Looks Like East-West Format Will Prevail

[Lewconn]

I think putting UCF in the west and bringing Temple to the east makes more sense. Everyone gets a game against a Florida team each year. USF and UCF could play a rivalry game every year.

JDB50, I agree 100%, that makes way to much sense… And looking forward – Navy would be in the east and the new additional school as we all know will be from the west…

 

[FAIRTIDES]

If we took ECU we would have gotten a team that averages 50,000.

But we're stupid, put basketball first, and took Temple.

Hoorays.

My guess is that the Philadelphia TV market was picked instead of the Greenville, NC market

 

[freescooter]

I actually prefer the East-West split and I'm glad we're keeping Louisville and Cincy in the East. I think if this mess has any chance of working it needs to develop some internal rivalries and build on the ones that exist. We have rutgers and a bit of a one with Louisville and USF I think. it owuld be a shame to see those go away because we only play them every 3 or 4 years. I also think the East-West dichotomy has the possibility to lead to inter-regional rivalry which will also be helpful if it happens.

 

[JaYnYcE]

the East division is actually decent. No awful teams (unless you count us) and 6 schools that all average over 30,000 per game.

I LOL'd hard at "unless you count us"


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[BlueDogs]

Please God Alimighty deliver us from this Frankenconference from midlevel hell, even though we're doing everything posible to deserve it.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Anybody else hope that Navy doesn't decide to join and we just stop at 12?

It was kind of exciting to have Boise State in the conference, but if we only play them 1 time every few years, does it really even matter?

Unless it's BYU, I'm definitely against any further expansion, even though I feel it will be inevitable.

 

[freescooter]

I agree on navy. I don't think they bring a competitive program long term. We don't need any more weak teams. I know that's considered in poor form here, bu tit has nothing to do with how hard they work or anything else. they just can't play football at a high level for a long term.

 

[uconNYC]

Anybody else hope that Navy doesn't decide to join and we just stop at 12?

It was kind of exciting to have Boise State in the conference, but if we only play them 1 time every few years, does it really even matter?

Unless it's BYU, I'm definitely against any further expansion, even though I feel it will be inevitable.

Yes - wrote something similar on the Conference Expansion board. Plus I feel very uncomfortable playing against the Academies, as it's hard to root against them or see them on the other side of a blowout.

 

[UConnDan97]

Anybody else hope that Navy doesn't decide to join and we just stop at 12?

It was kind of exciting to have Boise State in the conference, but if we only play them 1 time every few years, does it really even matter?

Unless it's BYU, I'm definitely against any further expansion, even though I feel it will be inevitable.

Of course, Boise State matters! They give us another Top25 team (I think they are currently 21 or 22). Whether we play them every year or not is not the issue. The league needs them. If we get BYU, it will be the same for them as well. They will fill out the western side of things. Look at it another way; their addition will hopefully accomplish the goals of us still playing teams like Rutgers, Louisville, Cincy, etc. every year and hopefully get more than double our current tv value with them on board. Navy is part of that equation, too. These teams insure that we will NOT fall into the MAC conference, which many should be happy about...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Yes - wrote something similar on the Conference Expansion board. Plus I feel very uncomfortable playing against the Academies, as it's hard to root against them or see them on the other side of a blowout.

Totally agree with you. It's very tough to get pumped up by beating Army by 42 points. It's just an awkward predicament to be in as a fan.

Of course, Boise State matters! They give us another Top25 team (I think they are currently 21 or 22). Whether we play them every year or not is not the issue. The league needs them. If we get BYU, it will be the same for them as well. They will fill out the western side of things. Look at it another way; their addition will hopefully accomplish the goals of us still playing teams like Rutgers, Louisville, Cincy, etc. every year and hopefully get more than double our current tv value with them on board. Navy is part of that equation, too. These teams insure that we will NOT fall into the MAC conference, which many should be happy about...

I think you're missing my point (not that I was very clear about it though). I was/am pumped up for Boise State to be in this conference. I would love to play them every year as they are about as National a program as the NNBE will have.

I think the conference over expanded and now UConn will barely be able to play Boise State. I realize we had to get to 12 for a conference title game, but there was no need to add Memphis, SMU and Navy to do so. If Boise State is in the Western Division, from the perspective of a UConn fan wanting to see that team, it does nothing for us.

 

[jdb50]

People that put this conference down, you have to admit, in either football or basketball we would have to be pretty good to win outright especially to go undefeated in football.

 

[UConnDan97]

Totally agree with you. It's very tough to get pumped up by beating Army by 42 points. It's just an awkward predicament to be in as a fan.



I think you're missing my point (not that I was very clear about it though). I was/am pumped up for Boise State to be in this conference. I would love to play them every year as they are about as National a program as the NNBE will have.

