In light of OU's comments, Herbst/Pendergast better be on the ball with realignment

[Rumrunner]

After the Pres of Oklahoma, David Boren, all but took off his bathrobe and shouted "Pac10, here we come" today, UConn better be on the ball with conference realignment. That means at a mininum being proactive, not reactive, so forget calling up Skadden and crying like a whittle boy. It's now every team for itself.

UConn, Rutgers, WVU, Syracuse, Pitt, Louisville. Not all will be winners. The kneepads better be out for Swofford, cuz there will be no alternative. Any belief that the remnants of the Big12- KU, Iowa State, K-State, Baylor- will be in a merged Big 12/Big East need to look up the definition of "stability", something that Pitt and WVU desperately seek.

 

[Revrat]

What is it that you want them to be "proactive" about? They have 1 vote in the Big East or is it that you want them to abandon the Big East and start begging?

 

[RS9999X]

OU pretty much set the timeline at 3 weeks. So it seems as soon as Texas A&M jumps they are gone too.

"I don't know how long it will be before clarity comes to us. My experience is that on these kinds of things, it might be a matter of 72 hours, it might be a matter of two weeks. I don't really think this is something that is going to linger on beyond two or three weeks at the outside," Boren said.

 

[Rumrunner]

Beg, borrow...doesn't matter. But if you're content thinking that Pitt, WVU, etc. aren't embarking on the angst-ridden trip that OU is currently on, then I don't know what to tell you. It's my hope, that yes, they are actively pitching themselves to the ACC. 4 conferences of 16 are only a matter of when, not if. There will be teams left out; many posit that UConn may be one of the ones on the outside looking in, behind Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt and Louisville.

 

[Revrat]

Beg, borrow...doesn't matter. But if you're content thinking that Pitt, WVU, etc. aren't embarking on the angst-ridden trip that OU is currently on, then I don't know what to tell you. It's my hope, that yes, they are actively pitching themselves to the ACC. 4 conferences of 16 are only a matter of when, not if. There will be teams left out; many posit that UConn may be one of the ones on the outside looking in, behind Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt and Louisville.

Everyone knows everyone. If The ACC wants UCONN then they do. If the Big Ten wants UCOnn then they do. there is nothing for UConn to be proactive about. ESPN and the Money mavens will decide who goes where. this shouldnt be rocket science to anyone. Sometime thing are just out of youre control. Uconn is not in a situation to dictate to anyone. The Big East teams knew these days were coming when they were all to chicken to sign decent exit fees. that should be signal enough to anyone that everyone wants to be ready to bail. Time will tell but UConn is so low in the pecking order in all of this that they have no choice but to wait and see. What if they were "proactive" and went to the ACC only to see the ACC get raided by the SEC and the rest of the Big East picked up by the Big Ten? The chips could fall anywhere. and to be honest if we were doing anything I would really hope it would be getting us into an eastern division of a 16 team Big Ten. Becasue that would be stability for a long long time.

 

[Vowelguy]

Not sure what you're talking about. The BE teams are in decent shape right now.
Iowa St and Baylor are in big trouble.

 

[Rumrunner]

Everyone doesn't know everyone, much less what everyone is doing. While being in the eastern half of a big10 16 member conference is fine outcome for UConn, UConn is far down the list of the remaining four teams, among them ND, Rutgers, Mizzou...and from the ACC MD and BC.

Everyone knows everyone. If The ACC wants UCONN then they do. If the Big Ten wants UCOnn then they do. there is nothing for UConn to be proactive about. ESPN and the Money mavens will decide who goes where. this shouldnt be rocket science to anyone. Sometime thing are just out of youre control. Uconn is not in a situation to dictate to anyone. The Big East teams knew these days were coming when they were all to chicken to sign decent exit fees. that should be signal enough to anyone that everyone wants to be ready to bail. Time will tell but UConn is so low in the pecking order in all of this that they have no choice but to wait and see. What if they were "proactive" and went to the ACC only to see the ACC get raided by the SEC and the rest of the Big East picked up by the Big Ten? The chips could fall anywhere. and to be honest if we were doing anything I would really hope it would be getting us into an eastern division of a 16 team Big Ten. Becasue that would be stability for a long long time.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Not sure what you're talking about. The BE teams are in decent shape right now.
Iowa St and Baylor are in big trouble.

If hits the fans and all the existing BCS schools are fighting for their lives Iowa St and Wake Forest are really in trouble. Baylor gets some protection from the politics of Texas. Everyone in Carolina will sacrafice WFU for the sake of UNC, dook and NCSU. ISU doesn't have any cover from anyone.

