How UConn athletic director David Benedict views conference realignment: ‘Landscape is changing’ (Borges)

[bendm]

Obviously you don't go to the ACC if it becomes the AAC but assuming only 4-5 schools leave (e.g. UNC, UVA, ND, FSU, Clemson), what is left behind would alleviate the AD financial woes and still be very appealing for MBB while being a significant upgrade for every other sport offered by UConn.

what do you think would be the bare minimum? i think any 7 leftover acc teams plus UConn, memphis, and temple would make for a 10 team conference that's more "valuable" than the BE. it would also be stable b/c we know the leftover teams arent in danger of being poached.

 

[Storrs South]

what do you think would be the bare minimum? i think any 7 leftover acc teams plus UConn, memphis, and temple would make for a 10 team conference that's more "valuable" than the BE.

I don't think Temple gets the nod frankly at least they'd not be an initial call.

If ACC is smart and or able to based on what ESPN allows they probably need to go big the way every other conference is. The problem is there are not many good schools left.

Sure blue colored glasses but out the P5 UConn should be the first call they make. Clemson and FSU were the reasons UConn didn't get in for football concerns while Duke and other basketball schools were in favor so it should be a no brainer.

The next call as much as I don't particularly like it is USF. Reclaim Florida lost with FSU departure for recruiting purposes.

Now is where it gets tough. Memphis has never gotten much attention from these schools and I think many of them would not want to be attached to them.

Meanwhile Temple is bad in all sports and carries Philly like Rutgers carries NYC or in other words it doesn't.

Buffalo has a solid AD and research as university but Cuse would never allow. UMass needs to show a lot more and BC wouldn't allow anyway (sure they wouldn't want UConn either but they don't have clout to opposed that)

ECU would be an option, a gross disgusting option, to refortify North Carolina but the university is a mess as is the AD.

But frankly after that it really falls of a cliff. Maybe they try to convince Nova to move FB up a level. I doubt they'd convince Cincy or WVU to move over from Big 12. They could pick off leftover PAC12 but that likely doesn't include 4 corners, it'd be like Stanford, Cal, WashSt, ORST. You could have a west division of ACC to minimize travel particularly for Olympic sports. So to summarize ACC options:

Unlikely prayer: Cincy and WVU
Possible prayer: leftover P12
Then after that the non-P5:

1. UConn
2. USF
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3. Memphis
4. Temple
.
.
.
.
.
.
5. Rest of field


Very limited options remaining.

 

[bendm]

But frankly after that it really falls of a cliff

So usf instead of temple. I had temple because of the Philly market and as a former member of the BE. While I disfavor directional schools I get the Florida angle assuming the ACC loses FSU and Miami.

 

[freescooter]

I know I'm comfortable where we are as are most of the UCONN alums I know. So what does that last sentence mean? The only reason to complain would be football and they're have a banner recruiting season.

You better get uncomfortable unless you want to go back to the Yankee Conference. Because that is the future right now. NEWBIE as the P6 basketball conference is silly and the ACC isn’t adding the likes of St Johns and Butler. The NEWBIE is getting couch change while SEC and Big are getting $100 million per school. And you know how much basketball contributed to that? Zero. Zip. As I said on another page basketball is as meaningful in this as field hockey. So here’s what it means for P2 schools: they can get any coach they want, best facilities, best equipment and they have the best media coverage. But hey, we have DePaul.

 

[Hoophound]

You better get uncomfortable unless you want to go back to the Yankee Conference. Because that is the future right now. NEWBIE as the P6 basketball conference is silly and the ACC isn’t adding the likes of St Johns and Butler. The NEWBIE is getting couch change while SEC and Big are getting $100 million per school. And you know how much basketball contributed to that? Zero. Zip. As I said on another page basketball is as meaningful in this as field hockey. So here’s what it means for P2 schools: they can get any coach they want, best facilities, best equipment and they have the best media coverage. But hey, we have DePaul.

This is probably true for the long term. We need a new home, but I’m not sure even the ACC will save us if invited.

