Non-Key Tweets

[TruDomGopher]

Link this so I can read about us being linked to UConn please. I've never seen it.

Why would he call Gordon Gee who is President of WVU?

Oops--jokes aren't any fun with explanations. It was a joke, referencing a comment Gee made when he was with Ohio State about the Fathers at Notre Dame being holy on Sunday and holy h**l the rest of the week.

A link to the rumor? It's a rumor that may or may not have made it to a board--I picked it up on a Saturday afternoon at a bar in Portland Oregon. It might be on the VTech board--I saw recently someone had revived it there as well.

I stand by my basic point though: Imagine if Delany started yapping to the press that the Big Ten was going DIII. ESPN and Fox would either a) not know about and go through the roof because they want "real" football or b) know about it in advance and discount it for whatever reason.

I don't know what's up with Swarbrick but he's not stupid and the whole thing was too well thought out--providing the press with a list of the Nerdball schools already? That's planned. (BTW, UConn's on the list with all the flagships, not the Nerdball list.)

Did NBC/Comcast know in advance--or cause it--or were they caught with their pants down? That's what I'd like to know. I don't know. I can only watch, wonder, and speculate. My speculation is that there is a lot of posturing because the Big Ten rights are going to be it for awhile. (How's that for going out on a limb?)

By the time they're done, I wouldn't be surprised to see We and Lifetime fighting it out for the rights to Big Ten branded UConn's women basketball.

 

[TruDomGopher]

For anyone interested, here's what I'm referencing along with the full Nerdball list:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...a-vision-of-two-college-athletic-associations

 

[Adios]

"Swarbrick isn't necessarily advocating upheaval, just defining the future. The legal, moral and collegiate pressures may make it inevitable for a semi-pro division of college athletics to emerge."

Sickening.

 

[nd73]

For anyone interested, here's what I'm referencing along with the full Nerdball list:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...a-vision-of-two-college-athletic-associations

I knew about that, I want to know about ND and UConn being tied at the hip.

 

[nd73]

"Swarbrick isn't necessarily advocating upheaval, just defining the future. The legal, moral and collegiate pressures may make it inevitable for a semi-pro division of college athletics to emerge."

Sickening.

I hope that is just bluster like Delaney said awhile back about going to the Ivy model.

 

[BoatShow]

Our Basketball travel schedule this year was crazy.
There were NBA teams with easier schedules.
1/13 at Tulsa
1/17 at Stamford
1/22 home
1/25 home
1/29 at Cinncy
2/01 at Houston
2/4 home
2/7 at Tulane
2/12 home
2/14 at SMU
2/19 at Memphis
The Houston,home New Orleans ,home,back to Dallaa was a ridicules stretch.
That's the best agrument for a regional conference.
The ACC ,and the B1G are actually more regional than the AAC

Trip from Stamford to Storrs is what an hour and 45 minutes?

 

[nd73]

Oops--jokes aren't any fun with explanations. It was a joke, referencing a comment Gee made when he was with Ohio State about the Fathers at Notre Dame being holy on Sunday and holy h**l the rest of the week.

A link to the rumor? It's a rumor that may or may not have made it to a board--I picked it up on a Saturday afternoon at a bar in Portland Oregon. It might be on the VTech board--I saw recently someone had revived it there as well.

I stand by my basic point though: Imagine if Delany started yapping to the press that the Big Ten was going DIII. ESPN and Fox would either a) not know about and go through the roof because they want "real" football or b) know about it in advance and discount it for whatever reason.

I don't know what's up with Swarbrick but he's not stupid and the whole thing was too well thought out--providing the press with a list of the Nerdball schools already? That's planned. (BTW, UConn's on the list with all the flagships, not the Nerdball list.)

Did NBC/Comcast know in advance--or cause it--or were they caught with their pants down? That's what I'd like to know. I don't know. I can only watch, wonder, and speculate. My speculation is that there is a lot of posturing because the Big Ten rights are going to be it for awhile. (How's that for going out on a limb?)

By the time they're done, I wouldn't be surprised to see We and Lifetime fighting it out for the rights to Big Ten branded UConn's women basketball.

http://www.foxsports.com/collegefoo...r-big-ten-commissioner-jim-delany-ncaa-092613

Jim Delaney Said this awhile back
Here’s what Delany wrote in a declaration supporting the NCAA against the O’Bannon’s pursuit of class-action status. In it, Delany introduces the possibility of using a Division III model:

“…it has been my longstanding belief that The Big Ten’s schools would forgo the revenues in those circumstances and instead take steps to downsize the scope, breadth and activity of their athletic programs. Several alternatives to a ‘pay for play’ model exist, such as the Division III model, which does not offer any athletics-based grants-in-aid, and, among others, a need-based financial model. These alternatives would, in my view, be more consistent with The Big Ten’s philosophy that the educational and lifetime economic benefits associated with a university education are the appropriate quid pro quo for its student athletes.”

