Jeff Jacobs latest

[uconnfan68]

It's not very often I agree with him, or acknowledge his column, but it was a good read today. Pretty much nails the whole "business" of college sports. The BCS shuffle.

 

[HuskyNan]

Big East Is In A Sorry State

 

[ctchamps]

Not as sad as the state of the printed media, the Hartford Courant or the competition to the columnist.

 

[arnie3]

link

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn...ig-east-column-1019-20111019,0,4323975.column

 

[IMind]

The columnists must love this.. essentially nothing has really happened since 'Cuse/Pitt and Texas A&M moved conferences... but lots of stuff MIGHT happen. It gives them tons to write about.. Jacobs has gotten 3 or 4 out of it at least.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Say what you will about Jacobs, he nailed it with this one. The BCS system is to blame for all of this. It is a monstrosity that needs to end. Even now, as we fear we will soon be locked out of the exclusive club, we contort our associations to find a way to remain by any means necessary. Meanwhile, if a more attractive route to the "club" arose, we'd celebrate and conveniently forget that there are others on the outside looking in. It's reality, but it's sad.

 

[upstater]

When it comes to money, the BCS autoqualifier bid is almost irrelevant now. TV money has skyrocketed well beyond bowl payoff. The $1.5 million per year pocketed from the BCS is immediately spent on bowl travel. It's irrelevant.

BCS is a key for recruiting. And there ends the discussion. Moneywise, it's practically irrelevant now with TV contracts shelling out $10-$30 million per school.

As for these comments...

Does this mean that Herbst is less passionate about academics than a few weeks ago? Of course not. But it is evidence of how this system is bigger than any one person and drains all of their noblest passions. Although former Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese turned down my request to explain to Connecticut why UConn should remain in the Big East, he did tell The Sporting News that he would have remained four or five more years in his job if not for the football upheaval.
Tranghese bemoaned that when he hears talk about perfect fits and academics, he wants to say, "Don't insult my intelligence. … People are just jumping ship for what appears to be more money.

...it's a very narrow-minded point-of-view from both Tranghese and Jacobs. It's all about the money in the sense that the big TV contracts SHOULD (but who knows?) enable more schools to avoid subsidies from the academic side in a time when state legislatures are slashing higher education. Only from the sports-centric point-of-view is that a bad idea. Tranghese and Jacobs are really limited ion their approach.

 

[upstater]

Say what you will about Jacobs, he nailed it with this one. The BCS system is to blame for all of this. It is a monstrosity that needs to end. Even now, as we fear we will soon be locked out of the exclusive club, we contort our associations to find a way to remain by any means necessary. Meanwhile, if a more attractive route to the "club" arose, we'd celebrate and conveniently forget that there are others on the outside looking in. It's reality, but it's sad.

I don't lament the system at all. There's not enough money to go around to make every institution whole. Even if you slashed coaches' salaries and capped them at $500k, you'd only be saving a couple million a year on average. That savings is not enough to allow more schools into the club. Essentially, what they're creating, is a superleague that requires no subsidies from the academic side.

Schools who are on the outside looking in should simply create a new division without the bigtime pressures of high-paid coaches and travel that saps the budget.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Schools who are on the outside looking in should simply create a new division without the bigtime pressures of high-paid coaches and travel that saps the budget.

Or they can just wait for the 'Super Conferences' to break off from the NCAA. While I always thought that it would never happen, it may not be that ridiculous to envision at this point. Heck, even Coach K has publicly discussed it recently:

Coach Mike Krzyzewski thinks if the NCAA wants to keep the top conferences, it needs to change its prospect contact rules.

“The old NCAA is no longer,” Krzyzewski said. “To go back can’t happen. The NCAA needs to change. I’d hate to see the top conferences not be a part of it, and that could happen.”


http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/32814620

 

[IMind]

Wouldn't that new division just be the FCS essentially? *shrug* No one seems really satisfied with that designation (other than the Ivy's and the Patriot League.)

Or is the real issue just managing alumni expectations...

 

[upstater]

Or they can just wait for the 'Super Conferences' to break off from the NCAA. While I always thought that it would never happen, it may not be that ridiculous to envision at this point. Heck, even Coach K has publicly discussed it recently:

Coach Mike Krzyzewski thinks if the NCAA wants to keep the top conferences, it needs to change its prospect contact rules.

