How Uconn compares to Big Ten schools

[ASweet3781]

Compared to Uconn pitt brings nothing but the acc picked pitt because they are better than uconn? Not sure I follow exactly what you were saying here but even as much as i hate pitt the acc did have some good reasons to bring pitt on board. First pitt has football history that is attractive in terms of television deals also Pitt is located in a pretty decent sized city. Their football team may underachieve but they have been at least as good as uconn since uconn joined the BE and their BB team has been top half of the BE in recent years as well. Good to know Pitt's olympic sports suck but i have yet to hear anyone that even claims to have knowledge about the thinking that goes on when conferences discuss expansion that believes olympic sports matter.

So looking at what both schools offer for the sake of argument lets call football a draw, uconn has 2 elite BB programs but pitt has football prestige and is located in a pretty decent sized market. Seems to me that both schools offer enough to the ACC that when one of the ACC schools throws an 8 year old sized tantrum about one of the schools joining that everyone would be satisfied with the other coming aboard in their place.

As to why most people believing that the next move for the ACC would be to add uconn, who else might they add instead? If there was a school in the ACC footprint that would add anything for the ACC to consider them then the BE would have picked them up in this round of expansion so dont even bring up any mid majors if the ACC expands again its coming from the BE. UCONN supposedly being so close to an invite in the last round of expansion leads most people to think they would be next. I guess an argument could be made for rutgers or UofL but most people believe that BB would get UCONN in over Rutgers and UCONN is just a better fit for the ACC than UofL. The ACC would need to add another if Notre Dame were to join the ACC because of division layouts or if for some other reason the ACC needed to go to 16 UCONN would most definitely get the invite. I hope I cleared up that "loss" for you.

Pitt brings football prestige? Is Jimmy Carter still President? Is it 1976? What prestige does Pitt bring today in 2011 in football? They bring a half empty NFL stadium, an apathetic fan base, a 6-6 record, and no natural rivalries to any school currently in the ACC. And that's in the sport where they have an edge on UConn? Because they have no other edge in any other sport on UConn.

UConn brings something no other school would have brought. A purpose for Boston College being in the league to begin with. With us they actually have a rivalry now. A heated rivalry where the 2 schools hate each other. A rivalry between 2 northeast schools. You also have potential fantastic rivalries in hoop both mens and women with UConn/Cuse, UConn/Duke, UConn/UNC, UConn/Maryland, etc. UConn is the team in CT. I don't even know if Pitt has more fans in Pittsburgh than Penn State or West Virginia. UConn vs Pitt is a no brainer in 2011, regardless of where Dan Marino played in 1976. If they couldn't see that than I have no reason to believe they will see it if they have another round of expansion in the future.

Whatever prestige Pitt brings in football it is dwarfed by the pluses UConn would have brought. And yet the league still considered Pitt a more attractive member. I consider that a slap in the face. And it certainly doesn't give me any hope that they won't find reasons to think Rutgers will be a more attractive school to have over us for team #16. If Boston College and some other schools were so anti UConn they'd push Pitt ahead of us, they will certainly attempt to push Rutgers over us. And that's only if Notre Dame joins, and I don't think they will. So yeah, I remain at a loss as to why anyone here thinks we will ever be invited to the ACC.

 

[mattp]

Pitt expands the ACC footprint out west a bit and into pennsylvania. anyone that thinks there's any other reason they were added is overthinking it. athletic conferences are like empires now and everyone wants to add as many states and tvs as they can. if anyone cared about athletic performance WVU would have been choosing between SEC and ACC invited, but instead they're being taken by B12 to replace mediocre Mizzou that goes to the SEC of all places. the ACC feels between Cuse and BC our territory is redundant.

 

[ASweet3781]

Pitt expands the ACC footprint out west a bit and into pennsylvania. anyone that thinks there's any other reason they were added is overthinking it. athletic conferences are like empires now and everyone wants to add as many states and tvs as they can. if anyone cared about athletic performance WVU would have been choosing between SEC and ACC invited, but instead they're being taken by B12 to replace mediocre Mizzou that goes to the SEC of all places. the ACC feels between Cuse and BC our territory is redundant.

Well if that's the case why would anyone think they will take us over Rutgers for team 16? Doesn't Rutgers expand them into an even bigger footprint than Pitt did?

 

[Doggie Style]

Well, the big question is why would we WANT to go to the ACC? I mean, they destroyed our conference and we would ALWAYS be second fiddle to UNC & Duke in Bball. I get the whole power conference $$$ thing but, not sure that is where we would like to end up?? Personally, I would love to be in the Big 10, it would force the state to expand The Rent to meet min capacity #'s for the conf and it would be really cool seeing some of those teams come to CT. The problem with that is they don't need anyone.

 

[Jericho]

Well, the big question is why would we WANT to go to the ACC? I mean, they destroyed our conference and we would ALWAYS be second fiddle to UNC & Duke in Bball. I get the whole power conference $$$ thing but, not sure that is where we would like to end up?? Personally, I would love to be in the Big 10, it would force the state to expand The Rent to meet min capacity #'s for the conf and it would be really cool seeing some of those teams come to CT. The problem with that is they don't need anyone.

So you want to play the petty jealousy angle? Cause that makes a lot of sense.