The current course will alienate millions of fans. An exclusive 40-50 school field of major athletic institutions will not produce the result these two super leagues want in the long term. Alienated fans aren’t going to just become Michigan or Florida fans. They are going to walk away and focus on pro sports or other interests, especially in an age where people are exposed to so much more via the internet. College sports rely on the alumni and locals to keep them going with their passion and nostalgia for the schools. When that’s gone for the majority of us, it will mark the beginning of the end for these types of super conferences. Unfortunately, there will likely be no turning back. My hope is that there is some foresight here and the people in the room remember that the excitement of college sports is that all of the D1 schools have the same dream. While most won’t win national championships, the possibility exists that someday, they might. That keeps us coming back for more. I really, truly won’t watch a Big Ten or SEC game if those leagues dominate college sports so much so that Villanova can’t compete for national championships in basketball and Boise St has no shot to play in a major bowl or win a natty. It just isn’t what I want to see.

 

[huskymedic]

How is that even possible? Are they not full members yet? Losing 73 million a year, what’s the explanation?

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Pathway if roadblocked

 

[Ha Who]

This is probably true for the long term. We need a new home, but I’m not sure even the ACC will save us if invited.

The current course will alienate millions of fans. An exclusive 40-50 school field of major athletic institutions will not produce the result these two super leagues want in the long term. Alienated fans aren’t going to just become Michigan or Florida fans. They are going to walk away and focus on pro sports or other interests, especially in an age where people are exposed to so much more via the internet. College sports rely on the alumni and locals to keep them going with their passion and nostalgia for the schools. When that’s gone for the majority of us, it will mark the beginning of the end for these types of super conferences. Unfortunately, there will likely be no turning back. My hope is that there is some foresight here and the people in the room remember that the excitement of college sports is that all of the D1 schools have the same dream. While most won’t win national championships, the possibility exists that someday, they might. That keeps us coming back for more. I really, truly won’t watch a Big Ten or SEC game if those leagues dominate college sports so much so that Villanova can’t compete for national championships in basketball and Boise St has no shot to play in a major bowl or win a natty. It just isn’t what I want to see.

Good answer. Better than the tired old newbie angle

 

[ctchamps]

I don't think Temple gets the nod frankly at least they'd not be an initial call.

If ACC is smart and or able to based on what ESPN allows they probably need to go big the way every other conference is. The problem is there are not many good schools left.

Sure blue colored glasses but out the P5 UConn should be the first call they make. Clemson and FSU were the reasons UConn didn't get in for football concerns while Duke and other basketball schools were in favor so it should be a no brainer.

The next call as much as I don't particularly like it is USF. Reclaim Florida lost with FSU departure for recruiting purposes.

Now is where it gets tough. Memphis has never gotten much attention from these schools and I think many of them would not want to be attached to them.

Meanwhile Temple is bad in all sports and carries Philly like Rutgers carries NYC or in other words it doesn't.

Buffalo has a solid AD and research as university but Cuse would never allow. UMass needs to show a lot more and BC wouldn't allow anyway (sure they wouldn't want UConn either but they don't have clout to opposed that)

ECU would be an option, a gross disgusting option, to refortify North Carolina but the university is a mess as is the AD.

But frankly after that it really falls of a cliff. Maybe they try to convince Nova to move FB up a level. I doubt they'd convince Cincy or WVU to move over from Big 12. They could pick off leftover PAC12 but that likely doesn't include 4 corners, it'd be like Stanford, Cal, WashSt, ORST. You could have a west division of ACC to minimize travel particularly for Olympic sports. So to summarize ACC options:

Unlikely prayer: Cincy and WVU
Possible prayer: leftover P12
Then after that the non-P5:

1. UConn
2. USF
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
3. Memphis
4. Temple
.
.
.
.
.
.
5. Rest of field


Very limited options remaining.

Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State could be considered. Both are football crazy and I know that Coastal has some very wealthy boosters that are behind the football program.

 

[CL82]

You better get uncomfortable unless you want to go back to the Yankee Conference. Because that is the future right now. NEWBIE as the P6 basketball conference is silly and the ACC isn’t adding the likes of St Johns and Butler. The NEWBIE is getting couch change while SEC and Big are getting $100 million per school. And you know how much basketball contributed to that? Zero. Zip. As I said on another page basketball is as meaningful in this as field hockey. So here’s what it means for P2 schools: they can get any coach they want, best facilities, best equipment and they have the best media coverage. But hey, we have DePaul.

