In retrospect, UConn should have used its leverage in the new conference

[upstater]

before it admitted new members.

There were 3 leftovers.

UConn should have said: "Join us and you get a big piece of all the exit fees. We are keeping our sports other than football in the Big East, and we'd like to invite Navy to be just like us. Football only. Other sports in a regional league."

I think teams would have gone for it. It could have also not charged entrance fees. That's probably $100m overall and $10m per new entrant.

There is a decent chance that Cincy would have remained in the BE as well under this scenario.

 

[LBird33]

I think honestly the espn AAC deal killed any future for UConn it was the last gasp. Along with the many things that happened which was already pointed out by many others. I wish football worked out better and I may be naive but haven’t given up hope that can be competitive- again anything will be better than the last 3 years. My new motto is one day st a time. One game at a time. Wish I had a better answer

 

[StunningSteve]

before it admitted new members.

There were 3 leftovers.

UConn should have said: "Join us and you get a big piece of all the exit fees. We are keeping our sports other than football in the Big East, and we'd like to invite Navy to be just like us. Football only. Other sports in a regional league."

I think teams would have gone for it. It could have also not charged entrance fees. That's probably $100m overall and $10m per new entrant.

There is a decent chance that Cincy would have remained in the BE as well under this scenario.

This is revisionist. There weren’t 3 leftovers. There was also Rutgers and Louisville.. Notre Dame, etc..

Basically what you are talking about is a National Football only concept with Boise State and San Diego State keeping their Olympics in the Big West and UConn and Cincinnati mirroring them with their Olympics with the C7 league.

National Football-only league.

Interesting concept.

 

[StunningSteve]

On that topic, do you feel a National FB Only conference would work today?

Obviously none of the AAC teams would go for it due to their revenue being significantly the highest outside autonomy and the fact that FB and MBB are already good.

However, how about a national 10 team FB only conference consisting of...

Army
UConn
Liberty
NMSU
UMass
BYU
(4 schools to be named later)

It’s hypothetical but those names are going to be playing on the same schedules a lot as it is (with the exception of BYU and perhaps Army)

Perhaps ODU could be lured from CUSA.. (place their sports in the A10)

 

[UConnNick]

This is revisionist. There weren’t 3 leftovers. There was also Rutgers and Louisville.. Notre Dame, etc..

Basically what you are talking about is a National Football only concept with Boise State and San Diego State keeping their Olympics in the Big West and UConn and Cincinnati mirroring them with their Olympics with the C7 league.

National Football-only league.

Interesting concept.

We were prevously in a football conference only. That's what the old Yankee Conference became. UCONN joined the original Big East, UMASS joined the A10, Maine, New Hampshire and BU joined the America East, but we all had to have a place for football, so the Yankee became a football only league. It kept picking up additional members, and later became the A10 Football Conference and then the CAA, which still exists, and is generally recognized as one of the best FCS leagues in the country.

 

[upstater]

I think honestly the espn AAC deal killed any future for UConn it was the last gasp. Along with the many things that happened which was already pointed out by many others. I wish football worked out better and I may be naive but haven’t given up hope that can be competitive- again anything will be better than the last 3 years. My new motto is one day st a time. One game at a time. Wish I had a better answer

"Anything will be better than the last 3 years."

I don't subscribe to this when it comes to UConn football.

 

[upstater]

This is revisionist. There weren’t 3 leftovers. There was also Rutgers and Louisville.. Notre Dame, etc..

Basically what you are talking about is a National Football only concept with Boise State and San Diego State keeping their Olympics in the Big West and UConn and Cincinnati mirroring them with their Olympics with the C7 league.

National Football-only league.

Interesting concept.

You're right--but I'm sure they would not have begrudged UConn anything.

Notre Dame was actually out before all this.

But Rutgers was already in the B10 though it hadn't left, and of course Louisville learned of its ACC berth before the AAC had ever played a game. I doubt that Louisville would have sided against UConn's need to position itself.

I would have been much more worried about Cincy and USF than any of the other schools o their way out the door.

 

[LBird33]

"Anything will be better than the last 3 years."

I don't subscribe to this when it comes to UConn football.

Not sure I understand your comment

 

[06029]

Not sure I understand your comment

Every time you think it can’t be worse for Uconn FB, it gets worse.

 

[upstater]

Not sure I understand your comment

I think we get less talent, and we lose to previously unthinkable schools, FCS schools (not that we haven't lost to them before) and we get pasted in pay-play games, and soon enough the football program devolves even more. Especially since we did this because we got stiffed by the AAC on the TV contract. So we recover the basketball contract money, but we lose it on the new money pit of Indy football? Don't think so. There will need to be further reconciliations of UConn football. You can't expect to move upward from here, not after announcing that football is not a priority.

 

[Waquoit]

"Anything will be better than the last 3 years."

I don't subscribe to this when it comes to UConn football.

Of course not. Why start being on the right side of an argument now?

