Maybe UConn is ahead of the curve?

[#1 PA Husky Fan]

Maybe, this ends up being a great offensive move. How stable is the AAC, really? UCF. USF, Houston, or all 3 get picked off by off by a P5 conference. Where does that leave UConn, in a conference that is neutered, and one where we aren’t a geographical fit? Maybe, Fox and/or SNY is willing to support UConn football, while injecting some star power, yes the UConn brand, in their investment in the NBE for basketball and other Olympic sports. Right now, there is fear and excitement. I will wait to hear the facts, before I jump off the ledge. But, I have faith that this has been thought out, and we will be in a better place going forward. Keep the faith, UConn Nation! We are still a great brand in a huge media market.

 

[ZooCougar]

Maybe, this ends up being a great offensive move. How stable is the AAC, really? UCF. USF, Houston, or all 3 get picked off by off by a P5 conference. Where does that leave UConn, in a conference that is neutered, and one where we aren’t a geographical fit? Maybe, Fox and/or SNY is willing to support UConn football, while injecting some star power, yes the UConn brand, in their investment in the NBE for basketball and other Olympic sports. Right now, there is fear and excitement. I will wait to hear the facts, before I jump off the ledge. But, I have faith that this has been thought out, and we will be in a better place going forward. Keep the faith, UConn Nation! We are still a great brand in a huge media market.

I’ve wondered this too. Still furious about how this is so fly by the seat of your pants with football though.

There are definitely some major cracks in the AAC foundation.

 

[UCSouth]

I’ve wondered this too. Still furious about how this is so fly by the seat of your pants with football though.

There are definitely some major cracks in the AAC foundation.

Is it fly by the seat of their pants because so many posters have been against this move? The only way we will truly know is over time. I'm going to give them the benefit of doubt and see where we land before hell fire and brimstone.

 

[noeynox]

The AAC pays the best of the G5 by far. But like every school not already in the P5, it's members are ready to climb over each other like crabs in a bucket to get to a better league.

They're not losing members to the p5 anytime soon, and the Big East don't want them, so that in itself provides a modicum of stability.

 

[noeynox]

Also this could happen

 

[ZooCougar]

Is it fly by the seat of their pants because so many posters have been against this move? The only way we will truly know is over time. I'm going to give them the benefit of doubt and see where we land before hell fire and brimstone.

Haha. Literally every time we have assumed that the admin has had a plan. They haven’t.

Unfortunately their track record does not support your statement.

 

[ASweet3781]

It really is this simple.

UConn men's basketball was never going to return to it's hey days in the AAC. Wasn't happening. You can throw all the look what UCF and Houston did or Penny's class in my face. We have nothing in common with these schools. No rivalries. And are an outlier geographically. The AAC is also terrible at the bottom in basketball. Tulane and ECU have both been to...2 NCAA tournaments. In their history. Most of the arenas are morgues. To be able to sell MSG and build our NYC brand again is critical to getting UConn back to it's glory days. The Big East top to bottom is a much stronger league with legit fanbases that love their teams and sellout.

And for the football fans. We were never going to get any momentum back in this league. I will compliment the AAC here. It was a hell of a lot harder to play UCF and Houston than it was to play Pitt or Syracuse. We were historically bad last year and perhaps the only way to save the program was to go this Indie route. We have home and homes scheduled with manageable Power 5 opponents. We can schedule 2-4 games we can have a shot to win. We can get paid over a million dollars to lose at Clemson by alot. Army and BYU are more interesting than a lot of the AAC teams. Whatever. We have a better shot getting to 6-7 wins this way than playing an AAC schedule against teams from Florida and Texas that have better players.

The football fans think this kill any shot at the P5. The status quo ensures we have no shot. It's a choice between having a mediocre men's hoop program/terrible football and a shot to return to championship hoops/with a shot to schedule our football program to respectability. I'll take the shot.

 

[noeynox]

I'm so over the AAC. Power6 my ass. More like powder6.

We ain't even in the Big East yet and I'm over AAC.

 

[Adios]

I enjoyed the AAC, dammit. But Indy scheduling possibilities might be a miracle. We're Fox's Notre Dame! (Am kidding.)

 

[B12]

The AAC pays the best of the G5 by far. But like every school not already in the P5, it's members are ready to climb over each other like crabs in a bucket to get to a better league.

They're not losing members to the p5 anytime soon, and the Big East don't want them, so that in itself provides a modicum of stability.

Do you think any AAC teams would accept a NBE invite?
NBE for an ACC invite?

 

[Nostical]

Literally every time we have assumed that the admin has had a plan they haven’t.

It appears that there was a plan. It seems to have been shaped by the fortuitous confluence of the Big East being a FOX broadcasting property. The BE is a better home for BBall and as some of us surmised, FOX is more likely than Espn ever was to use its influence to help us with football scheduling as an Independent and (perhaps) some measure of broadcasting. There are still some moving parts to deal with including the SNY role, That’s why I’m not unhappy that Benedict has been operating in radio silence. My sense is he didn’t count on the “UConn to the BE” story leaking this early and having to sew up all the loose ends re football with the world watching in anticipation. Not sure if we yet know how that obscure Boston blog got wind of it and leaked it but it must have made the recent conversation between DB and RE interesting.
Bottom line, despite the media and others writing off our football future, going Independent is not likely to be the predicted swan song or death spiral (pick your metaphor) after all.