Sure we could join your league, which offers oodles of cash, stability, and some of our former rivals...but you hurt our feelings once and you probably won't bow down to us in basketball. So up yours ACC!!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

There was a three man committee (which Flipper was one of the members) who needed to act very quickly to pull of the expansion the ACC desired (finalizing everything from selectiong candidates, issuing intitial invitations and receiving formal acceptances withing 36 hours). A strong objection by one of the committee members on one of the candidates could have held up the process for days if the other members did not acquiesce. The conditions were very specific for Flipper having the ability to block UConn's invitation to the ACC and that we did not receive a bid when Cuse and Pitt were offered is not necessarily an indication that there were a number pf schools who did not want us as part of that expansion.

 

[freescooter]

There was a three man committee (which Flipper was one of the members) who needed to act very quickly to pull of the expansion the ACC desired (finalizing everything from selectiong candidates, issuing intitial invitations and receiving formal acceptances withing 36 hours). A strong objection by one of the committee members on one of the candidates could have held up the process for days if the other members did not acquiesce. The conditions were very specific for Flipper having the ability to block UConn's invitation to the ACC and that we did not receive a bid when Cuse and Pitt were offered is not necessarily an indication that there were a number pf schools who did not want us as part of that expansion.

that is exactly right. when you have a committee making reommendations, especially when there is an acceptable alternate choice, can often get his way just by standing firm. I've served on enough selection committees for various consultants, legal teams, contractors of one sort or another over the years to have seen this type of scenario play out quite a lot. Members Smith and Jones prefer Firm A but member DeFillipo is strongly opposed. Rather than pick A, they all agree that Firm B, while not the "best" choice, is a satisfactory one, so B gets picked unanimoulsy.

 

[BobDesena]

If they did, why would they invite an athletic program that brings absolutely to the table like Pitt over UConn just 2 months ago?

Pitt has horrible Olympic sports, has the poster child for underachieving football program and apathetic fan base, and brings no natual rivalry to anyone in the ACC. And yet the ACC invited them over UConn. I know some will say it was because of BC but the fact remains, they considered fricken Pitt more of an attractive member than us.

I am at a loss as to why anyone thinks UConn will ever be in the ACC. When that league considers Pitt to be a more attractive option, than they must not think very highly of us at all to begin with. That is how little Pitt brings to the table compared to UConn.

Are you people honestly dumb. I seriously feel like im killing crazy brain cells reading these posts from you morons. NOBODY CARES ABOUT OLYMPIC SPORTS. NOBODY CARES ABOUT MENS OR WOMENS BASKETBALL. Pitt is a more attractive option because it is a better football program, THATS IT. It has an infinitely better recruiting base and tradition. Not to mention, even in the state they are in RIGHT NOW, they are light years ahead of yukon.

 

[upstater]

Are you people honestly dumb. I seriously feel like im killing freaking crazy brain cells reading these posts from you morons. NOBODY CARES ABOUT OLYMPIC SPORTS. NOBODY CARES ABOUT MENS OR WOMENS BASKETBALL. Pitt is a more attractive option because it is a better football program, THATS IT. It has an infinitely better recruiting base and tradition. Not to mention, even in the state they are in RIGHT NOW, they are light years ahead of yukon.

Light years ahead but not on the football field. Look at the results.

By the way, you joined the ACC, not the SEC. Basketball counts in the ACC, in case you haven't noticed. But I can see why you'd make excuses since Pitt can't advance in the tourney.

Regardless, the BC AD himself said that UConn was the choice ahead of Pitt, not us.

 

[Adios]

Are you people honestly dumb. I seriously feel like im killing freaking crazy brain cells reading these posts from you morons. NOBODY CARES ABOUT OLYMPIC SPORTS. NOBODY CARES ABOUT MENS OR WOMENS BASKETBALL. Pitt is a more attractive option because it is a better football program, THATS IT. It has an infinitely better recruiting base and tradition. Not to mention, even in the state they are in RIGHT NOW, they are light years ahead of yukon.

Please keep killing your brain cells. Must kill brain cells just being a Pitt fan these days. lol

 

[huskyrob1]

UConn to the Big 10 is still the preferred landing spot of the most important decider.

I think UCONN's recent news about upgrading the mens hockey team and Herbst's recent efforts to get AAU membership for UCONN means one thing to me, she's already been talking to other Big Ten presidents and AD's and football coaches, and they probably told her to upgrade mens hockey and get AAU membership and then they can discuss an invite.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6243751

 

[upstater]

I think UCONN's recent news about upgrading the mens hockey team and Herbst's recent efforts to get AAU membership for UCONN means one thing to me, she's already been talking to other Big Ten presidents and AD's and football coaches, and they probably told her to upgrade mens hockey and get AAU membership and then they can discuss an invite.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=6243751

I seriously doubt the AAU part. First of all, the B10 invited Nebraska in at the very same time several B10 presidents on the executive committee were engaged in kicking Nebraska out of the AAU. Second, the AAU is right now looking to eject schools from the organization. I've seen internal letters to this effect. They are not only NOT taking new membership, they are actively looking to cull the herd. The reason is that research funding from the federal gov't and private sources is down. When you take into account that the AAU is not an academic organization at all, it's just a lobbying enterprise located on K-Street, you begin to understand the logic. They want to lobby for more funding to the National foundations. Less money, fewer members = steady cash flow.