I still don't understand why....... | The Boneyard

I still don't understand why.......

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I regularly visit this Conference Realignment Board with the hope of learning some breakthrough news for UConn to move to a P5 Conference.

What I still cannot understand is why UConn with its Championship women's and men's basketball programs got shut out of the P5 when shuffling stopped and is stuck in the AAC when UConn controls the New York TV market.

I have long suspected that former AG Richard Blumenthal's 2003 lawsuit against the ACC created bad blood and the "good old Carolina boys" still resent the $5M settlement which the ACC paid to settle Blumenthal's lawsuit.

I would appreciate if someone could please explain why UConn got screwed in the conference reshuffling following the breakup of the Big East. Thanks.
 
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A simple question without a simple answer. Its been different reasons at different times throughout realignment history. At one point it was political, at another it was personal, lately it's been mostly financial. JMO but there will likely be one more seismic shift in the next decade as TV deals expire and new distribution channels gain acceptance. A number of schools will be scrambling for seats at the next set of tables. In this scramble you will have a chance to stake your claim to one of them. In the present all you can do is hope that Edsall improves football, buy tickets, and keep your AD solvent by donating. It's probably not what you were looking for, but it's one outsider's take on the situation.
 
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A simple question without a simple answer. Its been different reasons at different times throughout realignment history. At one point it was political, at another it was personal, lately it's been mostly financial. JMO but there will likely be one more seismic shift in the next decade as TV deals expire and new distribution channels gain acceptance. A number of schools will be scrambling for seats at the next set of tables. In this scramble you will have a chance to stake your claim to one of them. In the present all you can do is hope that Edsall improves football, buy tickets, and keep your AD solvent by donating. It's probably not what you were looking for, but it's one outsider's take on the situation.
He's a UMass fan just trolling.
 
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Thanks for the heads up. Some are more obvious than others.
 
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He's a UMass fan just trolling.

Hey Rest.... if I am a UMass fan as you allege then please explain why in my post history I have I (please let me help you by defining that word for you: "to hold and state as one's opinion") in numerous other threads on this site that it is in the best interest of UConn to explore membership in the new Big East. If you believe that there is momentum for Mass to be included in the Big East then you are wrong once again.

Note that a review of your other past simple minded posts leads me to conclude that the my question as to how the heck UConn, with its Championship programs and proximity to the New York markets missed out on a P5 Conference slot is beyond your comprehension.

Capisce ?
 

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Hey Rest.... if I am a UMass fan as you allege then please explain why in my post history I have I (please let me help you by defining that word for you: "to hold and state as one's opinion") in numerous other threads on this site that it is in the best interest of UConn to explore membership in the new Big East. If you believe that there is momentum for Mass to be included in the Big East then you are wrong once again.

Note that a review of your other past simple minded posts leads me to conclude that the my question as to how the heck UConn, with its Championship programs and proximity to the New York markets missed out on a P5 Conference slot is beyond your comprehension.

Capisce ?
Because if you UConn goes Big East umASS goes to the AAC. If you actually WANT to be in the AAC you're probably a unASS fan.
 

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IMO what UConn needs most is a geographic rival in the AAC to stir emotions.

I have always believed that if the AAC expands then UConn should use its influence to have UMass admitted.

Yeah, I know that UMass has been irrelevant for years in basketball, but entry into the AAC may cause it to improve and create a heated rivalry.
Capisce?
 
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Love that northeast gangsta talk!

Just like on the TV.

Bless your heart.


But UMass getting into the AAC may be like trying to burn a wet mule (as we say down heah).
 
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I regularly visit this Conference Realignment Board with the hope of learning some breakthrough news for UConn to move to a P5 Conference.

What I still cannot understand is why UConn with its Championship women's and men's basketball programs got shut out of the P5 when shuffling stopped and is stuck in the AAC when UConn controls the New York TV market.

I have long suspected that former AG Richard Blumenthal's 2003 lawsuit against the ACC created bad blood and the "good old Carolina boys" still resent the $5M settlement which the ACC paid to settle Blumenthal's lawsuit.

I would appreciate if someone could please explain why UConn got screwed in the conference reshuffling following the breakup of the Big East. Thanks.
The lawsuit didn't bother Duke or UNC, both of whom preferred us to Louisville. The BC hissy fit and the football schools made the call.
 
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Don't underestimate the impact of the lawsuit on our conference status. There are still bad feelings about it (and it's known in ACC country as the UConn lawsuit). Like it or not, Blumenthal had an over-sized role in our conference dilemma.
 
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The lawsuit killed us in conference realignment. Their viewpoint: if we did it once to conference mates, we could do it again in the future. No one who matters wants to be in a conference with us.
 
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I regularly visit this Conference Realignment Board with the hope of learning some breakthrough news for UConn to move to a P5 Conference.

What I still cannot understand is why UConn with its Championship women's and men's basketball programs got shut out of the P5 when shuffling stopped and is stuck in the AAC when UConn controls the New York TV market.

I have long suspected that former AG Richard Blumenthal's 2003 lawsuit against the ACC created bad blood and the "good old Carolina boys" still resent the $5M settlement which the ACC paid to settle Blumenthal's lawsuit.

I would appreciate if someone could please explain why UConn got screwed in the conference reshuffling following the breakup of the Big East. Thanks.

The question you have asked has been answered many times on this board, analyzing all the different aspects. I'm not sure if this is a rhetorical question, or if you are serious. But I'll give my answer from one outsider's perspective. For those who do not want to go over this again, please use the scroll button.