 

[McLovin]

This is probably true for the long term. We need a new home, but I’m not sure even the ACC will save us if invited.

The current course will alienate millions of fans. An exclusive 40-50 school field of major athletic institutions will not produce the result these two super leagues want in the long term. Alienated fans aren’t going to just become Michigan or Florida fans. They are going to walk away and focus on pro sports or other interests, especially in an age where people are exposed to so much more via the internet. College sports rely on the alumni and locals to keep them going with their passion and nostalgia for the schools. When that’s gone for the majority of us, it will mark the beginning of the end for these types of super conferences. Unfortunately, there will likely be no turning back. My hope is that there is some foresight here and the people in the room remember that the excitement of college sports is that all of the D1 schools have the same dream. While most won’t win national championships, the possibility exists that someday, they might. That keeps us coming back for more. I really, truly won’t watch a Big Ten or SEC game if those leagues dominate college sports so much so that Villanova can’t compete for national championships in basketball and Boise St has no shot to play in a major bowl or win a natty. It just isn’t what I want to see.

While it is certainly true that fans of schools like UConn or others left behind in this scenario will probably tune out, what you're forgetting is that those alumni / fan bases are a tiny fraction of the US population.

Most people either don't go to college or go to a tiny school with no real athletics and are much more open to being fans of the "big brands" because of family or some other connection. I had a friend who went to Johns Hopkins who is a HUGE Michigan fan because a relative went there. Another who went to some random tiny school in Michigan who is a massive Michigan State fan because he had friends who went there.

Point is, people are underestimating the size of the big brands reach and over estimating the amount of people who will be "turned off" because ~20 large D1 institutions get shut out of the big time.

 

[Storrs South]

Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State could be considered. Both are football crazy and I know that Coastal has some very wealthy boosters that are behind the football program.

If we are sinking that low then I'm fine in the Big East

 

[huskymedic]

 

[HuskyHawk]

These articles are just the Cliff's Notes to the Boneyard more often than not. No exception here.

 

[ctchamps]

If we are sinking that low then I'm fine in the Big East

Unlikely that the ACC will lose teams for more than ten years.

Agree with your comment if basketball is the thought exercise you were making but both programs I’ve mentioned are better at football than USF, Temple, Memphis and ECU which were your proposed adds after UConn. So if football is the driver than I stand by my recommendations as poor as those suggestion are.

Clemson has less regional support in South Carolina than the University of South Carolina. It’s football success has pushed it into national viewership and ahead of UofSC.

ECU is a joke in most of NC. Appalachian State is respected. Neither are needed if only NC gets poached.

Coastal is intriguing from a football or baseball perspective. It’s located in one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. It recently won a NC in baseball and has leaped ahead of the other two South Carolina schools in noteriety in that sport.

The achievement in football is more incredible imo. Google their history. I doubt the University of South Carolina garnered the media share in any of its recent games than what Coastal had received in its victory over BYU.

 

[Storrs South]

Unlikely that the ACC will lose teams for more than ten years.

Agree with your comment if basketball is the thought exercise you were making but both programs I’ve mentioned are better at football than USF, Temple, Memphis and ECU which were your proposed adds after UConn. So if football is the driver than I stand by my recommendations as poor as those suggestion are.

Clemson has less regional support in South Carolina than the University of South Carolina. It’s football success has pushed it into national viewership and ahead of UofSC.

ECU is a joke in most of NC. Appalachian State is respected. Neither are needed if only NC gets poached.

Coastal is intriguing from a football or baseball perspective. It’s located in one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. It recently won a NC in baseball and has leaped ahead of the other two South Carolina schools in noteriety in that sport.

The achievement in football is more incredible imo. Google their history. I doubt the University of South Carolina garnered the media share in any of its recent games than what Coastal had received in its victory over BYU.

I respect what Coastal and Appalachian State have done in football, would kill for that success at UConn but the football power brokers of the conference would be gone except VT and Miami leaving Duke, Wake, Cuse, Louisville etc as the ones having a larger say and I don't think Duke has any plans on visiting either of those schools in basketball.

