Non-Key Tweets

[upstater]

Checking the status isn't the same thing about fast tracking though - the Big Ten might control a pretty big voting bloc (~14-15 depending on how you view JHU) but you still need 2/3rds majority for a school to be admitted, so another 26 votes have to come elsewhere.

This is why I emphasized being a committee head. When the recommendation comes out of committee, people follow in line. Or else. There are 25 schools hovering in that $300-400m research budget range, and almost all of them will not cross anyone on the committee. Michigan and Wisconsin engineered Nebraska's ouster AFTER they didn't have the votes initially. This is why you always have to look at the committee heads.

 

[Husky92]

Nothing was said. What would a positive result mean anyway? UConn is UConn. We know what it is. It's not Michigan, it's Indiana.

C'mon. No, we're not Michigan, but I don't think we're Indiana either. We're someplace in between...

 

[UPitt]

I don't think there's a provision for equal divisions. SEC officials considered going with just 13 schools when they added Texas A&M (prior to adding Missouri). Of course there would have been headaches in scheduling and keeping balance, but since they went through the trouble of creating the models and deliberating it, I don't think there's a provision that requires equal divisions (when you have more than 12 teams).

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/10/sec_splitting_texas_ams_oppone.html

I agree that by rule you do not need to have equal divisions, but you are required by rule to play a round robin of your division. Having divisions of 6 and 7 teams would force one division to play an extra game each year, or force teams to play each other more than once. If you went to 15 teams (7 and 8), the division with 7 teams would be an uneven number and require even more creativity to schedule. By default of the rule requiring 2 divisions, no major conference will expand to an uneven number of football teams. We can not cite the MAC as a scheduling plan, because they fail to meet the round robin requirement, but have been given a pass because they can not expand to include additional teams without finding DII teams (this is not the case for P5 conferences).

 

[UPitt]

Im not stating that a conference can not expand to an uneven number of schools. I thought 15 schools would work out great, but the rules just do not allow it (from a practical stance) if your conference wants a CCG. But with the D4 talk and the P5 gaining power on the NCAA, the requirements for CCG could entirely change and make this a possible. In this case, I think we would likely see Uconn as a 15th member of the ACC, because it would make for easy scheduling of all sports including football.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

C'mon. No, we're not Michigan, but I don't think we're Indiana either. We're someplace in between...

What exactly does this mean?

I imagine that shy of women's basketball (and possibly women's field hockey) there are few areas (athletic and academic) where we can claim any real advantage over Indiana.

 

[pj]

Indiana is the flagship school of a state with 6 million people. Indiana receives roughly double the external research grants of UConn. On B1G metrics, it would come out ahead.

UConn's problem is it's a marginal candidate for the AAU and a marginal candidate for the B1G. I think we can become acceptable on both grounds, but there's no one factor which makes us a must have, or can overcome objections on other grounds. Why should Michigan and Wisconsin fast-track us to AAU ahead of comparable institutions if they hardly care whether we enter the B1G or not? And if the criteria for caring whether we enter the B1G is are we money-accretive to Michigan and Wisconsin, that's a hard hurdle to cross, given that they think they'll get $35 mn a year per school. If UConn can beat that, which is open to question, it certainly won't beat it by $14 mn, so it's not going to increase B1G school revenue by $1 mn/yr/school. The worst case scenario is UConn brings $20 mn, costing schools $1 mn each, but opens a new market with growth potential.

Between the lack of a partner and the mismatch in timing between B1G decisions in 2014-15 coupled to the TV contracts and D4, but UConn AAU probably being a 5 year process and building the football brand and proving that basketball is not a Jim Calhoun thing probably taking 5 years, it will be a challenge to get UConn in the B1G. I hope Susan and Warde can pull it off.

 

[Husky92]

What exactly does this mean?

I imagine that shy of women's basketball (and possibly women's field hockey) there are few areas (athletic and academic) where we can claim any real advantage over Indiana.

I was talking strictly athletic. While Indiana is a basketball blue blood, those days are long ago. Over the past 15 years UCONN has the superior men's program, women's is non-negotiable, and I would take our football over theirs any day (although the difference in football is debatable).

This is just my purely biased opinion but given the chance again I'd attend UCONN over Indiana once again!

 

[DarthGrumpy]

C'mon. No, we're not Michigan, but I don't think we're Indiana either. We're someplace in between...

Not many public universities are Michigan (call it UVA, UCLA & Cal, maybe UNC, Wisconsin, Texas). That said, UConn is not at Indiana’s level (yet), even if US News ranks UConn higher (#63) than Indiana (#83).

