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

[ZooCougar]

#2 seems like the only option because there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Pretty much everyone here loves UConn football and badly wants it to succeed. They recognize the only way for that to happen is to join a power football conference. The problem is nobody wants us, the writing is on the wall on that.

It's heartbreaking but at some point we have to recognize it isn't happening for us. Now do we decide we're okay letting UConn basketball die as well. That's unacceptable, it would be devastating to the University and to the state.

There has to be a way to firewall football so that it doesn't impact basketball.

We spend a great deal on football and get poor results that can't get much worse. You can't tell me that a better leader of the program could get different results, considering there are places that fare better on smaller budgets.

 

[aburks41]

What are you talking about when you say "revenue sharing"?

Have you actually not heard of the House settlement and the revenue sharing news? Read this article. But the gist of it is that AD's will be allowed to share up to $23M PER YEAR of their revenue to pay athletes. This is why getting a P4 TV check was so crucial. We are screwed.

 

[djct1999]

Yeah I'm super disappointed. Big 12 has a lot of schools both in football ans basketball I'd love to see UConn play every year. Just keep building.

I said it before, the SEC should make a complete out of left field move and add UConn. It boosts their basketball and encroaches into Big 10 territory anx gets them solidly into the NYC and NE markets

And they would have to schedule one less “buy in game” it would give each sec school an additional football win!

 

[Gburyhusky]

I get that people have strong views on this and are free to express them. However I will never understand why people who claim they support the University find it necessary to live in doom and gloom scenarios when the realities are the opposite. The UConn athletic brand nationally is as high as it has ever been due to basketball. We are in a conference that will allow that to continue. We have a governor who is highly supportive of the athletic department. The State has just put up highway road signs promoting the basketball programs and just authorized significant investments in the arenas. No doubt there are uncertain times ahead, but that can be said for just about everyone outside of the Big 10 and SEC. Why not appreciate and work with what we have? It's not perfect but nothing is.

 

[ZooCougar]

I'm rooting for as little Big12 teams to get into the playoffs as possible going forward.

That just makes it worse for us.

 

[metsfan2323]

I get that people have strong views on this and are free to express them. However I will never understand why people who claim they support the University find it necessary to live in doom and gloom scenarios when the realities are the opposite. The UConn athletic brand nationally is as high as it has ever been due to basketball. We are in a conference that will allow that to continue. We have a governor who is highly supportive of the athletic department. The State has just put up highway road signs promoting the basketball programs and just authorized significant investments in the arenas. No doubt there are uncertain times ahead, but that can be said for just about everyone outside of the Big 10 and SEC. Why not appreciate and work with what we have? It's not perfect but nothing is.

I agree, we were all happy a month ago and nothing has changed since then except we are one month closer to basketball season.

 

[djct1999]

I get that people have strong views on this and are free to express them. However I will never understand why people who claim they support the University find it necessary to live in doom and gloom scenarios when the realities are the opposite. The UConn athletic brand nationally is as high as it has ever been due to basketball. We are in a conference that will allow that to continue. We have a governor who is highly supportive of the athletic department. The State has just put up highway road signs promoting the basketball programs and just authorized significant investments in the arenas. No doubt there are uncertain times ahead, but that can be said for just about everyone outside of the Big 10 and SEC. Why not appreciate and work with what we have? It's not perfect but nothing is.

Key word: realities.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Have you actually not heard of the House settlement and the revenue sharing news? Read this article. But the gist of it is that AD's will be allowed to share up to $23M PER YEAR of their revenue to pay athletes. This is why getting a P4 TV check was so crucial. We are screwed.

I did not see this. It deserves its own thread. This may create UConn's last but best shot. I do not expect all the P4 schools to sign up for this. There should be openings.

 

[JMick]

I did not see this. It deserves its own thread. This may create UConn's last but best shot. I do not expect all the P4 schools to sign up for this. There should be openings.

I'm disappointed in you. Your realignment PhD has been revoked

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'm disappointed in you. Your realignment PhD has been revoked

I have been saying for years that not all the schools are going to want to manage minor league affiliates. Now they are being put to the test.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I get that people have strong views on this and are free to express them. However I will never understand why people who claim they support the University find it necessary to live in doom and gloom scenarios when the realities are the opposite. The UConn athletic brand nationally is as high as it has ever been due to basketball. We are in a conference that will allow that to continue. We have a governor who is highly supportive of the athletic department. The State has just put up highway road signs promoting the basketball programs and just authorized significant investments in the arenas. No doubt there are uncertain times ahead, but that can be said for just about everyone outside of the Big 10 and SEC. Why not appreciate and work with what we have? It's not perfect but nothing is.

Because the future of college athletics looks more and more like the doomsday scenario people predicted a decade ago. The PAC12 is proof enough of that. Soon it will be a de facto D1 of the power conferences and no one else.

 

[BPT2Storrs]

Big 12 schools were never going to vote to add UConn. Why? So we can dominate them in basketball? What happens when our football team is on a level playing field for dollars, exposure and recruits?

