"Plan B" ?

[NYUConn]

The "American" is the laughing stock of college athletics.

If they do get passed over by the P5 again (which I think they won't), all sports except football to the Big East immediately and move non-supported olympic sports to another northeastern league. Football will stay in AAC because ESPN needs UCONN until that contract ends. There should be no loyalty to this pathetic excuse of a home for the last 3 years.

Real good insight here.

You realize The American has two New Years 6 bowl wins in the last 3 years and is home to the 2014 NCAA Champions in Bball right? It's unquestionably the best G5 conference today. Now, 1-3 months from now what's left of it may not be salvageable, but if the Big 12 doesn't expand this is far and away the best option for UConn in until a P5 opportunity presents itself.

 

[Drew]

The "American" is the laughing stock of college athletics.

If they do get passed over by the P5 again (which I think they won't), all sports except football to the Big East immediately and move non-supported olympic sports to another northeastern league. Football will stay in AAC because ESPN needs UCONN until that contract ends. There should be no loyalty to this pathetic excuse of a home for the last 3 years.

I don't want to be here just as much as the next guy but this is simply not true

 

[Dooley]

I don't think they believe that people in CT care about college football. They know people in Florida and Texas do. This is a preconceived notion that they have no intention of allowing to be influenced by facts. It's a core belief they hold with a blind, almost religious fervor.

I agree with this. Northeast fans already face an uphill battle because, like it or not, national perception is that nobody in the northeast cares about college football. So when UConn posts attendance numbers of 28K per game, it's a tough sell for the school and our fans to get over that perception. The fans in the south love their college football and in places like Houston, Orlando, Tampa and Memphis (and Cincinnati in the north), they watch every Saturday. Those schools' fanbases get a built-in positive perception because their markets love college football...even if they aren't watching UH/UCF/USF/Memphis/Cincinnati at all in those same CFB heavy markets.

It comes down to a product vs brand argument. The southern schools can lay claim that their home markets love the college football product, even if they don't love their school's college football brand. For UConn, we lay claim that we absolutely control our home market unlike the rest of the competition. However, we aren't exactly showing a love for college football by bringing 28K fans to games and having less than 5K athletic donors.

So, what's easier to grow: product or brand? I think it's product. Look at all the new products that hit the market and grow every year. In relation to UConn, look at how quickly sports like hockey took off once it went in Hockey East. Yes, hockey market already exists here but there weren't 5-6K fans going to UConn hockey games before the move to HE. And there sure aren't 5-6K fans going to Wolfpack games a night. A better example: look at WBB. Prior to UConn/Tennessee, WBB interest was pretty low here and across the country. A few winning seasons later and Gampel and XL sold out both men's and women's games. Now, WBB is an animal in of itself. Soccer: same thing, UConn is a top national draw at its home games. And why is this? The brand loyalty is built in and already there. It just needs to be mobilized, unified, and energized into action. Fans in the northeast love football - the Patriots and Giants wage annual debates on this site and all over CT. Given the opportunity to support big-time college football (again) will energize the fans.

 

[geordi]

Man, I want some of that wonderful weed some of you guys are smoking. If you don't think people won't come to a football game against Houston, Navy, East Carolina or USF, how many do you think will show up for Bowling Green, Middle Tennessee, or Eastern Kentucky??? We just put a few hundred million dollars into state of the art on campus football facilities and an expandable stadium and you want to flush all of that?? We might just as well have kept 18,000 seat Memorial Stadium (which we never filled) on campus and kept Pasqualoni as head coach.

The Big 12 is not the last conference expansion. The ACC and/or the B16 will likely expand again at some point. Many of you have said that, if Notre Dame joins the ACC, we are the likely partner. If you move everything out of what is now considered by many as the sixth best conference, do you think for a minute we'll even get a sniff? Temple, Navy, USF, or UCF are all more likely partners in that scenario.

Patience, folks, patience.

 

[NYUConn]

Man, I want some of that wonderful weed some of you guys are smoking. If you don't think people won't come to a football game against Houston, Navy, East Carolina or USF, how many do you think will show up for Bowling Green, Middle Tennessee, or Eastern Kentucky??? We just put a few hundred million dollars into state of the art on campus football facilities and an expandable stadium and you want to flush all of that?? We might just as well have kept 18,000 seat Memorial Stadium (which we never filled) on campus and kept Pasqualoni as head coach.

