pie into more pieces either unless the new member will pay their own way by enticing a new tv deal with ESPN. WV does not move the needle for ESPN, and only gets an ACC invite if ND enters first.

The SEC is getting ready to pay it’s members $61 million each. Once Texas/OU are officially in, that is expected to be renegotiated with ESPN to approximately $70million each, because Texas and OU bring big time FB programs to the table. They “pay their way” and add to the pie.

UCONN isn’t going to get any invites into conferences like that because they would be revenue draining rather than revenue adding. The schools in the last 4 major conferences already dwarf all others in revenue and annual payments to member schools. This will widen much much more as time goes by.

If anyone thinks that those riches won’t find their way into the NIL system for student athletes they are kidding themselves.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

While I wouldn't expect Uconn to get an offer from the Big 10 or ACC anytime soon, those schools aren't any further away than Creighton, Marquette, and Butler and they'd be getting a bigger payout. So in the off chance the offer comes they're taking it if their net bottom line after travel expenses is bigger than it is now (and it iikely would be).

If UConn got an offer from the ACC or Big 10, or even a diluted Big 12, they’d leave the Big East faster than an X-15. With football being the linchpin.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

23. Don’t forget to he 1948 men’s soccer championship.

Anything pre August of 1973 doesn’t count as an NCAA Championship