Non-Key Tweets

[nelsonmuntz]

So what's your plan, sport?

1) Get 2-3 more leagues to designate a handful of P5 teams as "P5 Opponents" for the purposes of conference scheduling rules. This effectively gives UConn scheduling preference, and given that we still kind of suck, I imagine Warde's phone was ringing off the hook yesterday with Big 10 teams looking for an easy win that would count towards their P5 scheduling requirement. ACC, SEC and Big 12 are obviously the next targets. I would like 2 of 3.

2) Circle with the other teams that have "scheduling preference", which will likely be Army, Navy, BYU, Cincinnati and Boise, about forming a scheduling alliance or full blown football only conference with a separate TV contract. Throw UMass in there as a warm body. Scheduling alliance can do the same thing.

3) Find basketball homes for the respective teams. BYU, Army and Navy are set. Boise would probably prefer WCC to MWC. UConn and Cincinnati would have to work the Big East. 2 years ago, the Big East was a hard "no", but 2 years of poor ratings and half full arenas may be turning folks around.

Outcome: Better schedule for football and light years better schedule for hoops. More money. Better positioned for future P5 expansion.

Alternative:

1) Stay in AAC. Not so slow death, or UConn loses $100 million over the next 10 years to keep athletic program "P5 caliber" in the hopes that the ACC or Big 10 expands in 2025. How long do you think the state will support that? Fan interest wanes, basketball program withers, after a decade of playing southern mid-majors.

My option may fail, but status quo is certain death.

 

[FDNY99]

So what's your plan, sport?

Fishy his plan is to smoke a LOT more of this stuff!!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This game started when UCONN made the commitment to go D1.
We are at half-time.
It ain't over till it's over.

We are late in the third quarter and we are down 3 TD's. The last round of TV contracts are going to enable 65 programs to pull far ahead of the rest. UConn is already in the hurry up.

 

[Kolumbo]

A

We are late in the third quarter and we are down 3 TD's. The last round of TV contracts are going to enable 65 programs to pull far ahead of the rest. UConn is already in the hurry up.

Agreed, UCONN is in the hurry up, and punting is not an option.

 

[Point6]

What about a fake FG where we pretend to go independent?


respectfully submitted,

 

[Exit 4]

2) Circle with the other teams that have "scheduling preference", which will likely be Army, Navy, BYU, Cincinnati and Boise, about forming a scheduling alliance or full blown football only conference with a separate TV contract. Throw UMass in there as a warm body. Scheduling alliance can do the same thing.

Stop right there. Three problems:

1) None of these programs are really better off in your proposed amalgamation than in their current place. You may be able to sketch out some hypothetical revenue improvements, but nothing can be signed until schools exit. And none of these schools who have exit obligations stand to gain more under your proposal than they lose in exit fees (for those with exit fees).

2) And I don't see how any would find joining your amalgamation time worthy, especially when we all know that for BYU, Cincy, Boise and UConn its all set up to be a way station on the road to a P5 conf. Why join your confederation when it might have a shelf life of 2 years. It will take a ton of work to accomplish and probably more unstable than any 'conf' assembled to date.

3) Bowls will not respect any of these teams playing as independents. BYU has its deal, so does Army. Doubtful any bowls ditch a G5 or P5 line up to add this group.

 

[sdhusky]

Depaul's TV $ > UConn's TV $

If you don't think UConn's TV rights are worth $2MM on the open market, then why do you think any P5 league would ever add UConn?

You also keep arguing things I am not arguing. If you want to argue with yourself, i will step out. There are a few schools unhappy with their situation that appear to have alternatives. BYU, Boise, Navy and Army already have separate rights agreements. I will stipulate that we need some friends to do this.

The right of first refusal is a show stopper for anyone looking at buying the AAC TV rights. It was a stupid clause to have agreed to, and discourages any other network from seriously bidding on the property. Why would NBC or CBS go through the trouble of pricing out the Big East and putting a bid in if ESPN can just take it? I would be surprised if there are any other bidders next time around. ESPN will be able to get the entire league rights for $10MM a year if they want to. The AAC is absolutely crippled by this clause. It is a death sentence by itself, and if Aresco had two brain cells he would dissolve the league solely to avoid this clause.

