Non-Key Tweets

[ScottVib]

It's so weird to me that the big thing is "UConn needs to commit to spend more on football." Well, what do you think we would do if we had an extra $20 mil per year from our conference? In fact, the best way to quickly improve the football program is to give us a full or partial share up front.

The challenge here is many of the other programs grew their football spending in advance of getting an invite. In some cases they still may have only spent what UConn is spending, but when the football first teams look and see UConn is the only FBS program spending more on basketball than football they find it hard to believe UConn takes football seriously… thinking instead how they’d allocate the money and not that UConn is trying to match P4 program basketball spending without the resources.

Just another scenario where UConn is doing what is right for its unique situation, but because it’s different it takes more explaining to help it make sense to others. It’s part of why leaks (to mobilize football first opposition in the Big XII and Big East nostalgists in CT) can be so damaging, it just feeds into that narrative before the explanation/education process is done, giving detractors all the excuse they need.

 

[noeynox]

It's so weird to me that the big thing is "UConn needs to commit to spend more on football." Well, what do you think we would do if we had an extra $20 mil per year from our conference? In fact, the best way to quickly improve the football program is to give us a full or partial share up front.

Yeah, but schools like Houston, Cincinnati, and UCF spent more on FB than we did facing similar obstacles.

The good news is that information juat released on football NIL regarding UConn is very promising. The bad news is, did they wait too long to start getting serious about football?

 

[Kolumbo]

I feel like we are in a never-ending loop in these threads. Forking CR.

 

[blue93]

Those schools had less leverage than UConn has now, and were bad and/or redundant in their markets. They were desperate and in no position to make make demands and they got full memberships in a league that appears to be turning us down for a basketball only membership coming off a national championship in men’s and a final four in women’s where we posted one of the highest rated games in the sport’s history despite playing it at 10 pm on a Friday.

Conference realignment sucks.

You have to love that the B12 didn’t bat an eye at adding ASU (in a duplicative market with Arizona) whose arguably been more of a s***show in football than we have all things considered. The goalposts just never stop moving.

 

[mike012]

It’s all politics. Syracuse and BC are jealous @&$&@@. Big 12 is not a northern style kind of conference if you know what I mean. Pretty sure that plays a large part.

 

[uconndogs]

I'm just not vested in this. If it happens, fine, if not, I think things are going to get completely upended once FSU figures out a way to leave the ACC.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I don't think any of this is tenable over the long-term. College athletics will have to bifurcate along an open market professional sports model and somehting that resemles amatuer athletics. Most athletic departments indluding most of those in the current P4 are not going to be able to compete or necessarily even want to try to compete given the labor costs involved to attract and retain talent.

 

[noeynox]

I'm just not vested in this. If it happens, fine, if not, I think things are going to get completely upended once FSU figures out a way to leave the ACC.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I don't think any of this is tenable over the long-term. College athletics will have to bifurcate along an open market professional sports model and somehting that resemles amatuer athletics. Most athletic departments indluding most of those in the current P4 are not going to be able to compete or necessarily even want to try to compete given the labor costs involved to attract and retain talent.

If the bifurcation happens, the amateur model would only be the feeder system for the system that pays.

Doesn't have to be a bifurcation. D1 schools now could opt for a lower division of play like UHart did.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I'm just not vested in this. If it happens, fine, if not, I think things are going to get completely upended once FSU figures out a way to leave the ACC.

I know I sound like a broken record, but I don't think any of this is tenable over the long-term. College athletics will have to bifurcate along an open market professional sports model and somehting that resemles amatuer athletics. Most athletic departments indluding most of those in the current P4 are not going to be able to compete or necessarily even want to try to compete given the labor costs involved to attract and retain talent.

I think at some point the market becomes so confusing and restrictive of participation that no one cares anymore, and college fans just watch pro sports. The only way college football survives long-term is revenue sharing, which will defeat all of these conference combinations of the last 20 years. Without it, football will just continue to consolidate, and shrink its market, until no one cares anymore.

 

[superjohn]

I think at some point the market becomes so confusing and restrictive of participation that no one cares anymore, and college fans just watch pro sports. The only way college football survives long-term is revenue sharing, which will defeat all of these conference combinations of the last 20 years. Without it, football will just continue to consolidate, and shrink its market, until no one cares anymore.

Yep, people will stop watching college football and college basketball.

You just repeat the same nonsense over and over for a decade plus now.

 

[GoKU]

UConn being competitive against Maryland would be nice.

 

[bendm]

I think at some point the market becomes so confusing and restrictive of participation that no one cares anymore, and college fans just watch pro sports. The only way college football survives long-term is revenue sharing, which will defeat all of these conference combinations of the last 20 years. Without it, football will just continue to consolidate, and shrink its market, until no one cares anymore.

if your doomsday prophesy comes true and there are only 2 power conferences left with only ~40 schools then i agree. that's enough to maintain regional relevance in the college football obsessed southeast and midwest, but if most of the country has no vested interest then college football will and should die.

HOWEVER the tv networks surely understand this. they clearly want to consolidate as much as possible but only to the extent that they can maximize profits in a sustainable manner. conservatively, i think that means at least 3 power conference's with ~75 schools spread around the country. and that's why we have to get into one of them.

i dont foresee the networks messing with march madness either since they understand the value. but our future bball success is unfortunately tied to sharing football revenue.

