New pod with David Benedict

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I think he would be concerned about the proposed scheduling alliance among the other P5 confetence schools in response to the SEC expansion and/or more conference games. It would dry up our P5 scdeduling.

Agreed - we should be concerned. Thankfully we have a couple of bargaining chips in terms of being able to schedule valuable basketball games (especially the women) as part of a football/basketball series; and also the ability to fill MSG or Newark with a neutral court game or men's/women's doubleheaders against P5's that want tri-state exposure.

 

[CL82]

Drew, I think UConn gets an invite much much sooner than that. Mora’s contract up in late 2024 IIRC. I would not be surprised to see an invite late this year or next.

Why?

 

[TheDrifter75]

Drew, I think UConn gets an invite much much sooner than that. Mora’s contract up in late 2024 IIRC. I would not be surprised to see an invite late this year or next.

Why?

Where?

 

[CL82]

Where?

When?

 

[husky8273]

who?

 

[TheDrifter75]

When?

When is late this year. I'm legit curious to all other questions though

 

[CTFAN4LIFE]

When?

20 minutes, of course.

 

[CL82]

who?

I don’t know…

Third base!

 

[CL82]

When is late this year. I'm legit curious to all other questions though

I wouldn’t get your hopes up

 

[freescooter]

I don’t know what but my gut is AD Dave has something in the works. Lots of pieces just feel that way. The whole Mora hire seems sort of designed to change the trajectory. If we were to have a really good season next year, just for example, say we beat Syracuse, put a scare into Michigan and NC state and beat BC, ENDED 10-2, (2-1 in the ACC) with an NCAA tourney hoop team and the most recognizable womens program around, we would be a pretty attractive property.

I also suspect he is trying to do a Norte Dame type deal with a football league As a backup. Probably CUSA 4 games/ year. Maybe someone else.

 

[hardcorehusky]

Not that these usually matter, but if football goes to a conference, so does everything else and the buyout is hefty until 2026. With the budget deficit UConn has, after paying out Kevin Ollie, I don't think there is a financial appetite for a conference exit fee.

Someone who has the contract to the Big East deal can share the punitive side of it.

 

[huskymedic]

Not that these usually matter, but if football goes to a conference, so does everything else and the buyout is hefty until 2026. With the budget deficit UConn has, after paying out Kevin Ollie, I don't think there is a financial appetite for a conference exit fee.

Someone who has the contract to the Big East deal can share the punitive side of it.

$30m first 6 years then its $15m years 7 thru 10. $10m after 10.

 

[Exit 4]

$30m first 6 years then its $15m years 7 thru 10. $10m after 10.

Just use the state’s ARPA funds. jk

 

[UConnJim]

Not that these usually matter, but if football goes to a conference, so does everything else and the buyout is hefty until 2026. With the budget deficit UConn has, after paying out Kevin Ollie, I don't think there is a financial appetite for a conference exit fee.

Someone who has the contract to the Big East deal can share the punitive side of it.

Simple math says there would be an appetite to pay an exit fee. If you are going to get an additional $20 to $30 million per year to join a conference, then it's a no brainer and it pays for itself.

 

[metsfan2323]

I thought it would be interesting to compare our indy home schedules to what a CUSA home schedule might look like. I'm assuming we fill our 4 non-conference games with P5 games (no FCS game) and that UMASS goes to CUSA with us.

I know I am in the minority but I don't see the big drop off everyone talks about and keep in mind Indy scheduling is going to get more and more difficult. By joining a conference we also get the potential for a championship game and bowl tie ins also when the playoff expands to 12 the top ranked G5 conference team will probably get an auto-bid to the tournament.

2021 Home schedule - CUSA converted Home schedule
Holy Cross ------ Western Kentucky
Purdue ---------- Purdue
Wyoming ------- LA tech
Yale ------------- Sam Houston State
Midd Tenn. ------ Midd Tenn
Houston --------- Houston

2022 Home Schedule - CUSA converted home Schedule
Central ---------- FIU
Syracuse -------- Syracuse
Fresno State ---- UTEP
Boston College -- Boston College
UMASS ---------- UMASS
Liberty ----------- Liberty

 

[metsfan2323]

2023 Home Schedule - CUSA converted Home Schedule
Duke ---------Duke
FIU ---------- FIU
NC State ---- NC State
Utah State -- Western Kentucky
USF --------- Midd Tenn
Sacred Heart -- New Mexico State

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Simple math says there would be an appetite to pay an exit fee. If you are going to get an additional $20 to $30 million per year to join a conference, then it's a no brainer and it pays for itself.

Bingo!!!!

 

[coachcap]

I don’t know what but my gut is AD Dave has something in the works. Lots of pieces just feel that way. The whole Mora hire seems sort of designed to change the trajectory. If we were to have a really good season next year, just for example, say we beat Syracuse, put a scare into Michigan and NC state and beat BC, ENDED 10-2, (2-1 in the ACC) with an NCAA tourney hoop team and the most recognizable womens program around, we would be a pretty attractive property.

I also suspect he is trying to do a Norte Dame type deal with a football league As a backup. Probably CUSA 4 games/ year. Maybe someone else.

