New Frank the Tank Post on Conf. Realignment | Page 2 | The Boneyard

New Frank the Tank Post on Conf. Realignment

CL82 said:
He's not a big believer in our brand. Never has been. We are on the outside looking in, so I suppose one could argue that he's right.
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Careful. Some boneyarders (short haircut) still think there is a pending bidding war over us.
 
Who Ha said:
Careful. Some boneyarders (short haircut) still think there is a pending bidding war over us.
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Well hope springs eternal. I've resigned myself to the reality of our current situation, but CR has been nothing if not unpredictable. Who knows maybe it will take another unpredictable turn.
 
CL82 said:
Well hope springs eternal. I've resigned myself to the reality of our current situation, but CR has been nothing if not unpredictable. Who knows maybe it will take another unpredictable turn.
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I agree logic dictates we should be in already. That was the reason I didn’t dismiss Big 12 possibilities. It made so little sense out of the two other alternatives that it might have been possible.
 
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I think Frank actually believes the opinions he puts forth, and isn't trading in fake insider rumors just to get traffic. Just because someone disagrees with our value in conference realignment doesn't make him wrong. So far the market has been speaking loud and clear.
 
Exit 4 said:
Obviously a fabrication and a crude one to boot.
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It's not a fabrication. A reporter sent it to me as a message he found as part of a FOIA request. People can (and do) disagree with my opinions and analysis all of the time, which is fine, but I'm pretty upfront that I don't make up stories (unlike some others out there).
 
I'll just leave this here:
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I can't vouch for its authenticity but I think it speaks for itself.
 
frankthetank said:
It's not a fabrication. A reporter sent it to me as a message he found as part of a FOIA request. People can (and do) disagree with my opinions and analysis all of the time, which is fine, but I'm pretty upfront that I don't make up stories (unlike some others out there).
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I would like to see what the rest of that email chain has to say. Looks like CL82 has it covered.
 
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frankthetank said:
I'll just leave this here.
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Looks like Delany's changed his mind as of now. Your view is so antiquated.

By the way, our traditional rivals were the Ivies, the Little Ivies and New England state schools. Sorry we're not living in corn fields.
 
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TRest said:
I think Frank actually believes the opinions he puts forth, and isn't trading in fake insider rumors just to get traffic. Just because someone disagrees with our value in conference realignment doesn't make him wrong. So far the market has been speaking loud and clear.
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Agreed. I don't think he's doing it as an attention whore like the obvious twitter clowns. Nor do I think he's making stuff up.

What I do think is that his views reflect (naturally) a Big Ten region, midwestern bias. That includes some preconceived notions about football, flagship state universities, history etc. Unfortunately for UConn, I think Delaney and the B1G Presidents are quite likely to have similar biases. I'm originally from the KC area, went to Kansas law school after attending UConn and mostly growing up in CT, so I think I have a pretty good feel for this. People from the northeast have a pretty inaccurate view of much of the midwest, and people from the midwest have a pretty inaccurate view of the northeast.

Simply stated, I suspect that the B1G folks view things much as Frank suggests that they do. That doesn't mean that they aren't all wrong, and shouldn't be more open minded. For example, what Frank said about Syracuse is effectively a half truth. None of it is false, but it provides an incomplete and therefore inaccurate sense of what Syracuse means to the region vs. UConn and what each could bring to the league.

I think the ACC is the mostly likely P5 lifeline to UConn, if there ever is one.
 
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I am not in Ct. and only occasionally read the Courant (though I do receive an electronic subscription), with that said two questions for the informed.

1) Is there a legitimate long-term commitment to the AAC for basketball and football, or is our affiliation simply serving as a stepping stone for P5 membership?

2) Who are the major players behind the push to grow the football program and this includes groups and individuals in and out of UConn's institution?

3) Is the football push primarily in the interest of P5 realignment?

4) To what extent will the University remain committed to the AAC, even if an inverse correlation could later be shown between AAC membership and a deteriorating men's basketball program?
 
olehead said:
I am not in Ct. and only occasionally read the Courant (though I do receive an electronic subscription), with that said two questions for the informed.

1) Is there a legitimate long-term commitment to the AAC for basketball and football, or is our affiliation simply serving as a stepping stone for P5 membership?

2) Who are the major players behind the push to grow the football program and this includes groups and individuals in and out of UConn's institution?

3) Is the football push primarily in the interest of P5 realignment?

4) To what extent will the University remain committed to the AAC, even if an inverse correlation could later be shown between AAC membership and a deteriorating men's basketball program?
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To answer your question, in my opinion: The initial affiliation was by default and the "Old Big East" imploded and UConn was left essentially homeless. UConn administration falsely believed that they would be invited to the ACC and the administration and (likely ESPN) failed to aggressively assure their invite. The whole reason to push the football program was to remain in a BCS conference at that time and now to join the P5. This has failed miserably to this point. The football push was in the interest of P5 alignment, but that also failed. Once money runs out, the commitment to the AAC will be history as well. Clearly the conference is moving toward a south and west direction and away from the northeast. I suspect UConn will be left homeless again in the near future. No sense in spending money one doesn't have to be midmajor and have to travel all over the country for conference games.
 
olehead said:
I am not in Ct. and only occasionally read the Courant (though I do receive an electronic subscription), with that said two questions for the informed.

1) Is there a legitimate long-term commitment to the AAC for basketball and football, or is our affiliation simply serving as a stepping stone for P5 membership?

2) Who are the major players behind the push to grow the football program and this includes groups and individuals in and out of UConn's institution?

3) Is the football push primarily in the interest of P5 realignment?

4) To what extent will the University remain committed to the AAC, even if an inverse correlation could later be shown between AAC membership and a deteriorating men's basketball program?
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Anything we say will be a guess. Here are mine.