Football drives the bus, but I don't think those schools above consider them peer institutions or would have any interest in being associated with them. CCU's stadium only holds 20k. Appalachian only 30k. When they are playing top 25 good as has happened on occasion they look good and get some national attention but otherwise are nonexistent and not a TV draw.

 

[bendm]

new theory. With the NBC deal expiring in '25, ND isn't going anywhere until they figure out how much their next deal is worth. By all accounts they will be very well received as a streaming partner, on NBC's peacock for example, so they don't join B1G/FOX after all.

Meanwhile the SEC/ESPN is on the defensive after the USC/UCLA moves. SEC/ESPN takes the opportunity to expand/solidify their footprint by preemptively adding UVA/UNC/Clemson/FSU as ESPN can dissolve the ACC GOR. B1G/FOX counters by adding UW/Oregon and Miami/Gtech in the heart of SEC country. Both conferences wind up with 20 teams as projected all along.

Cal/Stanford/AU/ASU/UU/CO join the Big12 creating another 20 team conference. WSU/OSU join the Mtn West. The 8 leftover ACC schools (Cuse/BC/Pitt/VT/Duke/Wake/NC St/Lville) add UConn, Memphis, and USF to end up at 11.

you can take this one to the bank.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Unlikely that the ACC will lose teams for more than ten years.

Agree with your comment if basketball is the thought exercise you were making but both programs I’ve mentioned are better at football than USF, Temple, Memphis and ECU which were your proposed adds after UConn. So if football is the driver than I stand by my recommendations as poor as those suggestion are.

Clemson has less regional support in South Carolina than the University of South Carolina. It’s football success has pushed it into national viewership and ahead of UofSC.

ECU is a joke in most of NC. Appalachian State is respected. Neither are needed if only NC gets poached.

Coastal is intriguing from a football or baseball perspective. It’s located in one of the fastest growing markets in the U.S. It recently won a NC in baseball and has leaped ahead of the other two South Carolina schools in noteriety in that sport.

The achievement in football is more incredible imo. Google their history. I doubt the University of South Carolina garnered the media share in any of its recent games than what Coastal had received in its victory over BYU.

The raid on the ACC looks like smoke and mirrors to me. Possibly from the Big 12, which is likely concerned that WVU and Cinci (now not a hot property, but certainly a warm one after their playoff appearance) and possibly UCF would leave. Houston would likely prefer the Big 12. That would leave a 4th opening.

It's musical chairs right now. I still doubt that the SEC and B1G and networks backing them have much appetite to add more, until they see what the leagues look like with their soon to be new additions. More isn't necessarily better. The Pac has time pressure because their deal expires. So that's where the urgency lies.

 

[upstater]

I'm reading this thread as though the idea is that the ACC will be torn to shreds by the Big 2.

I'm seeing people list 6 schools being left. BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville, Wake Forest, Duke.

Do you really think NC State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech are going to get taken?

Heck, I have doubts about Miami.

I can see ND, Virginia, UNC, Clemson, and Florida St joining the Big 2. But this is a lot of schools.

Do you think they have the appetite to add 3 more after the 4 they'll already add?

It just seems beyond crazy to me. If Washington, Arizona and Colorado are being left out in the cold, why are NC State, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech more deserving than those schools? I don't think they are.

I can see 4 ACC schools leaving and maybe Stanford or Oregon joining the B1G, but at the end of the day, the ACC is going to be reduced to 10 schools, not 6, and with 10 schools they'll have their pick of the rest, without having to dip into the misfit toys being mentioned.

 

[weo777]

Living in ACC country you find out early as long as UNC and Duke play at least twice a year they dont care what conference they are in. Lot of the smaller schools Ap State UNC Greensboro, Coastal all have good fan bases, ECU is the bad joke of the state and the idiot pork farmers and old tobacco money with their dumb as rocks blonde daughters run and coach the team from the Pirates Club

 

[bendm]

Staples: The realignment battle for No. 1 — and for No. 3 — comes down to TV eyeballs

As the Pac-12 deals with losing UCLA and USC to the Big Ten and the Big 12 explores a raid on the Pac-12, audience data can be instructive.

