OT - The mess at Houston

[king conn]

Randy sums up the situation at Houston nicely:

Randy should know, he's handed out plenty of bills for that

 

[Chief00]

Chief00 might think this is brilliant but the B12 already has 4 Texas based teams and do you think that UTexas, Baylor, Texas Tech or TCU are going to let another Texas team in? The only way is if one or most likely 2 of them leave or get kicked out - neither will happen
Expansion alone without any school leaving will not open any B12 doors for UH
They have a better chance at the SEC or Pac12 and those two are most likely not going to be looking at UH
I understand that the Houston market is huge but that is the only thing that makes UH overly attractive
I get your thinking that way but the B12 members are not going to be rolling out the red carpet to UH

Houston is the 4th largest metro market in the USA and perhaps the top recruiting metro. No politician in the governor’s office or legislature is not going to not mandate the other Texas State schools vote Houston into the Big 12, now that they are a candidate when an opening develops. Remember the Virginia legislature and VT admission to the ACC? They put pressure on the ACC via UVA

 

[Pudge]

Pete Thamel - uber Root Fanboy of Syracuse - is dismissive of the University of Houston.

In the great arc of Conference Realignment, neither BC, Syracuse, Louisville, TCU or Pitt ... really ... are the Best Strategic Plan for a ProStructure = which is my view of where the P5 has gone. Syracuse is a piss-ant town that Institutional Lenders avoid and the academics are a myth. Elon and Davidson types draw more affluent Greater NYC suburban kids these days than the Proportion SU used to get.

They play in antiquated mausoleum Carrier Dome - with NO NYS grants or infrastructure aid available in any foreseeable political climate. FanBase? That push for being NYC team? BC has similarly gone to their hole. But the P5 conference label has saved them; floated them.

WE - UConn - have a far more expansive potential as a State U if we had the P5. We did not get it because Louisville pumped fraudulent muni money into glitz facilities and cheater coaches; and Rutgers had a simple land comparative advantage. Etc.

Looking down your nose at Houston (particularly his mystery B12 source) is silly. They should work every angle. That is what BC did. And the stink did not last that long.

 

[UConnNick]

Chief00 might think this is brilliant but the B12 already has 4 Texas based teams and do you think that UTexas, Baylor, Texas Tech or TCU are going to let another Texas team in? The only way is if one or most likely 2 of them leave or get kicked out - neither will happen
Expansion alone without any school leaving will not open any B12 doors for UH
They have a better chance at the SEC or Pac12 and those two are most likely not going to be looking at UH
I understand that the Houston market is huge but that is the only thing that makes UH overly attractive
I get your thinking that way but the B12 members are not going to be rolling out the red carpet to UH

The Houston media market is large, but UH is lucky if it's the fifth team in its own market. UT, A&M, Baylor and even TX Tech all dwarf Houston's anemic fanbase in the Houston market. Commuter schools are no match for huge enrollment state universities with a predominance of students living on campus for four years. Houston is a magnet for alumni of all the big TX state universities. Even a private school like Baylor, with a huge alumni presence in Houston, grabs a bigger market share than UH does in Houston.

 

[Drew]

 

[Adios]

UH gave us Tom Byron and Paul Wall.

 

[Dooley]

The Big 12 does not have a TV network like the other P5 conferences. They don't care one bit about over saturation of markets or doubling (or quintupling) down in Texas. They brought TCU in not too long ago. Why? Because they made it to a Rose Bowl. They care about football. Only football. Football. Football. Football. If Houston is 9-3 or 10-2 in a few years, that is the one and only criteria that the Big 12 will consider. The Big 12 does not care about anything else except what makes them a better football conference, either as an add-on to what they currently have or to replace a departing member. Houston understands this, hence the UH President making statements that 8-5 is unacceptable. This move is very risky, but the reward of possible acceptance into the Money Club is absolutely worth it for them. If they can hire away a very good coach from an existing Big 12 member (with a mountain of cash that Houston does not have), that's a very serious football statement. And, again, football is the one and only thing that the Big 12 cares about. Discussing any CR criteria other than football is a waste of time when we're discussing the Big 12.

