Jacobs: UConn's Road To A Power 5 Goes Through New York

[Drew]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-huskies/hc-jacobs-column-uconn-big-12-0105-20160105-column.html


Well here we go. First article from Jacobs. Wish these weren't subscription articles as more people would see them that way

Shoutout to @Dooley for the research again. Jacobs cites it in this article

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Congrats to @Dooley for the mention!

 

[Adios]

So now, journalists turn to message boards for research.

Nice of Jacobs to acknowledge, at least.

 

[coachcap]

That article only referenced ESPN when it was talking about cable viewing & a possible Big XII conference network. No mention was made of FOX which has a sizable piece of their broadcast rights. My take: UCONN would add considerable value & content to THAT contract. The men's & women's basketball would help the Big XII rival the ACC as the best hoops conference in the country. I look at Fox, FS1, & FS2. As a Cox subscriber, I get all 3 of those networks, but only the 1st two are available in HD. With the addition of UCONN, Big XII games would be of more interest in the NY-Boston corridor & enhance the viewership of all 3 FOX properties. FX1 COULD possibly become the de facto XII network (or FX2 for that matter).

 

[epark88]

No need to register ...

http://www.google.com/search?q=Jeff....34.mobile-heirloom-serp..0.1.239.6Hp-aEeYbJ0

 

[Waquoit]

So now, journalists turn to message boards for research.

Nice of Jacobs to acknowledge, at least.

Jacobs has never made a secret about his reading the Yard.

 

[noeynox]

That article only referenced ESPN when it was talking about cable viewing & a possible Big XII conference network. No mention was made of FOX which has a sizable piece of their broadcast rights. My take: UCONN would add considerable value & content to THAT contract. The men's & women's basketball would help the Big XII rival the ACC as the best hoops conference in the country. I look at Fox, FS1, & FS2. As a Cox subscriber, I get all 3 of those networks, but only the 1st two are available in HD. With the addition of UCONN, Big XII games would be of more interest in the NY-Boston corridor & enhance the viewership of all 3 FOX properties. FX1 COULD possibly become the de facto XII network (or FX2 for that matter).

My take as well. I have direct TV. Fox Sports 2 is buried somewhere in the 600's. It has probably been months since I watched anything on there. They have nothing on there worth watching. They could begin the transition of that to a 12 network and probably do better than now. Just a thought.

 

[UConn Dan]

Was told and the truth are two different things:

Kansas State President Kirk Schulz tweeted in November that he had dinner with UConn President Susan Herbst and talked about UConn before a UConn-K-State women's basketball game. I am told the elephant in the room — realignment — was not addressed.

 

[Dooley]

I've always said that I don't care where journalists get their stories or ideas from. Their job is to write about what means the most to their readers. Getting UConn into a Power conference, the numbers and facts clearly support that UConn should be a P5 school, is the most important topic to all UConn fans - WBB, MBB, Football, Hockey, etc...it's one thing that actually unites UConn Nation as a whole.

Jeff Jacobs on the crusade can do nothing but help the cause. I wish more writers took his lead and did the same. Unlike us, journalists have access to important people and can seek out some quotes to attach to this story that we can't. On or off the record. The story is a big one - a school like UConn, that clearly has EVERY SINGLE SUPPORTING DATA POINT to be a Power Conference school, is not a Power Conference school. There are dozens of schools that are grandfathered Power Conference schools that we stack up favorably against. We are the top G5 school for TV, top for academics, top for athletics and top for branding. If UConn is shunned once again in favor of other G5 schools, then I would expect some hard questions to be asked. In my opinion, football recruiting territory is not enough to trump ALL FOUR of the other metrics that we are clearly the leader. You can find players anywhere in the country...not just Ohio or Utah or Houston (aside: if the B12 can't already recruit Houston, then that's on them). But if your games aren't on TV anywhere except Texas and Oklahoma, what good does it do?

FOX wants east. We're east. We can bring 11M TV homes to the table. If you like money and stability, that right there should end the fracking discussion.