Who makes money? UConn or DePaul? Who is on TV more? Who will get more exposure? UConn on ESPN or DePaul on the Cooking Network or whatever the BE is on.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Stop right there. Three problems:

1) None of these programs are really better off in your proposed amalgamation than in their current place. You may be able to sketch out some hypothetical revenue improvements, but nothing can be signed until schools exit. And none of these schools who have exit obligations stand to gain more under your proposal than they lose in exit fees (for those with exit fees).

2) And I don't see how any would find joining your amalgamation time worthy, especially when we all know that for BYU, Cincy, Boise and UConn its all set up to be a way station on the road to a P5 conf. Why join your confederation when it might have a shelf life of 2 years. It will take a ton of work to accomplish and probably more unstable than any 'conf' assembled to date.

3) Bowls will not respect any of these teams playing as independents. BYU has its deal, so does Army. Doubtful any bowls ditch a G5 or P5 line up to add this group.

The MWC walked out the door from the WAC with a TV deal in hand. Why they would like the amalgamation:

1) Revenue - BYU is probably revenue neutral, but the other schools would all likely improve their revenue situation by joining the proposed conference, since it would almost certainly command a better contract than the current MWC or AAC. The revenue hurdle to beat in either league is so low.

2) Scheduling - BYU and Army have trouble filling their schedule, and Boise, Cincinnati, UConn and now Navy fill their schedule with turnips that fans don't care about. The ability to fill their schedule with quality competition, particularly with late October and November games, is solved.

3) The real hole in my plan was recognition from other conferences and ability to schedule other teams. The reconfigured G5 message board fantasy conferences all had the same problem: No one that mattered gave a spit. People could suppose or make assumptions, but really it was just a bunch of dorks arguing with each other about stuff that would never happen. As of yesterday, that is no longer the case. The Big 10 just said they cared, and will treat some G5 teams differently from others.

I feel pretty good about all the teams finding basketball homes.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Who makes money? UConn or DePaul? Who is on TV more? Who will get more exposure? UConn on ESPN or DePaul on the Cooking Network or whatever the BE is on.

You are defending real estate on a cable dial. Wow. Next you will tell me that Borders has all the best locations for bookstores.

 

[Husky25]

1) Get 2-3 more leagues to designate a handful of P5 teams as "P5 Opponents" for the purposes of conference scheduling rules. This effectively gives UConn scheduling preference, and given that we still kind of suck, I imagine Warde's phone was ringing off the hook yesterday with Big 10 teams looking for an easy win that would count towards their P5 scheduling requirement. ACC, SEC and Big 12 are obviously the next targets. I would like 2 of 3.

2) Circle with the other teams that have "scheduling preference", which will likely be Army, Navy, BYU, Cincinnati and Boise, about forming a scheduling alliance or full blown football only conference with a separate TV contract. Throw UMass in there as a warm body. Scheduling alliance can do the same thing.

3) Find basketball homes for the respective teams. BYU, Army and Navy are set. Boise would probably prefer WCC to MWC. UConn and Cincinnati would have to work the Big East. 2 years ago, the Big East was a hard "no", but 2 years of poor ratings and half full arenas may be turning folks around.

Outcome: Better schedule for football and light years better schedule for hoops. More money. Better positioned for future P5 expansion.

Alternative:

1) Stay in AAC. Not so slow death, or UConn loses $100 million over the next 10 years to keep athletic program "P5 caliber" in the hopes that the ACC or Big 10 expands in 2025. How long do you think the state will support that? Fan interest wanes, basketball program withers, after a decade of playing southern mid-majors.

My option may fail, but status quo is certain death.

