Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[noeynox]

What do you honestly think that deal will bring? 8-10 tops. You may be happy to be in The Big East instead of The AAC, but the the ink on your AD’s books is blood red.

Winning is an intoxicating elixir but it’s not a cure. Independent football is not sustainable. Even the most ardent Big East or bust fans have to realize that.

We do. Send the contract to a P5. We will sign it. I'm never Big East or bust, but there is no sense killing ALL your programs in a G5 league soon to have North Texas in it. Nothing against The Mean Green, but that's not who i want to watch conference basketball games against.

 

[buddy]

I think leaving the big east will hurt our basketball..right now we are the brand in the the north east..in a northeastern conference… we leave to a southern conference and we will be a Northeast team in a southern conference…recruit’s wanting to play in a southern conference will want to go to a southern school

I am not sure that your wish will save basketball. You do not seem to understand that coveted recruits will go to big money schools. Coaches too! We saw it already with the guy from Towson who chose Kansas because it offered more than UConn could. UConn may be okay right now, but the athletic deficit is not sustainable.

 

[shizzle787]

I am not sure that your wish will save basketball. You do not seem to understand that coveted recruits will go to big money schools. Coaches too! We saw it already with the guy from Towson who chose Kansas because it offered more than UConn could. UConn may be okay right now, but the athletic deficit is not sustainable.

We literally just won a national title in basketball, have a top 10 baseball program this season, and excel at many other sports. Our basketball budget (granted it was inflated due to Ollie settlement) was #2 nationally. The athletic deficit is fine because the students subsidize it, and the cost to go to UConn at full price is less than private schools and lot of other public schools even factoring in the athletic subsidy.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

If Big time "college" football breaks from the NCAA, is it really college football anymore? Will players be beholden to APR requirements? If not, will it be worth it for these institutions to sponsor such non-curricular activities? Will it force the NFL to follow the NBA and provide a G League of sorts? If so, who gets the media money? 'Cause the networks have already demonstrated that there is not enough to go around.

If Herbst was correct about anything, it was that athletics are the front porch of an institution. State schools in SEC country need athletics to drive enrollment and maintain the façade of a worthwhile education, but without football and all else being equal, what is the appeal of the University of Alabama for a Texas kid that has how many other local options that are better or offer more prestige?

They already broke away , They negotiated a separate deal for the football playoffs with a forecasted worth of double the mens basketball tournament.
The difference is the current 60 P5 schools will share $1.8 billion $80% annually and the NCAA body gets zero .
That’s an approximately $30,000,000 per school annually in addition to their media deals.
The approximately
60 G5 schools plus the few Indies will share unequally, about $200 million using a formula based on conference strength. Indies have always gotten a flat amount.
The only possible good news for BB only conferences is the current NCAA blanket deal covering multiple sports including women’s basketball, hockey ,and baseball is predicted to go from $36 million to $100 million annually putting those sports in the black for the first time.
The old rules agreed upon by colleges and even followed by some. ended with the NIL and free agent transfer rules
The role of the NCAA is now simply an organizational and distribution one.
If anyone needs to disengage from the NCAA is men’s basketball schools who gets screwed big time, sharing in less than 40% of what they earn. That can change to close to 80% simply by changing distribution methods
Even if the new Big East Contract is double and UConn football playoff share is doubled , with our football media deal we will be lucky to make $15 million annually while a school in the Big 12 will be making $60 million.
It’s obvious unless you’re in a p5 conference you better have a great. Organization or pick you battles carefully.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

