Crunch time for Herbst/Manuel

[ruskin]

'Positioned correctly' includes A LOT more than having just infrastructure. Politics/personal relationships are almost more important than a $50 million football facility and $30 million basketball practice facility and that's what Manuel/Herbst are getting paid for. I'm talking having channels to other presidents/ADs/conference commissioners. Working with politicians like Malloy and Blumenthal; we've seen how the governors and senators in West Virginia and Virginia and elsewhere helped guide their schools' conference journey. I think Herbst was caught flatfooted in 2011 because she trusted some people, namely the Pitt president, that she shouldn't have. I'm hoping she was not trusting Notre Dame this go-round.

 

[upstater]

ACC has also upped its exit fee to $50 million.

Will take a lot of years of somewhat greater SEC money to cover that.

FSU et al ain't going anywhere.

Do the math.
It's not the blockade you think it is. A lot of years? What's a lot?

 

[UConnDan97]

'Positioned correctly' includes A LOT more than having just infrastructure. Politics/personal relationships are almost more important than a $50 million football facility and $30 million basketball practice facility and that's what Manuel/Herbst are getting paid for. I'm talking having channels to other presidents/ADs/conference commissioners. Working with politicians like Malloy and Blumenthal; we've seen how the governors and senators in West Virginia and Virginia and elsewhere helped guide their schools' conference journey. I think Herbst was caught flatfooted in 2011 because she trusted some people, namely the Pitt president, that she shouldn't have. I'm hoping she was not trusting Notre Dame this go-round.

Well, unless you have evidence that she has not worked with our politicians and other presidents / ADs (which I'm assuming you don't have evidence of), you are really just speaking to the fact that she followed the other Big East presidents to turn down the ESPN tv contract for 11 million each, right?

If that's what you're referring to, then I can't argue with that. I won't buy an argument that it would have kept TCU and WVU from going to the Big12, and I'm not even sure it keeps SyraPitt from going to the ACC, but I won't fault you for that opinion. But I'm not going to judge her negatively until I see evidence that she didn't "position us correctly."

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think what's happening now is the ACC is deciding whether to take a BB school just to get to 16, or to take a FB school in hopes that ND eventually becomes a full time member. The disadvantage of a BB school is if ND joins full time, they're screwed with a 15/1 model that really doesn't work. If they take a FB school and ND never joins, they're stuck with a 15.5/0.5 model that's better but still not that great.

True, but given the scheduling in football with ND that comes along with this deal, couldn't they use those non-conference ND games to make the 15th team work?

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

True, but given the scheduling in football with ND that comes along with this deal, couldn't they use those non-conference ND games to make the 15th team work?

You mean staying pat at 15?

 

[ruskin]

I like Herbst. I want her to succeed. I want Manuel to succeed. I think they're both on the right path and think they only school they're worried about is UConn. But ultimately, unfair as it may be to the both of them, they're both going to be judged on where we end up when the carousel stops. It's a cutthroat business. Believe me, if they both had John Edwards-style evidence on John Swofford I would have no problem with them using it to get us to the right place, wherever that may be.

 

[upstater]

True, but given the scheduling in football with ND that comes along with this deal, couldn't they use those non-conference ND games to make the 15th team work?

I think it would be pretty easy to do.

FSU
Miami
GT
Clemson
Duke
NC ST
UNC

BC
Pitt
Cuse
VT
Maryland
Virginia
WF

6 games inside your division. You need 3 more games in the conference. So, you play 3 from the opposite division, and then 5 teams play ND.

I don't see what the big deal would be. 9 ACC games, you play every team in your division, then have a championship game. How is this any different than what already goes on?

 

[observer]

Do not address me. I care not what you think.

Childish.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Childish.

On the contrary, since your agenda is as transparent as cellophane, what would be the point of discourse between us?

I've borne witness to your character through reading your posts. I'm not impressed. Nobody is missing anything by skipping them.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You mean staying pat at 15?

I meant 15 for Football, leveraging the expected 6 ND games (not as conference games, but as schedule fillers)

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Beg harder.

 

[FASTEDDY]

Why is there no LOVE for UCONN with any of these POWER Conferences? Did we piss in someone's cornflakes?
I just get the sense that we are not at all viewed as an attractive addition and don't seem to fit any conferences criteria.
I hope I am wrong here.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I just get the sense that we are not at all viewed as an attractive addition and don't seem to fit any conferences criteria.

I can't imagine what gave you that idea.

 

[MattMang23]

I'm sick of college sports.

For some reason one of the best college basketball programs, with a top 50 football program, great academics and in a top 30 market can't get into a good league...

 

[06029]

Why is there no LOVE for UCONN with any of these POWER Conferences? Did we piss in someone's cornflakes?
I just get the sense that we are not at all viewed as an attractive addition and don't seem to fit any conferences criteria.
I hope I am wrong here.