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Trip from Stamford to Storrs is what an hour and 45 minutes?

Not at rush hour
Touché

 

[jostar1]

Greg Flugaur
‏@flugempire @gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @Briuconn I agree Chris that VT/UVA/GT are bigger targets than UCONN..everyone agrees. I would put OU/KU as..

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 53m 53 minutes ago
@gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @BriUConn ...bigger Delany targets in 7-9 years. However..if none of those want to do the tango with JD....

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 52m 52 minutes ago
@gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @BriUConn ...well Delany and the Big Ten will choose targets that increase BTN value. UCONN is becoming...

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 52m 52 minutes ago
@gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @BriUConn ...a better fit for B1G as times goes on. Rutgers was not Delanys first choice for 14. UCONN won't be..

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 51m 51 minutes ago
@gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @BriUConn ..UCONN won't be Delanys first or second choice for 16. But UCONN will become acceptable choice..

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 50m 50 minutes ago
@gampel_2_msg @theDudeofWV @BriUConn ...if other doors are closed. And there is a good chance these other doors will be closed for Delany

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 48m 48 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV First of all Chris...RUT got some basic coverage in NYC...but there is much more money to be made in NYC and New England on BTN

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV · 53m53 minutes ago
@flugempire nobody has explained why the B1G would add UCONN. How does the conf benefit?

Christopher Lambert @theDudeofWV · 1h 1 hour ago
@flugempire I checked with my B1G source a few hours ago. He confirmed what I knew.

Christopher Lambert @theDudeofWV · 1h 1 hour ago
@flugempire UCONN is not an AAU member. UCONN would not add sufficient value nor would a partner addition from a non-P5 school.

Christopher Lambert @theDudeofWV · 1h 1 hour ago
@flugempire He said the very fact that UCONN is not an AAU member rules then from consideration.

Christopher Lambert @theDudeofWV · 59m 59 minutes ago
@flugempire UCONN does not offer enough revenue potential for inclusion. They are not AAU. Case closed.

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 47m 47 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV BTN REV model does not stop at carriage fees...it's now rolling in money on TVAD buys. UCONN has a brand that sells in NYC/NENG

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV · 47m47 minutes ago
@flugempire Furthermore he said doubts about UCONN’s viability as a basketball power devalues brand.

Greg Flugaur
‏@flugempire @theDudeofWV What?

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 38m38 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV Doubts of Uconn BB viability?...I mean...you gotta be kidding me right?

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 43m 43 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV Whoever this guy is..I wouldn't let hm walk my dog. Doubts about viability as BB power? Ok then...

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 46m 46 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV you disagree...I get it. But it's been explained to you. BTN ratings are climbing...last year was better than the year before..

Christopher Lambert ‏@theDudeofWV · 45m45 minutes ago
@flugempire Plus who would be UCONN’s partner? See. Nothing works. No justification.

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 42m 42 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV Delany is not going to sit on his hands and not expand if the economics ( positive) demands expansion.

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 41m 41 minutes ago
@theDudeofWV No one is declaring UCONN to the Big Ten in 2016/17. But they are on radar. You yourself said in your metrics UCONN was #1..

 

[TruDomGopher]

I knew about that, I want to know about ND and UConn being tied at the hip.

And I don't know what more to tell you--it was a rumor: unsubstantiated, ephemeral, gossip. With the passage of time, drifted away in a sea of rumors.

For my entire life, from Corky Taylor attacking Luke Witte through the Clem Haskins scandals, Gophers basketball has bounced between scandalous and irrelevant. Somewhere along the way, I decided I liked UConn bb better and kind of adopted them. And Notre Dame--well, it's friggin' Notre Dame.

It's a rumor I wanted to believe and I did. And I know we'd probably never agree on this, but allow me this one moment of sadness for the B1G w/ ND and UConn.

I think it would have been The Greatest Conference of All-Time. It makes me a little sad I'll never see it.

 

[TruDomGopher]

Sorry, got lost in what might have been...

Notre Dame isn't "tied at the hip" to anyone. If they want to join the B1G as 15, all the following are acceptable for 16:

Sacramento City College, University of Phoenix, Heald, ITT Tech, Universidad de Brasila. I'm sure Delany's flexible.

