League Expansion

[huskymedic]

But as our new AD stated, UConn will be a P5 if it is meant to be.

I understand some of this out of UCONN'S hands, but the idea of if "it's meant to be", bothers me.

He's the context to the "if its meant to be" quote.

"We've got to dominate the conference we're in and all that other stuff will take care of itself if it's meant to be," Benedict said.

 

[noeynox]

He's the context to the "if its meant to be" quote.

"We've got to dominate the conference we're in and all that other stuff will take care of itself if it's meant to be," Benedict said.

This expansion is going to go down in the next few months. There isn't time to dominate anything, canot wait for it to be meant to be. Have to go out and make it happen. This is a pass/fail course.

 

[The Funster]

Wouldn't BC still have blocked us?

Not this last time. That was all about FB prowess and what FSU and Clemson wanted. Had we been challnging for the BE title and going to upper Tier bowl games we would have looked every bit as good as Lousville did.

 

[billybud]

Not this last time. That was all about FB prowess and what FSU and Clemson wanted. Had we been challnging for the BE title and going to upper Tier bowl games we would have looked every bit as good as Lousville did.

I think that you are right.

Basketball always ran the ACC and was the prime sport...especially in Tobacco Road. Then FSU came along and later Miami and football was sort of semi important, but not to everybody.

But...funding changed. Basketball used to pay the bills and it sort of snuck up on the ACC when football came to account for 80% of the revenue.

The period of changeover was strife ridden as the old basketball gatekeepers wanted to assure, first and foremost, the premier basketball league while the football schools said.."Football is paying the bills...the conference will live or die on football...and we need more strength".

It finally came to a head when a chance to fill Maryland's spot opened up....and a group of football schools prevailed (with ESPN's tacit blessing).

Had UConn had the perception in 2011 as a strong football power, it might have gone UConn's way since the basketball gods at Duke and UNC would have turned cartwheels.

From a blog of the time: early 2012

"As a conference the ACC backed the wrong horse and it is a little late to climb aboard the football train. What happens next is anyone's guess. Certainly pulling Notre Dame in would be great, but the Fighting Irish have no need to make that move until they are at the end of their rope in the big picture.

The league is what it is; a basketball first conference pulling in two more solid basketball programs while swimming in a pond built for the football sharks. It happens. Sometimes you pick wrong in the grand scheme of things.

All you can do is recognize your mistake and hope to fix it in the future. In the case of the ACC, they have to hope they can fix it before things get to a point of no return. As teams look for a way out, a way to make more money, the ACC must come up with a strategy to improve their marketable product. "

 

[upstater]

Had UConn had the perception in 2011 as a strong football power, it might have gone UConn's way since the basketball gods at Duke and UNC would have turned cartwheels.

2011 had everything to do with BC's blackball.

The ACC added Syracuse and Pitt.

Check out UConn football's record against Syracuse and Pitt over the prior decade.

Winning records against both, particularly Syracuse. So it's not like the ACC invited good football schools. And in terms of NFL players, UConn produced many more than Cuse and Pitt as well.

 

[junglehusky]

This expansion is going to go down in the next few months. There isn't time to dominate anything, canot wait for it to be meant to be. Have to go out and make it happen. This is a pass/fail course.

So if it's pass/fail, you're on board with nelson's plan to downgrade to the CAA or disband the football program if we don't get in?

I understand it's a lot of money on the table. And subsidies aren't tenable over decades. But this mentality that every realignment move is a binary between making it as a big time program and being the next URI is not healthy. Whoever is left behind in the American will be able to survive at some level.

 

[huskymedic]

This expansion is going to go down in the next few months. There isn't time to dominate anything, canot wait for it to be meant to be. Have to go out and make it happen. This is a pass/fail course.

Just pointing out that the context makes sense in the flow of the article and not indicative of a passive approach. It wasn't a stand-alone question/comment.

 

[noeynox]

So if it's pass/fail, you're on board with nelson's plan to downgrade to the CAA or disband the football program if we don't get in?

I understand it's a lot of money on the table. And subsidies aren't tenable over decades. But this mentality that every realignment move is a binary between making it as a big time program and being the next URI is not healthy. Whoever is left behind in the American will be able to survive at some level.

The question none of us can answer is how long can we continue to fund our athletic programs at p5 levels on G5 money? In November it will be 4 years since Louisville got picked.

At what point will we not able to compete in the coaching salaries market for the likes of Ollie and Diaco? I know it's not healthy to be so involved in this, but basically ALL of our Big East mates don't have these problems going forward. We may not become URI, but is it worth sticking around to be Ohio or Colorado State in terms of athletic departments? I will always support uconn but the thought of permanentlying being frozen out of the club sucks. Some point in the near future we won't be able to pay coaches what Syracuse or Rutgers can.

 

[billybud]

2011 had everything to do with BC's blackball.

The ACC added Syracuse and Pitt.

Check out UConn football's record against Syracuse and Pitt over the prior decade.

Winning records against both, particularly Syracuse. So it's not like the ACC invited good football schools. And in terms of NFL players, UConn produced many more than Cuse and Pitt as well.

Exactly...and that's when the football schools blew up...and why Louisville went in over UConn. As the blog I posted above stated...the football gods (Coach K and Williams) prevailed in 2011....

"The league is what it is; a basketball first conference pulling in two more solid basketball programs while swimming in a pond built for the football sharks. It happens. Sometimes you pick wrong in the grand scheme of things."

FSU, with Clemson, VT, GT, and Miami's backing, revolted against the basketball gods and forced in Louisville as a pick.

 

[specialisthusky]

Exactly...and that's when the football schools blew up...and why Louisville went in over UConn. As the blog I posted above stated...the football gods (Coach K and Williams) prevailed in 2011....

"The league is what it is; a basketball first conference pulling in two more solid basketball programs while swimming in a pond built for the football sharks. It happens. Sometimes you pick wrong in the grand scheme of things."

FSU, with Clemson, VT, GT, and Miami's backing, revolted against the basketball gods and forced in Louisville as a pick.

We are well aware. Thanks for reminding us.

 

[billybud]

Responding to Upstater...but thanks

 

[dwalks93]

Exactly...and that's when the football schools blew up...and why Louisville went in over UConn. As the blog I posted above stated...the football gods (Coach K and Williams) prevailed in 2011....

"The league is what it is; a basketball first conference pulling in two more solid basketball programs while swimming in a pond built for the football sharks. It happens. Sometimes you pick wrong in the grand scheme of things."

FSU, with Clemson, VT, GT, and Miami's backing, revolted against the basketball gods and forced in Louisville as a pick.

Mission accomplished by the ACC football schools, takeover complete....the ACC may now earn less than half of the BIG/SEC since they took programs that cannot sustain a network. Well done!!!

Luckily now those big dumb basketball schools like UNC and UVa are probably a lot more willing to leave the ACC after the football revolt. There would be some irony if the future ACC was big football programs without options like FSU, Clemson, Miami, left with NE basketball programs without options like BC, Syracuse, etc..

If you are going to grab the wheel, it helps to not drive the car off the road. The ACC football uprising has been about as successful as the Arab Spring in Syria. UNC and UVa could end up being the refugees who move to the BIG.

BTW you do understand this is a UConn board, right?