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

[UConnJim]

A couple of thoughts.

Yormack has legitimate interest in UConn and he knows the Big 12 needs more Eastern time zone exposure as they have 3 teams in the time zone now which is not enough. 47% of the population lives in the Eastern time zone and you need Eastern time slots for football games and basketball games. For example, FOX can not broadcast weekly 6:30 PM basketball games with Big 12 content due to their Central and Mountain time zone heavy teams. And, Arizona is on Pacific Time for most of the football season as they do not observe daylight savings time.

I do think Yormack was sincere about his interest in UConn as he thought he had Colorado and needed a 14th. I don't think anyone (except a few) would have imagined that the Pac 12 would collapse as quickly as they did. And, Arizona/Arizona St./BYU/Utah have a history of playing against each other so it makes sense to add them since they were available, which is unfortunate for UConn.

As for athletic department revenues, they should be up this past year due to improved football and men's basketball attendance as well as higher basketball pricing. Sure, it's not enough of an increase, but all of us can do our part by attending games and donating to UConn athletics.

The Big 12 has become a mishmash of teams which will probably be hard to manage as they have just lost 2 teams and they are adding 8 and they have a media contract that expires in 2031. Sure, it's a better situation that UConn is in, but you have 5 to 7 schools that would leave if they had the option which is not the definition of stability.

Finally, UConn will be fine and conference realignment is not over so there will be other opportunities down the road.

 

[huskidork]

damn

 

[giddyup]

Few basic points:

(1) we were played by YoMark and he’s another media scumbag
(2) there was nothing DB and UConn could do about it when you’re dealing with people that have bad faith
(3) the university should be out in front of this. There is no honor in getting kick in the nuts and taking it silently.

Statement should be along these lines:

“Regrettably the b12 couldn’t see the value of brining the most dominant basketball program in the nation for the last 25 years and being part of the largest media markets in the nation. Being a top 25 state university, there are conferences with more suitable academic peers in any case. We look forward to football’s continued success under Coach Mora and the continued dominance of our basketball programs. Undoubtedly, more change is coming and the tremendous value UConn brings will be recognized by astute leaders.

Optional add-on:

P.S. Yormark is a lying manipulative P.O.S. that wasted our time and resources, and your presidents are as dumb as the institutions they lead. No hard feelings, though.

 

[How Sway?!]

Don't know how to break it to you (or @shizzle787 ) but next round of BE media negotiations could be very disappointing. They have little reason to offer an increase over the current deal.

The last round of realignment has taught us a lot of things about networks preferences, but most importantly the following:

They still care about tv markets, but only those in central and eastern time zones.

Brands are a lot more important than on field success, though if they are successful then all the merrier

Guess who has brands, are successful, and are in the eastern and central time zones. There'll be market for the big east, it might not be with Fox but there will be suitors.

 

[Huskyforlife]

If the B12 offers a basketball only spot and covers our exit fee from the Big East, I think we have to take it. We want to be in on their basketball tournament after the split, and we’d now have a foot in the door for future expansion. It’s also just a really strong basketball league tbh.

 

[NE Football]

The ACC can still add Cal & Stanford.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

If the B12 offers a basketball only spot and covers our exit fee from the Big East, I think we have to take it. We want to be in on their basketball tournament after the split, and we’d now have a foot in the door for future expansion. It’s also just a really strong basketball league tbh.

Please stop with this non-sense. No chance.

 

[Irvine]

The last round of realignment has taught us a lot of things about networks preferences, but most importantly the following:

They still care about tv markets, but only those in central and eastern time zones.

Brands are a lot more important than on field success, though if they are successful then all the merrier

Guess who has brands, are successful, and are in the eastern and central time zones. There'll be market for the big east, it might not be with Fox but there will be suitors.

Actually its told us that it is totally whimsical, random and shortsighted.

 

[Patman]

There are folks on here who see that and will think “yes, obviously, that’s why we needed to join the Big 12”.

To that I say: I have no interest in playing TCU and Kansas State just to be able to play in the Big College Championship Presented by FanDuel against South Carolina in Monterrey in 2036. I’m good. I’m gonna enjoy what we’ve got and hope maybe we get an ACC spot with folks we know and hate until then, thanks.

Yes, obviously, that's why we needed to join the Big 12. (I am not being sarcastic.)

----

Look, you and I both know the other option is to fold up athletics all together.

----

What's lined out is the future. The next thing to break, and Yormark wanted to be in front of it, is breaking off the basketball part in order to bring the money into the schools instead of the NCAA itself.

 

[Patman]

No, GoKU was a fraud. I got confirmation from someone that every single person on this board knows. Talked with them a couple hours ago. All of the smoke around us was a lie by Yormark to get the Pac schools to jump. He used us, and executed it perfectly

What lie? UConn was never anything more than the best option if the music stopped at 13 or 15. If you thought otherwise I cannot help you.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Coverage on the demise of PAC-12 from the Bay Area tonight.

Listen to what Larry said about Stanford and Cal football. Let it be a warning to UConn.

It is a sad day when the 108 years old conference went up in smoke in one day.

 

[huskypantz]

I think people didn't realize just how bad the PAC deal was and we all thought it'd stop at Colorado. Once it was revealed how bad the PAC deal was the rest wrote itself.

