Non-Key Tweets

[AZHuskiePop]

Five Big Ten games a year
Getting someone to pay us to show them shouldn't be too much of a problem.

 

[Adios]

I have no doubt B1G Hockey will become the elite conference some day. Kids growing up will see national powers like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State playing hockey and figure that is the place to be. Not UMASS. Just my opinion...everything changes. When the B1G expands into New England, forgetaboutit.
That said, I was surfing the other night and saw Ohio State playing Penn State in front of about 12 spectators.

Ohio State and Penn State are not national powers. Nowhere near. Penn State does have a nice rink, though.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Five Big Ten games a year
Getting someone to pay us to show them shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Just thinking outside the box! Have to find a glimmer of hope.

 

[Dooley]

You misunderstand the premise. Notre Dame demanded the deal, the ACC wanted football. In this case, the B1G would love to have UConn basketball, men and women for BTN. They need another hockey team. Indiana would like UConn soccer. They just don't want our football team. So not bringing football isn't a "deal" its an accommodation by UConn to what the league wants. As long as they give us enough games to schedule football, we could do it.

I wouldn't oppose something like this in the slightest. Sort of like a probationary period for football and we can gain full admittance once there is an ACC/B12 school willing to challenge their GoR in 10 years. We obviously wouldn't get full BTN share, but you could safely assume that whatever partial membership share we would get in a similar style arrangement would be greater than the $2M/yr we get from our AAC sentence.

 

[businesslawyer]

You misunderstand the premise. Notre Dame demanded the deal, the ACC wanted football. In this case, the B1G would love to have UConn basketball, men and women for BTN. They need another hockey team. Indiana would like UConn soccer. They just don't want our football team. So not bringing football isn't a "deal" its an accommodation by UConn to what the league wants. As long as they give us enough games to schedule football, we could do it.

No, I understand the premise. The ACC took all of ND's sports (i) because they hoped ND would join for football, and (ii) because they could make money of the ND football played at ACC teams while they waited. The Big Ten doesn't need UConn to agree to play their members in football -- there is more money to be made by letting their members schedule whomever they can make the most money from. And we have no reason to believe anyone cares enough about money or competition in other sports to restrict their football in any way.

 

[SubbaBub]

Maybe if I rig this pulley to this rope counter weighted to hoist this basket to push this bowling ball into this spring unleashing this hammer to strike this match lighting this fuse firing this cannonball into that television, it will provide enough metaphorical inspiration to the president's of the Big Ten and they will invite Uconn to join.

What a horde of Hobgoblins we have scurring about in here.

 

[Dooley]

I think his point depends on how much our other sports are valued at. I understand UConn football doesn't generate the interest/money that scheduling OOC games against other P5 programs does. But how much would our entire athletic department bring to the BTN? Hoops, hockey, baseball, soccer, etc. Football is definitely the cash king but does a full season of MBB, WBB and hockey > 1-2 OOC P5 football games? If it does, then there could possibly be interest in some sort of partial membership deal. I'm not a TV Exec and don't claim to be, but I thought our SNY numbers and hoops ratings are solid enough to drive viewership.

Even if the 5 B1G games we get are Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern, Illinois and Minnesota on most years, that is still 10000% better than playing an AAC schedule. Get the foot in the door first, develop partnerships with a few more B1G schools, then apply for full entry in 10 years once GoRs safely expire.

 

[Fishy]

How to pick out the crazy people on the expansion board:

1) Find out who is seriously discussing UConn to the Big Ten as some sort of partial member.

2) There is no step two.

 

[kingdobbs]

They really need to do away with Neutral site games for a conference hockey tourny. Just have it at the site of the higher seeded team.

There is no way this is at all feasible given the geographic spread of every college hockey conference, without making all rounds best of three, including the final.

 

[Dooley]

You're right. this partial membership nonsense. <takes off my crazy helmet> We're going to be a friggin' full member in the Big Ten. Book it. Sign them papers in INK. I don't have personal car wash confirmation, but a guy who knows a guy who has been to a car wash in West Virginia says so.

 

[pj]

How to pick out the crazy people on the expansion board:

1) Find out who is seriously discussing UConn to the Big Ten as some sort of partial member.

2) There is no step two.

