Experts Say UConn Should Have Backup Plan As Big 12 Meets Monday To Tackle Expansion

[UConniki]

With our win over cincy in fooseball, we should have leap frogged them for a big12 invite.

We best UL a few days before the ACC picked them over us . It really doesn't matter much unfortunately.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

We best UL a few days before the ACC picked them over us . It really doesn't matter much unfortunately.

True but that year Louisville was actually very good. Cincy looks pretty bad right now (0-3 in AAC is not a great look).

 

[willie99]

let's just win another national championship, and F them all

we have our super star PG, the stage is set

plus we're do

 

[Sky ball]

Back up plan ! This might be it.

The back-up plan should be going to the BiG. The back up, back up plan should be the ACC. If that fails we should go to the back up, back-up, back-up plan and go SEC. If all else fails the final back-up plan is the PAC. We can get there by boat.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Honest question: is there any point at which UConn should consider cutting football?

 

[4in16]

Honest question: is there any point at which UConn should consider cutting football?

No.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Honest question: is there any point at which UConn should consider cutting football?

Only if they decide being athletically irrelevant is the best option.

 

[champs99and04]

Honest question: is there any point at which UConn should consider cutting football?

It'll happen if it's no longer financially viable, which I assume could happen at some point if uconn doesn't get out of the aac and it looks like they will never get out.

 

[uconnbill]

We're not a football team.

No your just a basketball only fan.
Football runs the show and plan B sucks as the MAC stinks overall

 

[BUConn10]

The reality of the fact is that there is no backup plan.

UConn is in a situation in which its future is completely in the hands of a collection of rivaling institutions which UConn has had to and will have to compete against if chosen. And considering how much success we have had in such a short time, and the obvious sleeping beast that we are, I do not like our chances. We are in an age of college sports where the big names with money and prestige are doing everything in their power to reduce and eliminate competition from those they perceive as lower than them. That's what this whole "P5" shift is all about. The Texas', Mihigans, Alabamas of the world don't want to have to waste time playing teams like Boise State, etc which is a lose-lose for them while not wanting to split the money pie so many ways. For these reasons I don't see us in a good position, as we have shown that we can take food out of a bigger programs mouth.

 

[Robertelamin]

The reality of the fact is that there is no backup plan.

UConn is in a situation in which its future is completely in the hands of a collection of rivaling institutions which UConn has had to and will have to compete against if chosen. And considering how much success we have had in such a short time, and the obvious sleeping beast that we are, I do not like our chances. We are in an age of college sports where the big names with money and prestige are doing everything in their power to reduce and eliminate competition from those they perceive as lower than them. That's what this whole "P5" shift is all about. The Texas', Mihigans, Alabamas of the world don't want to have to waste time playing teams like Boise State, etc which is a lose-lose for them while not wanting to split the money pie so many ways. For these reasons I don't see us in a good position, as we have shown that we can take food out of a bigger programs mouth.

UConn is already in the back up plan.

 

[BUConn10]

UConn is already in the back up plan.

Well said, yes.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Plan B - Lobby for admission to the Ivy League, they might need two to expand so thank god Memphis is available.

 

[David 76]

The $70 million dollar budget of our athletic department is a third subsidized by the University. This has been a short-term strategy as we were becoming P-5 worthy.
It can not continue indefinitely and it should not. I don't think the taxpayers or the students want to pay for football's losses. As much as I want us to be a P-5 team, we will have to downgrade football if our paths to the P-5 have run out.
Hoping for good news tomorrow.

 

[Sky ball]

Honest question: is there any point at which UConn should consider cutting football?

NO

 

[noeynox]

The $70 million dollar budget of our athletic department is a third subsidized by the University. This has been a short-term strategy as we were becoming P-5 worthy.
It can not continue indefinitely and it should not. I don't think the taxpayers or the students want to pay for football's losses. As much as I want us to be a P-5 team, we will have to downgrade football if our paths to the P-5 have run out.
Hoping for good news tomorrow.

If they ever downgrade it, they should just eliminate it.

 

[Dove]

 

[huskymedic]

FWIW (which could be nothing) from another @jostar1 post: Jarom Jordan @jaromjordan. BYUtv. @BYUSportsNation co-host.@BYUFootball Pre/Post game producer.

Jarom Jordan ‏@jaromjordan · 50m 50 minutes ago
@loyalblue15 BYUtv Sports

Jarom Jordan ‏@jaromjordan · 46m 46 minutes ago
@TravisB06052015 Not hosting. Just streaming like anyone else can.

Nice Leather Pants‏@alaskutahn
@jaromjordan
valid point. But you can understand how suspicious (in a good way) this looks.

Jarom Jordan ‏@jaromjordan · 46m 46 minutes ago
@alaskutahn
I don't. It's a scheduled news conference by the Big 12. It's not BYU's presser. There's news value.

Tyson‏@TysonHigham
@jaromjordan @mikmin5
I don't buy this explanation AT ALL!

Mikel ‏@mikmin5 · 46m 46 minutes ago
Not asking you to 'buy' anything. Press conferences provide added media access to a news story. BYUtv is covering it as a service to fans.

Could be a head fake but...

 

[CL82]

What would we do with WFB?

Take them off the offensive line?