In hindsight, there was a major flaw with the entire premise. We needed the deal to bad enough to shake loose Colorado but good enough that the other schools decided to stay. The huge problem was OU and UW - it became clear that they already had conversations and a path to to B1G and once the crappy contract with GOR was released it gave mutual incentive for the 2 schools to move on. At that point, everyone who could get off the island would and did.

 

[Samoo]

Oregon State I would understand. They've had some decent football and they will have a very good team this season. Their baseball is also extremely good. But Wazzou??? Outside of a few years with Mike Leach they have been completely irrelevant in every sport. They're also in the middle of nowhere over there in eastern Washington. I would probably give up on college athletics if they got the invite over us.

Discussed before - Oregon State football has been a history of pretty bad with a couple short stretches of pretty good mixed in. Their record since 2003 is remarkably similar to UConn's, right down to the number of 1-11, 2-10 seasons. Baseball has been excellent the past two decades including 3 CWS, but prior to that hadn't been to a regional since the mid-80's.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

We are at 4 million now and the expectation is a pretty decent uptick.

I expect Fox to drop the league

 

[LBird33]

How is everyone feeling tonight? Are we finally getting over the breakup?

Stomping down n others when they’re down isn’t a great quality. Do you pull the wings off flys for entertainment? Geez

 

[LBird33]

Can someone really answer me if Benedict is this much of a dumb a** to continually be used time after time again for leverage?

I don’t know enough about the situation. But his recent tweets of wink faces, Mora hinting in press conferences……are they really that stupid and getting that blindsided?

If contacted they will talk. Never close a door. Talking costs you nothing and he would need to listen to a proposal. It’s the adult thing to do. He doesn’t have to take it. Always keep your options open

 

[LBird33]

Oh god him again

 

[LBird33]

One of the dumbest things ever. Total non-starter.

Even if Kraft was sincere, the Giants and Jets would have nixed it. They just didn't want to ruin Kraft's grift.

Why anyone believed Kraft was serious just shocks me. It’s nothing against CT. But the patriots have a large New England market with its root in Boston mass with an owner from Boston (Kraft). Why would you move 70 miles near a NY market. And leave your fan base behind ?

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

If y’all think UConn is above a non football invite to the Big12 I have news for you: Nova, St Johns or Georgetown aren’t. If one or more go then we’re a geographic outlier in a league that doesn’t have our football team for fractions of a penny on the dollar. If that deal comes you absolutely have to take it.

 

[LBird33]

LOL ACC

ACC is so stuck right now

 

[Bongo Fury]

I guess, but isn't us caring enough?

(in any event I wouldn't have to read columns about how Connecticut wasn't committed to football because they play 25 miles off campus)

Yes, it would be one less thing against UConn but they are just haters with no interest

 

[Bongo Fury]

If y’all think UConn is above a non football invite to the Big12 I have news for you: Nova, St Johns or Georgetown aren’t. If one or more go then we’re a geographic outlier in a league that doesn’t have our football team for fractions of a penny on the dollar. If that deal comes you absolutely have to take it.

Everyone will do what is best for them. The days of the old magical Big East are long gone.

 

[businesslawyer]

I guess, but isn't us caring enough?

(in any event I wouldn't have to read columns about how Connecticut wasn't committed to football because they play 25 miles off campus)

Eh. You’ll still have to hear it here.

 

[GG]

I’d do it ONLY if it’s for minimum $20 mil/year for all Olympic sports, with a football schedule tie-in of 4/5 games a year rotating (WVU/UCF/Cincy/Hou one year, next year the 4 corners etc). I’d miss the hell out of the BE but a basketball schedule with Kansas, Gonzaga, Houston, Cincy, both AZ schools, etc. I can live with. “One foot in the door” as they say.

I agree, we would have to take it. I think we try to make it work if it is over $15m, but I would insist on a scheduling alliance and the ability to eventually become a full member if we meet certain criteria in football.

Don’t know if you have ever watched Greg Flugar’s show but he always had us right behind Colorado, Arizona, ASU and Utah, and insisted BY’s interest in us was legitimate (but that things had to break a certain way for us to make the cut as a full member). But at certain times he thought we would be a full addition and at other times he thought we would be a basketball only addition. He indicated, as late as three weeks ago, that Yormark approached both UCONN and St. John’s as basketball only additions. He also indicated that Gonzaga was sometimes in play, but the Zags were insisting on a full invite.

If it is truly BY’s vision to have the best basketball programs to ensure the future of the big 12 (which assumes the SEC and BIG try to break away), I would have to imagine that this is a real possibility. He also believes there is more money to be made in bball in the future if the conference takes the product to the networks separately. BY has been open about his desire to have a NY (east coast) presence. We also know that the Big 12 has already completed its due diligence with the Zags and UCONN (I do not believe they got that far with St. John’s), so this move could be made relatively quickly. What continues to concern me is whether the presidents of the Big 12 schools truly understand and embrace Yormark’s vision. I happen to agree with him, there is no way you can have a bball tourney that excludes names like KU, UCONN and Gonzaga. Securing those programs means you will always be a player and have a voice.

 

[Bongo Fury]

If y’all think UConn is above a non football invite to the Big12 I have news for you: Nova, St Johns or Georgetown aren’t. If one or more go then we’re a geographic outlier in a league that doesn’t have our football team for fractions of a penny on the dollar. If that deal comes you absolutely have to take it.

Starting to warm up to it. BE may become irrelevant and if the money is decent.