“The old NCAA is no longer,” Krzyzewski said. “To go back can’t happen. The NCAA needs to change. I’d hate to see the top conferences not be a part of it, and that could happen.”

http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/32814620

I wonder what tune Coach K. will sing if the breakoff superleagues decide to pay players. A whole new dynamic will take charge at that point.

 

[gars44]

I don't lament the system at all. There's not enough money to go around to make every institution whole. Even if you slashed coaches' salaries and capped them at $500k, you'd only be saving a couple million a year on average. That savings is not enough to allow more schools into the club. Essentially, what they're creating, is a superleague that requires no subsidies from the academic side.

Schools who are on the outside looking in should simply create a new division without the bigtime pressures of high-paid coaches and travel that saps the budget.

Agree with this. How does this really hurt Connecticut? We were given a free entre by the Big East into the BCS. The only BE teams qualified for the league entre were Miami and maybe VT. I actually think at the time it was just Miami. When Miami departed, it was a statement that they didn't want to carry this league anymore. That put the league on shaky ground, and BC and Syracuse (and everyone else) knew it.

Uconn had never before "done" anything to warrant entre into a BCS conference. And we haven't since. When Uconn got into the Fiesta Bowl last year, and didn't make a good showing, didn't get the viewership, and didn't bring a big crowd (none of which was our fault, btw), that was just about the last straw in Bristol, CT. The last was when the BE decided not to accept the most recent TV renewal. That - and I think everyone knows this - was the last straw. That was it.

 

[Mr.Phat]

Jacobs should have added that Marionette is also hostage to his own myopia and denial.

 

[Adios]

Or they can just wait for the 'Super Conferences' to break off from the NCAA. While I always thought that it would never happen, it may not be that ridiculous to envision at this point. Heck, even Coach K has publicly discussed it recently:

Coach Mike Krzyzewski thinks if the NCAA wants to keep the top conferences, it needs to change its prospect contact rules.

“The old NCAA is no longer,” Krzyzewski said. “To go back can’t happen. The NCAA needs to change. I’d hate to see the top conferences not be a part of it, and that could happen.”

http://eye-on-college-basketball.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/32814620

He is correct. So be it. Schools don't want to share the "jackpot" (or their earnings) with Sun Belt members, MAC members, lower end C-USA members, etc.

 

[freescooter]

Not so sure about your analysis, gars. If you look at it, the ACC has been equally bad or worse, and more costly to boot. Their Championship game has been an attendance and ratings disaster. Their champ has gotten smacked around in its bowls year in, year out, including last year's Orange Bowl. Nobody expects the ACC to produce national championship contenders any more than they expect the Big East to. And to top it off, what was once the ACC's saving grace, its basketball league, has fallen way down, too. If you're ESPN, why would you choose an equally bad alternative as your tool of choice.

 

[Adios]

Not so sure about your analysis, gars. If you look at it, the ACC has been equally bad or worse, and more costly to boot. there Championship game has been an attendance and ratings disaster. Their champ has gotten smacked around in its bowls year in, year out, including last year's Orange Bowl. Nobody expects the ACC to produce national championship contenders any more than they expect the Big East to. And to top it off, what was once the ACC's saving grace, its basketball league, has fallen way down, too. If you're ESPN, why would you choose an equally bad alternative as your tool of choice.

And people want to run to the ACC just for their schools...

 

[gars44]

Free, for one thing, the ACC has better "names" in the conference. Much better. It has your old school, Free Shoes U (lol!), Clemson, Miami, VT . . . there's no comparison in terms of name recognition. Is the ACC going to play an a NC game anymore? Possible but not likely. But see Clemson, this year. Btw, if it turns out over the next 8 years that Miami, FSU, VT and Clemson enter a downward spiral where no more than one or two of them is capable of breaking into the top 25 each year, the rules will again change regarding access to BCS bowls. The rules will always change to accomodate the top dogs. The ACC knows this, is a little concerned, as you see by their actions.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I don't lament the system at all. There's not enough money to go around to make every institution whole. Even if you slashed coaches' salaries and capped them at $500k, you'd only be saving a couple million a year on average. That savings is not enough to allow more schools into the club. Essentially, what they're creating, is a superleague that requires no subsidies from the academic side.