1. New membership for a conference is chosen by the current conference membership. It's not as if when a conference decides to add a school or two, they go to a clearinghouse and ask who is the best available institution(s), and are forced to select them. They make the selections on what they feel (right or wrong) would be the best for the conference. They look at criteria such as football success, success in other sports, academics (type and quality), geography, markets, etc. As such, it is more than plausible that the "best" institution available can get passed over. Such apparently was the case with the last P5 expansion. In my opinion, UConn was the best institution available and the best fit for the ACC. In fact, I believe that most of the ACC schools thought so as well. But they went with the vocal minority, possibly out of fear that they might lose two members as a result. So even the schools favoring UConn thought that selecting Louisville be best for the conference. Other prior selections, such as Pitt, were made with the intention or hope of landing a big fish.

2. Timing/Bad luck. When Boston College was selected, one of the goals was to access the New England market. Unfortunately, at that time, UConn was new to FBS football. Besides that, Virginia Tech was chosen due to government pressure. It is hard to say what would have happened if they were not selected at that time. With regard to Louisville, one of the reasons was to prevent the Big 12 from landing them. In fact, the Big 12 may have made a mistake in not taking Louisville, and say Cincinnati, immediately after taking WVU to get back to 12, and not have one geographic outlier. Also, UConn was the best institution available for last year's Big 12 expansion attempt. But due to geography, and more, the dysfunctional nature of the Big 12, prevented UConn's admission. The dog and pony show was stupid to begin with, and became reprehensible when they had no intention to add anybody.

3. Louisville/Jurich. This had nothing to do with Jurich's "lobbying" efforts. More on that later.* When Jurich was hired by Louisville in 1998, he made a concerted effort to vastly improve Louisville's athletics. While most of it appeared to be legitimate, we now know that a lot was not. But by 2012, they were highly regarded in athletics, with a football program having somewhat consistent success. The ACC's most recent additions were programs in the north with stronger basketball programs. So schools such as Florida St. and Clemson felt their needs were being ignored. So in Louisville, they saw a school with closer proximity and the perception that they would be a strong football program not just now, but well into the future. As I stated above, I still believe this was a mistake, now more so, in light of the despicable actions taken by Louisville's athletic department, highlighted by the prostitution scandal. I would like to think that the ACC regrets making the choice now, although they probably would not publicly if that was the case. But it is dismaying that with all of these shenanigans now out for everyone to see, that there are still people, that believe that Louisville was the best choice. I suppose that this is partly because of amoral indifference, but also because even if they receive the recommended penalty, it is well short of the death penalty, and will not affect the operations of the conference. On the other hand, UConn, for the most part, has played by the rules, and, as far as I know, have not resorted to the type of reprehensible actions by Louisville. While I never attended UConn, I get the feeling that they would not sell their soul in such a manner to obtain a P5 invite. I'll leave it up to UConn fans, students, alums, etc., to determine whether that is the correct course of action.

4. I am not familiar enough with UConn's leadership before Pres. Herbst and AD Warde Manuel to know if their actions hurt or helped UConn's standing. It was a different time, and I'm sure UConn had different goals. And certainly, athletics has changed much since the 1990s. The current administration appears to me to doing their best putting themselves in the best position for the P5. Unfortunately, it is still up to the conferences to decide who they want to take.

5. I recall a few years ago hearing that conferences were looking to get to 16 members. For some reason, that seem to be an ideal number regarding a conference being able to sponsor more sports, and also for network content. While all of the P5 or short of the 16 goal, they are all probably waiting to see what happens by 2020 or so, in advance of the end of the Big 12 GOR. Then expansion will depend on whether the Big 12 dissolves, or how many, if any, decide to depart. I don't see any new expansion decisions being made by then, but who knows?

6. The lawsuit. In hindsight, it was a bad idea. But it was clear that there was a battle of survival between the ACC and the Big East, which the ACC was winning. The lawsuit looked like an attempt of survival. If the roles were reversed, I could see Swofford and the ACC trying a similar tactic for their survival. This, and Boston College's pathetic and cowardly blocking UConn were also reasons that hurt UConn's chances shortly after the lawsuit. But during the last rounds of expansion, I don't think the lawsuit or BC's action were as critical. Sure, there are UNC fans that still have their nose out of joint over the lawsuit, as if UNC does not have their own issues. But any president with any level of competence would have put this aside. In fact, my understanding was the Pitt was part of the lawsuit, and it didn't hurt them in the last round of expansion.

* I do not believe that Jurich's lobbying had anything to do with getting the ACC invite, other than to state his institution's interest. While I disagree with the ACC's choice, I cannot find it possible to believe that the ACC president's would have been that completely stupid and derelict to be influenced one iota by any of Jurich's lobbying. Heck, I don't recall any lobbying made by Jurich other than his able to get in before "UConn was penciled in," or some other similar pompous claim. From what I understand, when WVU was being courted by the Big 12, Jurich tried to lobby to get into the Big 12. The only reason why he was even listened to, was because of Sen. McConnell's interference. If Louisville did get in before WVU, it would have been because of politics, and nothing to do with his lobbying. I understand that it was a PR blunder when Warde Manuel was in the Virgin Islands when Louisville was announced. But, he could have been sipping pina coladas on the Moon or standing on Swofford's front porch and it would not have made a difference. If the ACC wanted to have a dog and pony show like the Big 12 did last year, I am sure he and Pres. Herbst would have been on the first plane to Greensboro to make their pitch. Any unsolicited lobbying, in my opinion, would have been pointless, and, if anything, would have worsened UConn's chances.
 

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