 

[Drew]

Also something I think worth noting is that if Jacobs didn't think we had a realistic shot at making a move I don't think he would be writing these articles. One would have to assume he spoke with members of the AD/President's office before starting this crusade and they gave him the approval/access needed to write what needs to be written. If UConn was sure it wasn't going to be making a move in the next 10 years they probably wouldn't have been as likely to say yes to this.

 

[NYUConn]

Also something I think worth noting is that if Jacobs didn't think we had a realistic shot at making a move I don't think he would be writing these articles. One would have to assume he spoke with members of the AD/President's office before starting this crusade and they gave him the approval/access needed to write what needs to be written. If UConn was sure it wasn't going to be making a move in the next 10 years they probably wouldn't have been as likely to say yes to this.

I had a similar thought when I read this earlier. A guy like Jacobs (who I know this crowd has mixed feelings towards) has built up a LOT of journalism cred in the industry through the years and has a huge following within the state.

For him to go all in on UConn and the Big 12 is a risk. If it doesn't materialize he looks weak to the readers and like a cheerleader to his colleagues.

But to @Dooley 's larger point above, what he's doing is only helpful.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Sounds like we're using every available resource to me.

 

[Kolumbo]

Yeah, I know, it's only women's hoops. Based on Top 25 rankings, the Big 12 and the ACC are the weakest of the P5 right now. Add UCONN and it immediately puts your conference at the top. Back to football...

 

[Devland]

Also something I think worth noting is that if Jacobs didn't think we had a realistic shot at making a move I don't think he would be writing these articles. One would have to assume he spoke with members of the AD/President's office before starting this crusade and they gave him the approval/access needed to write what needs to be written. If UConn was sure it wasn't going to be making a move in the next 10 years they probably wouldn't have been as likely to say yes to this.

I have no doubt that Jacobs has been in contact with UConn authorities. My question is who initiated these discussions. Did Jacobs hear something and was curious then contacted UConn to do research on this? Or did UConn contact Jacobs with hopes of Jacobs writing these columns to "market" these ideas? Neither one is particularly a bad thing,

 

[pj]

Also something I think worth noting is that if Jacobs didn't think we had a realistic shot at making a move I don't think he would be writing these articles. One would have to assume he spoke with members of the AD/President's office before starting this crusade and they gave him the approval/access needed to write what needs to be written. If UConn was sure it wasn't going to be making a move in the next 10 years they probably wouldn't have been as likely to say yes to this.

Undoubtedly. UConn's management thinks a publicity push is desirable right now, and enlisted Jacobs to make it.

Why? Presumably they want to avoid another debacle like the ACC Louisville selection in which UConn seems to lead, but late fan pressure (FSU and Clemson fans who value football success) overcame the preference of academic leaders. Giving UConn credibility with the public/fans as an attractive partner to their schools would help head off a similar outcome.

 

[Drew]

I have no doubt that Jacobs has been in contact with UConn authorities. My question is who initiated these discussions. Did Jacobs hear something and was curious then contacted UConn to do research on this? Or did UConn contact Jacobs with hopes of Jacobs writing these columns to "market" these ideas? Neither one is particularly a bad thing,

this could be wrong but Jacobs tweeted asking for fans favorite UConn sports moments of 2015 and I'm pretty sure a large amount of the responses were asking him to look into the Big XII stuff

 

[Dooley]

The #1 (and only) concern that B12 fans should have is whether or not they sustain being a Power conference after 2025. With a B12 Network, they can. Without one, they can't. Yes, fans of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas probably don't have to worry about post-2025...they will find a home somewhere. But the other 7 fanbases surely do. They should all band together and promote whoever can get them closer to a B12 Network. UConn.

 

[Dooley]

Yeah, I know, it's only women's hoops. Based on Top 25 rankings, the Big 12 and the ACC are the weakest of the P5 right now. Add UCONN and it immediately puts your conference at the top. Back to football...