The Big 12 is not the last conference expansion. The ACC and/or the B16 will likely expand again at some point. Many of you have said that, if Notre Dame joins the ACC, we are the likely partner. If you move everything out of what is now considered by many as the sixth best conference, do you think for a minute we'll even get a sniff? Temple, Navy, USF, or UCF are all more likely partners in that scenario.

Patience, folks, patience.

If the same amount of people will show for East Carolina as will show up for Toledo, then why wouldn't we choose Toledo if it offers us the best chance at a NY6 bowl game?

It's about putting our football team in the best position to succeed. When this is all said and done, hopefully it's the Big 12. But if it's not, we should entertain the possibility that it's not The American either.

 

[HuskyHawk]

If the same amount of people will show for East Carolina as will show up for Toledo, then why wouldn't we choose Toledo if it offers us the best chance at a NY6 bowl game?

It's about putting our football team in the best position to succeed. When this is all said and done, hopefully it's the Big 12. But if it's not, we should entertain the possibility that it's not The American either.

Exactly. Do people think Dave Benedict and Susan Herbst are just imbeciles? There is no way in hell that they "flush" football. If they move it, it will be because that is the only way to save it. Whether people here scream and wail or not won't matter.

This is a high stakes poker game folks. None of us knows what cards we hold. We don't know what UConn has heard from the Big 12, or the ACC or Big Ten. If the people who do know decide to do this, or at least to leak that it's on the table, then there's a very good reason for it.

 

[J187Money]

Not until we know the door is closed on the P5 for good.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I agree with this. Northeast fans already face an uphill battle because, like it or not, national perception is that nobody in the northeast cares about college football. So when UConn posts attendance numbers of 28K per game, it's a tough sell for the school and our fans to get over that perception. The fans in the south love their college football and in places like Houston, Orlando, Tampa and Memphis (and Cincinnati in the north), they watch every Saturday. Those schools' fanbases get a built-in positive perception because their markets love college football...even if they aren't watching UH/UCF/USF/Memphis/Cincinnati at all in those same CFB heavy markets.

It comes down to a product vs brand argument. The southern schools can lay claim that their home markets love the college football product, even if they don't love their school's college football brand. For UConn, we lay claim that we absolutely control our home market unlike the rest of the competition. However, we aren't exactly showing a love for college football by bringing 28K fans to games and having less than 5K athletic donors.

So, what's easier to grow: product or brand? I think it's product. Look at all the new products that hit the market and grow every year. In relation to UConn, look at how quickly sports like hockey took off once it went in Hockey East. Yes, hockey market already exists here but there weren't 5-6K fans going to UConn hockey games before the move to HE. And there sure aren't 5-6K fans going to Wolfpack games a night. A better example: look at WBB. Prior to UConn/Tennessee, WBB interest was pretty low here and across the country. A few winning seasons later and Gampel and XL sold out both men's and women's games. Now, WBB is an animal in of itself. Soccer: same thing, UConn is a top national draw at its home games. And why is this? The brand loyalty is built in and already there. It just needs to be mobilized, unified, and energized into action. Fans in the northeast love football - the Patriots and Giants wage annual debates on this site and all over CT. Given the opportunity to support big-time college football (again) will energize the fans.

I've been around college football since the days of leather helmets
It's not that the Northeast is not into college football it's more a fact the Northeast was abandoned by Big Time college football .
It was popular to drop football in the fifities because of costs ,small privates like Fordham ,the Ivies and finally Army de emphasized football. They had been the dominant players since the beginning.
As late as the late 60's Army was still playing and beating teams like Cal.
(I was at that game.)
Schools like Rutgers and UConn the logical heirs to NE football were slow to grasp the situation created by that vacuum. Only Penn State emerged.
In retrospect there is no reason UConn couldn't have become as a national player
With the addition of a couple of large eastern schools a viable conference was a possibility. The segregated SEC was fading in importance. An integrated NE football league might have been created.
Blue collar Connecticut was producing players like , Floyd Little, Nick Pieatrosante, Bob Skoronsky,and many more.
Instead Football was gift wrapped and handed to what had previosly been a niche group called the NFL.

 

[HoopsFan21]

The conference realignment process can remain irrational longer than our athletic department can stay solvent.

 

[MASSconn]

Real good insight here.