Schools who are on the outside looking in should simply create a new division without the bigtime pressures of high-paid coaches and travel that saps the budget.

That's all well and good except for a little thing called the Sherman Act. You see it isn't lawful for entities competing for the money, and attention, and players to collude or have an arrangement to harm or exclude competition. If this was a different industry and a group of competitors got together to freeze out other competitors, the DOJ and FTC would be all over them.

The idea of conferences was always permissible because there is interbrand and intrabrand competition. The conferences promoted competition among each other, while they diminished competition between member schools with member schools outside the conference (for TV dollars). It also served to promote Title IX goals by funding the many non-revenue sports. The BCS though, is different, in that it singles out some conferences for special treatment. Then to add to the problem, the government confers tax exempt status on all of these monopolists.

The reality is that Texas, Bama, OU, Florida, Michigan, Ohio State, LSU etc. have nothing to worry about. In direct school to school competition for revenue, they would probably be even bigger winners. ND and BYU realize this. But you might find that Ball State, Central Florida, or Nevada would prove far more effective competitors than say Northwestern, Oregon State or NC State.

 

[CL82]

Say what you will about Jacobs, he nailed it with this one. The BCS system is to blame for all of this. It is a monstrosity that needs to end. Even now, as we fear we will soon be locked out of the exclusive club, we contort our associations to find a way to remain by any means necessary. Meanwhile, if a more attractive route to the "club" arose, we'd celebrate and conveniently forget that there are others on the outside looking in. It's reality, but it's sad.

Agreed. There's nothing really that interesting, original or thought provoking in the article but al least he didn't get it abysmally wrong, blame Calhoun, or focus on how the BCS system is unfair to him.

 

[junglehusky]

And people want to run to the ACC just for their schools...

Yes, because for UConn, there would be benefits beyond athletics / TV revenues.

Admissions... it's all about admissions.

(and $$$)

 

[CTMike]

I started writing and then deleted it. I don't like the corrupt BCS, the NCAA is pretty suspect itself, and I wouldn't mind for it all to come crashing down. Cut out all the middle men.

I don't get why schools are okay with millions of dollars going to institutions (the BCS, the bowls themselves, the NCAA... whatever) when all that money should be going in to their pockets instead.

I'm just rambling.

 

[Adios]

Yes, because for UConn, there would be benefits beyond athletics / TV revenues.

Admissions... it's all about admissions.

(and $$$)

We've been doing solid with Pitt and SU in the conference when it comes to admissions. The school does stand on it's own ground. And the $$$ issue is debatable. I still think the schools and markets the new Big East have been pursuing are clever choices. Three of the schools we are supposed to invite (SMU, Navy, AFA) are either around equal with Pitt and SU or better. The ACC doesn't provide the recruiting pipelines the new Big East does (Texas AND Florida), especially if FSU leaves. Look at FSU fans. They don't care what schools are in the ACC. They want to go to the SEC. For what? Athletic competition in football.

 

[junglehusky]

Butchy, I can't tell if we're talking past each other or if you don't agree or if you don't understand. I'm saying (and we had a whole thread on this the other day) that UConn really wants to be in the ACC for primarily for non-football reasons. We don't want to be an SEC type school. We want to be in a viable, stable league, which is why we would prefer not to stay in a revamped Big East. And as good as Navy or SMU is academically, we want to be with other elite public state schools.

After that, we will consider football as far as having access to the BCS (ACC>NNBE, which might lose its bid)... I just don't think access to football recruiting areas will be much of a factor for UConn deciding which conference to be in. (It's a different matter than for the Big East choosing which schools to accept, though even here the primary goal is keeping a BCS bid, hence the interest in Boise).

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Or they can just wait for the 'Super Conferences' to break off from the NCAA.

Would these so-called superconferences then have to stage their own basketball championship as well? Do they also negotiate the TV contracts for basketball independently from NCAA influence and no longer share proceeds with the rest?

 

[upstater]

Would these so-called superconferences then have to stage their own basketball championship as well? Do they also negotiate the TV contracts for basketball independently from NCAA influence and no longer share proceeds with the rest?

I don't see why that would be necessary since the BCS is already outside the NCAAs scope.