It's been pointed out to you before (I know. I am among those who have) that your plan supposes that the Herbst Administration are doing nothing to improve the AD's position. You think they are treading water, waiting for a life boat, when all evidence points to them at least having a compass and paddling toward where they think the best possibility of land exists. Even if you consider the AAC a raft, you want them to jump out and wait for a dingy (full of Caribbean Pirates who only want to shoot you in the face).

Fair to midland metaphors aside, your plan makes too many assumptions, has far too many moving parts, affects far too many parties, and would have an equal to or greater chance of failing than building strategic alliances with P5 schools and the Big Ten & AAU by extension.

Your plan is the Wells Report, where every assumption - no matter how well or terribly substantiated - goes in the favor of one party: UConn. I thought you were smart enough to understand that is not the way the real world works. It's looking more like you need to learn the same lesson Roger Goodell just learned.

 

[Dooley]

Speaking of UConn + the Big East...http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...lbag-ohio-states-retooling-big-east-expansion.

"Basically, the reason for expansion at that juncture then becomes simply to improve the quality of its product. Which means that the league would need to add schools that add value to the league while still maintaining its geographic and philosophical sensibilities. In the Big East's case, that's an outcome that could be rather easily achieved. The wrench thrown is that the Big East, as a non-football league, has its options a bit limited in regards to some bigger schools. For instance, it probably takes Connecticut and Temple off the table with the way the AAC is trending right now in football."

 

[sdhusky]

You are defending real estate on a cable dial. Wow. Next you will tell me that Borders has all the best locations for bookstores.

No. I am defending eyeballs. Nobody watches the BE on TV.

Everyone watches UConn on TV.

I think it might be over your head to understand why thi matters.

 

[NYUConn]

Speaking of UConn + the Big East...http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...lbag-ohio-states-retooling-big-east-expansion.

"Basically, the reason for expansion at that juncture then becomes simply to improve the quality of its product. Which means that the league would need to add schools that add value to the league while still maintaining its geographic and philosophical sensibilities. In the Big East's case, that's an outcome that could be rather easily achieved. The wrench thrown is that the Big East, as a non-football league, has its options a bit limited in regards to some bigger schools. For instance, it probably takes Connecticut and Temple off the table with the way the AAC is trending right now in football."

He mentions VCU as a possible candidate for BE expansion. Personally, I think The American should add VCU.

Right now we have 11 schools in all sports. VCU doesn't have a football team so it wouldn't upset the balance in that sport and adding another viable basketball school to get us to 12 only helps us in March.

Just one guys opinion.

 

[Exit 4]

The MWC walked out the door from the WAC with a TV deal in hand. Why they would like the amalgamation:

1) Revenue - BYU is probably revenue neutral, but the other schools would all likely improve their revenue situation by joining the proposed conference, since it would almost certainly command a better contract than the current MWC or AAC. The revenue hurdle to beat in either league is so low.

2) Scheduling - BYU and Army have trouble filling their schedule, and Boise, Cincinnati, UConn and now Navy fill their schedule with turnips that fans don't care about. The ability to fill their schedule with quality competition, particularly with late October and November games, is solved.

3) The real hole in my plan was recognition from other conferences and ability to schedule other teams. The reconfigured G5 message board fantasy conferences all had the same problem: No one that mattered gave a spit. People could suppose or make assumptions, but really it was just a bunch of dorks arguing with each other about stuff that would never happen. As of yesterday, that is no longer the case. The Big 10 just said they cared, and will treat some G5 teams differently from others.

I feel pretty good about all the teams finding basketball homes.

The fundamental problem with your plan remains. All parties involved know it to be a cumbersome and risky venture that is likely and somewhat intended to by design, have a short life. Cincy and Boise are just better off staying the present course and waiting on the B12 (keep life simple). Without those two you have nothing. I also don't see any network wasting time with our independent games. The cable work has already changed a great deals since the last contracts went out. And you haven't addressed very real issues; UConn, Cincy and Boise's exit fees and real plans for other sports (which conf will take our orphans). Lastly, we won't have access bowl games. Who wants to play UConn football w/o a bowl game opportunity. To the athlete, the opportunity to play any crappy bowl game is way better than no chance at all. It will hurt recruiting.