You realize The American has two New Years 6 bowl wins in the last 3 years and is home to the 2014 NCAA Champions in Bball right? It's unquestionably the best G5 conference today. Now, 1-3 months from now what's left of it may not be salvageable, but if the Big 12 doesn't expand this is far and away the best option for UConn in until a P5 opportunity presents itself.

nobody cares about two NY 6 bowl wins in the playoff era, and I guarantee you that 80% of the country thought we were still part of the Big East during the 2014 Championship (I was in Dallas and can attest). I'm talking about the "American Athletic Conference" Brand. It carries dog $#it (look at NCAA selection committee).

This is why if UConn loses again on B12 expansion (that's what this thread is about right - Plan B), Susan needs to move all non-football sports to the Big East.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Total Solvency without P5 is impossible with or without football
UConn sponsors many teams especially women's that create zero revenue.
No G5 program can carry the entire budget and it's unfair to expect that.
Even in the G5 there is a good possibility of football becoming a positive in revenue. If we're willing to absorb a $$20 million lose on women's sports why wouldn't we continue in a sport that's revenue neutral .
A successful UConn football team adds many more dollars in donations than appear on the budget.
I suspect this year will see football close the PP years deficits
Temple increased addendence last year by 20% in the AAC.
If UConn duplicated that ,revenue would increase by millions.
Attractive OC scheduling and success in conference could get us there.

 

[FartMan69]

Someone is in love with the return/enter key good lord

 

[FartMan69]

I agree with this. Northeast fans already face an uphill battle because, like it or not, national perception is that nobody in the northeast cares about college football. So when UConn posts attendance numbers of 28K per game, it's a tough sell for the school and our fans to get over that perception. The fans in the south love their college football and in places like Houston, Orlando, Tampa and Memphis (and Cincinnati in the north), they watch every Saturday. Those schools' fanbases get a built-in positive perception because their markets love college football...even if they aren't watching UH/UCF/USF/Memphis/Cincinnati at all in those same CFB heavy markets.

It comes down to a product vs brand argument. The southern schools can lay claim that their home markets love the college football product, even if they don't love their school's college football brand. For UConn, we lay claim that we absolutely control our home market unlike the rest of the competition. However, we aren't exactly showing a love for college football by bringing 28K fans to games and having less than 5K athletic donors.

So, what's easier to grow: product or brand? I think it's product. Look at all the new products that hit the market and grow every year. In relation to UConn, look at how quickly sports like hockey took off once it went in Hockey East. Yes, hockey market already exists here but there weren't 5-6K fans going to UConn hockey games before the move to HE. And there sure aren't 5-6K fans going to Wolfpack games a night. A better example: look at WBB. Prior to UConn/Tennessee, WBB interest was pretty low here and across the country. A few winning seasons later and Gampel and XL sold out both men's and women's games. Now, WBB is an animal in of itself. Soccer: same thing, UConn is a top national draw at its home games. And why is this? The brand loyalty is built in and already there. It just needs to be mobilized, unified, and energized into action. Fans in the northeast love football - the Patriots and Giants wage annual debates on this site and all over CT. Given the opportunity to support big-time college football (again) will energize the fans.

I don't think you can compare our football potential with the basketball team only because they were rising in what was a premier league. Really we can't ever see if our football can prosper to the fullest until we are in a top flight conference. The New England/northeast area has pro teams that compete at an extremely high level and despite the Big East being light years better than the AAC it still was perceived as a mid level football league. US diehards will show up no matter what but how can you expect non alumni and the younger generation to latch on to a product playing in a league perceived as minor league when the pro options take up so many of their time/money?
Basically we have hit our ceiling until a P5 throws us a bone. But i think we all know that.

 

[NYUConn]

nobody cares about two NY 6 bowl wins in the playoff era, and I guarantee you that 80% of the country thought we were still part of the Big East during the 2014 Championship (I was in Dallas and can attest). I'm talking about the "American Athletic Conference" Brand. It carries dog $#it (look at NCAA selection committee).

This is why if UConn loses again on B12 expansion (that's what this thread is about right - Plan B), Susan needs to move all non-football sports to the Big East.

What are you even talking about? The NY 6 bowl lineup only came into existence in the playoff era.

 

[MattMang23]

Someone is in love with the return/enter key good lord

I feel like I'm supposed to be reading his posts in iambic pentameter.

