New Conference?

[Bliss]

If I'm reading the article correctly, there is some speculation that UConn could possibly become a member of the Big 12 Conference. Anyone know anything about it?

UConn Aims To Be Piece Of Big 12 Expansion Puzzle

 

[Nuyoika]

I heard rumors of this the other day on the Baylor fan forum.

 

[huskeynut]

Rumors have going on for a while. Check out the Conference Realignment Board of the BY.

If the Big12 is to expand, UCONN, along with Cincinnati, BYU and a couple of others, are being considered.

 

[BroadwayVa]

If I'm reading the article correctly, there is some speculation that UConn could possibly become a member of the Big 12 Conference. Anyone know anything about it?

UConn Aims To Be Piece Of Big 12 Expansion Puzzle

The Courant has been running a few articles of this nature and I'm fairly certain Uconn is trying hard to move to a powerful conference. But in the Big 12 Football reigns supreme. Do you think Uconn football would be worth 30, 000,000 per year from that Conf?? Also Texas with their own TV contracts is causing some issue.

 

[Vowelguy]

I'm fairly certain Uconn is trying hard to move to a powerful conference.

Drop "fairly."

UConn absolutely must get out of the AAC.

 

[JavaMan]

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I agree and always have that UConn's future must be in a Power 5 conference for long term across the board success.

That said, the Big 12 is a tough one. UConn will be hanging out in the NE sort of like BC did in the ACC for many years, only further away. Not that WV isn't hanging out now. It probably doesn't necessary increase recruiting exposure to Texas, since the American has a Texas footprint. And might carry a penalty preventing UConn from grabbing a better deal in the not to distant future.

 

[CL82]

The Courant has been running a few articles of this nature and I'm fairly certain Uconn is trying hard to move to a powerful conference. But in the Big 12 Football reigns supreme. Do you think Uconn football would be worth 30, 000,000 per year from that Conf?? Also Texas with their own TV contracts is causing some issue.

I do believe that Connecticut is a worthy addition to the Big 12. I'm not sure where you come up with your $30M number, but UConn's value has been discussed ad nauseum on the Conference Realignment board. It is considerable. Take a look if you are curious.

 

[Vowelguy]

And might carry a penalty preventing UConn from grabbing a better deal in the not to distant future.

You're shipwrecked and treading water in the ocean. A dinghy comes by and offers you a chance at safety. Do you say, "Nah, I think I'll wait to see if a luxury cruise comes by." ?

 

[stamfordhusky]

Chance of UConn in the Big 12 is slim, despite all the prayers from the administration..

 

[malevocalist#]

Rumors have going on for a while. Check out the Conference Realignment Board of the BY.

If the Big12 is to expand, UCONN, along with Cincinnati, BYU and a couple of others, are being considered.

Well that don't sound to precisely or convincing. Until they actually come out and say "These are the teams we're taking," I am not getting all caught up in assumptions & speculations anymore.

Heard this form of talk to much as it is.

Considering? Enough already.

 

[j66kicker]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

You're shipwrecked and treading water in the ocean. A dinghy comes by and offers you a chance at safety. Do you say, "Nah, I think I'll wait to see if a luxury cruise comes by." ?

That might depend if the cruise ship is in sight, and also how much of you the dinghy folks want to eat before they let you transfer off. You're probably correct, but . . . .

 

[EricLA]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

Not surprising. Disappointing but not surprising. UCONN is pretty much at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to conference expansion it seems. Our best bet is probably the ACC, but only if other conferences pick off some of those schools.

UCONN has tiny football stadium compared to almost everyone else and our football program is historically average at best...

 

[fanatichusky]

dawg gone football! hate football!

 

[CL82]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

...and how exactly did you come to that conclusion?

With Big 12 expansion back on the table, officials from the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, University of Central Florida and Colorado State University have been lobbying members of the Big 12's composition committee, according to documents ESPN.com has obtained.
​

Typically, people on the outside lobby to get in.

Things do appear to be picking up steam. Take a look on the Conference Realignment board for details.

It's outstanding that Memphis is promising to upgrade their facililities. UConn has already completed those upgrades. FedEx may have an interest in sponsoring the Big 12 conference championship game in football. There are plenty of others who would be interested as well.

 

[uconnfan68]

Not surprising. Disappointing but not surprising. UCONN is pretty much at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to conference expansion it seems. Our best bet is probably the ACC, but only if other conferences pick off some of those schools.

UCONN has tiny football stadium compared to almost everyone else and our football program is historically average at best...

There are not 1, not 2, but 3 professional football teams that have waiting lists for much larger stadiums within 125(?) miles. Not many others have to deal with that.