It would never happen as a permanent arrangement, but as a transitional arrangement, it could happen, if the B1G values the northeast enough strategically that they want to start building their brand there even before a #16 is available. As soon as the B1G has #16, UConn is a full member.

The B1G would not absolutely need a #16 -- they could continue indefinitely with UConn as a partial member -- so their bargaining power with a #16 would not be reduced.

 

[Fishy]

It would never happen as a permanent arrangement, but as a transitional arrangement, it could happen...

No, it can't and it won't.

PS - I found another crazy person.

 

[CL82]

The same network that covers my day with Lady Gaga

The channel?

 

[HuskyJ]

How to pick out the crazy people on the expansion board:

1) Find out who is seriously discussing UConn to the Big Ten as some sort of partial member.

2) There is no step two.

Of course there’s a good chunk of people outside the boneyard who think the idea of Full membership for UCONN to the B1G is crazy. So maybe we are just talking about different sub sets of the same crazy brought on by too much time in the AAC asylum.

 

[TruDomGopher]

Not only do I think UConn full membership is the right move for both UConn and the B1G, I think too many are worrying too much about football. (And as a corollary, probably not fully grasping the academic/AAU metric importance.)

It's not that football isn't important, but understand this: Rutgers.

Sports and teams rise and fall and rise again--the academics and the research are the underlying constant.

The Harlem Globetrotters need the Washington Nationals or there's not even a game. Once upon a time, Minnesota got to be the Globetrotters, then they got to be the Nationals, hopefully they get to be the Globetrotters again some day. Seriously, somebody has to lose, too. The new B1G paradigm: You win some, you lose some, you get rich.

The UConn basketball brand, the geographic location, and the B1G Network needs--that's the heart of the matter--if the academic metrics are lined up. Focusing on football, hockey, etc., while not irrelevant, is missing the point.

 

[Adios]

Bobby Valentine better have a plan for Sacred Heart.

 

[HuskyHawk]

No, it can't and it won't.

PS - I found another crazy person.

At least I have company. It's far from the most crazy idea that's been floated here. I certainly don't think it is likely, but not crazy either. They need hockey. They need BTN content, and our women's team would drive ratings and improve the level of play in the sport across the conference. They need to improve their eastern media footprint, and men's basketball would do that. The academics are close, call them pending.

The move allows the B1G to essentially lock up the valuable aspects of UConn, keep them away from the ACC, and not pay close to a full share. The football games are simply to fill out scheduling, get the B1G east coast alumni some games (they certainly came out for Michigan at the Rent) and keep UConn football viable as an independent (if not improve it). If and when UConn gets AAU status and football looks competitive, they can add us if they want. The GORs get weaker as they get older, the remaining media value declines.

 

[Fishy]

No, it's crazy.

So, apparently, are you.

 

[TruDomGopher]

If we could re-do history and design the present, we'd bring Penn State into the original Big East on whatever terms they were asking for, split from the Catholic schools, and get a northeastern all-sports conference with BC, UConn, Rutgers, Syracuse, Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia, Va Tech -- if we had to grow to 12, 4 from USF, UCF, Temple, Cincy, Louisville. This wouldn't be as lucrative as the B1G but it would be regionally compact, geographically contiguous, with significant rivalries.

pj. I've been mulling this over. Would've been a heck of a conference--kinda sorry we missed it.

(Addendum: sorry I seem to have lost the quote box when I tried to shorten the post. The italicized is a quote from pj.)

 

[Ldandy]

I hope that UCONN gets an invite to a P5 Conference in the very near future. You guys/gals have more than proven that you belong at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Many fans of B1G teams that post here, myself included, are rooting for you guys to get a shot at joining us.

That said I see no scenario where membership will be contingent on serving a probationary period. It just won't happen that way. 1)It creates scheduling headaches throughout the conference by introducing an uneven number of teams & 2)It creates too much speculation as to when and with what school the conference might expand with to reach 16. Delany is not going to publicly deal with that question time and again waiting for GOR's to expire.

Much like the last round of expansion where The B1G knew they had #14 in the bag, they were simply waiting on #13 to make their move. As soon as they had a deal with with that school, they could bring #14 along as well. I could potentially see things playing out this same way with UCONN playing the Rutgers Role to a mystery #15 during the next go around.