 

[Bezzz]

Total Solvency without P5 is impossible with or without football
UConn sponsors many teams especially women's that create zero revenue.
No G5 program can carry the entire budget and it's unfair to expect that.
Even in the G5 there is a good possibility of football becoming a positive in revenue. If we're willing to absorb a $$20 million lose on women's sports why wouldn't we continue in a sport that's revenue neutral .
A successful UConn football team adds many more dollars in donations than appear on the budget.
I suspect this year will see football close the PP years deficits
Temple increased addendence last year by 20% in the AAC.
If UConn duplicated that ,revenue would increase by millions.
Attractive OC scheduling and success in conference could get us there.

I like the format. It's easier to read than a paragraph that runs on and becomes a TLDR.

 

[Dibbie]

Staying in a weakened AAC will adversely impact the basketball program, so I say get the hell out ASAP.

 

[buddy]

Man, I want some of that wonderful weed some of you guys are smoking. If you don't think people won't come to a football game against Houston, Navy, East Carolina or USF, how many do you think will show up for Bowling Green, Middle Tennessee, or Eastern Kentucky??? We just put a few hundred million dollars into state of the art on campus football facilities and an expandable stadium and you want to flush all of that?? We might just as well have kept 18,000 seat Memorial Stadium (which we never filled) on campus and kept Pasqualoni as head coach.

The Big 12 is not the last conference expansion. The ACC and/or the B16 will likely expand again at some point. Many of you have said that, if Notre Dame joins the ACC, we are the likely partner. If you move everything out of what is now considered by many as the sixth best conference, do you think for a minute we'll even get a sniff? Temple, Navy, USF, or UCF are all more likely partners in that scenario.

Patience, folks, patience.

As had been stated here more times than anyone could count. The ACC has no need to expand, at least until 2036. It is highly improbable that ND will join the ACC in anyone's lifetime. The B1G has no need to expand. With GOR's in place, it is unlikely that any expansion of the B1G will occur before 2026, as even if UConn were a consideration, they need a partner to join them and there is not much out there for the B1G to choose from any longer. That is a long time to be patient. By then, UConn will have indeed withered and died. The Big 12 is the one and only hope for UConn at this point in time.

 

[MASSconn]

What are you even talking about? The NY 6 bowl lineup only came into existence in the playoff era.

Ya, it did. And the games are irrelevant, because now the only thing that matters to anyone is the playoff. We're talking about the general public and not some diehard boneyard members. Yes, people turn into the other games, but their importance has been greatly minimized.

Remember, we're talking big picture here, Plan B. I feel strongly that the American is a bad brand and that if we get passed up once again, all non-football sports are better off in the Big East.

 

[NYUConn]

Ya, it did. And the games are irrelevant, because now the only thing that matters to anyone is the playoff. We're talking about the general public and not some diehard boneyard members. Yes, people turn into the other games, but their importance has been greatly minimized.

Remember, we're talking big picture here, Plan B. I feel strongly that the American is a bad brand and that if we get passed up once again, all non-football sports are better off in the Big East.

The games are irrelevant? Tell that to the schools, advertisers, networks and cities that see benefits from the tens of millions of dollars that they generate annually.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I feel like I'm supposed to be reading his posts in iambic pentameter.

That's probably due to the strong influence of William Shakespere on my writing style.

 

[ZOOCONN]

I disagree. Think UCF, Memphis, and Houston are even in the conversation if not for recent success? Because I don't.

A flash in the pan may not be the be-all, end-all in CR, but it gets people's attention. We've shown that flash, but unfortunately that's like ancient history at this point.

what are the three things those teams have in common? recruiting hotbeds, yes they were successful for a limited time but I feel they are given more juice because the talent rich area they populate. look at Boise st, phenomenal sustained football success over last fifteen years but they aren't even sniffing an offer. I think even if we have a great season it will be looked at as a fluke and wont get the respect it deserves.

 

[MattMang23]

what are the three things those teams have in common? recruiting hotbeds, yes they were successful for a limited time but I feel they are given more juice because the talent rich area they populate. look at Boise st, phenomenal sustained football success over last fifteen years but they aren't even sniffing an offer. I think even if we have a great season it will be looked at as a fluke and wont get the respect it deserves.

Ever seen where Boise, Idaho is? There isn't a city of any consequence within 300 miles. And Boise itself is the 107th ranked DMA, so no one is fighting for it. That's why Boise St. isn't getting a sniff.