Say you're correct about AD Dave's master plan:
What if the Mora hire & hopefully much improved gridiron team make UConn a prime target for P-5 expansion?
The only fits are B1G & ACC. Of the two, the best fit is B1G (Majority of members are State land Grant institutions). The UConn hockey teams would be forced to secede Hockey East. If the ACC is the intended target, you have the "Waiting for Godot" problem of the Leprechauns going all in & UConn waiting for them to make that step to tag along. Hockey stay where it belongs.
Any other conferences are unacceptable in the eye of UConn fans &, if the Huskies move a C-USA or MAC, the current strain on ticket sales will perpetuate.

 

[metsfan2323]

Any other conferences are unacceptable in the eye of UConn fans &, if the Huskies move a C-USA or MAC, the current strain on ticket sales will perpetuate.

I think many fans would be open to a full B12 invite as long as the money was right. It's certainly a terrific basketball conference and its still a very good football conference (better than the old Big East football conference we enjoyed 2004 - 2012)

As far as football ticket sales go if we joined the MAC or C-USA I don't see the big drop off in competition compared to our independent schedule that we grossly overrate and the AD would only join those conferences if he thought continuing on as an independent was too risky/difficult. God forbid we end up in a situation down the road where two or even three FCS games per year becomes the norm as we cobble together a meaningless 12 game schedule.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think many fans would be open to a full B12 invite as long as the money was right. It's certainly a terrific basketball conference and its still a very good football conference (better than the old Big East football conference we enjoyed 2004 - 2012)

As far as football ticket sales go if we joined the MAC or C-USA I don't see the big drop off in competition compared to our independent schedule that we grossly overrate and the AD would only join those conferences if he thought continuing on as an independent was too risky/difficult. God forbid we end up in a situation down the road where two or even three FCS games per year becomes the norm as we cobble together a meaningless 12 game schedule.

B12 would just be history repeating itself. The will be elbowed out just like the Old New Big East.

 

[freescooter]

I think many fans would be open to a full B12 invite as long as the money was right. It's certainly a terrific basketball conference and its still a very good football conference (better than the old Big East football conference we enjoyed 2004 - 2012)

As far as football ticket sales go if we joined the MAC or C-USA I don't see the big drop off in competition compared to our independent schedule that we grossly overrate and the AD would only join those conferences if he thought continuing on as an independent was too risky/difficult. God forbid we end up in a situation down the road where two or even three FCS games per year becomes the norm as we cobble together a meaningless 12 game schedule.

A. We get $5-6 million from the NBE. Even worst case it’s $20 from any P5, so it is a no brainer on that front. Plus we would do what every other school does and negotiate a discounted rate. Honestly nobody wants a member who doesn’t want to be a member.

I doubt if we join a non-P5 conference it will be a football only deal. We aren’t going all sports to the MAC. Or anyone other non-P5.

Hockey to the Big wouldn’t be great but would be fine. The best landing place though would be the ACC. I think there are 2 possibilitie. One is the Irish get forced into a league. #2 is Clemson and or Florida State cut a deal to join the SEC. In the ACC. Clemson essentially needs to go undefeated. Even though they are far and away the best team most years in that league, it is a heavy lift to do it all the time. I also think that their days as a top 3 program may be winding down. And if they are, fans being fans, will blame the ACC. So the pressure, which is there but below the surface right now will only get more intense. I know GOR and all that, but that is just money and with the amount available in the SEC vs the ACC it will be worked out. Again, nobody wants a member who wants out. They can just make everything so difficult.
I love

 

[ZooCougar]

Say you're correct about AD Dave's master plan:
What if the Mora hire & hopefully much improved gridiron team make UConn a prime target for P-5 expansion?
The only fits are B1G & ACC. Of the two, the best fit is B1G (Majority of members are State land Grant institutions). The UConn hockey teams would be forced to secede Hockey East. If the ACC is the intended target, you have the "Waiting for Godot" problem of the Leprechauns going all in & UConn waiting for them to make that step to tag along. Hockey stay where it belongs.
Any other conferences are unacceptable in the eye of UConn fans &, if the Huskies move a C-USA or MAC, the current strain on ticket sales will perpetuate.

Exactly. And if AD Dave and Mora do it right we will be making more money as an independent anyways (We probably already are) and with a bowl tie in or two it will take a hell of an offer to get us to move.

I sort of felt this way when we were jilted by the ACC. Sometimes to prove your worth you have to stand on your own.

 

[RioDog]

Exactly. And if AD Dave and Mora do it right we will be making more money as an independent anyways (We probably already are) and with a bowl tie in or two it will take a hell of an offer to get us to move.

I sort of felt this way when we were jilted by the ACC. Sometimes to prove your worth you have to stand on your own.

This.

The end game really is to 1) maximize our independent status while we have the chance to show a program on the rise that plays high-level national opponents 2) do this until we go to a P5 or changes in P5 arrangements unduly limit our ability to schedule P5 opponents.

If the latter happens, we're still Indy and have to join a lower tier conference just to schedule games AND we can't schedule good OOC P5 opponents, I agree with Zoo's assessment that fan response will be negative. I know mine will be.

 

[RioDog]

This.

The end game really is to 1) maximize our independent status while we have the chance to show a program on the rise that plays high-level national opponents 2) do this until we go to a P5 or changes in P5 arrangements unduly limit our ability to schedule P5 opponents.

If the latter happens, we're still Indy and have to join a lower tier conference just to schedule games AND we can't schedule good OOC P5 opponents, I agree with Zoo's assessment that fan response will be negative. I know mine will be.

Sorry I meant to say Coachcap's assessment.