They already broke away , They negotiated a separate deal for the football playoffs with a forecasted worth of double the mens basketball tournament.
The difference is the current 60 P5 schools will share $1.8 billion $80% annually and the NCAA body gets zero .
That’s an approximately $30,000,000 per school annually in addition to their media deals.
The approximately
60 G5 schools plus the few Indies will share unequally, about $200 million using a formula based on conference strength. Indies have always gotten a flat amount.
The only possible good news for BB only conferences is the current NCAA blanket deal covering multiple sports including women’s basketball, hockey ,and baseball is predicted to go from $36 million to $100 million annually putting those sports in the black for the first time.
The old rules agreed upon by colleges and even followed by some. ended with the NIL and free agent transfer rules
The role of the NCAA is now simply an organizational and distribution one.
If anyone needs to disengage from the NCAA is men’s basketball schools who gets screwed big time, sharing in less than 40% of what they earn. That can change to close to 80% simply by changing distribution methods
Even if the new Big East Contract is double and UConn football playoff share is doubled , with our football media deal we will be lucky to make $15 million annually while a school in the Big 12 will be making $60 million.
It’s obvious unless you’re in a p5 conference you better have a great. Organization or pick you battles carefully.

Correction : That’s 90% not 80% the p5 football conference share
I must be losing it .

 

[Husky25]

"Break away" as in no longer even trying to hide the fact that football is not about the universities anymore. There is still a thinly veiled connection.

Most fans' allegiance is to laundry. If the 85 individual scholarship Alabama athletes were called the Tuscaloosa Riptides of the professional NFL development league tomorrow, Alabama fans would give a neither a hoot, nor a holler about those players.

 

[ScottVib]

There's a reason that Benedict sent an email out looking to pump up NIL money. The arms race is on... if UConn remains contented to be paid at the AAC level (which even the optimistic 8-10/year Big East projections are at) they will struggle to remain competitive across the breadth of sports which they currently are competitive with. It's not a football vs. basketball thing... you're seeing it now LSU funded their women's basketball national title with NIL; the SEC schools are using their financial to become more competitive in men's basketball despite being "football" schools.

The Big East move has been good for UConn right now.. but it has to be a stop-over, not a final destination; I think that was recognized by all parties, which is why UConn's exit fees decrease as they put in their time to help the Big East; with the recognition that the Big East affiliation should help UConn initially regain their footing.

 

[buddy]

We literally just won a national title in basketball, have a top 10 baseball program this season, and excel at many other sports. Our basketball budget (granted it was inflated due to Ollie settlement) was #2 nationally. The athletic deficit is fine because the students subsidize it, and the cost to go to UConn at full price is less than private schools and lot of other public schools even factoring in the athletic subsidy.

It is great for now, but just not sustainable. It will be very difficult to compete with big money interests that P5 schools have the advantage.

 

[Ldandy]

I think leaving the big east will hurt our basketball..right now we are the brand in the the north east..in a northeastern conference… we leave to a southern conference and we will be a Northeast team in a southern conference…recruit’s wanting to play in a southern conference will want to go to a southern school

Two things.

1)UConn will still be in the Northeast. Your personal geography doesn't change when you move, nor does the proximity to talent in NY/NJ/Philly. As long as you continue to win, you will remain a desirable brand. Are local kids truly going to care that they are no longer playing Seton Hall or Providence?

2)Almost half of the schools currently in The Big East are located squarely in the Midwest. The days of geographically tight nit conferences are over. If the Big East expands again, I will bet that they add more teams in the Midwest or West as opposed to in the East. At this point, the names of these conferences are more brands than they are descriptors. 16 teams in The Big 10, Louisville and ND in the ACC, Oklahoma, Texas, A&M, Arkansas and Missouri in the SEC etc.

 

[UConnJim]

It is great for now, but just not sustainable. It will be very difficult to compete with big money interests that P5 schools have the advantage.

I don't think you understand the Connecticut mindset. Look at UConn's endowment. UConn didn't aggressively ask for donations to the endowment until recent years as most alumni questioned why they should donate to a public school which is why the endowment is relatively low. Same with athletics. People didn't donate that much to the athletic department except for buildings. Think about this, the naming rights in perpetuity for Gampel Pavillion were sold for $1 million. Slowly, that is changing as well.

NIL is being driven by private entities, not by the schools themselves so NIL is not being driven by how big a school's media contract is. UConn fans are starting to learn that if we want to have highly competitive teams, the fans are going to have to pony up to support NIL initiatives. I do think UConn fans got an early false understanding of NIL as the women's basketball players have gotten great deals from national brands due to the high visibility of UConn women's basketball and the players social media presence. But, that is not how NIL really works.