Still, I would prefer UConn.

 

[Adios]

Sorry, got lost in what might have been...

Notre Dame isn't "tied at the hip" to anyone. If they want to join the B1G as 15, all the following are acceptable for 16:

Sacramento City College, University of Phoenix, Heald, ITT Tech, Universidad de Brasila. I'm sure Delany's flexible.

Still, I would prefer UConn.

If you are going to add ND and make it 3 schools in Indiana, I suggest adding DeVry to make it 3 in Illinois.

 

[junglehusky]

LOL the Dood has a B1G "source". Maybe I should call up my roommate from grad school who did his undergrad at OSU, ask him what he thinks and cite him as my source.

 

[pj]

I'll spell it out for the Dude:
1. By B1G metrics, UConn is virtually identical to Kansas (national basketball brand, weak football, state populations similar, academics identical [ignore AAU, Kansas is a legacy AAU member and UConn is equal to Kansas research-wise], contiguity similar) except that Connecticut borders NYC and Boston which are open to capture, if not by UConn specifically, by UConn/Rutgers/Penn State/Ohio State/Michigan jointly. The proximity and penetration to population, money, power, and research (Harvard/MIT/Yale) that UConn brings pushes its value ahead of Kansas. Comfortably.
2. By B1G metrics, UConn is comparable to Oklahoma. UConn's proximity to NYC/Boston/Harvard/MIT/Yale is compensated by the greater value of a football brand over a basketball brand.
3. UConn will maintain the average per-school payout in the B1G thanks to overpricing of BTN in Connecticut (more than $0.90 is attainable) and increased pricing in New York/Mass, plus the national value of the basketball brands. UConn football has the potential to grow. He is just wrong about revenue. UConn would be a middle-of-the-pack financial contributor to the B1G on the same order as Indiana, Maryland, and Minnesota.
4. AAU is a barrier but UConn is rising, is already comparable to other targets like Kansas and Oklahoma on AAU metrics, and proximity to Harvard/Yale/MIT may create synergies. Jackson partnership and state support are helpful. This is a strategic question - will B1G sacrifice every other strategic goal to AAU? Unlikely.
5. Of the remaining potential adds, the rank order of value by B1G metrics is: (1) Texas (but a lot of baggage here, eg LHN and past behavior driving schools out of B12), (2) UNC, (3) (a) UVa or (b) Va Tech, (4a) Oklahoma, (4b) UConn, (4c) Kentucky, (7) Kansas, (8) Missouri, (9) Duke, (10) Vanderbilt. Not sure where Ga Tech would fit, it depends on value of academics relative to athletics and contiguity, but certainly ahead of Duke and Vanderbilt.
6. Of these, who is going to be available? UConn is available, no others are certainly available.

If you had to pick one school not now in the B1G as most likely to be in the B1G by 2023, it would be UConn. The others all have legal/financial/tradition/cultural barriers to joining. UConn is a fit.

If they wait till 2025 to expand, and only want to go to 16, maybe they can pick up UNC and UVa, or Texas and Oklahoma (its geographic position as a bridge to Texas pushes Oklahoma ahead of UConn). In any other scenario, I think UConn is part of the next round of expansion.

 

[TerryD]

And I don't know what more to tell you--it was a rumor: unsubstantiated, ephemeral, gossip. With the passage of time, drifted away in a sea of rumors.

For my entire life, from Corky Taylor attacking Luke Witte through the Clem Haskins scandals, Gophers basketball has bounced between scandalous and irrelevant. Somewhere along the way, I decided I liked UConn bb better and kind of adopted them. And Notre Dame--well, it's friggin' Notre Dame.

It's a rumor I wanted to believe and I did. And I know we'd probably never agree on this, but allow me this one moment of sadness for the B1G w/ ND and UConn.

I think it would have been The Greatest Conference of All-Time. It makes me a little sad I'll never see it.

I am sorry that the idea of ND never being in the Big Ten saddens you. I mean that. But, ND joining the Big Ten would have been like Appomattox or the Fall of Bataan for me, personally. It would have been the worst of all possible realistic outcomes for ND in conference realignment, in my opinion.

I would rather ND join the ACC, Big 12 or Pac 12 than the Big Ten, and I would absolutely hate the idea of ND football joining any of those conferences.

UConn wants badly into the Big Ten and I hope it works out for them soon. UConn deserves to be in a P5 conference. I just never want ND to be part of any Big Ten discussions. I don't think that UConn needs ND involved in order for Delany to decide to invite it to the Big Ten.