I think the conference over expanded and now UConn will barely be able to play Boise State. I realize we had to get to 12 for a conference title game, but there was no need to add Memphis, SMU and Navy to do so. If Boise State is in the Western Division, from the perspective of a UConn fan wanting to see that team, it does nothing for us.

I understood your point fine. But I'm not sure you are considering fully what the Big East is trying to do. This is what they are trying to do, in no particular order:

1) Maintain conference by not only adding strongest possible football teams from smaller conferences, but by adding enough to insure conference stability going forward (you mentioned the Championship Game, which is a big part of that, but also if there are any more defections, this will buffer that from threatening the league's demise....again...).

2) Increase the prospective tv contract value, both through market size and fanbase (Memphis, SMU are in the former....Navy is in the latter).

3) Make "in-roads" into popular recruiting areas (TX, FL, CA).

4) Look to improve or even create rivalries in order to increase product draw (i.e., USF/UCF, SMU/Houston, etc.)

Will the Big East strategy work? I don't know. God, I hope so!! Otherwise....Memphis....ouch! But that's what they are trying to do, and Navy and SMU are certainly a part of it...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I understood your point fine. But I'm not sure you are considering fully what the Big East is trying to do. This is what they are trying to do, in no particular order:

1) Maintain conference by not only adding strongest possible football teams from smaller conferences, but by adding enough to insure conference stability going forward (you mentioned the Championship Game, which is a big part of that, but also if there are any more defections, this will buffer that from threatening the league's demise....again...).

Disagree. The Big East is has no stability, because it could get raided at any given second. The BE is also infinitely more stable than C-USA or the Mountain West and the second a team from that conference got a call from the Big East to be next in line - they would join in a heartbeat.

2) Increase the prospective tv contract value, both through market size and fanbase (Memphis, SMU are in the former....Navy is in the latter).

Disagree. Does Memphis, SMU or Navy add more to a TV contract than Louisville, UConn or Rutgers? No, they don't. Those additions, and any further addition besides BYU decrease UConn's take from the TV deal. Nobody cares about those programs, Navy included. If they did, they wouldn't have been relegated to CBS Sports Cable Lineup the past decade. They have no value and were simply a reactionary move by a conference with inept leadership.

3) Make "in-roads" into popular recruiting areas (TX, FL, CA).

Disagree. I don't understand this one at all either. Any program can go into a state and recruit a school if there is mutual interest by the athlete and the program. UConn doesn't make 'in-roads' into Florida or Texas because they'll play SMU there every 6 years. It's a totally fallacy that having a team in a state opens recruiting roads. Having Houston, UCF, etc. in a conference doesn't pave the way for teams from the '6th best conference' to grab players from there.

4) Look to improve or even create rivalries in order to increase product draw (i.e., USF/UCF, SMU/Houston, etc.)

Disagree. The only new 'rivarly' that could would ever move a needle would potentially be USF/UCF just due to the sheer numbers of people that go to that schools. Not even on a regional level does anyone care about SMU/Houston.

Will the Big East strategy work? I don't know. God, I hope so!! Otherwise....Memphis....ouch! But that's what they are trying to do, and Navy and SMU are certainly a part of it...

I think/hope the Big East can land a deal approaching $10M for all sports schools on ESPN/Fox that let's us keep our Tier 3 rights. NBC Sports is a death blow. Period.

Since I'm being hyper critical, I suppose I should include what I would have done.

Big East East: UConn, Rutgers, USF, Cincy, Ville, UCF
Big East West: Houston, Temple, SMU, Football-only: Boise State, San Diego State, BYU

 

[UConnDan97]

Well, I guess I'll quickly address your points before I put myself in lockdown for the game:

1) The stability I was referring to was not having an 8 or even a 10 team league anymore. We know what this has looked like in the past for the Big East, and it has constantly left us reeling after a raid. We have risen from the ashes twice already, but we want to buffer ourselves from a third and final blow.

2) Yes, Memphis and SMU add to the tv contract. That was the calculation made by the professionals brought into the assessment. If they did not believe that, those schools would not be here. Period. Do you or I have to agree? No, because it might not even be true. But it is most certainly the belief of the decision-makers and their consultants that it is the truth, and I don't work in tv.

3) Of course any one school can go into those states and recruit on their own. This was NOT simply for the benefit of UConn. This was for the benefit of the Big East. The more times a conference is seen by the kids in a certain state, the more likely that kid is to look at those schools. If the Big East finds itself on tv in those areas, they are opening up opportunities. It of course does not mean that the kids will pick our schools, but we want to put ourselves into that decision process.

4) Any new rivalry produced is a good one, and I'm sure that some people will care about SMU / Houston, much in the same way that they care about SMU / TCU. Those games will get more heat as time goes on, as any inter-state matchup will do.

5) Whether it's ESPN, FOX, NBC, or a combination of networks, the tv contract is crucial to our future success. Hopefully, all these moves that were made by the Big East add to that value.

GO HUSKIES!!! GAME TIME!!!