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Message: [QUOTE="'nuff sed, post: 3009823, member: 9579"] First things first.....lets not forget....the root cause of UConn's current position in Athletics comes down to 2 words.... [B]BOSTON COLLEGE[/B] pure and simple, the ACC would have taken us at one time, but BC pulled out every stop to block it.....yes, I know ancient history.....but it was the screw over job of all time, and continues today. [B]TV [/B]- The B1G and Rutgers is not about anything other than their TV network, they lusted after Rutgers because it gave them entry into the NYC media market. That's revenue that Connecticut cannot compete with. B1G marketers and researchers say that. Fact is, for football, the NE is not the SEC or the midlands. So, until the B1G Network gets to the point that they want to extend into the NE past NYC we are getting no invite. The ACC got what it wanted in Syracuse and BC. [B]ACC[/B] - BC continues to screw us, and laughs as they do it. I am sure the ACC would have taken us at one time, they are the P5 with a vested interest in BB. But then there's that BC thing, where they want to be the ONLY P5 program in NE. I don't blame Syracuse or Pitt for doing what they had to do. [B]AAC[/B] - This is like the Island of Misfit Toys, and we're on it and can't get off. And it's sucking revenue from its members faster than a $5 whore in a Norfolk Navy Yard. There are NO rivalries to give anyone a foothold to increase both the stadium gates and TV ratings. The name of the game for Uconn and the rest of the league is just survival, and hope and pray the next TV deal puts a dent in the cash flow exodus just to the point you can live with it. People have suggested travel restrictions and cutting some sport programs.....Travel is huge, remember we have to send EVERY team to SMU and lots of smaller markets where airfares aren't cheap.....and how many of these teams can you reasonably cut ? [B]Football[/B] - It just doesn't work in the AAC, and the headwinds are HUGE at UConn. [LIST] [*]Our Stadium is significantly undersized (it was a consolation prize back when Kraft played the State Legislature as Patsy's) and we can't fill it. [*]It takes 8-12 quality recruits over multiple years to rebuild [*]Without a rebuild that undersized stadium won't get filled. [*]The program's effect on the balance sheet is not commensurate with its benefits and it has very limited ability to self correct [*]Geography - The TV markets have been poached by the ACC and B1G, the AAC contract cannot generate enough to compete with the P5's. SU is huge in NYC and forget Boston. [*]The Stadium again - a P5 would need to see a new stadium, filled, and TV ratings [/LIST] [B]"Prestige"[/B] - Undeniably basketball elevated the UConn brand nationally and was instrumental in starting funding from the State Legislature that enhanced all other departments. But lets be honest --- the real impetus for improvements at the school are economic conditions that exploded college and University costs for non-state schools. The average rise in SAT scores to gain admission to Main Campus is a direct result in people's ability to pay. Period. It's not the "safety school" anymore, its the 1st choice and often only choice because of costs, not because of the Athletic Dept. [B]Solutions[/B] [LIST] [*]1. Wait and do nothing, and see what kind of remediation we can get under the new AAC TV contract. This is even questionable as a balance sheet repair solution as costs will rise while the revenue stays static. [*]Wait and do nothing and hope for conference reorganization - understanding that we have little leverage in negotiation. [*]Drop Football - this is the center of the problem, it is not sustainable under the current conditions. [*]Beg re-entry back into the Big East [/LIST] It's time for folk to put aside the sentimentality of keeping Football. We tried it, and because of mistakes or broken relationships from the very start, it didn't work. At some point - even though they still have "golden calf" status in the legislature - there will be blowback and it will flip. You will lose New Haven and Bridgeport, Meriden and Waterbury. That's reality. All IMHO [/QUOTE]

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