Jeff Jacobs: UConn denies talks of a Big East return...

[huskymedic]

Worth the full read:

Hartford Courant ‏@hartfordcourant 5h 5 hours ago
Jeff Jacobs: #UConn denies talks of a Big East return, but questions about future of UConn athletics won't go away.
UConn-Big East Talk Just Gets Louder

>>"I have had no conversations with anyone at the Big East regarding us joining their league," Benedict said at Rentschler Field. "Period."

Off the record? "Off the record, on the record," Benedict interjected. "I have had no conversations with anyone at the Big East regarding us joining their league."

In case any intrepid sleuth wants to differentiate between Benedict himself and representatives of the school, consult his official statement. He said UConn.

"I know, I'm the guy who told you a month earlier we weren't going to make a change with the head football coach," Benedict said. "I'm telling you, there is no truth to this." We introduce the Bob Diaco and Randy Edsall situation for two reasons. One, because what Benedict said in November changed over the course of a month. Circumstances, he has since said, changed. So his mind changed. Two, football remains paramount in any discussion of changing conferences.<<

>>"Look at what we've been doing and [a Big East move right now] would be counterproductive," Benedict said. "We are trying to build our football program to get extremely competitive. Right now, the AAC is our best opportunity to grow all our sports.

"No one knows what the future holds. Whether it's the last 10 years or the last 100 years, there is consistent change in college athletics. I wish there was someone who could predict the future, but there isn't. Right now, we are 100 percent committed to our football program and men's and women's basketball, as well as all our sports. Right now, the AAC is our best opportunity to grow all our sports."<<

>>If you remember no other sentence in this piece, remember this one: Right now, the UConn hierarchy does not want to weaken football to the point where, if the Power Five (or whatever form the monopoly has) comes looking in future years, the program would be so irrelevant that the conferences would say forget UConn. That is why UConn's not going independent. That's why UConn is not going to the MAC. That is also the guiding principle today. I didn't say it would be the guiding force forever, or even a year or two from now, after the Big East exit money dries up.<<

 

[Adios]

We should go independent in women's basketball.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

We should stay in AAC until P5 comes calling -- and I think that may happen sooner than later. ACC has a TV network coming soon and UConn can help make it a success!

 

[BlueDogs]

Still think B1G wins by grabbing UConn by securing the Eastern market with Rutgers, Penn State, Maryland and counters the AAC presence. ACC can likewise lock out the Big by grabbing UConn. One of them will blink first.

 

[JMick]

There has been such a change in the product that has come out of traditional newspapers over the last two years. These pieces have been unbelievable compared to what the same writers were doing 3-4-5 years ago.

 

[Jimdish255]

This just sounds like an echo chamber of faint rumblings.

 

[shizzle787]

Local 12
Intersting listen from about 12:00-25:00 on Cincy radio station.

 

[BlueDogs]

Read the moronic post below the article, and you see the level of small mindedness by basketball only idiots. They don't realize we die a slow death with no football and revert to Podunkville. The BigEast is riding its own train over a cliff once it's contract rus out. Ratings are terrible and they think UConn helps fix that. The fact that the Big12 saw little value in basketball tells you al you need to know.

 

[UCFBfan]

"Look at what we've been doing and [a Big East move right now] would be counterproductive," Benedict said. "We are trying to build our football program to get extremely competitive. Right now, the AAC is our best opportunity to grow all our sports.

It's this statement right here that makes me believe this whole idea that we're seriously considering moving to the BE is crap. There's no way we bring in the folks we did if we are basically giving up on football. There's not a shot in heck Lashlee leaves Auburn for a massive pay cut and downgrade to a program that's looking to leave the best G5 conference and become Indy or join C-USA (The MAC already kicked out UMass for being partial members so anyone who thinks they'd take us doing the same thing needs to reassess that thought).

 

[Palatine]

There is no room for interpretation in this statement.

"Off the record, on the record," Benedict interjected. "I have had no conversations with anyone at the Big East regarding us joining their league."

 

[huskyrob1]

We should go independent in women's basketball.

Yeah, you're so right. I for one do not want to play Tulane again. Lets get out, now.

 

[CL82]

Best rumor du jour was us moving to the the Big East SNY paying us for football and our tier 3 rights. We'd need either a home for football (preferable the AAC) or some type of scheduling deal to make it work.

It's not going to happen, but it is interesting.

 

[Storrs South]

Local 12
Intersting listen from about 12:00-25:00 on Cincy radio station.