The top revenue sports are obviously football and MBB, but if you take a look into the OU board, even guys like okielite (who can't stop saying negative things about UConn over the years) acknowledge that WBB ratings for UConn games are very impressive. Again, that bodes well for a potential B12 Network to get off the ground.

 

[Drew]

I wonder if we would consider dropping a sport like Men's Tennis if we joined the XII in favor of adding something like wrestling. XII and B1G are the 2 best wrestling conferences out there

 

[coachcap]

Yeah, I know, it's only women's hoops. Based on Top 25 rankings, the Big 12 and the ACC are the weakest of the P5 right now. Add UCONN and it immediately puts your conference at the top. Back to football...

Don't minimize Women's Hoops. Adding UConn to the mix with Oklahoma & Baylor would make the XII about the best conference for women's hoops. The Oklahoma Coach is a good friend of Geno's, thus many matchups with the Huskies & Sooners in the past. While Kim Mulkey may not be as close to Geno, both she & her predecessor realized years ago that national matchups against the Huskies were good both to promote the sport & to help strengthen their own team. While I can't say for certain, I'm speculating that that's how UCONN got it's home & home in football with Baylor (& thus our glimpse of RGIII as a freshman), by leveraging Baylor's wish to play UCONN in women's hoops.

 

[UCPusky]

I've always said that I don't care where journalists get their stories or ideas from. Their job is to write about what means the most to their readers. Getting UConn into a Power conference, the numbers and facts clearly support that UConn should be a P5 school, is the most important topic to all UConn fans - WBB, MBB, Football, Hockey, etc...it's one thing that actually unites UConn Nation as a whole.

Dooley - nice job putting the numbers together and having Jacobs reference you/them in his column!

While in theory getting UConn into a power conference SHOULD be the most important topic to all UConn sports fans, in reality I interact with a great number of UConn fans - alums unfortunately included - that still have no clue as to UConn's detrimental position in being a member of the American. It amazes me how surprised they are when I enlighten them with UConn's current and future financial landscape regarding conference membership. Unsurprisingly, non-cfb fans make up a far majority of these uninformed fans.

 

[CL82]

Jacobs has never made a secret about his reading the Yard.

To his credit. Why wouldn't you use the Boneyard as a convenient place to get the pulse of the fans? It's a resource, with a lot of good info.

To Jacobs' credit he cites Dooley as a source.

As Boneyard poster Dooley, who put together some exhaustive research, pointed out, only Texas at No. 52 had a higher academic ranking than UConn (57) in the most recent U.S. News & World Report ranking among Big 12 schools and the half-dozen leading expansion candidates. Texas, Iowa State (108) and Kansas (115) are in the AAU.

Props to Jeff for taking on the CR issue and for way he's doing it.

 

[DudeOfCT]

Man, the way he says UConn won 4 championships in the 2 major sports is cringeworthy.

 

[noeynox]

Dooley - nice job putting the numbers together and having Jacobs reference you/them in his column!

While in theory getting UConn into a power conference SHOULD be the most important topic to all UConn sports fans, in reality I interact with a great number of UConn fans - alums unfortunately included - that still have no clue as to UConn's detrimental position in being a member of the American. It amazes me how surprised they are when I enlighten them with UConn's current and future financial landscape regarding conference membership. Unsurprisingly, non-cfb fans make up a far majority of these uninformed fans.

Many casual fans sitting around you at The Rent are unaware of our situation.

Can't say I blame them. Sports are supposed to be a fun distraction. This P5, G5 divide is stress inducing for many of us.

 

[coachcap]

My take as well. I have direct TV. Fox Sports 2 is buried somewhere in the 600's. It has probably been months since I watched anything on there. They have nothing on there worth watching. They could begin the transition of that to a 12 network and probably do better than now. Just a thought.

While we're on the topic of FOX, I had another thought. Fox now owns the lion's share of YES Network. Currently YES & NESN pick up RayCom's production of ACC & BC games that aren't being broadcast on the Mouse. Should UCONN move to the XII, would Fox cancel its YES contract with RayCom & move XII overfill games to YES? (Anything that kicks the Thunderchickens in the sack is gravy)