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

[UConnTrumbull]

I just think we are not a good geographic fit for the Big 12. We are not in a good recruiting area and our football program does not draw any fan interest from any team in the Big 12. We put ourselves in this position by leaving the AAC. We needed to do what Cincinnati did, stay the course, win the conference and make the playoffs. They had much better management than we did. We didn’t need the Big East to win another title in hoops.

So many incorrect statements, I don’t know where to begin.

 

[GoKU]

You likely inadvertently ignored it... Conference Realignment Board

Thank you. That fixed the problem.

 

[#1 PA Husky Fan]

I just think we are not a good geographic fit for the Big 12. We are not in a good recruiting area and our football program does not draw any fan interest from any team in the Big 12. We put ourselves in this position by leaving the AAC. We needed to do what Cincinnati did, stay the course, win the conference and make the playoffs. They had much better management than we did. We didn’t need the Big East to win another title in hoops.

I’m not sure that is correct. Add in the New England prep school kids that go on to P5 schools to play football, the geography produces a rich recruiting base.

 

[Hoophound]

There’s plenty of talent in the northeast from VA/DC through the prep leagues in New England. Northeastern schools also have access to FL and GA with frequent success. The issue will always be having a good head coach and adequate resources. If you have that, you can compete.

 

[NE Football]

I’m not sure that is correct. Add in the New England prep school kids that go on to P5 schools to play football, the geography produces a rich recruiting base.

New England is not even close to a rich recruiting area. I’m talking football, not basketball or hockey or baseball or lacrosse.

 

[RSTuthill]

I just think we are not a good geographic fit for the Big 12. We are not in a good recruiting area and our football program does not draw any fan interest from any team in the Big 12. We put ourselves in this position by leaving the AAC. We needed to do what Cincinnati did, stay the course, win the conference and make the playoffs. They had much better management than we did. We didn’t need the Big East to win another title in hoops.

Geographic fit? UConn is the perfect fit for what the B12 is trying to do. Move in on NYC. I think it was 2018 or 2019 when my wife and I drove down to the Met to see an opera one night. We had dinner in the back portion of The Atlantic Grille. Our table had a view into the bar. On the TV that evening? UConn basketball. That sixth borough thing is real.

Regarding football, what you are really saying is that even if UConn is in a legit P5 that Jim Mora and staff cannot recruit against the rest of the league. Hell, all he has to do is tell the recruits that preseason temps are in the low 90's not the mid 100's. It will feel like they are supercharged.

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

New England is not even close to a rich recruiting area. I’m talking football, not basketball or hockey or baseball or lacrosse.

You sure about that? I thought CT is about 15th per capita in D1 players?

 

[GoKU]

Word still is Colorado and UConn. Should be an interesting next two weeks.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Geographic fit? UConn is the perfect fit for what the B12 is trying to do. Move in on NYC. I think it was 2018 or 2019 when my wife and I drove down to the Met to see an opera one night. We had dinner in the back portion of The Atlantic Grille. Our table had a view into the bar. On the TV that evening? UConn basketball. That sixth borough thing is real.

Regarding football, what you are really saying is that even if UConn is in a legit P5 that Jim Mora and staff cannot recruit against the rest of the league. Hell, all he has to do is tell the recruits that preseason temps are in the low 90's not the mid 100's. It will feel like they are supercharged.

Why is a geographic fit a consideration?

 

[GG]

Word still is Colorado and UConn. Should be an interesting next two weeks.

If AZ decides to join, does that mean no UCONN (assumes CO jumps ship)?

 

[Jimdish255]

I just think we are not a good geographic fit for the Big 12. We are not in a good recruiting area and our football program does not draw any fan interest from any team in the Big 12. We put ourselves in this position by leaving the AAC. We needed to do what Cincinnati did, stay the course, win the conference and make the playoffs. They had much better management than we did. We didn’t need the Big East to win another title in hoops.

The last part of this must be satire because it's hard to imagine a more destructive thought process for our AD.

 

[GoKU]

If AZ decides to join, does that mean no UCONN (assumes CO jumps ship)?

Unfortunately Arizona is not joining this go around. That's the info I have.

 

[metsfan2323]

New England is not even close to a rich recruiting area. I’m talking football, not basketball or hockey or baseball or lacrosse.

Are you stuck in the 90's PP?

The transfer portal and NIL are game changers, the talent is getting spread around far more these days. Players are no longer content to sit quietly on the end of the bench waiting their turn and the best FCS players are now being poached to the upper ranks, the FCS is now a farm system for the FBS. Our starting QB this year might be a transfer from Maine and UConn recruited two players from Delaware who are expected to be significant contributors. The days of Joe Flacco spending 4 years in the FCS are over.

and do the northeastern prep leagues not count as northeast recruits?

 

[noeynox]

New England is not even close to a rich recruiting area. I’m talking football, not basketball or hockey or baseball or lacrosse.