Finally, on the athletic budget, excluding the Ollie payments, the deficit went down in Fiscal Year 2022 by ~$7 million to ~$40 million. And, FY 2022 ended in June 2022 and didn't include Mora's first football season and this past basketball season so I would anticipate that the budget gap narrowed again in FY 2023. And, it seems, the state is willing to finance a budget gap of $25 to $30 million per year which is close to the difference in being BE/Indy vs. being in a P5 conference.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think you understand the Connecticut mindset. Look at UConn's endowment. UConn didn't aggressively ask for donations to the endowment until recent years as most alumni questioned why they should donate to a public school which is why the endowment is relatively low. Same with athletics. People didn't donate that much to the athletic department except for buildings. Think about this, the naming rights in perpetuity for Gampel Pavillion were sold for $1 million. Slowly, that is changing as well.

NIL is being driven by private entities, not by the schools themselves so NIL is not being driven by how big a school's media contract is. UConn fans are starting to learn that if we want to have highly competitive teams, the fans are going to have to pony up to support NIL initiatives. I do think UConn fans got an early false understanding of NIL as the women's basketball players have gotten great deals from national brands due to the high visibility of UConn women's basketball and the players social media presence. But, that is not how NIL really works.

Finally, on the athletic budget, excluding the Ollie payments, the deficit went down in Fiscal Year 2022 by ~$7 million to ~$40 million. And, FY 2022 ended in June 2022 and didn't include Mora's first football season and this past basketball season so I would anticipate that the budget gap narrowed again in FY 2023. And, it seems, the state is willing to finance a budget gap of $25 to $30 million per year which is close to the difference in being BE/Indy vs. being in a P5 conference.

Seriously asking, how DOES NIL work? I'm not sure i remotely grasp it. I remember reading a national writer after the BB Championship state that UConn's NIL collective will rival anything outside the SEC? Truth, fiction, something in the middle?

 

[buddy]

I don't think you understand the Connecticut mindset. Look at UConn's endowment. UConn didn't aggressively ask for donations to the endowment until recent years as most alumni questioned why they should donate to a public school which is why the endowment is relatively low. Same with athletics. People didn't donate that much to the athletic department except for buildings. Think about this, the naming rights in perpetuity for Gampel Pavillion were sold for $1 million. Slowly, that is changing as well.

NIL is being driven by private entities, not by the schools themselves so NIL is not being driven by how big a school's media contract is. UConn fans are starting to learn that if we want to have highly competitive teams, the fans are going to have to pony up to support NIL initiatives. I do think UConn fans got an early false understanding of NIL as the women's basketball players have gotten great deals from national brands due to the high visibility of UConn women's basketball and the players social media presence. But, that is not how NIL really works.

Finally, on the athletic budget, excluding the Ollie payments, the deficit went down in Fiscal Year 2022 by ~$7 million to ~$40 million. And, FY 2022 ended in June 2022 and didn't include Mora's first football season and this past basketball season so I would anticipate that the budget gap narrowed again in FY 2023. And, it seems, the state is willing to finance a budget gap of $25 to $30 million per year which is close to the difference in being BE/Indy vs. being in a P5 conference.

I am a UConn alumnus,and perhaps my mindset is a little different. While it is great to bask in the glory now, I am concerned about what will happen down the line. The recruitment miss on the guy who went to Kansas of all places I feel may be a bellweather of things to come. I do not fully comprehend how NIL works, that I must say for sure.

 

[UConnJim]

I am a UConn alumnus,and perhaps my mindset is a little different. While it is great to bask in the glory now, I am concerned about what will happen down the line. The recruitment miss on the guy who went to Kansas of all places I feel may be a bellweather of things to come. I do not fully comprehend how NIL works, that I must say for sure.

Timberlake is 25 and has one year of competitive basketball left so he went for the money at Kansas. Supposedly, Hurley told him he didn't want to recruit using NIL and he decided to go to Kansas. In my opinion, the right choice for the kid. I would worry if a star UConn player left for NIL as I think we should be able to support a player with NIL.

