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

[CTFAN4LIFE]

We'd still be able to play at least two ACC games per year. If the PAC or AAC offered us a significantly better TV offer we need to strongly consider it. Next year's schedule is brutal and we won't have a Fagnanio/Skyler Bell combo every year. Stacking a schedule full of P4 games when we can't compete financially for players is a recipe for losing.

With 9 conf games, it'd be almost impossible to have the schedule flexibility to maintain ACC scheduling greater than one per year.

The Pac or American TV revenue hasn't been nor will be enough to make us jump.

While we won't have Joe or Skyler next season, we'll have to backload as everyone else now has to as well. Three or four P4 games is good - iron sharpens iron and our fans want it (Saturday being evidence of that). Our fan base and the casuals want BC/Syracuse/Duke much more than they want any Pac or American teams (most couldn't even list any).

 

[JwittersPAC]

With 9 conf games, it'd be almost impossible to have the schedule flexibility to maintain ACC scheduling greater than one per year.

The Pac or American TV revenue hasn't been nor will be enough to make us jump.

While we won't have Joe or Skyler next season, we'll have to backload as everyone else now has to as well. Three or four P4 games is good - iron sharpens iron and our fans want it (Saturday being evidence of that). Our fan base and the casuals want BC/Syracuse/Duke much more than they want any Pac or American teams (most couldn't even list any).

With all of the P4 conferences going to 9 conference games + 1 OOC P4, there will be less opportunities for UConn to play a P4 game. In the near future UConn will have less opportunities to play P4 games and therefore will have to play more G5 games anyway.

 

[UConnJim]

Wow I can’t believe You’re actually saying we can’t afford to join a power conference without even knowing how much of a revenue share we’d get. that is the lamest argument I’ve ever heard in my life. Fine stay Indy playing other rando midmajors and the occasional ACC school if they’re feeling generous and if you’re lucky you can go to the Fenway bowl. Incredibly Lame and no upside. And more importantly How long can the school keep covering a $30 mill annual athletic deficit? Something will have to give eventually.

I want us to join a P4 conference, but UConn can't afford do it without a significant revenue share (not the SMU model) or a large investment by UConn donors. Do you think the ACC would want a UConn football program that invests significantly less than the even the lowest spending ACC school? Of course not.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

Hard to be optimistic when one has been beaten down so many times starting with the Louisville debacle.

That's fair.
Given our financial situation, we have to keep hoping no matter how many times Lucy pulls that damn ball away. We just have to kick it once.

 

[Kolumbo]

I want us to join a P4 conference, but UConn can't afford do it without a significant revenue share (not the SMU model) or a large investment by UConn donors. Do you think the ACC would want a UConn football program that invests significantly less than the even the lowest spending ACC school? Of course not.

this is where I think the ACC is in trouble. First, the ACC and SMU set an awful precedent by forgoing revenue share. SMU might be able to afford it but most programs can't, and it may only work for SMU in the ACC which is struggling. Second, it would make no sense to invite a program which would be set up to fail. The ACC would want a football program to succeed but that program can't succeed in the conference without revenue share.

I think either the Big 12 or ACC will survive as a somewhat "power" conference, and it will be the Big 12. Each needs to be making the best strategic moves, not necessarily the best short-term-profitable moves. The ACC has been awful strategically, it has been all over the map, literally. The Big 12 got the Corner 4 Birthday Gift.

Conclusion: UConn may eventually end up in whatever carcass remains of the ACC after the other 3 conferences have fed

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Delusional. You do realize UConn is one of the highest spenders in both men’s and women’s basketball. Why? To be competitive. So, you think UConn can spend less than half of what ACC schools spend on football and be competitive? Do you think any good football coach would come to UConn if the program was underfunded

I'd like to see a chart on where (over the past 10, 15, 20, 25 years) we sit in terms of spend on men's basketball compared to results. I'll wager that there are a number of schools ahead of us (some well ahead of us) in dollars spent but few who belong in the same conversation in terms of success.

 

[bendm]

I want us to join a P4 conference, but UConn can't afford do it without a significant revenue share (not the SMU model) or a large investment by UConn donors. Do you think the ACC would want a UConn football program that invests significantly less than the even the lowest spending ACC school? Of course not.

I never said UConn should take the SMU deal, but we also have to be able to work with something less than a full share. I would expect a major increase in donors if we joined a P4.

 

[Exit 4]

Agreed. I never said UConn should take the SMU deal. I was discussing what’s the worst deal we could take, and I would expect a major increase in donors if we joined a P4.

We have zero leverage. Zero.

The SMU deal or something akin to it (media $ at the BE level, with all additional back to the ACC) is all we can hope to get. The only negotiating point is the term of this punitive window, hopefully it could be limited to 4 to 6 years.

They will take USF or someone else if we don't play ball. There other fish in the sea to get them to 18 full time football programs or they can just continue to wait- another option that many in the conf don't mind.