Have you not been paying attention to the prep school scene in CT and New England. ALL OF THE BIG BOYS are coming here to pluck players. Puglisi going to GA is originally from MA playing for Wholley at Avon Old Farms. The there is no talent in the NE is a complete myth.

 

[uconnyankee]

Have you not been paying attention to the prep school scene in CT and New England. ALL OF THE BIG BOYS are coming here to pluck players. Puglisi going to GA is originally from MA playing for Wholley at Avon Old Farms. The there is no talent in the NE is a complete myth.

Gamecocks top QB recruit is also from Sturbridge and goes to Loomis. Dad is coach for Yale.

Northeast isn’t Tx or OH, but there was an article recently talking about recruiting and how the talent has picked up significantly. Not sure where I read it. Might have been article posted here.

A strong CT program back on same level as other P5 teams would be a boom…. People forget how quickly UConn became competitive in BE. Of course nobody forgot how quickly that fell apart after losing BCS/P5 status and then going through three bad hires

 

[UConnRock]

I have nothing to base this on- but my guess is that after this P12/B12 tug of war settles there will be two to three years of quiet and then we will get a grand announcement that a great bargain has been agreed upon with the ACC GOR terminating early freeing up four to six schools to leave and then the remnants merge with the PAC to make a two coast conf of about 14 to 16 schools. The SEC and B1G grow to perhaps 20 and the B12 and new PAC-ACC cement themselves as second tier. Not that it won’t be clear before this moment- but whatever quaking and shaking will be over and a new peace will settle in that will last perhaps a decade before things change again.

If the ACC drops their GOR there will be a scramble after the SEC and B1G that their teams. I would think that Pitt would be heavily focused on Big12 to renew the rivalry w/ WV and have Cincy and UConn(?) in the league.

For that matter, the Big 12 having an east conference of UConn, Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, Va, Tech, Louisville, UCF as a start would be very appealing.

 

[giddyup]

If the ACC drops their GOR there will be a scramble after the SEC and B1G that their teams. I would think that Pitt would be heavily focused on Big12 to renew the rivalry w/ WV and have Cincy and UConn(?) in the league.

For that matter, the Big 12 having an east conference of UConn, Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, Va, Tech, Louisville, UCF as a start would be very appealing.

Seeing Cuse and BC land in the refuse gutter would be so satisfying.

 

[Chin Diesel]

New England has gotten much stronger for football thanks to the prep schools. It's not a massive amount of talent but as others have said the big boys now have it on their radar for recruits.
There's a handful of 4-star and a bunch of 3-stars coming out of NE prep schools and if UConn can get 3-5 of those players, it's good talent and minimal travel to find it.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

If the ACC drops their GOR there will be a scramble after the SEC and B1G that their teams. I would think that Pitt would be heavily focused on Big12 to renew the rivalry w/ WV and have Cincy and UConn(?) in the league.

For that matter, the Big 12 having an east conference of UConn, Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, Va, Tech, Louisville, UCF as a start would be very appealing.

Please walk me through the ACC dropping their GOR. A move that may benefit three or four members while damaging at least eight to ten members does not seem likely.

 

[Exit 4]

Please walk me through the ACC dropping their GOR. A move that may benefit three or four members while damaging at least eight to ten members does not seem likely.

I could see it happening under structured as a win win for all parties. Especially if the schools that want out keep pounding the table whenever they can and if (big if) some sort of off ramp appears for those left behind. To me that off ramp is the p12/ACC merger. But that merger would likely need some of the current schools in each conf to leave to slim it down some. I could see this happening at the end of the decade when the B1G is ready to digest some new schools and perhaps Disney or some new streamer is ready to let the SEC expand again.

 

[BlueandOG]

If AZ decides to join, does that mean no UCONN (assumes CO jumps ship)?

My thinking (full disclosure, I am totally uninformed and a total UCONN fanboy) is the B12 wants UCONN as the first choice in conference addition, with one PAC school, either Colorado or AZ. My rational is location and hoops. The B12 wants to bolster their #1 hoops conference status; no school does that better than UCONN. The B12 also wants to be a national conference with eyeballs in big markets; no school does that better than UCONN.

 

[Stinger92860]

If the ACC drops their GOR there will be a scramble after the SEC and B1G that their teams. I would think that Pitt would be heavily focused on Big12 to renew the rivalry w/ WV and have Cincy and UConn(?) in the league.

For that matter, the Big 12 having an east conference of UConn, Cincy, Pitt, Syracuse, Va, Tech, Louisville, UCF as a start would be very appealing.

is the ACC GOR with their media partner or with the league or both? Can the league simply vote to rescind the GOR?