If for some reason The B1G pulls 2 schools out of The ACC, bypassing UCONN, it is almost certain that you all could slide in to that conference in quick fashion. It might not be anyone here's preference, but it would be 100x better than The AAC plus you would still be in Hockey East. Not a bad consolation prize.

 

[TruDomGopher]

So how many fans of B1G teams have "adopted" UConn? Maybe we should start a petition and website or something. B1GFans4UConn. Maybe a few banners at games, stuff like that.

 

[pj]

I hope that UCONN gets an invite to a P5 Conference in the very near future. You guys/gals have more than proven that you belong at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Many fans of B1G teams that post here, myself included, are rooting for you guys to get a shot at joining us.

That said I see no scenario where membership will be contingent on serving a probationary period. It just won't happen that way. 1)It creates scheduling headaches throughout the conference by introducing an uneven number of teams & 2)It creates too much speculation as to when and with what school the conference might expand with to reach 16. Delany is not going to publicly deal with that question time and again waiting for GOR's to expire.

Much like the last round of expansion where The B1G knew they had #14 in the bag, they were simply waiting on #13 to make their move. As soon as they had a deal with with that school, they could bring #14 along as well. I could potentially see things playing out this same way with UCONN playing the Rutgers Role to a mystery #15 during the next go around.

If for some reason The B1G pulls 2 schools out of The ACC, bypassing UCONN, it is almost certain that you all could slide in to that conference in quick fashion. It might not be anyone here's preference, but it would be 100x better than The AAC plus you would still be in Hockey East. Not a bad consolation prize.

The B1G could keep Rutgers waiting because the Big East was a viable, BCS conference with only a modest shortfall in revenue; Rutgers didn't lose by waiting. But the world has changed radically.

The AAC is competitively crippled compared to the P5 and if any P5 conference wants UConn (and any that wants to expand should), then UConn can't turn them down in favor of a mere promise by the B1G to be favorably considered in some future expansion. The B1G has to deliver a guarantee of a future invite to keep UConn from accepting a competing invite. The guarantee would have to be in writing. And if UConn's entry is guaranteed, there's no reason not to bring it in immediately. As I've noted, without a partner, special treatment for football would be needed due to scheduling issues (15 schools, 9 game schedule).

So the issue is whether some other P5 conference will force the B1G's hand before a #16 is available. If the ACC or B12 extended an invite to UConn, would the B1G watch us go? What if they had a promise from Va Tech to move in ten years when the ACC GoR expires, and they were counting on UConn to be the 16 to pair with Va Tech? Would they really want to double up on lawsuits and exit fees? What about the rumored policy of not raiding more than one school at a time from another P5 conference to avoid being too disruptive -- if UConn went ACC this would preclude an ACC raid; if UConn went B12 would a raid of both B12 and ACC be politically acceptable in the P5 governing structure?

I think it comes down to what the B1G's strategy is. If they really want to dominate the northeast population centers, they need UConn to bracket New York and add New England. If they want UConn, and UConn gets an invite from another conference, then they are far better off adding UConn from the AAC with no fuss and enduring speculation about #16 than trying to get UConn away from the ACC or B12 later.

Of course, if no other P5 conference wants UConn, then the B1G can afford to wait. The only risk then is a decay of UConn's stature and brand.

 

[Kolumbo]

Ohio State and Penn State are not national powers. Nowhere near. Penn State does have a nice rink, though.

Did you happen so see what UCONN accomplished while founding the beast basketball conference? National Power.

 

[Fishy]

Of course, if no other P5 conference wants UConn, then the B1G can afford to wait. The only risk then is a decay of UConn's stature and brand.

You may or may not have noticed the lack of a frenzied bidding war.

Right now, it is fairly clear that the Big Ten, the ACC, the Big 12 and whoever else are perfectly happy to let UConn ride the AAC into the abyss.

 

[Kolumbo]

So how many fans of B1G teams have "adopted" UConn? Maybe we should start a petition and website or something. B1GFans4UConn. Maybe a few banners at games, stuff like that.

We could start a GoFundMe site just to see if there is anyone outside the gulag who feels the same way. Maybe Mateen Cleaves Mom or someone would care to donate.