This is just a brutal $ and cents situation. The hunger and paranoia of the existing P4 members is all the charts. They are all about maximum extraction.

 

[bendm]

We have zero leverage. Zero.

The SMU deal or something akin to it (media $ at the BE level, with all additional back to the ACC) is all we can hope to get. The only negotiating point is the term of this punitive window, hopefully it could be limited to 4 to 6 years.

They will take USF or someone else if we don't play ball. There other fish in the sea to get them to 18 full time football programs or they can just continue to wait- another option that many in the conf don't mind.

This is just a brutal $ and cents situation. The hunger and paranoia of the existing P4 members is all the charts. They are all about maximum extraction.

Then what’s the point in keeping up the charade? What good is beating Duke if we can’t join em? And how do we keep justifying losing $30mill per year if the investment will never pay off? Please don’t say a football only invite back to the American cause that is still a mid major charade where we’d keep hemorrhaging money with nothing to show besides an invite to the Cheribundi sour cherry bowl.

 

[HuskyinWRNY]

obviously the source is Exit 68

For sure its Eddie at the car wash

 

[Exit 4]

Then what’s the point in keeping up the charade if it won’t lead to better things? What good is beating Duke if we can’t join em? And how do we keep getting by losing $30mull per year?

There is an argument and I think a rather strong one, that while this deal would absolutely suck, that joining the ACC cements UConn's rise to a top tier institution that would be very meaningful in the decades to come. And by meaningful, I mean it a form of economic development that could be very effective for the state over the next 30 to 50 years. If I was choosing economic development levers for the state, I would pull the 'UConn to the ACC subsidy lever.'

 

[CL82]

There is an argument and I think a rather strong one, that while this deal would absolutely suck, that joining the ACC cements UConn's rise to a top tier institution that would be very meaningful in the decades to come. And by meaningful, I mean it a form of economic development that could be very effective for the state over the next 30 to 50 years. If I was choosing economic development levers for the state, I would pull the 'UConn to the ACC subsidy lever.'

Agreed. I also think it is a mistake to judge the value of athletics merely by it's an annual balance sheet. Connecticut has propelled itself from being a mediocre regional school into the dominant public university of New England on the backs of successful athletics. The marketing value of a successful athletic department is enormous.

 

[Exit 4]

Agreed. I also think it is a mistake to judge the value of athletics merely by it's an annual balance sheet. Connecticut has propelled itself from being a mediocre regional school into the dominant public university of New England on the backs of successful athletics. The marketing value of a successful athletic department is enormous.

Right and if that is not enough, just look how the landscape has changed over the past 30 years for other schools. So many of the large state schools with high profile sports have made a dramatic rise in their academic profile and selectivity. And none of them are going backwards - their momentum is still on the up.

 

[metsfan2323]

Agreed. I also think it is a mistake to judge the value of athletics merely by it's an annual balance sheet. Connecticut has propelled itself from being a mediocre regional school into the dominant public university of New England on the backs of successful athletics. The marketing value of a successful athletic department is enormous.

It's all basketball related.

The question is, is football, with its exploding costs still worth it? Especially if you have to buy your way into a club that has already backstabbed us and tried very hard to kill us off.

 

[metsfan2323]

A strong argument can probably be made that the best way for the state to invest in football would be to give Jim Mora 30 million to go buy players next year and try to get into the playoffs that way as an independent. Better that than giving all of our money to the ACC so they can buy players.

 

[KryHavok]

We have zero leverage. Zero.

The SMU deal or something akin to it (media $ at the BE level, with all additional back to the ACC) is all we can hope to get. The only negotiating point is the term of this punitive window, hopefully it could be limited to 4 to 6 years.

They will take USF or someone else if we don't play ball. There other fish in the sea to get them to 18 full time football programs or they can just continue to wait- another option that many in the conf don't mind.

This is just a brutal $ and cents situation. The hunger and paranoia of the existing P4 members is all the charts. They are all about maximum extraction.

I want to use the dislike/angry emoji for your post not because I disagree with you, but because your words are totally spot on and reflect the absolute dire reality of our frail position. We have no white knight conference that outright would bring us in at an advantageous situation. We are in a catch 22 of needing more conference money to help fund our athletics, but that money (or conference) won't be coming our away anytime soon over the next several years. If we wish to survive, we have to take a big financial hit that may eventually turn into revenue, though at what cost to our atheletics...do we fade away the way Rutgers has? This s*** sandwich makes me sick.

 

[UConnJim]

I want to use the dislike/angry emoji for your post not because I disagree with you, but because your words are totally spot on and reflect the absolute dire reality of our frail position. We have no white knight conference that outright would bring us in at an advantageous situation. We are in a catch 22 of needing more conference money to help fund our athletics, but that money (or conference) won't be coming our away anytime soon over the next several years. If we wish to survive, we have to take a big financial hit that may eventually turn into revenue, though at what cost to our atheletics...do we fade away the way Rutgers has? This sandwich makes me sick.

