Mike Anthony: UConn President Susan Herbst Understood Importance Of Athletics-Academics Partnership

[huskymedic]

>>Look, I don't expect everybody to follow every twist and turn in this,” Herbst said of an effort to get UConn into a Power Five conference. “But one thing I can assure [fans]: me and the athletic directors we’ve had here have worked on this constantly, all the time, behind the scenes, in front of the scenes and around. If people think our situation has something to do with lack of trying, that would not be accurate. This stuff is very complicated. It is very sensitive. It's a lot of relationships. Nobody was asleep at the wheel. It's a structural problem.”<<

>>Ask UConn coaches about what should define Herbst as a president when it comes to athletics and what you hear most is: She gets it.<<

 

[Bonk]

On board for moving football to FCS or the MAC or something

 

[huskymedic]

“I can’t say anything,” Herbst said.

[#gagorder]

Asked whether it would be in everyone’s interest to settle and end an ugly process, Herbst said, “I can't comment, but I will counsel patience in this and all things. … It will shake out. … Kevin had a great history here. He's a Husky forever and contributed tremendously.”

So from a prior article we know KO elected to arbitrate, and from this one Herbst sounds confidant. Sounds like a settlement is close.

 

[JMick]

On board for moving football to FCS or the MAC or something

There's no point in going FCS. We'd lose even more money than we do now. The options are:

Wait it out

Drop football

Find some sort of scheduling agreement with a conference and go quasi-indepenent like Notre Dame.

 

[Guapo]

There's no point in going FCS. We'd lose even more money than we do now. The options are:

Wait it out

Drop football

Find some sort of scheduling agreement with a conference and go quasi-indepenent like Notre Dame.

A thought I've always had:

If the AAC won't let UConn be football only; try and convince some other AAC schools (UC, Memphis, UCF, Houston etc) to drop the AAC and become "big time" independents and create a scheduling pact with them.

Then put UConn BB in the NBE.

I know it won't happen but #letsgetcreative

 

[JMick]

A thought I've always had:

If the AAC won't let UConn be football only; try and convince some other AAC schools (UC, Memphis, UCF, Houston etc) to drop the AAC and become "big time" independents and create a scheduling pact with them.

Then put UConn BB in the NBE.

I know it won't happen but #letsgetcreative

I like it too, but the problem with this option is that I dont think the Big East would take us if we're still playing FBS football.

 

[Chief00]

Chief is not a big fan of these exit interviews that are an effort to enhance ones legacy. If you have a good record, your actions speak for themself.

 

[UConnNick]

There's no point in going FCS. We'd lose even more money than we do now. The options are:

Wait it out

Drop football

Find some sort of scheduling agreement with a conference and go quasi-indepenent like Notre Dame.

I don't see dropping football as a viable option. You'll have thousands of CT taxpayers driving by P&W Stadium every day wondering why the state used taxpayer money to build a 90 million dollar white elephant that's overgrown with weeds.

 

[JMick]

I don't see dropping football as a viable option. You'll have thousands of CT taxpayers driving by P&W Stadium every day wondering why the state used taxpayer money to build a 90 million dollar white elephant that's overgrown with weeds.

It's a sunk cost. It would cost more money to keep playing FCS football. It doesn't make any sense.

 

[Guapo]

I like it too, but the problem with this option is that I dont think the Big East would take us if we're still playing FBS football.

I happen to think they would for the following reasons:

1) they need viewers; a good UConn team is a much bigger TV draw than any current small private school that they currently have.

2) The Women's team is currently a bigger TV draw than any men's team they have outside of Nova.

3) Those Rothstein reports came from somewhere. Rothstein is too big, and his sources are too deep, for him to put out a report like that without it being based on something solid. So, I believe there is some mutual interest there.

 

[JMick]

I happen to think they would for the following reasons:

1) they need viewers; a good UConn team is a much bigger TV draw than any current small private school that they currently have.

2) The Women's team is currently a bigger TV draw than any men's team they have outside of Nova.

3) Those Rothstein reports came from somewhere. Rothstein is too big, and his sources are too deep, for him to put out a report like that without it being based on something solid. So, I believe there is some mutual interest there.

I think there's interest. I don't think there's interest if UConn is still playing football

 

[pj]

I like it too, but the problem with this option is that I dont think the Big East would take us if we're still playing FBS football.

Why? What would they care?