 

[Husky25]

The fundamental problem with your plan remains. All parties involved know it to be a cumbersome and risky venture that is likely and somewhat intended to by design, have a short life. Cincy and Boise are just better off staying the present course and waiting on the B12 (keep life simple). Without those two you have nothing. I also don't see any network wasting time with our independent games. The cable work has already changed a great deals since the last contracts went out. And you haven't addressed very real issues; UConn, Cincy and Boise's exit fees and real plans for other sports (which conf will take our orphans). Lastly, we won't have access bowl games. Who wants to play UConn football w/o a bowl game opportunity. To the athlete, the opportunity to play any crappy bowl game is way better than no chance at all. It will hurt recruiting.

You don't get it. Nelson's plan is better because it is his. If someone else came up with something so convoluted, he'd probably bash it. and put a, "So you think fairy tales actually come true. Got it, " at the end.

 

[sdhusky]

You don't get it. Nelson's plan is better because it is his. If someone else came up with something so convoluted, he'd probably bash it. and put a, "So you think fairy tales actually come true. Got it, " at the end.

Why do you hate UConn so much?

 

[Exit 4]

You don't get it. Nelson's plan is better because it is his. If someone else came up with something so convoluted, he'd probably bash it. and put a, "So you think fairy tales actually come true. Got it, " at the end.

You are probably right.

Generally, I try not to get too involved in these very detailed CRA conversations...waste of time really. So this it for me on this for now....I hope.

 

[Slasher]

He mentions VCU as a possible candidate for BE expansion. Personally, I think The American should add VCU.

Right now we have 11 schools in all sports. VCU doesn't have a football team so it wouldn't upset the balance in that sport and adding another viable basketball school to get us to 12 only helps us in March.

Just one guys opinion.

I'd rather have Wichita State. Their coach is committed, they draw huge numbers at their very nice sized arena.

 

[NYUConn]

I'd rather have Wichita State. Their coach is committed, they draw huge numbers at their very nice sized arena.

Not a bad choice either, though I selfishly like VCU cause it's closer to UConn and god knows we could use more teams on the East coast.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

wut

 

[CTMike]

My option may fail, but status quo is certain death.

It's not just that your option will fail (it will), it's a false choice to begin with. Hardly anyone would consider it, let alone accept.

 

[junglehusky]

Status quo is not certain death. Status quo is postponing death which is exactly what is needed.

And guys, stop calling it nelson's "plan". It's about as much of a "plan" as me writing down "1. invent time machine 2. go back to 1990s and invent facebook". There was already an effort and an agreement to have a western flank of the AAC with Boise and SDSU and they walked away. If there was a pile of money sitting in ESPN with UConn/Temple/BYU/Boise/UMass(LOL)/etc.'s name on it, we'd already be in a league together, end of story.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You don't get it. Nelson's plan is better because it is his. If someone else came up with something so convoluted, he'd probably bash it. and put a, "So you think fairy tales actually come true. Got it, " at the end.

My plan is better because it does not involve remaining in a southern mid-major conference. If you had a plan, any plan, it would, by default, be superior to the current plan as long as it did not involve remaining in a southern mid-major conference. If your plan is to remain in a southern mid-major conference, then your plan sucks.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It's not just that your option will fail (it will), it's a false choice to begin with. Hardly anyone would consider it, let alone accept.

Then we have certain death.

 

[NYUConn]

Status quo is not certain death. Status quo is postponing death which is exactly what is needed.

And guys, stop calling it nelson's "plan". It's about as much of a "plan" as me writing down "1. invent time machine 2. go back to 1990s and invent facebook". There was already an effort and an agreement to have a western flank of the AAC with Boise and SDSU and they walked away. If there was a pile of money sitting in ESPN with UConn/Temple/BYU/Boise/UMass(LOL)/etc.'s name on it, we'd already be in a league together, end of story.

God it seems like a lifetime ago that Marinatto was announcing Boise and SDSU as members of the Big East. Almost feels surreal to think about it today.