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

[JMick]

1) Might mean our discussions with the B12 and ACC have really come to an impasse. Of course, I suppose we could sign up for P12 Football only with no GOR/no exit fee for any B12/ACC move...if they would allow it. I want to see what happens this Feb with the ACC/ESPN extension first.

2) Our current independent schedule allows us to build a schedule that has winnable G5 games and also 4 to 5 Power Conf measurement games a year. This year MIGHT play out they way we always intended, winnable schedule to get the recruiting/fanbase mojo restarted, yet also a few reach games. For right now we need to schedule to win.

3) Recruiting... This could work or could be a big fail....seems really high risk though.

Pro:
Great memes
Small boost in our tv $
Slightly improved CFP odds/$

#1 just comes down to the exit fee. If it's $15m or less than it's a no brainier.

Money wouldn't just be slightly higher. It would be significantly higher. What do we get now? $1m from CBS? If this was $4-$6 plus CFB playoff money then we're golden. It also grants us bowl access beyond "whatever we might get"

I don't see how it hurts recruiting at all. A home is better than no home. It also leaves us free to schedule 4 winnable local games a year.

 

[CL82]

oh my god it's happening

If Gonzaga is getting a full share as a basketball only, we should get a full share as a football only

 

[CL82]

I don't mind being designed to win, because it helps change the national perception of us

As the school that accepted the offer that virtually everyone else turned down?

 

[Kolumbo]

This is great. They could have just merged the PAC and MWC which would have been a pretty good conference. Instead they tried to swing some absolute best of the rest and got denied by the AAC programs. Amateurs!

How the fudge did this silly slap fight between a bunch of mid-majors in the mountains boomerang right into our nuts?

Funniest thing I've read in a while!

 

[JMick]

But we don't have a scheduling problem. Our schedule is beautiful....designed to win.

UConn Football Schedule | Future Schedules

View the UConn football schedule for the 2025 season, plus future schedules and opponents at FBSchedules.com.

fbschedules.com

Eh we have some tough years coming up. Definitely tougher than what a PAC12 slate would be

 

[Exit 4]

I don't mind being designed to win, because it helps change the national perception of us. But I also know that playing Oregon State in The Rent will likely draw a lot more folks than playing FAU, especially if it's considered a conference game...

I don't think so... Purdue, Illinois, Syracuse and BC have all come through and have generated relatively modest attendance impacts. Granted, those our OOC games, but they are also big brands and/or local rivals.

We need winning...winning boosts recruiting...winning boosts fan interest. And then the ball is rolling. Our current set up is well designed for winning...we just got to do it and we might be about to start.

I fear going down the P12 path might quickly derail this momentum. I don't have first hand experience with recruiting...I don't know what parents/kids really want....can Mora sell this? IDK.

But if we can get:
1) no GOR
2) $5M+ per year for football only
3) capped at 7 conf games (so we can control the other 5)
4) some $ to fund all our football scheduling contract breakage fees (we will have many!)
5) fair access to CFB $ & bowls

then maybe you go for it anyway.

 

[ZooCougar]

1) Might mean our discussions with the B12 and ACC have really come to an impasse. Of course, I suppose we could sign up for P12 Football only with no GOR/no exit fee for any B12/ACC move...if they would allow it. I want to see what happens this Feb with the ACC/ESPN extension first.

2) Our current independent schedule allows us to build a schedule that has winnable G5 games and also 4 to 5 Power Conf measurement games a year. This year MIGHT play out they way we always intended, winnable schedule to get the recruiting/fanbase mojo restarted, yet also a few reach games. For right now we need to schedule to win.

3) Recruiting... This could work or could be a big fail....seems really high risk though.

Pro:
Great memes
Small boost in our tv $
Slightly improved CFP odds/$

We need bowl tie ins and something to play for. Independence is an infertile rocky place where our seed can find no purchase.

 

[UConnDan97]

As the school that excepted the offer that virtually everyone else turned down?

No, I said I don't mind the current schedule we have already built, because it is full of matchups that would be considered "winnable" and we can start to put up strong numbers.