My notes from this discussion:

• Conversation really doesn't start till like 14:00 and ends at 26:00
• They believe UConn is pushing it hard
• Pushing so hard that UConn officials think they can pull it off
• MAC has offered a soft landing spot for UConn football
• Think Edsall hire is a signal that this happening since not many would want to take this job when it goes to MAC/C-USA
• Talking about how UConn doesn't have any toughness or fight like teams of the past; there is talent, but not gelling together
• Note that UConn is still getting good recruits, but long discussion about how National Championships can wear off it they don't turn it around
• Discussion of how bad travel is for non-revenue sports
• Hit on UConn AD deficit and Big East basketball tourney money running dry soon
• No downside (basically) to changing Big East round robin to 20 games - do lose some control of non-conference schedule
• Think Wichita State would go to the American if UConn left
• Says contacts from inside American Conference is none of this is happening
• Contacts in the Big East have said they have talked to other schools beyond Big East for addition but only looking to add UConn
• If Big East adds UConn, conference does get a bump in revenue from FOX so pool shared does increase

 

[shizzle787]

If we can poach an AAC football spot and go NBE for everything else, that is the dream scenario right now.

 

[shizzle787]

My notes from this discussion:

• Conversation really doesn't start till like 14:00 and ends at 26:00
• They believe UConn is pushing it hard
• Pushing so hard that UConn officials think they can pull it off
• MAC has offered a soft landing spot for UConn football
• Think Edsall hire is a signal that this happening since not many would want to take this job when it goes to MAC/C-USA
• Talking about how UConn doesn't have any toughness or fight like teams of the past; there is talent, but not gelling together
• Note that UConn is still getting good recruits, but long discussion about how National Championships can wear off it they don't turn it around
• Discussion of how bad travel is for non-revenue sports
• Hit on UConn AD deficit and Big East basketball tourney money running dry soon
• No downside (basically) to changing Big East round robin to 20 games - do lose some control of non-conference schedule
• Think Wichita State would go to the American if UConn left
• Says contacts from inside American Conference is none of this is happening
• Contacts in the Big East have said they have talked to other schools beyond Big East for addition but only looking to add UConn
• If Big East adds UConn, conference does get a bump in revenue from FOX so pool shared does increase

This was the most interesting point to me. Why would the BE expand without UConn? There really isn't another school that makes sense if they go to 11.

 

[coachcap]

If we can poach an AAC football spot and go NBE for everything else, that is the dream scenario right now.

More like a nightmare of epic proportions.

 

[shizzle787]

More like a nightmare of epic proportions.

Why? We would get the best of both worlds while we wait for a P5 invite.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

He can be truthful about not speaking to anyone in the Big East while talking with/to an intermediary party.

 

[huskymedic]

He can be truthful about not speaking to anyone in the Big East while talking with/to an intermediary party.

FWIW from article: "In case any intrepid sleuth wants to differentiate between Benedict himself and representatives of the school, consult his official statement. He said UConn."

He's been pretty forthcoming. Never say never but...

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

FWIW from article: "In case any intrepid sleuth wants to differentiate between Benedict himself and representatives of the school, consult his official statement. He said UConn." He's been pretty forthcoming. Never say never but...

FWIW, an agent representing UConn is still not UConn.

 

[CL82]

"Define what you mean when you say talk?"​

 

[NE Football]

We're in the AAC forever, not leaving for the BE and not getting an invite to B1G or ACC. We offer nothing to those conferences that they already do not have. Big 12 will fold and fill in the last remaining spots in the Power 4 conferences. I think WVU ends up in the ACC.

None of that is necessarily bad for UConn. The key is having a path to a playoff spot. Be Inc the top dog in a lesser conference is better than being a door mat in a power conference

 

[huskyrob1]

He can be truthful about not speaking to anyone in the Big East while talking with/to an intermediary party.

Yeah, he's really being truthful if the intermediary party is his boss Susan Herbst or anyone talking for him. I don't think he has had any communication with the Big East either directly or indirectly. If he did, all the coaches would have to be aware of it. I think an invite to the ACC in all sports except football is a much more likely scenario. That's what the reporters should have asked him, and the answer would have been "no comment". The ACC would love to have that northeast market with the UConn men's and women's basketball programs in the ACC. UConn football goes independent for a couple years but gets 6 or 7 games against ACC teams.

 

[noeynox]

We're in the AAC forever, not leaving for the BE and not getting an invite to B1G or ACC. We offer nothing to those conferences that they already do not have. Big 12 will fold and fill in the last remaining spots in the Power 4 conferences. I think WVU ends up in the ACC.

None of that is necessarily bad for UConn. The key is having a path to a playoff spot. Be Inc the top dog in a lesser conference is better than being a door mat in a power conference

If this all happens, there is no path to the playoff. Financial gap would be insurmountable.

 

[uconnbill]

Football independent is a death to UConn as we know it. UConn is not Notre Dame or BYU where they have their own network deals one with NBC and one with ESPN.
AAC until the next realignment in the next couple of years. One thing working against UConn is ESPN losing money for Disney which is a problem that won't go away anytime soon.