 

[upstater]

Of course not. Why start being on the right side of an argument now?

The right side of an argument? What does that even mean?

Aere you saying that UConn football was helped by what happened?

You're the only one to have stated something crazy like that, if it's what you're saying. Things will devolve with football, read the football board. My view is not at all out of keeping with what 99% of the football fans are saying.

 

[Waquoit]

Anything will be better than the last 3 years.

 

[upstater]

Anything will be better than the last 3 years.

I see them losing to Albany in front of 1,500 fans soon.

 

[LBird33]

I think we get less talent, and we lose to previously unthinkable schools, FCS schools (not that we haven't lost to them before) and we get pasted in pay-play games, and soon enough the football program devolves even more. Especially since we did this because we got stiffed by the AAC on the TV contract. So we recover the basketball contract money, but we lose it on the new money pit of Indy football? Don't think so. There will need to be further reconciliations of UConn football. You can't expect to move upward from here, not after announcing that football is not a priority.

Got it thanks for your clarification

 

[Point6]

I know FB drives the realignment bus but we were in the P5 discussion and it was not because of anything our FB team ever accomplished. (Fiesta Bowl was good but we were 8-5, no?)

There is value in being among the very best in basketball and I think some of that bled over to help our FB and recruiting, etc., when in the Big East. We need that again or we are just another G5 level school with bad football. I don't know if we can get back to greatness in hoops but I like our chances a lot more in the Big East than in the AAC.

I think greatness in basketball will help our football.

Duke and UNC were supposedly among the top targets of the B1G at some point, if the realignment talk is to be believed. Was it all based on football?

 

[upstater]

I know FB drives the realignment bus but we were in the P5 discussion and it was not because of anything our FB team ever accomplished. (Fiesta Bowl was good but we were 8-5, no?)

There is value in being among the very best in basketball and I think some of that bled over to help our FB and recruiting, etc., when in the Big East. We need that again or we are just another G5 level school with bad football. I don't know if we can get back to greatness in hoops but I like our chances a lot more in the Big East than in the AAC.

I think greatness in basketball will help our football.

Duke and UNC were supposedly among the top targets of the B1G at some point, if the realignment talk is to be believed. Was it all based on football?

We have pretty clearly signaled we don't care about the football program.

Why would anyone share their money (most of it coming from football) with a school that doesn't care about football?

 

[Point6]

We have pretty clearly signaled we don't care about thy would anyone share their money (most of it coming from football) with a school that doesn't care about football?

If I were going to be cynical, I would say a P5 conference could be tempted to damage/destroy a competing BB conference if that BB conference became too powerful. That might be attempted/accomplished by inviting one of the blue blood basketball teams to join it, if there is one that plays football.

Probably would never happen.

 

[upstater]

If I were going to be cynical, I would say a P5 conference could be tempted to damage/destroy a competing BB conference if that BB conference became too powerful. That might be attempted/accomplished by inviting one of the blue blood basketball teams to join it, if there is one that plays football.

Probably would never happen.

The money they have over us is going to hurt us for a long time. They will keep poaching our coaches. Almost no BE teams can go toe-to-toe with schools that are able to pay $5 to $10m a year. And worse if we go to paying players, the BE schools won't have the booster networks to compete, nor be able to pay the $5,000 in cash per season that already exists.

 

[Nostical]

We have pretty clearly signaled we don't care about the football program

I don't know about that. Tell it to the Frasers. We upgraded facilities, uniforms etc. while telling the AAC and Espn we're not taking any more of their crap. I'm beginning think our football will start to improve in the W-L arena and gain in stature over time. We're due some better Karma.

 

[upstater]

I don't know about that. Tell it to the Frasers. We upgraded facilities, uniforms etc. while telling the AAC and Espn we're not taking any more of their crap. I'm beginning think our football will start to improve in the W-L arena and gain in stature over time. We're due some better Karma.

I'm talking about the signal we sent to the other conferences, not what we may be telling ourselves. I can't imagine those conference people believe anything other than that we are downgrading.

 

[StunningSteve]

UConn should have said: "Join us and you get a big piece of all the exit fees. We are keeping our sports other than football in the Big East, and we'd like to invite Navy to be just like us. Football only. Other sports in a regional league."

I think Brett McMurphy answered any questions about the response UConn would've gotten if it tried to dictate those terms. lol

 

[upstater]

I think Brett McMurphy answered any questions about the response UConn would've gotten if it tried to dictate those terms. lol

You are certainly missing the context in this.

The other teams weren't in the conference at that time.

Only UConn, Cincy and USF were in, with Louisville on its way out the door.

If they didn't want a big piece of the $150m, then fine. It wouldn't have made a difference. If they didn't want the automatic BCS bid (one year left), then fine.

If they didn't want the tens of millions in NCAA bball credits, then fine.

All I'm saying is that many a school would have jumped at the offer of $10 million plus joining a still-BCS conference.