 

[ScottVib]

I could see it happening under structured as a win win for all parties. Especially if the schools that want out keep pounding the table whenever they can and if (big if) some sort of off ramp appears for those left behind. To me that off ramp is the p12/ACC merger. But that merger would likely need some of the current schools in each conf to leave to slim it down some. I could see this happening at the end of the decade when the B1G is ready to digest some new schools and perhaps Disney or some new streamer is ready to let the SEC expand again.

Of course the schools that would leave would be the most valuable properties… so why would those schools who’d be left behind take a reduced payout for six years to facilitate a merger?

 

[metsfan2323]

is the ACC GOR with their media partner or with the league or both? Can the league simply vote to rescind the GOR?

Isn't the GOR a contract with ESPN? They can't just tell ESPN that they are dropping the contract with them. They would have already done that if they could.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I could see it happening under structured as a win win for all parties. Especially if the schools that want out keep pounding the table whenever they can and if (big if) some sort of off ramp appears for those left behind. To me that off ramp is the p12/ACC merger. But that merger would likely need some of the current schools in each conf to leave to slim it down some. I could see this happening at the end of the decade when the B1G is ready to digest some new schools and perhaps Disney or some new streamer is ready to let the SEC expand again.

Well the end of the decade is a long way off and the off ramp would need to be an improvement in some manner (perhaps more revenue or exposure for the better schools of the left behinds, more long term security for the remaining left behinds) for there to be a sufficient number of votes.

The ACC by all appearances is stable due to the prohibitive cost of any school attempting to depart. The fact that they cannot receive any contractual increase in media revenues is what is placing them behind other conferences.

 

[Exit 4]

Of course the schools that would leave would be the most valuable properties… so why would those schools who’d be left behind take a reduced payout for six years to facilitate a merger?

I think Inflation will simultaneously kill and yet save the ACC contract. By 2030 those last few years of compensation will be so low that it will be relatively easy for ESPN et al. to make for a happy dissolution whereby 2-4 of the big boys leave for their new P2 homes and the remainder get a new deal at in nominal dollars of the time are higher than that ugly contract. Maybe even 2 leave for the B12 at that moment as well.

Of course ESPN could try to enforce their deal to the bitter end, but my guess is that having an extended acrimonious partnership will be tiresome for all sides and so some sort of plan will be hatched and executed. First we need a good 4-6 years under the current environment (ie cable / streaming/ viewership etc) to see how things continue to evolve....just my guess.

 

[RSTuthill]

Interesting discussion, but I personally am not focused on the long term or the ACC. UConn has one move to make on the chessboard hopefully in the short term. Hoping it happens Friday or next week. Full stop.

If UCoon gets to the promised land, someone here will have to be appointed social chairman to organize the BY celebration. The invitation list should include AD David Benedict and as many from the AD as he would like to bring along.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Are you stuck in the 90's PP?

The transfer portal and NIL are game changers, the talent is getting spread around far more these days. Players are no longer content to sit quietly on the end of the bench waiting their turn and the best FCS players are now being poached to the upper ranks, the FCS is now a farm system for the FBS. Our starting QB this year might be a transfer from Maine and UConn recruited two players from Delaware who are expected to be significant contributors. The days of Joe Flacco spending 4 years in the FCS are over.

and do the northeastern prep leagues not count as northeast recruits?

Great summary. With the internet, Zoom, social media, and transfer portal, recruiting is no longer limited to a region or an area. Sure, coaches that can see kids in person still have advantages, but it certainly won't limit UConn from recruiting Texas and CA going forward. Our coaches just need to establish recruiting pipelines all over the country.

If we are in the B12, you bet your asses we will recruit Texas hard.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Interesting discussion, but I personally am not focused on the long term or the ACC. UConn has one move to make on the chessboard hopefully in the short term. Hoping it happens Friday or next week. Full stop.

If UCoon gets to the promised land, someone here will have to be appointed social chairman to organize the BY celebration. The invitation list should include AD David Benedict and as many from the AD as he would like to bring along.

Well said. We can't wait for the ACC to implode. We have to decide our own path today if there is an opportunity.

Right now, the path is for UConn to join the B12 ASAP so we can start to investing heavily into the football program. I truly believe UConn can be the #2 Northeast program behind Penn State if we can focusing on growing the program.

If we get a 8+ wins season, the fans will return. Rent will be packed again. It wasn't too long ago we had 33K season ticket holders in football.

 

[UConnJim]

Of course the schools that would leave would be the most valuable properties… so why would those schools who’d be left behind take a reduced payout for six years to facilitate a merger?

I don't think the ACC will break up, but the conference is being short sighted. The ACC has schools wanting to leave and some that probably could leave if they were able to. Given that, what is the LT plan for the ACC? Is the strategy hope that college athletics changes before the GOR expires so that the ACC survives as is? Right now, there is potential to join 3 conferences: SEC, Big 10, and Big 12. All of those conferences would result in a higher or equal payout for the schools that left. My guess is that there are enough opportunities for the majority of the ACC schools, but some would be left out.