Raise the Exit Fee to $50m

[ZooCougar]

a bunch of Chuckleheads around here ...

So ...
1. We are left whining & hoping for an ACC invite? Ain't happening.
2. For the next 8 years ... like the last 8 years ... we are going to bitch & moan. Meanwhile, Rutgers & Louisville & Cincinnati & USF got far better. Who is to say that is not going to happen for a bunch of others - even Memphis?
3. We have the two guys you want to negotiate with the media. They are NOT Marinatto. In Bevilacqua & Aresco, we have a shot.

Could you read your lipstick on a pig quotes ... over & over again for years & years. That is where this board is going. And my point ... UConn, if you are looking at why Pitt & SU went to the ACC, deserves none of that. We don't have that solid a fanbase yet. We aren't driving Arbitron/Neilson. IMHO ... I think we are solidly behind Rutgers & Louisville now. Boise too. BYU.

If this conference doesn't figure out how to lock ... ALL ... in, then MY school UConn is sunk.

Because you don't know anything about Memphis. Memphis is nothing like Cincy, Louisville or even USF. You don't just sprinkle Big East dust on a school and POOF you get Louisville. We don't want to Welfare Cases, we want something that brings value now. Louisville, Cincy and USF were selected because they demonstrated committment, not because they hired Mike Tranghese to consult for them.

At least back then, the conference was nominally a BCS conference. That chip is gone now too, so your theory and hopes are even more unlikely.

And this is a pig. Every. Single. School. You just mentioned, be it Louisville, UConn, Rutgers, Cincy will leave this pig at the first opportunity. We spent 8 years or whatever and it FAILED. It's utterly self evident.

I say we embrace reality, recognize that this workplace sucks balls and dress for the job we're aspiring to attain.

Pitt and SU don't exactly have solid fanbases. Have you ever watched a game at Pitt? Most of their fans dress up as yellow seats. The fact of the matter is that we quite probably could have been in the ACC if BC had not blackballed us.

This self loathing on your part is absolutely pathetic.

 

[whaler11]

a bunch of Chuckleheads around here ...

So ...
1. We are left whining & hoping for an ACC invite? Ain't happening.
2. For the next 8 years ... like the last 8 years ... we are going to bitch & moan. Meanwhile, Rutgers & Louisville & Cincinnati & USF got far better. Who is to say that is not going to happen for a bunch of others - even Memphis?
3. We have the two guys you want to negotiate with the media. They are NOT Marinatto. In Bevilacqua & Aresco, we have a shot.

Could you read your lipstick on a pig quotes ... over & over again for years & years. That is where this board is going. And my point ... UConn, if you are looking at why Pitt & SU went to the ACC, deserves none of that. We don't have that solid a fanbase yet. We aren't driving Arbitron/Neilson. IMHO ... I think we are solidly behind Rutgers & Louisville now. Boise too. BYU.

If this conference doesn't figure out how to lock ... ALL ... in, then MY school UConn is sunk.

Do you not get you can't make the other schools lock in? You would think that would be clear by now - no one has stayed, no one valuable remaining is going to lock in.

 

[ZooCougar]

Do you not get you can't make the other schools lock in? You would think that would be clear by now - no one has stayed, no one valuable remaining is going to lock in.

He clearly doesn't. It's not even clear that there is still an incentive for SMU, Houston and Boise to join this conference in football now that the best we can realistically hope for is the mythological "7th Bowl". Worst case, if the next contract is as truly awful as we suspect, then this whole thing could maybe never come to fruition. Best Case, you get BYU to join. And BYU joining will not lock any of us in place.

 

[whaler11]

He clearly doesn't. It's not even clear that there is still an incentive for SMU, Houston and Boise to join this conference in football now that the best we can realistically hope for is the mythological "7th Bowl". Worst case, if the next contract is as truly awful as we suspect, then this whole thing could maybe never come to fruition. Best Case, you get BYU to join. And BYU joining will not lock any of us in place.

The school most likely to leave next is Louisville. The school whose departure implodes the league is Louisville. Not too tough to see where this is headed.