 

[ASweet3781]

It appears that there was a plan. It seems to have been shaped by the fortuitous confluence of the Big East being a FOX broadcasting property. The BE is a better home for BBall and as some of us surmised, FOX is more likely than Espn ever was to use its influence to help us with football scheduling as an Independent and (perhaps) some measure of broadcasting. There are still some moving parts to deal with including the SNY role, That’s why I’m not unhappy that Benedict has been operating in radio silence. My sense is he didn’t count on the “UConn to the BE” story leaking this early and having to sew up all the loose ends re football with the world watching in anticipation. Not sure if we yet know how that obscure Boston blog got wind of it and leaked it but it must have made the recent conversation between DB and RE interesting.
Bottom line, despite the media and others writing off our football future, going Independent is not likely to be the predicted swan song or death spiral (pick your metaphor) after all.

You are getting me....excited.

 

[ZooCougar]

It appears that there was a plan. It seems to have been shaped by the fortuitous confluence of the Big East being a FOX broadcasting property. The BE is a better home for BBall and as some of us surmised, FOX is more likely than Espn ever was to use its influence to help us with football scheduling as an Independent and (perhaps) some measure of broadcasting. There are still some moving parts to deal with including the SNY role, That’s why I’m not unhappy that Benedict has been operating in radio silence. My sense is he didn’t count on the “UConn to the BE” story leaking this early and having to sew up all the loose ends re football with the world watching in anticipation. Not sure if we yet know how that obscure Boston blog got wind of it and leaked it but it must have made the recent conversation between DB and RE interesting.
Bottom line, despite the media and others writing off our football future, going Independent is not likely to be the predicted swan song or death spiral (pick your metaphor) after all.

No there isn’t a plan for football. “A few moving parts?”

Everyone in college football is booked in 2020. Have fun putting your spin on that one.

Herbst and company have failed in every measurable way when given the opportunity.

 

[ZooCougar]

You are getting me....excited.

He has that affect. Supreme disappointment usually follows.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

It is very possible AAC might let UCONN stay as a football only. If they really sit back and think it through, we are the best option out there as far as overall market etc. Sure we sucked last few years, but we do have huge upside. Maybe we stay in the AAC as a football only. I am hoping I am right.

 

[Fishy]

I’ve wondered this too. Still furious about how this is so fly by the seat of your pants with football though.

There are definitely some major cracks in the AAC foundation.

There are roughly no cracks in the AAC foundation.

They’re a bunch of CUSA schools that have never had it this good - even Cincy and USF are where they belong here. If the Big 12 blows itself up, the top of the AAC might find itself merging with the leftover Big 12 remnants, but past that, unless someone decides that they really need the fourth-best school in Florida, I think the AAC is set for a long time.

It is very possible AAC might let UCONN stay as a football only. If they really sit back and think it through, we are the best option out there as far as overall market etc. Sure we sucked last few years, but we do have huge upside. Maybe we stay in the AAC as a football only. I am hoping I am right.

There’s zero chance.

 

[ZooCougar]

There are roughly no cracks in the AAC foundation.

They’re a bunch of CUSA schools that have never had it this good - even Cincy and USF are where they belong here. If the Big 12 blows itself up, the top of the AAC might find itself merging with the leftover Big 12 remnants, but past that, unless someone decides that they really need the fourth-best school in Florida, I think the AAC is set for a long time.



There’s zero chance.

There’s zero chance that football stays. Agree. And that’s great because I loathe biscuits and white gravy America.

when your entire conference will bolt at the first chance then there are roughly an infinite number of cracks.

Not only that but the bottom is spending itself into oblivion and they are private schools.

 

[Caronimo]

This thread literally went on through the night

 

[noeynox]

Do you think any AAC teams would accept a NBE invite?
NBE for an ACC invite?

Perhaps not. But you're going to see the Big East get a bump in their TV money. You're going to see UConn get more TV money than the AAC schools when you factor what we get for tier 3 rights and FB.

While i wasn't thrilled initially, the school cannot leave TV money on the table. The AAC owed it to UConn to let them keep SNY for tha women's team.

 

[Nostical]

You are getting me....excited.

He has that affect. Supreme disappointment usually follows.

Sounds like you've been talking to my wife.

 

[ZooCougar]

Sounds like you've been talking to my wife.

Nice.

 

[StunningSteve]

Either UConn is ahead of the curve...

Or the AAC is ahead of the curve...

UConn’s performances these last few years in both major revenue sports have played a part in how well the AAC finished and was perceived.

Its going to be an interesting experiment either way.

 

[StunningSteve]

You can throw all the look what UCF and Houston did or Penny's class in my face.

That’s called ‘carrying the weight’..

 

[Fishy]

Not only that but the bottom is spending itself into oblivion and they are private schools.

Got news for you - don’t think that these Big East schools aren’t. Guaranteed that there’s a whole lot of athletic budgets in the BE that are 50% subsidized.