 

[AllHusky]

I wonder if Chris Murphy has been wined and dined by UConn the way a potential million dollar donor would be? Where did he go to school? Was he an athlete ever? We certainly need Senator Murphy and his ilk to be on board as we slog through the Bataan Death March of Conference Realignment.

 

[ninety-nine]

I wonder if Chris Murphy has been wined and dined by UConn the way a potential million dollar donor would be? Where did he go to school? Was he an athlete ever? We certainly need Senator Murphy and his ilk to be on board as we slog through the Bataan Death March of Conference Realignment.

I know he went to Williams undergrad (the Little Ivy school in Massachusetts), and then UConn Law School, I'd assume in the late 1990's.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I wonder if Chris Murphy has been wined and dined by UConn the way a potential million dollar donor would be? Where did he go to school? Was he an athlete ever? We certainly need Senator Murphy and his ilk to be on board as we slog through the Bataan Death March of Conference Realignment.

The governors matter a lot more than a Senator.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

if your doomsday prophesy comes true and there are only 2 power conferences left with only ~40 schools then i agree. that's enough to maintain regional relevance in the college football obsessed southeast and midwest, but if most of the country has no vested interest then college football will and should die.

HOWEVER the tv networks surely understand this. they clearly want to consolidate as much as possible but only to the extent that they can maximize profits in a sustainable manner. conservatively, i think that means at least 3 power conference's with ~75 schools spread around the country. and that's why we have to get into one of them.

i dont foresee the networks messing with march madness either since they understand the value. but our future bball success is unfortunately tied to sharing football revenue.

Why would there be 2? Why wouldn't the best programs of each league just break off and form a new one?

 

[AllHusky]

The governors matter a lot more than a Senator.

Sure, but when our US Senator weighs in, you don't think all those folks in B12 turned their heads and listened? Every little bit helps/hurts.

Having a Governor 100% on board can lead to resources and action, the Senator just provides perception to those not in the know.

 

[hank970]

It's so weird to me that the big thing is "UConn needs to commit to spend more on football." Well, what do you think we would do if we had an extra $20 mil per year from our conference? In fact, the best way to quickly improve the football program is to give us a full or partial share up front.

Of course, an extra $20 million would be nice, but that's not the way it works. It appears that, for now, the B12 might be interested in UConn for its basketball product and is willing to pay for that. It's less likely that it (or any conference) would shell out a full share of revenues up front with the hope that a prospective member might improve a diminished football product. Before UConn gets a full share, the B12 would want to see some evidence of sustained commitment to and improvement of Huskies football. If the B12 extends an invitation for UConn basketball to come aboard in 2026, then the football clock starts ticking down to 2031. Could UConn meet the challenge? It seems that at least a few B12 members have their doubts.

To paraphrase JFK, a realistic B12 stance might be "Ask not what we can do for UConn; ask instead what UConn can do for us."

 

[Hondo 77]

Part of UConn’s problem is the perception that they will always be there if you want them.

 

[bendm]

Why would there be 2? Why wouldn't the best programs of each league just break off and form a new one?

They could but there’s absolutely no way of knowing until it happens. Regardless My point was it can’t be too consolidated and exclusive ie at least 75 teams, otherwise they will alienate a vast majority of the fanbases. Again, I think the tv networks are aware of that even if the conferences aren’t.

 

[Hoophound]

They could but there’s absolutely no way of knowing until it happens. Regardless My point was it can’t be too consolidated and exclusive ie at least 75 teams, otherwise they will alienate a vast majority of the fanbases. Again, I think the tv networks are aware of that even if the conferences aren’t.

You get to a point where one or two leagues just isn’t that interesting to a lot of people. It disenfranchises too many fans.

 

[Stinger92860]

You get to a point where one or two leagues just isn’t that interesting to a lot of people. It disenfranchises too many fans.

Just like the NFL. I’m joking, I agree with you.

 

[Dizzy21]

These people are stupid.

The AAC adds were just as poor as us before they got Big 12 checks.

Cinci and UCF were consistently winning 10+ games in the years before the invite. In the 3 full years prior to the invite, UCF lost a total of 4 games. In 2020, when we were not playing, Cinci went undefeated regular season, barely lost to Georgia and ended up the 8th ranked team in the country. In 2019 and 2018 they were both ranked top 25. In 2017 UCF was ranked 6th, with votes for 1st after going undefeated and beating Auburn in the Peach bowl. Cinci was good enough to go to the playoffs just after they got the invite, with a team built prior to even knowing they were getting the invite.

Those schools became major college football programs well before receiving the checks and then got invited.

 

[amory]

Part of UConn’s problem is the perception that they will always be there if you want them.

Think unfortunately that’s proving to be more than a perception

 

[noeynox]

Cinci and UCF were consistently winning 10+ games in the years before the invite. In the 3 full years prior to the invite, UCF lost a total of 4 games. In 2020, when we were not playing, Cinci went undefeated regular season, barely lost to Georgia and ended up the 8th ranked team in the country. In 2019 and 2018 they were both ranked top 25. In 2017 UCF was ranked 6th, with votes for 1st after going undefeated and beating Auburn in the Peach bowl. Cinci was good enough to go to the playoffs just after they got the invite, with a team built prior to even knowing they were getting the invite.

Those schools became major college football programs well before receiving the checks and then got invited.

It was period where those programs were ramping up and we were doing the opposite. From the outside it looked like they wanted to shut it down.

 

[CL82]

You get to a point where one or two leagues just isn’t that interesting to a lot of people. It disenfranchises too many fans.

I know, right? It's totally kill the NFL.