Happy 40th The Big East

[CL82]

A good majority of UConn basketball fans (who make up most of the total fan base) would tell you they rather be in the big east over aac.

I wonder how many of them believe that the Big East means the Old Big East? The NBE would be a travel improvement over the OBE but not all that much. The teams we cared least about in the OBE will be among the better games on the new one. (Nova and Georgetown excluded. The Hall? St. Johns... it's an improvement but...) Getting less money and less TV exposure probably hurt us more that it is worth and that is before you consider the hassle of what to do with football.

(I know from prior posts that you know all this, but it is worth restating.)

 

[gampelcrazies]

I wonder how many of them believe that the Big East means the Old Big East? The NBE would be a travel improvement over the OBE but not all that much. The teams we cared least about in the OBE will be among the better games on the new one. (Nova and Georgetown excluded. The Hall? St. Johns... it's an improvement but...) Getting less money and less TV exposure probably hurt us more that it is worth and that is before you consider the hassle of what to do with football.

(I know from prior posts that you know all this, but it is worth restating.)

Some probably believe Cuse, Louisville, Pitt, etc are still in the big east. However I think most know what the current state of the big east. People would rather see us play butler, Xavier and Creighton over Tulsa, Tulane and ECU.

When it comes to the TV. I think it’s a wash. Fox sports is becoming more and more accessible. It’s not ESPN and never will. But I don’t think it would hurt us.

Football would be the team that would suffer from all of this. In a perfect world you would keep football in the aac and big east for basketball. But we all know that the AAC would probably not want that.

 

[CL82]

When it comes to the TV. I think it’s a wash. Fox sports is becoming more and more accessible. It’s not ESPN and never will. But I don’t think it would hurt us.

Take a look at the ratings of FS1 and FS2 when you get a chance. They are abysmal. ESPN, ESPN2 are much, much more valuable in terms of exposure. Being essentially invisible would hurt us considerably over time. Nova seems to managing it, though. At least so far.

Keep in mind as well that their media deal is worth less than our as well. Less money and less exposure isn't a good mix.

Scheduling for football as an independent would be a nightmare and it's very doubtful that American would keep just football. It sets a bad precedent for them.

I suspect that UConn is looking into NBE as a bargaining chip toward getting at least some control of our T3 rights.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Take a look at the ratings of FS1 and FS2 when you get a chance. They are abysmal. ESPN, ESPN2 are much, much more valuable in terms of exposure. Being essentially invisible would hurt us considerably over time. Nova seems to managing it, though. At least so far.

Keep in mind as well that their media deal is worth less than our as well. Less money and less exposure isn't a good mix.

Scheduling for football as an independent would be a nightmare and it's very doubtful that American would keep just football. It sets a bad precedent for them.

I suspect that UConn is looking into NBE as a bargaining chip toward getting at least some control of our T3 rights.

Don’t go crazy looking at those ratings. You have to put them into perspective. FS1/FS2 is fairly new. ESPN has been the leader for 40 years. It would be a step back now no doubt. However as time goes on the numbers will rise and Fox will pay more for content such as Big East games.

Independent would be a nightmare unless they somehow got a tv deal which is unlikely.

IMO. UConn is talking with the Big East as a backup plan if the AAC gets poached and UConn isn’t one of the teams. If they are left out again, they will make the move.

 

[CL82]

Don’t go crazy looking at those ratings. You have to put them into perspective. FS1/FS2 is fairly new. ESPN has been the leader for 40 years. It would be a step back now no doubt. However as time goes on the numbers will rise and Fox will pay more for content such as Big East games.

Independent would be a nightmare unless they somehow got a tv deal which is unlikely.

IMO. UConn is talking with the Big East as a backup plan if the AAC gets poached and UConn isn’t one of the teams. If they are left out again, they will make the move.

Meh, the NBE has been FS1 and 2 for 5-6 years now. I'm not sure how much movement there will be in it's ratings. They been pretty level so far.

I think we could get a football TV with SNY. The issue is scheduling for games at the Rent. That's the nightmare.

I kind of agree that the NBE is a back up plan and maybe a bargaining chip but if we actually made the move, it will be the beginning of the end of our sports programs. You want to be with your peers. In our case that is land grant universities, not small Catholic private schools. Our interests simply would not ever align particularly well.

 

[Zissou]

You want to be with your peers. In our case that is land grant universities, not small Catholic private schools. Our interests simply would not ever align particularly well.

There is def some truth here, but there may be more nuance to small / private / catholic than many might think.

Butler is small and private, but not Catholic. The Big East is already not all Catholic (although it is all private).

Small Private Schools that are competitive P5 - Notre Dame, Boston College, Stanford, TCU, Vandy, Duke, Wake, Northwestern. They are all under 10,000 undergrad.

P5 Private Schools that are a little larger - Miami, Syracuse, USC, Baylor.

A Peers definition should be more than "Land Grant". Think Florida A&M, Alaska/Fairbanks, Maine, MIT, Alcorn State, etc.

Peers can also consider geographical region, academics, sports offered, history and rivalries, etc.