UConn might seek special exit terms to allow an exit to a P5 conference, but such special provisions can be accommodated with compensation elsewhere.

A thought I've always had:

If the AAC won't let UConn be football only; try and convince some other AAC schools (UC, Memphis, UCF, Houston etc) to drop the AAC and become "big time" independents and create a scheduling pact with them.

Then put UConn BB in the NBE.

I know it won't happen but #letsgetcreative

Mike Aresco will rue adding East Carolina and Tulsa to get a "championship game" that generates minimal revenue, because the presence of no-value schools creates an incentive for the marquee schools to do this kind of restructuring.

 

[gampelcrazies]

It's a sunk cost. It would cost more money to keep playing FCS football. It doesn't make any sense.

It would be cheaper than playing AAC football

 

[Pudge]

I don't see dropping football as a viable option. You'll have thousands of CT taxpayers driving by P&W Stadium every day wondering why the state used taxpayer money to build a 90 million dollar white elephant that's overgrown with weeds.

Sure $90m in 2003. The replacement cost would be north of $200m ... and how do you assess the Land and Infrastructure.

This is "sunk cost" according to some of the notable whiners. But this is a BIG investment for our University. Burton, Shenkman, etc etc. You don't walk away from that ... even if our hoped for Media rights number is $6-10m instead of $15m.

 

[huskymedic]

I happen to think they would for the following reasons:

1) they need viewers; a good UConn team is a much bigger TV draw than any current small private school that they currently have.

2) The Women's team is currently a bigger TV draw than any men's team they have outside of Nova.

3) Those Rothstein reports came from somewhere. Rothstein is too big, and his sources are too deep, for him to put out a report like that without it being based on something solid. So, I believe there is some mutual interest there.

Listen to Joe D’s comments on UConn Football to FCS/Indy/Basketball to BE starting @ 22:08ish to 25:00ish

Podcast with Special Guest Joe D'Ambrosio - A Dime Back

 

[8893]

I think there's interest. I don't think there's interest if UConn is still playing football

Maybe they won’t notice?

 

[UConnNick]

It's a sunk cost. It would cost more money to keep playing FCS football. It doesn't make any sense.

I'm not advocating a return to I-AA. We stay the course and make it work somehow.

 

[JMick]

It would be cheaper than playing AAC football

But it wouldn't bring in as much money. We'd lose more money going FCS.

 

[JMick]

Why? What would they care?

UConn might seek special exit terms to allow an exit to a P5 conference, but such special provisions can be accommodated with compensation elsewhere.



Mike Aresco will rue adding East Carolina and Tulsa to get a "championship game" that generates minimal revenue, because the presence of no-value schools creates an incentive for the marquee schools to do this kind of restructuring.

They care because they don't want us joining and then leaving if a P5 conference comes calling

 

[gampelcrazies]

But it wouldn't bring in as much money. We'd lose more money going FCS.

True but you would probably make more money off the men's and women's basketball programs

 

[UConnNick]

I think there's interest. I don't think there's interest if UConn is still playing football

NBE commish Val Ackerman said so during a live interview last season. She practically as much as said she'd have to see a wrecking ball demolishing P&W Stadium.

 

[WrenchFan69]

But it wouldn't bring in as much money. We'd lose more money going FCS.

I don't know if that's true. FCS football would definitely bring in less, but does the increased basketball and media revenue from the NBE, the lower cost of playing FCS football, the savings from multiple zero-revenue women's sports that could be cut without the scholarship matching make up for it? I definitely don't think it's worth making the move until we know the payout of the new AAC deal

 

[Guapo]

Listen to Joe D’s comments on UConn Football to FCS/Indy/Basketball to BE starting @ 22:08ish

Podcast with Special Guest Joe D'Ambrosio - A Dime Back

I don't think he said anything that discredits anything I said. He basically punted on the question about what to do if the AAC tv contract turns out bad (the proposal I layed out becomes more likely should the tv contract be bad).

RE: The Big East interest; with all due respect to Joe D, he's not a reporter. Rothstein has better sources within CBB than he does.

 

[Guapo]

NBE commish Val Ackerman said so during a live interview last season. She practically as much as said she'd have to see a wrecking ball demolishing P&W Stadium.

They have their own potentially scary TV rights negotiation coming up. We'll see what they say then.

 

[Guapo]

I'm not saying any of this is going to happen tomorrow; however, we are rapidly approaching a time for choosing.

The current path that UConn athletics is on is not sustainable.