2015 will be the first year since 1915 that ND football will not play any Big Ten teams. I like that development and hope it is the beginning of a trend.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Is flugempire a Cuse fan?

 

[ZooCougar]

Is flugempire a Cuse fan?

I think he is a Dude Pseudonym. He just offers a different opinion or prediction to cover his bases. Whatever crap sticks to the wall in the end will feed his ego or whatever.

 

[Husky25]

Is flugempire a Cuse fan?

Minnesota Golden Gophers, if I'm not mistaken. I'll take his word about the inner working of Big Ten Country (Seeing as...you know...Minnesota is actually within the Big Ten footprint) over an Appalachian Mountaineer any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

...The fact that he would accept UConn into the Big Ten with open arms doesn't hurt his cause with me either.

 

[jostar1]

Greg Flugaur
‏@flugempire @epark88 @theDudeofWV I agree in a lot of what you just said. Now let's step back and do some pretending...let's say Delany is front of...

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 39m39 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ..ESPN/FOX/NBC/CBS..and is hammering out a new TV tier1/2 contract beginning in 2017...and he is able to get...

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 38m38 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ...a great deal of 25-27 mil per year for each school and the number of schools on the contract is #16. Let's say...

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 35m35 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ...having 72 CG in Big Ten (16 schools/9CG) gave a boost to the $ over 63 CG b/c it gave let's say CBS a 9 game packag

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 34m34 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ...who would join UCONN as the combo for 2017? I don't believe anyone that's is on Delanys radar (I believe UCONN is)

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 33m33 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ..will be available to be taken as UCONNs combo. So I ask..who do think Delany could possibly grab with UCONN for 2017

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 37m 37 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV Yeah I agree. MIzzou-Vandy-Navy FB only. All of them longest of long shots. Herbst getting a lot of things done/future

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 32m 32 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV This is true...but keep this in mind. BTN is different then it was 5 years ago...it will be different 5 years from now

Greg Flugaur @flugempire · 31m 31 minutes ago
@epark88 @theDudeofWV ...and in each phase going forward a Uconn brand keeps becoming a better fit for BTN.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

epark88: Boneyard poster?

 

[TruDomGopher]

I am sorry that the idea of ND never being in the Big Ten saddens you. I mean that. But, ND joining the Big Ten would have been like Appomattox or the Fall of Bataan for me, personally. It would have been the worst of all possible realistic outcomes for ND in conference realignment, in my opinion.

I would rather ND join the ACC, Big 12 or Pac 12 than the Big Ten, and I would absolutely hate the idea of ND football joining any of those conferences.

UConn wants badly into the Big Ten and I hope it works out for them soon. UConn deserves to be in a P5 conference. I just never want ND to be part of any Big Ten discussions. I don't think that UConn needs ND involved in order for Delany to decide to invite it to the Big Ten.

2015 will be the first year since 1915 that ND football will not play any Big Ten teams. I like that development and hope it is the beginning of a trend.

TerryD, I understand completely and think Notre Dame should do what's right for Notre Dame and the fans--I think we've all moved on from the Big Ten and Notre Dame.

From a Big Ten alum perspective, it's like parking your car next to an empty parking space with a sign that says: "Reserved for Notre Dame" for 20 years or so and finally accepting that space isn't ever going to be used by Notre Dame. I will miss the Big Ten/Notre Dame games.

In any event, UConn deserves a spot in P5.

 

[CTBasketball]

How accurate in the past has Dude of WV been?

 

[The Funster]

I think has/had some intel but like most of them he started believing his own hype. Now he just posts whatever he thinks.

 

[don356]

What is getting lost in the translation of all of these metrics is that it's first and foremost about the tv networks getting paid. There is a leep by guys like him that basically viewership is directly related to dollars which isn't/doesn't always have to be the case. These deals can get influenced by sponsors directly. If a sponsor jumps in for a channel regardless of size, then it's much more important than any metrics. If tv stations get paid, schools are much more likely to get in if they bring those dollars. Viewers can be secondary.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

What is getting lost in the translation of all of these metrics is that it's first and foremost about the tv networks getting paid. There is a leep by guys like him that basically viewership is directly related to dollars which isn't/doesn't always have to be the case. These deals can get influenced by sponsors directly. If a sponsor jumps in for a channel regardless of size, then it's much more important than any metrics. If tv stations get paid, schools are much more likely to get in if they bring those dollars. Viewers can be secondary.

In short "money talks"