My point was that a schedule with the new Pac12 would be stronger and would put more butts in the seats, even if we take a couple more losses in the process...

 

[UConnDan97]

I don't think so... Purdue, Illinois, Syracuse and BC have all come through and have generated relatively modest attendance impacts. Granted, those our OOC games, but they are also big brands and/or local rivals.

We need winning...winning boosts recruiting...winning boosts fan interest. And then the ball is rolling. Our current set up is well designed for winning...we just got to do it and we might be about to start.

I fear going down the P12 path might quickly derail this momentum. I don't have first hand experience with recruiting...I don't know what parents/kids really want....can Mora sell this? IDK.

But if we can get:
1) no GOR
2) $5M+ per year for football only
3) capped at 7 conf games (so we can control the other 5)
4) some $ to fund all our football scheduling contract breakage fees (we will have many!)
5) fair access to CFB $ & bowls

then maybe you go for it anyway.

Mora can sell a football schedule that allows players to get exposure on both coasts and in all time zones (presumably our 4 OOC games would be east coast games).

And remember, he can expand his recruiting footprint based on the aforementioned geographic expansion. He can also expand his influence in the transfer portal, which appears to be even more important nowadays...

 

[JMick]

I don't think so... Purdue, Illinois, Syracuse and BC have all come through and have generated relatively modest attendance impacts. Granted, those our OOC games, but they are also big brands and/or local rivals.

We need winning...winning boosts recruiting...winning boosts fan interest. And then the ball is rolling. Our current set up is well designed for winning...we just got to do it and we might be about to start.

I fear going down the P12 path might quickly derail this momentum. I don't have first hand experience with recruiting...I don't know what parents/kids really want....can Mora sell this? IDK.

But if we can get:
1) no GOR
2) $5M+ per year for football only
3) capped at 7 conf games (so we can control the other 5)
4) some $ to fund all our football scheduling contract breakage fees (we will have many!)
5) fair access to CFB $ & bowls

then maybe you go for it anyway.

2026 & 2027 aren't exactly cakewalk schedules. There would be 3-4 tough games a year. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I don't know what parents/kids really want....can Mora sell this? IDK.

I was assuming parents and kids just want NIL if they can't get into a P4. Too cynical?

 

[JMick]

Mora can sell a football schedule that allows players to get exposure on both coasts and in all time zones (presumably our 4 OOC games would be east coast games).

And remember, he can expand his recruiting footprint based on the aforementioned geographic expansion. He can also expand his influence in the transfer portal, which appears to be even more important nowadays...

I think it would be great for the portal. It would allow us to cast a wide net

 

[UConnDan97]

I think it would be great for the portal. It would allow us to cast a wide net

And after his time at UCLA as a coach, he might be able to revive some old recruiting grounds with the promise that we play in San Diego, Fresno, Etc...

 

[JMick]

And after his time at UCLA as a coach, he might be able to revive some old recruiting grounds with the promise that we play in San Diego, Fresno, Etc...

Yeah it's not like we need to keep playing games in the north east for recruiting... We don't want to lock down this footprint. We'd still be getting six home games, it's not like that would change.

Utah State - H
Fresno State- A
Boise State - H
San Diego State - A
Oregon State - H
Washington State - A
Colorado State - H
UNLV - A
UMass - H
Buffalo - A
Temple - H
BC - A

Is that travel really that bad? Is having 3 games in the region of Southern California really a bad thing?

 

[Exit 4]

#1 just comes down to the exit fee. If it's $15m or less than it's a no brainier.

Money wouldn't just be slightly higher. It would be significantly higher. What do we get now? $1m from CBS? If this was $4-$6 plus CFB playoff money then we're golden. It also grants us bowl access beyond "whatever we might get"

I don't see how it hurts recruiting at all. A home is better than no home. It also leaves us free to schedule 4 winnable local games a year.

But if we stumble in this thing like we stumbled in the AAC then our B12/ACC candidacy takes another back seat. I see this P12 football only thing as the backup QB everyone wants off the bench.