 

[Kolumbo]

Two things.

1)UConn will still be in the Northeast. Your personal geography doesn't change when you move, nor does the proximity to talent in NY/NJ/Philly. As long as you continue to win, you will remain a desirable brand. Are local kids truly going to care that they are no longer playing Seton Hall or Providence?

2)Almost half of the schools currently in The Big East are located squarely in the Midwest. The days of geographically tight nit conferences are over. If the Big East expands again, I will bet that they add more teams in the Midwest or West as opposed to in the East. At this point, the names of these conferences are more brands than they are descriptors. 16 teams in The Big 10, Louisville and ND in the ACC, Oklahoma, Texas, A&M, Arkansas and Missouri in the SEC etc.

I somewhat agree but at the same time, it's not like the midwest is all that distant. The Big East is still in the upper right quarter of the country and much closer together than most conferences. I don't think it will expand past Creighton. I've always felt it will look south, Virginia and North Carolina

 

[businesslawyer]

I'll put this out there one more time and then I'll drop it.

Doubt it, but one can hope.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Eventually, the P2 will split off from the rest of us and become more of a semi-pro division. So I don’t think we will need to worry about competing for to long against the big money NIL teams.

 

[jostar1]

Speaking of money, someone posted this on CSNbbs. Is this correct?

"Something to think about. UCONN''s men's basketball revenues their last year in the AAC were $9,789,117. Last year they were $24,055,088. Football increased from $12,087,816 to $18,413,319 as an independent".

 

[shizzle787]

Speaking of money, someone posted this on CSNbbs. Is this correct?

"Something to think about. UCONN''s men's basketball revenues their last year in the AAC were $9,789,117. Last year they were $24,055,088. Football increased from $12,087,816 to $18,413,319 as an independent".

Yes but due to settlement with Ollie.

 

[huskymedic]

Speaking of money, someone posted this on CSNbbs. Is this correct?

"Something to think about. UCONN''s men's basketball revenues their last year in the AAC were $9,789,117. Last year they were $24,055,088. Football increased from $12,087,816 to $18,413,319 as an independent".

I know those numbers seem off for football (bet they are mixing expenses v. revenue):

“In the 2022 fiscal year (which included the 2021 football season), UConn football generated $4.7 million in revenues while costing $18.4 million in expenses.”

 

[billybud]

Hmmm...$42 million ?

That might be different from net media income.

 

[billybud]

Maybe total revenue...

 

[CL82]

I know those numbers seem off for football (bet they are mixing expenses v. revenue):

“In the 2022 fiscal year (which included the 2021 football season), UConn football generated $4.7 million in revenues while costing $18.4 million in expenses.”

Well, they're basically the same thing....

 

[TheCatsLair]

Eventually, the P2 will split off from the rest of us and become more of a semi-pro division. So I don’t think we will need to worry about competing for to long against the big money NIL teams.

If there is a split it would be the P5 and Notre Dame, the B1G and SEC couldn't survive on their own and they know it. They know that there isn't truly a "P2".

 

[CL82]

If there is a split it would be the P5 and Notre Dame, the B1G and SEC couldn't survive on their own and they know it. They know that there isn't truly a "P2".

Low hanging fruit theory:

Schools will continue to increase their income by the most efficient way possible. For the time being that means additions of schools that encourage their media partners to pay them more. Eventually that will top out and they will look around at the Boston Colleges of the college sports world and realize it makes zero sense to keep them on as another mouth to feed when they don't contribute materially to adding revenue.

 

[dayooper]

If there is a split it would be the P5 and Notre Dame, the B1G and SEC couldn't survive on their own and they know it. They know that there isn't truly a "P2".

This is about resetting the top tier. The P2 will take who they want and the Big12 is setting itself up for the leftover league. Maybe one of the PAC or ACC will keep on, but the other 3 will take who they want and leave the others to fend for themselves. Do I like it? No, but that’s the route we are headed for.