 

[Ha Who]

This is a great poker game. The athletic department can not survive financially in even the current configuration. I'll leave it up to the bigger minds here to decide if it is time to play the only card we have. That would be the subtle leak of plan B. ESPN does not care if we die a slow death. But they might care if a still strong hoops program goes to a competitor. I'm shocked to talk this way because of negative consequences to football but that is poker

 

[NYUConn]

Ever seen where Boise, Idaho is? There isn't a city of any consequence within 300 miles. And Boise itself is the 107th ranked DMA, so no one is fighting for it. That's why Boise St. isn't getting a sniff.

I was driving cross-country when I was 24 years old a few years back and when we were out west we decided to make a trip to Boise for a night since it was the largest "city" in the area.

I was young, figured there was a college of decent size school there (Boise St.) and it was a Thursday night, so people would probably have been out drinking and having a good time.

There may as well have been actual tumbleweed blowing through the town. It was completely dead. I couldn't even tell their was a college there, and mind you this was early November, during the height of College Football season.

I ended up getting dinner at a Chilis and seeing the movie "Role Models" in a local movie theater.

 

[MattMang23]

I was driving cross-country when I was 24 years old a few years back and when we were out west we decided to make a trip to Boise for a night since it was the largest "city" in the area.

I was young, figured there was a college of decent size school there (Boise St.) and it was a Thursday night, so people would probably have been out drinking and having a good time.

There may as well have been actual tumbleweed blowing through the town. It was completely dead. I couldn't even tell their was a college there, and mind you this was early November, during the height of College Football season.

I ended up getting dinner at a Chilis and seeing the movie "Role Models" in a local movie theater.

Lol. High Mormon population. Imagine Provo.

 

[atom58]

That's probably due to the strong influence of William Shakespere on my writing style.

To me, it more like the "bullet points" in a Power Point presentation than Shakespeare, but it is easier to read.

I don't have a crystal ball on CR (maybe I should get out the Tarot cards) but I think you guys will be OK. The Big 12 is "right now" and I think UConn will make a strong presentation. The decisions on whom to add will be made by the 10 university presidents which is an important point. Also, I do believe the Big 10 is going to "cut loose" again soon. Somewhere I read that Delaney is interested in adding AAU basketball schools so pursuit of AAU status is very important there. All of this stuff is like a "mobile" that has been hit by a wind - the ACC gets a "linear network", the Big 12 then correctly decides it must expand to try to secure itself, if the Big 12 goes to 14 the Pac 12 may decide to add two members to no longer be the smallest P5 conference and to help their fledgling network by adding two states, the Big 10 may decide to add a 15th member in the East (they operated with an odd number of 11 for 20+ years), and then what else could happen? We don't know but I think everything could be in play again soon.

 

[UConn Dan]

To me, it more like the "bullet points" in a Power Point presentation than Shakespeare, but it is easier to read.

I don't have a crystal ball on CR (maybe I should get out the Tarot cards) but I think you guys will be OK. The Big 12 is "right now" and I think UConn will make a strong presentation. The decisions on whom to add will be made by the 10 university presidents which is an important point. Also, I do believe the Big 10 is going to "cut loose" again soon. Somewhere I read that Delaney is interested in adding AAU basketball schools so pursuit of AAU status is very important there. All of this stuff is like a "mobile" that has been hit by a wind - the ACC gets a "linear network", the Big 12 then correctly decides it must expand to try to secure itself, if the Big 12 goes to 14 the Pac 12 may decide to add two members to no longer be the smallest P5 conference and to help their fledgling network by adding two states, the Big 10 may decide to add a 15th member in the East (they operated with an odd number of 11 for 20+ years), and then what else could happen? We don't know but I think everything could be in play again soon.

odd numbers are fine under 12... once you have 12+, you need two equal divisions... odd doesn't really work.

 

[atom58]

odd numbers are fine under 12... once you have 12+, you need two equal divisions... odd doesn't really work.

It would likely be temporary until they get to 16 - the first superconference.

 

[Jae-VT]

Real good insight here.

You realize The American has two New Years 6 bowl wins in the last 3 years and is home to the 2014 NCAA Champions in Bball right? It's unquestionably the best G5 conference today. Now, 1-3 months from now what's left of it may not be salvageable, but if the Big 12 doesn't expand this is far and away the best option for UConn in until a P5 opportunity presents itself.

Just a FYI, but there have only been two New Years 6 Bowls, for the 2014-2015 season and the 2015-2016 season. The winner of the first New Years 6 Bowl from the G5 conference was BSU, representing the Mountain West Conference. Last years New Years 6 Bowl winner was Houston, representing the American Conference.