theathletic.com

over the past 6 years (not including 2020) these are the teams outside the SEC/B1G (and not including OU/UT/USC/UCLA) that attracted over 1 million views for a game. viewership is obviously the most important factor in the realignment calculus:

34 games	Clemson
31	Florida State
28	Washington
26	Oregon
22	Miami
21	Washington State!
19	Oklahoma State, Utah
18	Louisville, Stanford
16	North Carolina
15	Baylor, Colorado, Virginia Tech
14	TCU, West Virginia
13	Arizona State, Boise State
12	BYU, Cal, Pittsburgh
11	Cincinnati, NC State
10	Syracuse
9	Texas Tech, UCF, Virginia
8	Houston, USF, Wake Forest
7	Army, Boston College, Iowa State, Navy
6	Arizona, Georgia Tech, Memphis
5	Duke
4	Kansas State, SMU, Temple
3	Oregon State
2	Air Force, Colorado State, Kansas, Marshall, Tulsa, UConn, Utah State

 

[upstater]

Staples: The realignment battle for No. 1 — and for No. 3 — comes down to TV eyeballs

As the Pac-12 deals with losing UCLA and USC to the Big Ten and the Big 12 explores a raid on the Pac-12, audience data can be instructive.

theathletic.com

over the past 6 years (not including 2020) these are the teams outside the SEC/B1G (and not including OU/UT/USC/UCLA) that attracted over 1 million views for a game. viewership is obviously the most important factor in the realignment calculus:

34 games	Clemson
31	Florida State
28	Washington
26	Oregon
22	Miami
21	Washington State!
19	Oklahoma State, Utah
18	Louisville, Stanford
16	North Carolina
15	Baylor, Colorado, Virginia Tech
14	TCU, West Virginia
13	Arizona State, Boise State
12	BYU, Cal, Pittsburgh
11	Cincinnati, NC State
10	Syracuse
9	Texas Tech, UCF, Virginia
8	Houston, USF, Wake Forest
7	Army, Boston College, Iowa State, Navy
6	Arizona, Georgia Tech, Memphis
5	Duke
4	Kansas State, SMU, Temple
3	Oregon State
2	Air Force, Colorado State, Kansas, Marshall, Tulsa, UConn, Utah State

This has a lot to do though with a team's success. Doesn't really tell you about interest in the market.

If Virginia, North Carolina or Colorado were better, they'd all surpass Washington State. What are these #s when schools revert to the norm?

This is why I thought it was a big problem to bring schools like Wichita State into the AAC.

 

[bendm]

Based on the above I have to revise my prediction:

1. ND stays indy.
2. B1G adds UW and OR.
3. SEC adds Clemson and FSU.
4. PAC backfills with Boise and SDSU.
5. ACC stays at 12.5 members. (I wanted to say backfills with UConn but there’s really no justification based on those numbers).

 

[bobbyinaz]

Based on the above I have to revise my prediction:

1. ND stays indy.
2. B1G adds UW and OR.
3. SEC adds Clemson and FSU.
4. PAC backfills with Boise and SDSU.
5. ACC stays at 12.5 members. (I wanted to say backfills with UConn but there’s really no justification based on those numbers).

There is no way the B1G adds UW/OR as stand alone adds. There is not enough value

 

[ScottVib]

These numbers aren't an absolute value. Viewership numbers are skewed by opponents/networks/and timeslot. Do you really think Washington State is more valuable than UNC or Stanford? It's a data-point, but Wazzou's numbers are inflated by games where they faced USC, Oregon, etc, they didn't attract them and no conference or TV valuation is giving them credit for attracting all those viewers.

 

[bendm]

These numbers aren't an absolute value. Viewership numbers are skewed by opponents/networks/and timeslot. Do you really think Washington State is more valuable than UNC or Stanford? It's a data-point, but Wazzou's numbers are inflated by games where they faced USC, Oregon, etc, they didn't attract them and no conference or TV valuation is giving them credit for attracting all those viewers.

You have to read the methodology contained in the article. No one has ever argued the PAC has favorable tv time slots and WSU can’t be the only school to have benefited from good matchups yet they still rank very highly. Why didn’t UNC get more highly viewed games when they were playing Notre Dame and Clemson and FSU and Miami etc?