 

[upstater]

The arguments made by Benedict and the donor and even Herbst that the onus is on UConn fans to pack the rent in order to impress conferences is only partially true. Yes, if the Rent was packed, it would help. A LOT. But what makes UConn any different than all the other football schools in the P5 and the top of the G5 who are only maintaining with 30k crowds? In other words, they are asking for something to happen here that isn't happening in all but 2 or 3 of the G5, and it's not happening at the bottom of the P5. Not that UConn is BC but, have these people seen BC's attendance lately? A lot of schools are way down. Can they expect UConn to rise above the national trend for schools that are NOT excelling at football?

 

[Hoophound]

The arguments made by Benedict and the donor and even Herbst that the onus is on UConn fans to pack the rent in order to impress conferences is only partially true. Yes, if the Rent was packed, it would help. A LOT. But what makes UConn any different than all the other football schools in the P5 and the top of the G5 who are only maintaining with 30k crowds? In other words, they are asking for something to happen here that isn't happening in all but 2 or 3 of the G5, and it's not happening at the bottom of the P5. Not that UConn is BC but, have these people seen BC's attendance lately? A lot of schools are way down. Can they expect UConn to rise above the national trend for schools that are NOT excelling at football?

Exactly, it is ridiculous what the bar is set at for us. USF had about 10k in the stands the other night.....and they are one win away from the top 25. I see loads of ACC games with thousands of empty seats.

The bar for UConn is set higher all the time, despite us having blue blood men's basketball and the most dominating traveling road show of all time in women's sports. Many of these other schools offer nothing in football or basketball.

 

[Drew]

Exactly, it is ridiculous what the bar is set at for us. USF had about 10k in the stands the other night.....and they are one win away from the top 25. I see loads of ACC games with thousands of empty seats.

The bar for UConn is set higher all the time, despite us having blue blood men's basketball and the most dominating traveling road show of all time in women's sports. Many of these other schools offer nothing in football or basketball.

The bar isn't set higher for just UConn, it's set higher for everyone in the G5. The point of expansion for the Big 12 isn't to add another bottom feeder program that can't fill up its stadium- there are enough of those already in the P5. The point of XII expansion is to add football programs that prioritize the sport and give the league a better chance at making the playoff. BYU does this. Houston now does this. Cincinnati does this. Their football ceilings are high and they mostly fill their stadiums now even though they are G5 status. Houston never filled their stadium but I will give credit where credit is due- they needed to pack the place to make a statement and Herman encouraged them to do so last year and they've responded. Their fans and alumni have shown that they care enough to attend with the possibility of getting a bid to the big boy leagues being real.

UConn on the other hand continues to make excuses for attendance. We don't play an exciting style. We aren't ranked. There's too many other things going on here. People don't care. The teams aren't local. The reality is we have not stepped up as a fan base and we have zero reason to be upset if we aren't given a P5 birth because of it.

 

[Eskapeesto]

T-Minus 7 and a half hours (6:30PM).

Tell the wife and kids you love them. Make sure your Last Will and Testament is in order. Put on clean underwear. Destroy whatever you've been hiding in that drawer. Then sit back, call up your favorite tcf video, press play, and wait for the sweet relief of conference realignment death.​

 

[Hoophound]

The bar isn't set higher for just UConn, it's set higher for everyone in the G5. The point of expansion for the Big 12 isn't to add another bottom feeder program that can't fill up its stadium- there are enough of those already in the P5. The point of XII expansion is to add football programs that prioritize the sport and give the league a better chance at making the playoff. BYU does this. Houston now does this. Cincinnati does this. Their football ceilings are high and they mostly fill their stadiums now even though they are G5 status. Houston never filled their stadium but I will give credit where credit is due- they needed to pack the place to make a statement and Herman encouraged them to do so last year and they've responded. Their fans and alumni have shown that they care enough to attend with the possibility of getting a bid to the big boy leagues being real.

UConn on the other hand continues to make excuses for attendance. We don't play an exciting style. We aren't ranked. There's too many other things going on here. People don't care. The teams aren't local. The reality is we have not stepped up as a fan base and we have zero reason to be upset if we aren't given a P5 birth because of it.

That's a load of crap. We had a bad coaching hire that screwed things up. To dismiss UConn and it's once pretty good football program based on Houston having a good coach as of today is silly. When you do that, you drink the ESPN Kool Aid.

The B12 needs to take flagship schools that support the mission of the conference as a whole, that have real fan bases that dominate their market. A state flagship with much more media potential, blue chip basketball and strong academics in a big market is not as underwhelming as you are making it out to be. Crap, the B12 could basically tell UConn to hire a good coach that plays exciting football as part of the deal. Maybe performance bonuses? There is so much potential for the B12 in the Northeast market and bringing in a great state university with Kansas level basketball and the best women's basketball ever has value.

The idea that this is our (fans) fault when Rutgers, BC and Syracuse all got the call is laughable. Yes, they have a longer football history, but they have nothing even remotely remarkable (Syracuse bball is very good). Again, does basketball drive the bus? No. However, those that think it isn't valuable should ask ESPN why they broadcast our basketball games in prime time so often. They won't tell you the truth, but the fact is UConn basketball floats the entire American Conference.

 

[sammydabiz]

Uh oh.....