Jeff Jacobs: UConn must break Power Five grip to survive

[Jimdish255]

No point in anyone ignoring the situation now. I'm sure the Coaches are hearing those questions in plenty of living rooms.

 

[Chin Diesel]

That was the strangest article a few years back. I will not rest. Warde shouldn't rest. Herbst shouldn't rest. Nobody should rest. However, it seemed like he never followed up. Not a peep from all his agitating. He seems quite rested these days

"Herbst and Manuel shouldn't rest in 2016. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I let the presidents at BC or Wake Forest or Vanderbilt or Northwestern or Rutgers rest easy. Or, for that matter, the kingmakers at Texas, Notre Dame, LSU, Penn State, Michigan and Alabama, etc. And what about the commissioners of the Power Five and the big executives over in Bristol at ESPN or at Fox? They can all expect emails or phone calls in the coming months for their full-throated assessment of why they have kept UConn out and haven't let them in since. We all know a bunch of stuff already. Let's see if they have the integrity to say it publicly.

For a columnist in a state where college sports means everything not to hammer away at the Power Five situation would be a dereliction of duty. As we enter this New Year, I see this ever more clearly.

It's not hard to be a homer. It's even easier to be snarky and cynical. The fair and messy thing to do is to set down what you believe is the correct path for a team or a school and argue the points through as they occur. Unless you think sports have no place at all in college (ship sailed) or UConn should drop football and go back to the Big East (someday that may not be as crazy if the Power Five gets away with its cartel ad infinitum), the only legitimate route for UConn is the Power Five.

I am in an agitating mood in 2016"

Jeff Jacobs: No Excuses! If UConn Can't Get Into Power 5 Conference I Want To Know Why!

Nice find. When I saw his column a few days ago, it instantly made me think of the above column. My speculation is that the editors at the Courant didn't think Jacob's crusade above was worth much space and Hearst offered to give him more leeway in writing on this topic.

 

[whaler11]

Nice find. When I saw his column a few days ago, it instantly made me think of the above column. My speculation is that the editors at the Courant didn't think Jacob's crusade above was worth much space and Hearst offered to give him more leeway in writing on this topic.

Yeah I’m sure it wasn’t a 5k raise and a feeling that there is a lower chance to get laid off.

The Tribune was silencing this quest that he summed up on twitter in 2 sentences when pressed.

 

[gopher2]

Money talks!! If anyone is really serious about breaking up the Power 5 monopoly they wouldn't support the Power 5 cartel by watching the playoff. Don't watch the college championship (?) game. Help them achieve the lowest tv ratings and you've struck a bow toward breaking up the Power 5 cartel. I personally am very bored by seeing the same schools and the same conferences in the National Championship game. There's no excitement. UCF is already the National Champion!!

The G5 schools and their fans have to start fighting the cartel somehow and not watching their games is the only thing I can think of, short of appealing for Congressional intervention which probably wouldn't produce results anyway. I refuse to watch the NC game. Screw Alabama, Georgia and the whole P5. From now on I watch G5 football only. And BC!

 

[gopher2]

The G5 schools and their fans have to start fighting the cartel somehow and not watching their games is the only thing I can think of, short of appealing for Congressional intervention which probably wouldn't produce results anyway. I refuse to watch the NC game. Screw Alabama, Georgia and the whole P5. From now on I watch G5 football only. And BC!

That should read "And screw BC!" Of course.

 

[BlueMAB]

Unless you are in a Neilson house what you watch doesn’t impact ratings....

You aren’t supposed to remember that. Steals some of the thunder.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I still believe the ACC may need UConn as a member at some point in the next few years. It will be due to financial reasons and the strength of the media market more than the quality of the program. Still, it would help if the football and basketball programs were in the top 25.

 

[Ha Who]

I still believe the ACC may need UConn as a member at some point in the next few years. It will be due to financial reasons and the strength of the media market more than the quality of the program. Still, it would help if the football and basketball programs were in the top 25.

Did you post this from California?