St Johns, Villanova, and Georgetown may be have more peer comparisons to UConn in some's view than Alcorn State or Maine.

If you don't want to have private or Catholic schools as peers, than the ACC is probably not a fit either.

 

[Zissou]

Don’t go crazy looking at those ratings. You have to put them into perspective. FS1/FS2 is fairly new. ESPN has been the leader for 40 years. It would be a step back now no doubt. However as time goes on the numbers will rise and Fox will pay more for content such as Big East games.

Independent would be a nightmare unless they somehow got a tv deal which is unlikely.

IMO. UConn is talking with the Big East as a backup plan if the AAC gets poached and UConn isn’t one of the teams. If they are left out again, they will make the move.

How much does Navy get paid as a football only member? It's a share of the AAC TV deal plus its own TV deal, right?

 

[Zissou]

Getting less money and less TV exposure probably hurt us more that it is worth and that is before you consider the hassle of what to do with football.

Whether there is less or more cash for UConn in a Big East membership is yet to be determined.

Regarding ESPN networks (AAC) vs Fox / FoxSports / CBS (Big East), there are both positives and negatives. ESPN is more established with larger ratings, for sure.

Villanova has all of its games broadcast on national TV. No streaming. While we don't get casual ESPN viewers, its great for the brand to have all games broadcast and I think it helps in recruiting. The Big East is on TV, all of the games.

When you stream a game against Tulsa, Tulane, or East Carolina I can't imagine that it helps UConn's exposure.

 

[Adios]

Whether there is less or more cash for UConn in a Big East membership is yet to be determined.

Regarding ESPN networks (AAC) vs Fox / FoxSports / CBS (Big East), there are both positives and negatives. ESPN is more established with larger ratings, for sure.

Villanova has all of its games broadcast on national TV. No streaming. While we don't get casual ESPN viewers, its great for the brand to have all games broadcast and I think it helps in recruiting. The Big East is on TV, all of the games.

When you stream a game against Tulsa, Tulane, or East Carolina I can't imagine that it helps UConn's exposure.

We just scheduled a home and home with Duke in football. Go live out your fantasies elsewhere.

Sure sounds like the AD has the Big East on their minds. We're scheduling P5 football games.

 

[Zissou]

We just scheduled a home and home with Duke in football. Go live out your fantasies elsewhere.

Sure sounds like the AD has the Big East on their minds. We're scheduling P5 football games.

Small Private Duke. I think it makes sense, but they are Small and Private.

Butch, why so crotchety? Smile once in a while. Be nice.

 

[Husky25]

The Nova Guy is just trolling. Maybe a Fishy throat punch is in order.

Naaaaaahhhh, Really?!?!

It's amateur hour. At least @FriarJ (There was another PC one as well. McSean94 or something?) and the BC visitors a few years ago had something else to offer.

 

[Husky25]

Yet honored for being such a valued contributor to the Boneyard community, yes?

 

[Husky25]

Logic and it's evolution are two different things. I don't have to like you opinion, but I can understand how how arrive at it. As a UConn fan, I am not totally enthused about what impact ESPN+ may have on my viewing options, but I can see how it may benefit the conference as a whole and the school in particular.

 

[don356]

I'm not sure by the time it's all done there will be two groups of fans for college basketball. Those that go to the games, and those that go to bars to watch the team they follow on whatever vehicle the bar chooses to carry it on. With all this splintering of coverage by cable, satellite and ultimately streaming, folks are just going to tune out buying them in their home for casual use. I'm already seeing it with folks i know who are just cutting out buying any packages anymore. They just limit what they watch to their own team.

 

[pepband99]

...and you would know, given the NBE and FS2, which is an even more remote outpost.

 

[CL82]

Who said that UConn wouldn't be on +? They definitely will be. But it will largely be for the content that previously was ESPN3 or SNY. Remember they aren't shutting down ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. Those networks will still need content.

 

[Zissou]

The Big East is dead. It succumed to death by a thousand cuts. An imposter is running around claiming to be the Big East, but it's a charade.

Maybe not dead

 

[Zissou]

UConn doesn't want to join, get lost. Buddy.

@nelsonmuntz...hope you are proud of yourself.

It might.

 

[John]

Maybe not dead

Dead - not at all the former great conference

 

[Zissou]

Dead - not at all the former great conference

Hey John, things change. I’d argue that through expansion the ACC is not its former great conference. It lost its identity. It diminished its rivalries.

My ACC friend’s long for the good old days when they cared to know all of the conference starting players, coaches, and ADs. They do not carry that same level of interest today. It’s too big. The schedule is messy. The identity is blurred.

The Big East isn’t the same as it was, but it has gone back to its roots as a hoops conference and it has regained that identity. I hope you are able to grow and embrace your conference. It’s a very good basketball home.

 

[billybud]

The ACC is doing great...the most watched regular pre tourney games last season had UNC, Duke, Virginia playing.

The two highest ratings were both Duke-UNC rivalry games...

I am sure that some old ACC fans miss the pre 1992 Tobacco Road where Carolina almost constituted the compact little conference.

The ACC is better today...FSU, VT, Louisville all played together in the Metro Conference...and now in the ACC.