UConn, with its vast resources from past state economies and current alumni/fan donor levels, is allocating its money into other things. Either they've been told by other conferences to bring other areas up-to-par (i.e. don't worry so much about dumpster fire football) OR they are engaging in a spectacular misuse of resources...which would be consistent with some of our recent horrendous coaching contract extensions we've handed out.

 

[Drew]

it really is pretty remarkable that we share a conference with a team that fires a coach after 8-5 and will go poach a sitting Big 12 HC. We fire a DC after having the worst statistical defense in CFB history and the local media writes scathing articles on the program. Two completely different worlds.

 

[Pudge]

it really is pretty remarkable that we share a conference with a team that fires a coach after 8-5 and will go poach a sitting Big 12 HC. We fire a DC after having the worst statistical defense in CFB history and the local media writes scathing articles on the program. Two completely different worlds.

Yeah ... that is funny. I expect Crocker's mom would have fired him after a historically awful defense ... or even just watching tackling on film.

 

[huskymedic]

For some comparison - here what each AAC schools (minus Navy) reported for football expenses in 2016 in the mandatory Equity in Athletics Database (2016 is latest year available on line.

1. Temple - $20,624,125.00
2. UConn - $20,454,919.00* (see note below regarding Diaco staff term cost of $4,011,343 from data)
3. SMU - $17,637,584.00
4. UCF - $17,064,586.00
5. Cincinnati - $15,491,793.00
6. Tulsa - $15,145,884.00
7. Memphis - $14,713,436.00
8. Houston - $14,641,643.00
9. Tulane - $13,367,701.00
10. USF - $12,657,036.00
11. ECU - $10,591,998.00

*In January, 2017, the University of Connecticut terminated the head football coach of his coaching responsibilities. As a result of this action and the coaching staff's employment contracts, the University was required to incur a one-time expense of $4,011,343. This expense is included in the football total expense of $20,454,919 * >>> I did not go through each school for similar caveats but excluding the Diaco payment - it puts UConn @ #4 w/ $16,443,576.00.

(Expenses are expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.)

Once can argue it's not how much we spend but what we got out of those expenditures.

 

[RSTuthill]

For some comparison - here what each AAC schools (minus Navy) reported for football expenses in 2016 in the mandatory Equity in Athletics Database (2016 is latest year available on line.

1. Temple - $20,624,125.00
2. UConn - $20,454,919.00* (see note below regarding Diaco staff term cost of $4,011,343 from data)
3. SMU - $17,637,584.00
4. UCF - $17,064,586.00
5. Cincinnati - $15,491,793.00
6. Tulsa - $15,145,884.00
7. Memphis - $14,713,436.00
8. Houston - $14,641,643.00
9. Tulane - $13,367,701.00
10. USF - $12,657,036.00
11. ECU - $10,591,998.00

*In January, 2017, the University of Connecticut terminated the head football coach of his coaching responsibilities. As a result of this action and the coaching staff's employment contracts, the University was required to incur a one-time expense of $4,011,343. This expense is included in the football total expense of $20,454,919 * >>> I did not go through each school for similar caveats but excluding the Diaco payment - it puts UConn @ #4 w/ $16,443,576.00.

(Expenses are expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes appearance guarantees and options, athletically related student aid, contract services, equipment, fundraising activities, operating expenses, promotional activities, recruiting expenses, salaries and benefits, supplies, travel, and any other expenses attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.)

Once can argue it's not how much we spend but what we got out of those expenditures.

Someone please tell us all again how dropping the UConn program down to FCS or abolishing it altogether would be financially irresponsible.