 

[jpm25]

how is the pac12 look at it. not a if ? but a who are the 4 teams ?

they will try to grab OK/OKST i would think. get some texas action as well but who is really in it
they could go ok/okst/tt/baylor

what about a nevada or unlv, taking a project on isnt hard for a stable conf if the rewards perjected could benefit etc...a school from that state could possible help $ wise in the long run...
what about Kan/KST. they will def be looked at. forget iowa st.
what about a bosie? maybe they get creative with the 16th team and invite bosie for fball only and gonzaga for bball only, ever think of something like that.
hawaii, how the tv mk? worth a look? whats the deal with byu?

to me the pac seems to be sitting extremely pretty right now. yea there bball sucks besides az and the fball is extremely top heavy most years, but the conf is going to sleep walk thru expansion and still benefit. to many good to great adds possible for them not to. and the bad options "fallbacks" are much better than those on the east coast fball wise...

Texas

 

[Vowelguy]

If darn hits the fans and all the existing BCS schools are fighting for their lives Iowa St and Wake Forest are really in trouble. Baylor gets some protection from the politics of Texas. Everyone in Carolina will sacrafice WFU for the sake of UNC, dook and NCSU. ISU doesn't have any cover from anyone.

Wake's advantage is that it's currently a part of a solid conference, and is not scrambling. If OU leaves, then the Big 12 is one step closer to disintegration, and Baylor will have nowhere to go.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Wake's advantage is that it's currently a part of a solid conference, and is not scrambling. If OU leaves, then the Big 12 is one step closer to disintegration, and Baylor will have nowhere to go.

If the race is on to 16 teams then the SEC abandons their no double market policy and they raid the ACC. WFU is definitely the weak link in the ACC- no conference is adding them.

There's been several articles about Baylor getting cover from the Texas legislature and Baylor's stature as the ground zero for Baptists and their beliefs.

 

[Revrat]

No legislature can give any cover anymore. They have zero power to "protect" Baylor at the expense of anyone else. If the Big 12 implodes it's every school for itself. or lets see how Baylor fairs as an independant.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

What UCONN can do is do what we need to do to make ourselves a super attractive candidate. What does it mean? It means improve our academics and football, expand the RENT to 55K cause 40K just does not cut it in big boy football, and increase our overall athletic revenue. Oh yeah, we really need to show that we bring entire state of CT and some eyeballs in NYC and Boston.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

There is no reason to expand to 55k right now, we've been over this a million times. The demand is not there, and we'll look incredibly stupid expanding a stadium to have a bunch of empty seats.

 

[willie99]

the BIG 12 is in trouble here, they will not be dragging us down. Any BEAST program moving their would be silly.

A large part of their problem is the preferential treatment given TX with respect to TV deals. I don't think TX is going to give that up, and I suspect the other B12 members will soon be running for cover

 

[Adios]

UConn should be proactive in trying to get a B1G invite. Being a member of the B1G would be far better than being a member of the North Carolina-centric ACC. The B1G affiliation would make us more marketable to college football fans in the NYC/Northeast market than the ACC would. Finally, with a new hockey arena, we could join B1G hockey!

 

[uconNYC]

What I do not understand is that if expansion is all about 'markets' then why do we rarely see Rutgers games on TV compared to lets say WVU. Same goes for basketball, Kansas is on TV far more than Texas AM despite the large difference in the market size. College sports is about tradition, rivalries and winning - always will be. Case in point Nebraska to B1G. 'Market' size only comes into play when comparing two even programs. The whole 'markets' stuff started with Swofford believing BCU brought Boston and SU brought NYC to the table. Look how that turned out for the ACC! Unfortunately I think conference commissioners and TV Execs are all drinking the 'markets' Kool-aid and only after college sports is ruined (if it hasn't been already) because of the loss of natural rivalries, over-bloated conferences, odd TV times, etc. will they realize it.

 

[Adios]

http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2010/01/if_the_big_ten_does_expand_it.html According to Ohioans, UConn delivers the Northeast television market better than any other school. But the B1G also is creating a hockey conference that will need members. Out of all the schools available, we give them the best shot at adding another hockey program.

I can see the B1G adding three out of the following four schools: Rutgers, UConn, Syracuse, and Maryland. If the SEC adds Mizzou, the B1G can take all four.

More on UConn to the B1G:

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/21083956

"Rating the Big Ten expansion candidates" - Chriss Dodd.

 

[junglehusky]

Dennis, not former senator / current Hollywood lobyist Chris Dodd

 

[HuskyDogArt]

Finally, with a new hockey arena, we could join B1G hockey!

B1G is a hockey CONFERENCE? Since when???

 

[kibblesnbits]

Finally, with a new hockey arena, we could join B1G hockey!

B1G is a hockey CONFERENCE? Since when???

Penn State is building a new rink and going D-I. That will give the Big 10 six teams (per charter the league must offer any sport in which 6 schools participate). It will begin play in 2013.

 

[CL82]

...and we all know that hockey drives the bus in conference realignment.

 

[Adios]

Dennis, not former senator / current Hollywood lobyist Chris Dodd

Thank you for the correction.

 

[Adios]

I was just saying the B1G can use more hockey programs.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Hockey is 100% irrelevant, IU, Illinois, Purdue, Northwestern, Nebraska, and Iowa all don't have teams. I would 100% guarantee that Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and MSU would all put up a huge fight about having to play UConn in hockey every year.