UConn Fans,
First time poster here & a BIG fan in general. Over the past few months I've been aligned with a smaller number of BIG fans such as Buffalo Lion who believes UConn would be a great, overall addition to the BIG.
FWIW, to FranktheTank's defense, he realized what I knew long, long ago: the ACC, esp core members, would likely stay intact due to tradition and culture. He made a pitch for FSU (much newer ACC member), which I initially agreed with, but then viewed as quite unlikely without at least GTech and Va. I think any UNC talk to the BIG was delusional fantasy, yet very real in terms of conjecture via the national media and message boards. The biggest problem with an FSU addition, aside from bringing nearby schools who were not truly interested in BIG membership: was the ISOLATION, ISLAND effect. We're seeing WVa dealing with such displaced geography right now. Could their situation improve? Maybe, the first few years of a new conference are challenging, esp if the footprint is so spread out. WVa does not have say the hs football resources, among many others, of an aTm that instantly compete in any conference.
When it comes to expansion, a lot of BIG fans are absurdly money driven, football centric, and AAU biased, the latter being a more respectable stance to hold. But such a position goes flat when you consider Nebraska's recent ousting from this association. Moreover, too many BIG fans fail to understand the importance of cultural compatibility. Schools like GTech, Va, UNC weren't going to give up ACC tradition and ties for the BIG. If anything, BIG fans should have realized the difficulty of adding any ACC team due to the Md expansion - a lot of fans, alum disappointed about joining the BIG. And let's be honest, Md was the best target, in terms of cultural compatibility, to join the BIG.
In the future, my personal theory is that the BIG will likely jump from 14 to 18 then stand firm - indefinitely. In this scenario UConn, I believe, joins Kansas, OU and hopefully Texas. I do think the BIG will set aside AAU status in such a scenario, OU and UConn being non-AAU. Such an expansion would forever mark the BIG as formidable in the following manners:
1.) The conference would have every flagship school in its footprint, and some, even if not AAU. I also believe OU and UConn's academic upside would be very strong and inevitbaly AAU worthy, esp UConn.
2.) The big two sports: men's basketball and football, would be quite powerful & prestigious. UConn and KU would bring in 6 NCs. Texas and Ok bring in blue blood football & one of the sport's biggest rivalries. The OU-Neb rivalry, also significant, would be revived.
3.) Competitive balance on the football side - 9 team divisions: OU, Neb, Wisky, and Tx in the west would comfortably counter OSU, PSU, Mi and MSU in the east. As for basketball, I don't think divisions will ever be established, thus little concern here.
4.) Such an expansion would be nearly contiguous with only a slight break between NJ and Conn
5.) UConn does in fact have equal or greater influence on the NYC market than Rutgers. Why so many BIG fans fail to see this quantitative reality is beyond me. My opinion here is that perhaps BIG alum from the likes of Mi, OSU, PSU, Rutgers wish to corner the NYC market due to their stronger alumni presence here & therefore eliminate as much competition as possible. But of these alumni bases, all but Rutgers will always be more outsider type NYC imports - Conn, like Rutgers, will always border NYC and therefore share more intimate, historic cultural connectedness.
Some positives that help UConn with BIG membership - which I believe is much closer than some think:
1.) Conn is a great public education state, k-12, which clearly helps bolster UConn's inevitable AAU status
2.) Conn's general population and government will continue to value and improve UConn's academic standing
3.) Your athletic department, esp at the top, has strong BIG ties (Michigan)
4.) You have the best combined basketball program in the country, it's been this way for at least 15 years now
5.) UConn plays hockey, a sport valued by the BIG and this year's NCG was an all Conn final - amateur hockey in Conn is easily top five in terms of talent production
6.) Conn has a high per capita wealth population - when UConn puts quality programs in the field of competition, the fans show up
7.) Conn has condensed, easy to navigate geography that allows for great road trips in the eastern BIG, esp schools like PSU, Rutgers & Md. Also, further outlying BIG fans will probably make NYC a destination in addition to UConn match ups.
8.) Unlike the fantasy, mostly rumor based list of ACC targets pimped by too many BIG fans, most in your alumni-fan base would like to be in the BIG, most administrators as well
Some negatives working against UConn to the BIG (some you've heard too often, but I need to say):
1.) Football prestige and money: smaller venue that is off campus, FBS status is brief, northeast recruiting base is thin & arguably too competitive
2.) AAU status (though this is often overstated)
3.) BIG may only go 16 - period - thus remaining targets in a contiguous sense, based on my 18 scenario, are basketball first schools. Bottom line, BIG fans in general think football first.
Ultimately, I'm biased towards cultural compatibility, overall athletic departments and academics. Thus, UConn is an easy "yes" for me in terms of BIG membership.
Unfortunately, so many BIG fans need that AAU status and perception of football power. What too many BIG fans will utterly fail to admit is that BIG football on the highest level - NC pedigree - has been dim and continues to diminish. This trend started in the mid to late 70s. The BIG has one lousy outright NC, actual membership, since the early 70s. To further validate my point: the BIG had a miserable Rose Bowl record in the 80s, plus much of the last 13 years. We bounced back in the 90s, winning 7 of 10 Rose Bowls, & had some great teams in the early 2000s, but outside OSU, none won at the highest level. The Pac12 didn't help us much in the down years of the 80s because neither the BIG nor Pac12 won an AP NC, btw PSU's best era under JoP (80s) was under independent status. In the 90s, Miami, Nebraska, FSU & the inevitable rise of the SEC dominated while the BIG was locked into the Rose Bowl during a down decade for the Pac12 - the opposite of the 80s.
Lastly, the BIG, as a whole, continues to struggle in the amateur football sense - not enough spring football & 7-7s, both which can be pushed footprint wide - shifting demographics is a horrible excuse BIG fans often make. BIG football can dramatically improve via long-term investments into hs football culture & coaching, no other way to put it. But, Ohio, future BIG states Md and Jersey, and to a lesser degree Indiana & Nebraska (really small population) have committed necessary resources for year round football & these results are discernible in annual recruiting rankings. This improved, year-round football culture needs to spread conference wide - the population is mostly here, esp in Mi, Ill and Pa.
Good luck, hope you join the BIG soon.