 

[ZooCougar]

The school most likely to leave next is Louisville. The school whose departure implodes the league is Louisville. Not too tough to see where this is headed.

Pretty much. Also, why would BYU choose the Big East over the Big 12 if presented with both opportunities?

Forget the argument that it would be an easier path to a bowl than the Big 12. That is pretty much 100% false. For one, in the Big 12, there is a realistic chance at getting 2 berths in a "BCS" bowl each year. Secondly, their 2nd, 3rd and maybe even 4th place bowl will be better than every single bowl tie in that the Big East has. Keep in mind that we are sharing the 7th bowl with every other conference...

 

[whaler11]

Pretty much. Also, why would BYU choose the Big East over the Big 12 if presented with both opportunities?

Forget the argument that it would be an easier path to a bowl than the Big 12. That is pretty much 100% false. For one, in the Big 12, there is a realistic chance at getting 2 berths in a "BCS" bowl each year. Secondly, their 2nd, 3rd and maybe even 4th place bowl will be better than every single bowl tie in that the Big East has. Keep in mind that we are sharing the 7th bowl with every other conference...

Yeah, we'll see BYU at Rentschler... probably the week after the TCU game.

 

[ZooCougar]

Yeah, we'll see BYU at Rentschler... probably the week after the TCU game.

And the week before we send 7,000 fans to an away game in San Diego.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

a bunch of Chuckleheads around here ...

So ...
1. We are left whining & hoping for an ACC invite? Ain't happening.
2. For the next 8 years ... like the last 8 years ... we are going to bitch & moan. Meanwhile, Rutgers & Louisville & Cincinnati & USF got far better. Who is to say that is not going to happen for a bunch of others - even Memphis?
3. We have the two guys you want to negotiate with the media. They are NOT Marinatto. In Bevilacqua & Aresco, we have a shot.

Could you read your lipstick on a pig quotes ... over & over again for years & years. That is where this board is going. And my point ... UConn, if you are looking at why Pitt & SU went to the ACC, deserves none of that. We don't have that solid a fanbase yet. We aren't driving Arbitron/Neilson. IMHO ... I think we are solidly behind Rutgers & Louisville now. Boise too. BYU.

If this conference doesn't figure out how to lock ... ALL ... in, then MY school UConn is sunk.

We got absolutely in conference realignment. There is no light at the end of the tunnel except for the 1% chance we get invited to the ACC and the .00001% we get invited to the B1G.

The only thing UConn can do is try to dominate this awful, disgusting and putrid conference and hope someday we can leave it.

The last thing I'm going to do as a fan is sign away my only hope and be resigned to playing sports with mid-major community colleges for the next 20 years. If it happens, so be it, but I'm certainly not signing anything to guarantee that fact.

 

[HuskyHawk]

He clearly doesn't. It's not even clear that there is still an incentive for SMU, Houston and Boise to join this conference in football now that the best we can realistically hope for is the mythological "7th Bowl". Worst case, if the next contract is as truly awful as we suspect, then this whole thing could maybe never come to fruition. Best Case, you get BYU to join. And BYU joining will not lock any of us in place.

Exactly. The BCS is gone. That was what separated the BE from the MWC. Why would SDSU still be in?

I said before that this is an inside raid. Boise, Houston, SMU and SDSU will split off with the cream of the MWC and CUSA. They know UL, RU and Uconn will land elsewhere. Cincy and the Florida schools will be stranded unless they can convince the western schools to do east west divisions.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The school most likely to leave next is Louisville. The school whose departure implodes the league is Louisville. Not too tough to see where this is headed.

What should we do? Your and Zoo's bitching is so tedious. While you two may think you have some tremendous insight, everyone else has also figured out how screwed we are. And Herbst checked her spam folder...no B1G invite. So now what? Shut the program down? Join a new Yankee Conference? What is your brainstorm? Enlighten us.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Pudge, I am stating this with due respect as unlike Waylon, you do know more about the business world than what you can gather from a google search.