 

[UConnCat]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

Not for nothing but the linked article doesn't say what you claim it says. The schools listed are ahead of UConn in public begging.

 

[huskeynut]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

If the Big12's goal is a network, then Houston and Memphis are not going to get you there. Houston is already in the Texas sphere. Memphis, academically, doesn't hold a candle to Texas, OU and UCONN. Houston and Memphis are begging!!!

As has been said for a while, the top 3 candidates are Cincinnati, UCONN and BYU. The fourth is rumored to be Colorado State.

 

[CL82]

Not surprising. Disappointing but not surprising. UCONN is pretty much at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to conference expansion it seems. Our best bet is probably the ACC, but only if other conferences pick off some of those schools.

UCONN has tiny football stadium compared to almost everyone else and our football program is historically average at best...

Eric, you could not be more wrong. UConn is a very attractive expansion candidate. Our football 40,000 seat stadium was constructed with footings in place for easy and relatively inexpensive expansion to 55,000, which would put us in the middle of Big 12 for capacity. An even easier fix, however would be to reduce the allocated seat space at the Rent. Right now it is ample and makes for a great game day experience. If we lowered it down to be equivalent with Notre Dame or Michigan, we'd could get to 50,000 without any significant capital outlay.

For those of you who have never been, Rentschler Field is a great place to watch a college football game. The tailgating experience is first rate and the Rent itself is a great outstanding with good view from anywhere in the stadium. I highly recommend that you go see a game if you have never been. You'll enjoy it!

 

[stamfordhusky]

Not surprising. Disappointing but not surprising. UCONN is pretty much at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to conference expansion it seems. Our best bet is probably the ACC, but only if other conferences pick off some of those schools.

UCONN has tiny football stadium compared to almost everyone else and our football program is historically average at best...

Unfortunately you are completely correct. And the prospects for football in the future are poor at best. The best decision would be to try to park football in the MAC or a similar conference and then go Big East in all other sports. Similar to Villanova, but try to stay FBS in football.

 

[CL82]

Unfortunately you are completely correct. And the prospects for football in the future are poor at best. The best decision would be to try to park football in the MAC or a similar conference and then go Big East in all other sports. Similar to Villanova, but try to stay FBS in football.

Again, what do you base that on? In UConn's short history as 1-A football team (they became a full 1-A member in 2002) they've been to 6 Bowl games (3-3) including the Fiesta Bowl (a BCS bowl) just five years ago and have been conference champions twice in the Big East. They have many players in the NFL and have beaten many of the power teams in football, including Notre Dame, South Carolina (an SEC team in the Papa Johns Bowl), Pittsburg, Syracuse (both now ACC) Indiana (Big 10), Iowa State(Big 12), West Virginia (now Big 12.)

Sometimes I'm at a loss why fans are so quick to portray the school negatively, without bothering to learn the facts.

 

[UConnNick]

Looks like Houston, Memphis, UCF and Colorado State are in line ahead of UCONN. Backed by FedEx, Memphis is promising a $500 million expansion in athletic and academic infrastructure. Big B12 pow wow on May 31.

Big 12 drawing interest from Houston, Memphis

Houston does absolutely nothing for the Big 12. It's a huge commuter school. The Big 12 already has the Houston media market locked up with UT.

Memphis has never been in a major conference and never will be. It's a glorified community college, with a trail of NCAA transgressions behind it. They play in the crumbling Liberty Bowl, which doesn't even belong to the school. UCF is also nothing but a huge, amorphous commuter school.

Commuter students attend classes, go home each night, participate in no campus activities, and when they graduate they view the school as a means to an end, not an institution they're going to support for the rest of their lives. Some of them are already married with families while they're attending school. They have many other interests besides athletics at dear old Directional State U.

Colorado State? What are they going to do, deliver the metro Fort Collins CO media market (crickets chirping)? Please.

 

[UConnNick]

Again, what do you base that on? In UConn's short history as 1-A football team (they became a full 1-A member in 2002) they've been to 6 Bowl games (3-3) including the Fiesta Bowl (a BCS bowl) just five years ago and have been conference champions twice in the Big East. They have many players in the NFL and have beaten many of the power teams in football, including Notre Dame, South Carolina (an SEC team in the Papa Johns Bowl), Pittsburg, Syracuse (both now ACC) Indiana (Big 10), Iowa State(Big 12), West Virginia (now Big 12.)

Sometimes I'm at a loss why fans are so quick to portray the school negatively, without bothering to learn the facts.

Because there are some UCONN fans who are fans of only one particular sport at UCONN.

 

[Waquoit]

An even easier fix, however would be to reduce the allocated seat space at the Rent. Right now it is ample and makes for a great game day experience.

God forbid we keep it a great game day experience.