When Jim Mora went on his rant about UConn's NIL/financial needs in November 2023 to increase investment in the football program, support did increase (give thanks to Dave Benedict, Mike Burton, Marc D'Amelio, Bleeding Blue for Good, Storrs Central,...) and we have seen the success over the past 2 seasons.

Now, we have revenue sharing and UConn needs to raise more money and it is one of the reasons that Benedict put out the tweet the other day about the Connecticut State Tax Credit Program for donations to support UConn athletics.

The real question for UConn supporters is if UConn had an offer to join a P4 conference, would people step up and financially support the move?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

There are some things that need to be considered with this discussion.

2030 from all appearances will be the next inflection point. When movement begins on who (most likely only from the ACC, but schools like Arizona and Utah may also have some appeal from the P2) gets to move up from lesser P level conferences, a spot for us should open up. Claiming that we have no leverage may be undervaluing our hoops programs a bit too much as each should appear to offer value to either the ACC or the B-12.

Five years really Israel that much time in the larger picture and if we do make incremental improvements in our football program over that time we could well be the best candidate.

Additionally, the ACC still needs to determine how they want to get to nine conference games a year. The only (public) proposal to date is counting ND games as conference games but making that solution appear equitable enough for conference members to vote in favor may not be easy. I'm also not sure that ND plays a sufficient number ACC games to pull this off. A solution where we could temporarily park our football program in the ACC (something no other G level school can offer) may be floated in the near future.

 

[Exit 4]

2030 from all appearances will be the next inflection point.

Waiting to the chaos of 2030 is a dangerous game. Anything could happen including one or more of our competitors continuing their own rise. And there is no guaranty UConn will be as pretty and shiny then as we are today - which is peak form.

But alas, we might up waiting by no choice of our own anyway. Waiting to 2030 is our default mode.

 

[Rdkid]

When Jim Mora went on his rant about UConn's NIL/financial needs in November 2023 to increase investment in the football program, support did increase (give thanks to Dave Benedict, Mike Burton, Marc D'Amelio, Bleeding Blue for Good, Storrs Central,...) and we have seen the success over the past 2 seasons.

Now, we have revenue sharing and UConn needs to raise more money and it is one of the reasons that Benedict put out the tweet the other day about the Connecticut State Tax Credit Program for donations to support UConn athletics.

The real question for UConn supporters is if UConn had an offer to join a P4 conference, would people step up and financially support the move?

I think it is fair to say that being in the current ACC would enhance football revenue and help the program rise to the top half. I also think in a destabilized ACC, our football program would compete for championships and Saturdays would still be vital for the students, alumni and fan base. UConn will never compete for NCs in football, the split between P2 and the rest will continue to grow. Basketball in a destabilized scenario with UNC, UVA, FSU, Miami and Clemson gone? As long as Duke is still in the conference, the interest and competitiveness will be there. Non-revenue sports would be in much better shape than in the BE, especially baseball. The money will dip, but it will for everybody. And the B12 won’t take them all - not enough value. The AD will be subsidized for as long as is needed, it is just too important to the state’s identity at this point.

 

[CL82]

It's all basketball related.

The question is, is football, with its exploding costs still worth it? Especially if you have to buy your way into a club that has already backstabbed us and tried very hard to kill us off.

The answer is yes, if you can get in.

 

[BlueandOG]

There is an argument and I think a rather strong one, that while this deal would absolutely suck, that joining the ACC cements UConn's rise to a top tier institution that would be very meaningful in the decades to come. And by meaningful, I mean it a form of economic development that could be very effective for the state over the next 30 to 50 years. If I was choosing economic development levers for the state, I would pull the 'UConn to the ACC subsidy lever.'

I agree. If we get an offer to join a P4, we take it as long as there is an eventual full membership clause. It is worth the short-term pain to get a seat at the adult table.

 

[noeynox]

I had never really read about the SMU media deal. It's actually absurd. SMU paid $200M up front and will not collect any conference revenue until 2033. 9 years, valued at what $50M a year? That's insane. $650M price tag for a seat at the table (which may not exist in 2036), not even considering the future value of that money.

That could build us an on campus stadium, just saying.

 

[uconnyankee]

If the offer is literally the SMU model but with a smidge of $ vs none, can the state take it? Politically and fiscally its a problem.

The B12 process broke down in part because of this proposal. The ACC situation is better, but also similar...have many votes, but financially the deal stinks.

No. You can’t take anything less than the deal now.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Waiting to the chaos of 2030 is a dangerous game. Anything could happen including one or more of our competitors continuing their own rise. And there is no guaranty UConn will be as pretty and shiny then as we are today - which is peak form.

But alas, we might up waiting by no choice of our own anyway. Waiting to 2030 is our default mode.

What are our options? Tell the B-12 or ACC they better offer us now?

Yes, I can name at least a half dozen schools who will be legitimately trying their best to move from G level to P level. What we need to do is continue to build our credibility in football and put far more separation between us and any other G level school as an overall brand.