Remember way back when - no one in their right mind thought UConn could be a basketball powerhouse. We now own 6 titles and the most sought after coach in the world. A true blue blood. You don’t think our football team can get to that level given half a chance?

 

[JMick]

I have been saying for years that not all the schools are going to want to manage minor league affiliates. Now they are being put to the test.

The ruling has effectively killed parity in the sport. I don't see how you have revenue sharing based on a percentage of average revenue but the revenue pot isn't shared.

 

[Hamms30]

The ruling has effectively killed parity in the sport. I don't see how you have revenue sharing based on a percentage of average revenue but the revenue pot isn't shared.

I think it kills parity within the P2 conferences.. let alone D1 NCAA sports.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The ruling has effectively killed parity in the sport. I don't see how you have revenue sharing based on a percentage of average revenue but the revenue pot isn't shared.

I don't disagree. This could absolutely nuke college football.

Do you think ESPN or Fox want to pay for half of a conference's own games being 30+ point blowouts?

 

[Buffett10]

Our athletic department is cooked when this revenue sharing stuff hits next year. We have 2 options:

1) Cut football entirely and pour every dollar into basketball, while giving up all hope of ever being in a P4 league
2) Hurt basketball at the expense of football by allocating revenue sharing money into a program that has zero juice, zero fan support, zero recruiting advantages, and poor funding.

Can a lawyer on here please tell me how this doesn't end up with anti-trust lawsuits brewing? How is anyone supposed to compete with the P4 when the P4 and TV Networks are the judge, jury, and executioner? It's straight up not possible unless you have billionaires privately funding your AD. There needs to be a separate league where either you opt in or you opt out. If you opt in, you get the same exact share as everyone else. If you opt out, well it's a voluntary option and you don't get the same TV money.

If #1 happens then we can cut quite a few non rev programs as well.

 

[ScottVib]

I agree. This was/is a giant headscratcher. I wish Benedict would flip the narrative. Say something public like”after much pushback from our loyal fanbase and nyc dma, we feel the big 12 will always be the third conference in the p2 and we will patiently wait for the big 10. For now, UConn will no longer seriously consider the big 12.” Why not?

Hoping it’s sarcasm, but that would be an epically bad decision. Paraphrasing, but that statement would read like our fans hate the idea of our school joining the #1 basketball conference and securing the programs future; so we’re not interested in massive revenue increases and we’d rather continue to beat up the Big East unless we get a Big Ten invite.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Hoping it’s sarcasm, but that would be an epically bad decision. Paraphrasing, but that statement would read like our fans hate the idea of our school joining the #1 basketball conference and securing the programs future; so we’re not interested in massive revenue increases and we’d rather continue to beat up the Big East unless we get a Big Ten invite.

Where did the fantasy that we were going to get massive revenue increases come from? The Big 12 didn't want us at any price.

 

[JMick]

I don't disagree. This could absolutely nuke college football.

Do you think ESPN or Fox want to pay for half of a conference's own games being 30+ point blowouts?

And to combat it you have to have a spending minimum that's not very far off from the max. So do the TV networks pay even more money just to keep some teams competitive? Because otherwise they don't have a viable product. But then if the dollars go up, the spending has to go up too because it's a percentage of average revenue. It's not workable.

 

[ScottVib]

Where did the fantasy that we were going to get massive revenue increases come from? The Big 12 didn't want us at any price.

Even the rumored 10-11 million is a 50% increase on the new Big East deal.

The last statement is partially correct. The colleges don’t want UConn, the people running the league clearly do. They’ve failed to make their case (again).

 

[JohnFSilver]

There has to be a way to firewall football so that it doesn't impact basketball.

We spend a great deal on football and get poor results that can't get much worse. You can't tell me that a better leader of the program could get different results, considering there are places that fare better on smaller budgets.

You can’t firewall basketball. That is the point. Money from football is gonna pour in to basketball from other schools.

Thst is going to create a competitive disadvantage for UConn if epic proportions, and, it also leaves UConn exposed as an athletic department. Right now, UConn has muscle because hoops wins. But, it has no say in what comes of the ncaa tourney or how the leagues will be set up and money distributed in the future.

There is no guarantee the big east will be a major basketball power in the future. They have killed the conference twice 04 and 13…and will do it again if they can find a way.

BTW. For the first time in realignment history college presidents decided not to listen to their marketing, financial analysis, and even espn but went with something else.

UConn is always a first.

 

[John]

Where did the fantasy that we were going to get massive revenue increases come from? The Big 12 didn't want us at any price.

you're a low payout/low ceiling guy, we heard you the first time.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Even the rumored 10-11 million is a 50% increase on the new Big East deal.

The rumored money that we were never offered? Why not just make it $1 trillion a game if we are going to just pull numbers out of butts?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

you're a low payout/low ceiling guy, we heard you the first time.

So we were invited to join the Big 12, or were not?

The schools didn't decide this, the networks did. ESPN and Fox have decided every conference realignment move for the past 22 years, and they didn't like UConn in the Big 12, even as a basketball only school.

 

[superjohn]

I'm disappointed in you. Your realignment PhD has been revoked

He's strident as all hell in his opinions on this stuff but he has no clue what he's talking about.