As some people like to post on here, Uconn was in trailers 10 years ago. Uconn has been playing FBS football for a nano-second. Those are 100% factual statements. It is also why Uconn has a very small (but dedicated) fan base. It will grow, but even as a public institution, the size of Uconn is not going to grow a traveling and season ticket fan base from alumae by leaps in bounds every year. FB is not a tradition at Uconn. It is becoming one, but today, for the decision makers, Uconn does not have that tradition.

Also, the people making these decisions have the TV numbers for both FB and BB. They know who draws the biggest collective set of eyes and the resulting TV contract $$$. People can post all day long about the numbers that Uconn can bring from outside of CT but there has to be some evidence that Uconn (and RU) do not deliver NYC to any large degree. I do not have any facts to support that conclusion, but is seems pretty apparent based on who has moved and who has not.

 

[ruskin]

To Mang's point the college sports world is salivating/envying the great Longhorn Network Texas has. They are hoping someday to reach 10 million viewers. SNY already reaches 14 million. Someone needs to kick SNY in the butt and tell them to start promoting UConn a lot more agressively.

 

[CL82]

Do not address me. I care not what you think.

Use the ignore function.

 

[uconnell]

As some people like to post on here, Uconn was in trailers 10 years ago. Uconn has been playing FBS football for a nano-second. Those are 100% factual statements. It is also why Uconn has a very small (but dedicated) fan base. It will grow, but even as a public institution, the size of Uconn is not going to grow a traveling and season ticket fan base from alumae by leaps in bounds every year. FB is not a tradition at Uconn. It is becoming one, but today, for the decision makers, Uconn does not have that tradition.

Also, the people making these decisions have the TV numbers for both FB and BB. They know who draws the biggest collective set of eyes and the resulting TV contract $$$. People can post all day long about the numbers that Uconn can bring from outside of CT but there has to be some evidence that Uconn (and RU) do not deliver NYC to any large degree. I do not have any facts to support that conclusion, but is seems pretty apparent based on who has moved and who has not.

_____________________________________________

Pitt sold 89 tickets to their game at Cincinatti(sp) ,they don't travel well but they have TRADITION, same as the Cuse. I call bullsh@t on that. Pitt has not played well in the NCAAs although they have great wins in the BE, the Cuse have won 1 NC. Neither Pitt or Cuse bring their markets. What am I missing?

 

[uconnell]

Use the ignore function.

For whom?

 

[06029]

_____________________________________________

Pitt sold 89 tickets to their game at Cincinatti(sp) ,they don't travel well but they have TRADITION, same as the Cuse. I call bullsh@t on that. Pitt has not played well in the NCAAs although they have great wins in the BE, the Cuse have won 1 NC. Neither Pitt or Cuse bring their markets. What am I missing?

Eyeballs on TV sets.

 

[upstater]

Eyeballs on TV sets.

Care to back this up?

 

[Jericho]

So, ACC for all sports, football joins the MAC?

Why not Big East for football? Yes, I realize this is hypothetical speculation. But if the ACC wanted UConn sports sans football, why not keep football in tge Big East? I know thet Big East would be pissed, but beggars can't be choosers. They need UConn to help keep them relevant (as a flagship state school)

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Why not Big East for football? Yes, I realize this is hypothetical speculation. But if the ACC wanted UConn sports sans football, why not keep football in tge Big East? I know thet Big East would be pissed, but beggars can't be choosers. They need UConn to help keep them relevant (as a flagship state school)

It would absolutely suck for football to be left behind but would be an upgrade for our other sports and keep our bball rivalries alive. I think there is no chance in hell it happens.

Herbst needs to be on the phone with the folks at Louisville, Cinci, and Rutgers trying to put together a package deal for the B12. It's a long shot but really the only shot we have at this point.

 

[EROCK CONN]

It would absolutely suck for football to be left behind but would be an upgrade for our other sports and keep our bball rivalries alive. I think there is no chance in hell it happens.

Herbst needs to be on the phone with the folks at Louisville, Cinci, and Rutgers trying to put together a package deal for the B12. It's a long shot but really the only shot we have at this point.

Exactly. She needs to be doing this with her left hand and with her right hand on the phone with the ACC saying that UConn is ready to jump to the Big 12 and will do so without an invite to the ACC.

An interesting angle to note, Notre Dame essentially just kicked the Big East right in the balls as they just left the conference and did so right before the league was about to sign a deal with NBC. NBC folks must have wanted to lower the price tag as much as the ESPN people did and they were successful.

 

[John Greene]

I'm sick of college sports.

For some reason one of the best college basketball programs, with a top 50 football program, great academics and in a top 30 market can't get into a good league...

Some months ago I repeated comments that came from a person in the SEC office who plays in the same golf dog fight as I do. For what it is worth (maybe nothing) I will summarize again them here. UConn is like a hot girl who is high maintenance. She is great to date but getting married requires a lot more thought. Source of the high maintenance opinion: Reaction to the initial BE split, conflicts between the two strongest personalities in the athletic department.