We run a 55M deficit, adding a net 5M after travel isn't going to matter if we can't compete and/or generate local fan interest. This conf wont be much better than the AAC at the time we played in the AAC....and our fan base hated that (todays AAC is much worse, granted).

I think it would be great for the portal. It would allow us to cast a wide net

Rural OR, rural WA, Idaho, Fresno and rural Utah....yeah - one helleva special tour....definitely better than most other options out there. Definitely something special to offer.

I respect you and @UConnDan97 - so I don't plan to keep this going.

 

[JMick]

But if we stumble in this thing like we stumbled in the AAC then our B12/ACC candidacy takes another back seat. I see this P12 football only thing as the backup QB everyone wants off the bench.

We run a 55M deficit, adding a net 5M after travel isn't going to matter if we can't compete and/or generate local fan interest. This conf wont be much better than the AAC at the time we played in the AAC....and our fan base hated that (todays AAC is much worse, granted).

Rural OR, rural WA, Idaho, Fresno and rural Utah....yeah - one helleva special tour....definitely better than most other options out there. Definitely something special to offer.

I respect you and @UConnDan97 - so I don't plan to keep this going.

I don't see any way this impedes our efforts at getting into the ACC or Big XII. That doesn't make any sense.

People hated the AAC because of basketball. This doesn't have that problem.

 

[UConnDan97]

But if we stumble in this thing like we stumbled in the AAC then our B12/ACC candidacy takes another back seat. I see this P12 football only thing as the backup QB everyone wants off the bench.

We run a 55M deficit, adding a net 5M after travel isn't going to matter if we can't compete and/or generate local fan interest. This conf wont be much better than the AAC at the time we played in the AAC....and our fan base hated that (todays AAC is much worse, granted).

Rural OR, rural WA, Idaho, Fresno and rural Utah....yeah - one helleva special tour....definitely better than most other options out there. Definitely something special to offer.

I respect you and @UConnDan97 - so I don't plan to keep this going.

Your first mistake was respecting me...

 

[Exit 4]

We need bowl tie ins and something to play for. Independence is an infertile rocky place where our seed can find no purchase.

I feel like that is exactly what everyone said when we left the AAC to become independent. And the AAC we left is about the same quality as this proposed conf.

 

[UConnDan97]

I don't think anyone would argue that joining the ACC or Big12 as a full member is not a better situation than joining Pac12 as a football-only (or full member for that matter).

But our phone isn't ringing right now. Is joining the PAC12 as a football-only a better situation than being independent in football? I really think it is... just my opinion...

 

[JMick]

I feel like that is exactly what everyone said when we left the AAC to become independent. And the AAC we left is about the same quality as this proposed conf.

We left the AAC because of basketball..

 

[JMick]

I don't think anyone would argue that joining the ACC or Big12 as a full member is a better situation than joining Pac12 as a football-only (or full member for that matter).

But our phone isn't ringing right now. Is joining the PAC12 as a football-only a better situation than being independent in football? I really think it is... just my opinion...

It's literally a no brainer if the money makes sense

 

[Exit 4]

We left the AAC because of basketball..

Yep....but it certainly was convenient that we stunk it up in football and the fanbase was completely apathetic. Completely. I see no difference here....

 

[jostar1]

McMurphy saying that the PAC wants to build a strong basketball conference ties in with them offering Gonzaga a full share. UConn could offer some basketball games in exchange for football membership.

 

[Blades]

We left the AAC because of basketball..

That and the timing was perfect as in "paid in full" from our old BE. The money factor was around $105 mil in exit fees split by Uconn, Cincy and USF. paid out over 6 years IIRC. Kinda like the bigger warchest the PAC 2 is playing with now as they try to re-tool.

 

[shizzle787]

If we are smart, we are rooting for UNLV to make the leap and everyone else to stay put. Then the Pac-12 likely adds Gonzaga for Olympics and us for football.

This is the kind of schedule I would want to see:

1. BC
2. @ Syracuse
3. Ole Miss
4. @ UNC
5. @ SDSU
6. CSU
7. @ Boise State
8. UNLV
9. @ Utah State
10. Fresno State
11. @ Oregon State
12. Washington State