· US News - IU: #83, UConn: #63

· AAU - IU: Yes (1909), UConn: No

· Students - IU: 42,000, UConn: 22,000

· Endowment - IU: $1.5 Billion, UConn: $300 Million

· Research - IU: $500 Million, $200 Million

· DMA – IU: Indianapolis #26, UConn: Hartford/New Haven #30

· Football Stadium – IU: 52,000 on-campus, UConn: 40,000 off-campus

· NCAA Titles, men’s basketball – IU: 5, UConn: 3

· NCAA Titles, women’s basketball – IU: 0, UConn: 8

· NCAA Titles, men’s soccer – IU: 8, UConn: 2

· NCAA D1 Hockey – IU: No, UConn: Yes

Really, the only advantages UConn has over Indiana is: women’s basketball, a D1 Hockey program, and UConn is a closer (140 miles) to its secondary TV market (NYC #1) than Indiana (230 miles) is to its (Chicago #3) and UConn also has a secondary TV market (Boston #7, 80 miles). UConn does have its immediate TV DMA to itself though as Indiana does have to compete with the Colts, Pacers and Purdue.

 

[whaler11]

Well I'm glad I learned Indiana's days as as a basketball blue blood are over...

 

[Husky92]

Well I'm glad I learned Indiana's days as as a basketball blue blood are over...

Wow! Didn't realize I'd step on this many toes by sharing my love of UCONN over Indiana! I just don't think Indiana is what it used to be...that's all.

Go Huskies!

 

[UPitt]

Wow! Didn't realize I'd step on this many toes by sharing my love of UCONN over Indiana! I just don't think Indiana is what it used to be...that's all.

Go Huskies!

Indiana is still a strong school, but you were not out of line. Uconn has clearly closed the gap in recent years, and the perspective of Uconn vs Indiana in neutral areas of the country is such: Uconn is new school, new money, new rivals, newer traditions, growing economy, gaining ground on those ahead of them, where as Indiana is old school, old money, old rivals, old tradition, shrinking rust belt economy. These are general characteristics associated with Uconn vs Indiana for sports and education and I would say Uconn is clearly gaining on many midwest schools including Indiana.

Edit: To not be misinterepted, I was only comparing Uconn to Indiana with respect to new vs old. I understand Uconn always has a great history of basketball, but to neutral parts of the country Indiana has a percieved image of having an older tradition, where as Uconn has a newer tradition.

 

[whaler11]

Wow! Didn't realize I'd step on this many toes by sharing my love of UCONN over Indiana! I just don't think Indiana is what it used to be...that's all.

Go Huskies!

Dude you can take UConn over Indiana without saying ridiculous stuff.

They won the toughest league in the country, spent most of the year at #1 and have an excellent 6 player class coming in. Jesus, what do people need from schools to give them some respect?

 

[woomba]

Indiana is still a strong school, but you were not out of line. Uconn has clearly closed the gap in recent years, and the perspective of Uconn vs Indiana in neutral areas of the country is such: Uconn is new school, new money, new rivals, newer traditions, growing economy, gaining ground on those ahead of them, where as Indiana is old school, old money, old rivals, old tradition, shrinking rust belt economy.

...except that Conn is ranked last in GDP growth the past 2-3 years while the "rust belt" is growing on pace of the overall US economy and faster than the southeastern states.

Edit: Spelling errors.

 

[Husky92]

Dude you can take UConn over Indiana without saying ridiculous stuff.

They won the toughest league in the country, spent most of the year at #1 and have an excellent 6 player class coming in. Jesus, what do people need from schools to give them some respect?

Ok, I'll bite...

I think you read a whole lot more into my comments than I intended.

I stated Indiana IS blue blood in basketball (but earned that status from long ago).
I stated that UCONN hoops has been better the last 15 years. I believe this is true.
I stated that UCONN women hoops was better than Indiana. Not debatable.
I stated that UCONN football has a better recent history than Indiana. (They have 1 bowl game I last 20 years)

I believe that is all I stated.

I don't think that is all that ridiculous, but I respect you are allowed to have a different opinion.

Can we now let the thread return to the truly ridiculous posts of "the dude"? They are far more fun than bickering over this crap.

 

[whaler11]

Ok, I'll bite...

I think you read a whole lot more into my comments than I intended.

I stated Indiana IS blue blood in basketball (but earned that status from long ago).
I stated that UCONN hoops has been better the last 15 years. I believe this is true.
I stated that UCONN women hoops was better than Indiana. Not debatable.
I stated that UCONN football has a better recent history than Indiana. (They have 1 bowl game I last 20 years)

I believe that is all I stated.