 

[RSTuthill]

it really is pretty remarkable that we share a conference with a team that fires a coach after 8-5 and will go poach a sitting Big 12 HC. We fire a DC after having the worst statistical defense in CFB history and the local media writes scathing articles on the program. Two completely different worlds.

Yeah, that jumped out at me. Still shaking my head. At 8-4 they will absolutely fire the coach. I wasn't aware that they had legalized in Texas.

 

[huskymedic]

Someone please tell us all again how dropping the UConn program down to FCS or abolishing it altogether would be financially irresponsible.

Per the same data set football also generated almost $26m ($25,936,445) in 2016.

(Revenues are revenues attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes revenues from appearance guarantees and options, an athletic conference, tournament or bowl games, concessions, contributions from alumni and others, institutional support, program advertising and sales, radio and television, royalties, signage and other sponsorships, sports camps, state or other government support, student activity fees, ticket and luxury box sales, and any other revenues attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.)

 

[JMick]

Per the same data set football also generated almost $26m ($25,936,445) in 2016.

(Revenues are revenues attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities. This includes revenues from appearance guarantees and options, an athletic conference, tournament or bowl games, concessions, contributions from alumni and others, institutional support, program advertising and sales, radio and television, royalties, signage and other sponsorships, sports camps, state or other government support, student activity fees, ticket and luxury box sales, and any other revenues attributable to intercollegiate athletic activities.)

Well, that's a little misleading since it includes student and state subsidies

 

[huskymedic]

Well, that's a little misleading since it includes student subsidies

Yup... It’s what the required data sets are for the mandatory reporting. Revenue calcs in Athletic Departments are always quirky (as are some expenses) due to differing methodologies on back office allocations etc. for a variety of the line items.

 

[junglehusky]

Pete Thamel - uber Root Fanboy of Syracuse - is dismissive of the University of Houston.

In the great arc of Conference Realignment, neither BC, Syracuse, Louisville, TCU or Pitt ... really ... are the Best Strategic Plan for a ProStructure = which is my view of where the P5 has gone. Syracuse is a piss-ant town that Institutional Lenders avoid and the academics are a myth. Elon and Davidson types draw more affluent Greater NYC suburban kids these days than the Proportion SU used to get.

They play in antiquated mausoleum Carrier Dome - with NO NYS grants or infrastructure aid available in any foreseeable political climate. FanBase? That push for being NYC team? BC has similarly gone to their hole. But the P5 conference label has saved them; floated them.

WE - UConn - have a far more expansive potential as a State U if we had the P5. We did not get it because Louisville pumped fraudulent muni money into glitz facilities and cheater coaches; and Rutgers had a simple land comparative advantage. Etc.

Looking down your nose at Houston (particularly his mystery B12 source) is silly. They should work every angle. That is what BC did. And the stink did not last that long.

Every P5 school can afford to look down their nose an any non-P5 because they can afford to buy an escalator gilded in gold and we can barely afford a ladder. It is what it is.

 

[Adios]

I saw a USF student at the Yale-UConn hockey game. AAC is working out for some schools, apparently.

 

[RSTuthill]

Well, that's a little misleading since it includes student and state subsidies

Thank you.

 

[ZooCougar]

I saw a USF student at the Yale-UConn hockey game. AAC is working out for some schools, apparently.

Yes. I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[Alum86]

He's always tweeting random quotes.

Just to show he ain’t Like PP. Coach Copy-Paste

 

[RSTuthill]

I saw a USF student at the Yale-UConn hockey game. AAC is working out for some schools, apparently.

Butch, c'mon, buddy. You forgot to mention the most important thing. UConn beat Yale 3-1 tonight. Woof woof woof!!

 

[Travelman6]

If 8-4 is a "mess" I will sign up for a record that averages out to that over the next decade or even 7-5 rather than risk seeing what happens naturally...

 

[huskymedic]

Haven’t seen secondary confirmation yet but..

 

[huskymedic]

 

[noeynox]

Money talks, as always. That's life changing right there.