1) Yes to both. We have a long term commitment right up until we don't. They know we will leave if we can, but we know we might not be able to, so want to make the league as strong as we can.

2) No idea. Benedict. Edsall.

3) It wasn't originally, since we were in an FBS league. It was aimed toward the fact that the schools we wanted to emulate all have D1/FBS football (Michigan, UVA and Penn State were named I believe). Now? I am sure it is viewed as an essential factor in gaining any P5 invite.

4) You will see mixed opinions here. My guess is that if the door to a P5 invite closed, permanently and forever, we'd consider dropping football. I also don't think we'd consider independence in football and say Big East basketball, unless the income disparity and impact on basketball was much larger than it is now. It's possible the next AAC contract could pay more than the Big East. Also, with WSU joining the American, apart from Villanova, the difference in the leagues is not all that really.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
Anything we say will be a guess. Here are mine.

1) Yes to both. We have a long term commitment right up until we don't. They know we will leave if we can, but we know we might not be able to, so want to make the league as strong as we can.

2) No idea. Benedict. Edsall.

3) It wasn't originally, since we were in an FBS league. It was aimed toward the fact that the schools we wanted to emulate all have D1/FBS football (Michigan, UVA and Penn State were named I believe). Now? I am sure it is viewed as an essential factor in gaining any P5 invite.

4) You will see mixed opinions here. My guess is that if the door to a P5 invite closed, permanently and forever, we'd consider dropping football. I also don't think we'd consider independence in football and say Big East basketball, unless the income disparity and impact on basketball was much larger than it is now. It's possible the next AAC contract could pay more than the Big East. Also, with WSU joining the American, apart from Villanova, the difference in the leagues is not all that really.
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2) I would add two powerful and very rich benefactors, Mr Burton and Mr Shenkman. UConn will never drop football, these two guys and a few unnamed others won't let that happen.

4) Big difference between the two leagues. The Big East doesn't play football, it's a basketball league formed by private and or Catholic schools. The AAC will outlive the The Big East as we know it today BECAUSE of football, the Big East may even cease to exist in 10 to 15 years for many reasons, chief among them is no public support, small private schools are privately in panic mode right now on how to keep down their skyrocketing costs, and the first cuts will be to the athletic budgets. Declining enrollment in the next few years will just add fuel to the fire. Even the very well heeled will think twice about sending their kids to a small private school like Providence or Seton Hall for an ok but only above average education for $150,000 a year. Those schools certainly won't be getting 40,000 student applicants every spring like UConn gets, and getting a top shelf education on the cheap is a rarity nowadays. UConn is certainly not going to drop football and join a dieing Catholic basketball league.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
Agreed. I don't think he's doing it as an attention whore like the obvious twitter clowns. Nor do I think he's making stuff up.

What I do think is that his views reflect (naturally) a Big Ten region, midwestern bias. That includes some preconceived notions about football, flagship state universities, history etc. Unfortunately for UConn, I think Delaney and the B1G Presidents are quite likely to have similar biases. I'm originally from the KC area, went to Kansas law school after attending UConn and mostly growing up in CT, so I think I have a pretty good feel for this. People from the northeast have a pretty inaccurate view of much of the midwest, and people from the midwest have a pretty inaccurate view of the northeast.

Simply stated, I suspect that the B1G folks view things much as Frank suggests that they do. That doesn't mean that they aren't all wrong, and shouldn't be more open minded. For example, what Frank said about Syracuse is effectively a half truth. None of it is false, but it provides an incomplete and therefore inaccurate sense of what Syracuse means to the region vs. UConn and what each could bring to the league.

I think the ACC is the mostly likely P5 lifeline to UConn, if there ever is one.
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I grew up in the NYC metro area, then moved to Dallas, TX when I was 23. I'm 56 now.

I agree with you about different regions of the country. Most Northeasterners don't understand the Southwest and most Texans don't understand the Northeast.
 
Redding Husky said:
I grew up in the NYC metro area, then moved to Dallas, TX when I was 23. I'm 56 now.

I agree with you about different regions of the country. Most Northeasterners don't understand the Southwest and most Texans don't understand the Northeast.
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As someone that lives in Georgia; I can confirm this for the southeast too.

Pretty laughable how wrong (both) sides precieve each other.

Unfortuantly for UConn and realignment, this misconception hurts us greatly.
 
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Guapo said:
As someone that lives in Georgia; I can confirm this for the southeast too.

Pretty laughable how wrong (both) sides precieve each other.

Unfortuantly for UConn and realignment, this misconception hurts us greatly.
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So give us some examples, Guapo?
 
Guapo said:
I could write a novel, can you ask for a specific aspect of something you'd want to know?
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Do your southern friends unironically still call it the "war of northern aggression"?
 
JMick said:
Do your southern friends unironically still call it the "war of northern aggression"?
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Friends? No.

Others? Yes.

I know many people who will passionately defend the use of the confederate flag and monuments; even people who are relatively liberal.
 
Guapo said:
I could write a novel, can you ask for a specific aspect of something you'd want to know?
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Sure. How do they view northern schools commitment/prowess in BB and FB?
 
CL82 said:
Sure. How do they view northern schools commitment/prowess in BB and FB?
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(Note: I'm at work so I can't commit the amount of time I'd like to in order to answer this fully)

But, they simply cannot comprehend the idea of basketball being more popular than football at any given school (I'm in Georgia so I can't speak to the Tobacco Road part of the South).

On a more macro level, as it relates to UConn the thing I think best encapsulates the difference in college sports culture is the fact that so many of UConn's sporting events are held off campus and so many in the fanbase actively support that.
 
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