I don't think that is all that ridiculous, but I respect you are allowed to have a different opinion.

Can we now let the thread return to the truly ridiculous posts of "the dude"? They are far more fun than bickering over this crap.

All I commented on was Indiana being a basketball blue blood. It's not a big deal.

 

[progrocks]

Now that Porter has left Akron, Indiana has the best soccer program in the country, and it is probably not even debatable.

Bloomington is a better city that Storrs, by a hell of a lot. That helps in getting top professors to come work at your school.

It is also a better university overall. The undergraduate population may not be as impressive, but IU takes on a lot more students. They also get more high end students where if they were from the east, those kids would be at privates but from Indiana they never heard of Colby or Tufts, so they go to ole State U! When it comes to grad programs, they get a much better quality of student than UConn. The departments are better.

 

[The Funster]

Indiana is "old Money". UConn is not. What we are doing is great but we're not ready to be compared to some institutions.

 

[UConn Dan]

Indiana is "old Money". UConn is not. What we are doing is great but we're not ready to be compared to some institutions.

One more basketball championship and we got to be considered "old Money" finally. Then it goes to show it's the school that's big-time not just the greatest basketball coach of all time, right?

 

[The Funster]

One more basketball championship and we got to be considered "old Money" finally. Then it goes to show it's the school that's big-time not just the greatest basketball coach of all time, right?

I was talking institutionally rather than just athletically.

 

[jostar1]

Brad Weiss‏@UConnPittDad18h
@MH3 What's your take on UConn? Where do you think they will eventually land?

MH3‏@MH31h
@UConnPittDad ACC. Defections are coming. At least one, or so the BiG10 believes anyway.

 

[GopherHawk]

No one is leaving the ACC after they voted in favor of the GOR. I don't believe anyone is leaving the B12 either unless a move is coordinated between the ACC, PAC, SEC and B1G. What are the chances they work together? Zero.

I think chances of UConn to the B1G is at its best if the ACC or B12 don't change.

my $.02

 

[woomba]

No one is leaving the ACC after they voted in favor of the GOR. I don't believe anyone is leaving the B12 either unless a move is coordinated between the ACC, PAC, SEC and B1G. What are the chances they work together? Zero.

I think chances of UConn to the B1G is at its best if the ACC or B12 don't change.

my $.02

If you subscribe to WV rumor logic, either the GoR hasn't been signed or there's an outclause if ACCN falls through.

 

[GopherHawk]

If you subscribe to WV rumor logic, either the GoR hasn't been signed or there's an outclause if ACCN falls through.

The ACCN hasn't failed yet though. I personally do not think it will fly because they do not have rights to any inventory, but that doesn't mean it has failed yet. In two years you can say this, but not now. Once they figure out how much it will cost to repurchase their rights from Raycom and the costs associated with start up they can make a business decision. Until then it is an idea.

 

[upstater]

...except that Conn is ranked last in GDP growth the past 2-3 years while the "rust belt" is growing on pace of the overall US economy and faster than the southeastern states.

Edit: Spelling errors.

This stuff is no more than fun with stats. GDP growth when your #1 industry is insurance and finance during the biggest financial meltdown since the Great Depression? It's meaningless. I spent the weekend at my brother's $850k shack (1200 sq.feet) in Westport. Ludicrously overpriced. You won't find anything like that in Indiana.

I agree with everything people have said about Indiana as a school. It's well respected. Conn. has its benefits as well.

But, I'll say this: I've known people who have spoken with distaste for Indiana's flatness and cultural attitudes. So, it's not a gimme that Indy would be more attractive for faculty.

After leaving Westport this weekend, I drove through New Brunswick (to avoid ridiculous turnpike traffic) and saw the Amtrak station smack in the middle of downtown. Now that's a huge draw for faculty. While the town looked pretty rundown and desolate to me, I can imagine that Rutgers will never have trouble attracting top faculty, as New Brunswick must have reasonably priced residences and you're a quick train trip away from NYC. Indiana though has questionable appeal even though Bloomington is OK.

 

[GopherHawk]

I can imagine that Rutgers will never have trouble attracting top faculty, as New Brunswick must have reasonably priced residences and you're a quick train trip away from NYC. Indiana though has questionable appeal even though Bloomington is OK.

The problem with your assumption is that living in a large city is what everyone wants. The old saying "Different Strokes for Different Folks". I can't fault anyone for choosing to live where they do. We generally gravitate to what we know. There is always a percentage that really wants the opposite of that, but that is not the norm.