ESPN knows they have the NBE by the short hairs (even with our new negotiators, people we could have used about a decade ago). They are standing firm on $8mm annually for all sports participants and if they were to budge, it would only be after someone else threw something substantial at us. Any commitment to the conference (such as you suggestion) may help but that help could never approximate the cost it would bring. I seriously doubt that it could move the needle more than perhaps bringing an offer that ESPN would beat at $10mm per year for football members. How could this possibhly warrant the exit fee you are recommending?

 

[whaler11]

What should we do? Your and Zoo's bitching is so tedious. While you two may think you have some tremendous insight, everyone else has also figured out how screwed we are. And Herbst checked her spam folder...no B1G invite. So now what? Shut the program down? Join a new Yankee Conference? What is your brainstorm? Enlighten us.

Who is bitching. All I'm pointing out is that others are not going to sign.

All they can do is what they have done. If the day comes where the other 63 schools agree to a GOR then you can worry about it, I don't think that day will arrive.

 

[ZooCougar]

Exactly. The BCS is gone. That was what separated the BE from the MWC. Why would SDSU still be in?

I said before that this is an inside raid. Boise, Houston, SMU and SDSU will split off with the cream of the MWC and CUSA. They know UL, RU and Uconn will land elsewhere. Cincy and the Florida schools will be stranded unless they can convince the western schools to do east west divisions.

There is nothing that seperates from the MWC, CUSA and were hovering above the MAC. Our only other chip is basketball. At this point, Boise, Houston, SMU and SDSU are doing us a big favor and anyone can see that what they will be getting is not what they were expecting when they signed up.

 

[ZooCougar]

Who is bitching. All I'm pointing out is that others are going to sign.

Waylon is confusing bitching with recognizing what the reality of the situation is. I don't expect the B1G invite. In fact it's much more likely that the conference that we are in will collapse once the Big 12 finishes.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think NBC will even bid without the Big East schools agreeing to sign a GOR. It just isn't worth it for them to do invest in a league that could evaporate in a year. Without NBC bidding, ESPN will offer peanuts, which will start a death spiral in the athletic program that we will never pull out of.

The time to get raided is right up to the point that NBC makes a credible offer. After that, UConn has to commit.

I agree, with most of that but where was the forward thinking on increased exit fees, and grants of rights before the raiding began? It never happened because the Big East schools (especially the ones heading up the expansion comittees) were looking to go elsewhere, or in other words the same problem that exists today. It sucks, but as much as BE presidents go on record, and Aresco talks about solidarity. They all want out. Also if the Big East OFFICIALLY gets lumped in with the have nots of the MWC, Conf USA, MAC, Sun Belt, etc., why would NBC throw big money at that.

I grew up loving the Big East, but through either bad leadership, cut throat expansion tactics, bad luck or providing bad content the Big East has been kicked in the balls so many times it isn't even funny. I don't have any answers. We will see what Aresco delivers. I've been optimistic about the Big East, but I'm having a hard time seeing it right now.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I see a lot of people making the assumption that what is good for the BE is good for UConn. I don't think that's been the case for a couple of years at least. I think USF, UCF, Cincy and now Memphis and Temple all have futures that look brighter if the BE survives and gets a decent contract. I think UConn, Rutgers and Louisville are all better off if it collapses, and will be snapped up. It's hard to say for Houston and SMU, probably the same as USF and UCF. Boise and SDSU are probably looking at roughly equivalent conferences either way, but the BE has more travel and forces fb to split from olympics.

From the TV angle, I think this is the design. They don't want to pay for Houston-Memphis football. They'd pay for UConn, RU and Louisville...and at the moment maybe Cincy. So they need to move those schools into a conference they already own the rights to. Boise they get much cheaper if they force them back to the MWC.

 

[ZooCougar]

I see a lot of people making the assumption that what is good for the BE is good for UConn. I don't think that's been the case for a couple of years at least. I think USF, UCF, Cincy and now Memphis and Temple all have futures that look brighter if the BE survives and gets a decent contract. I think UConn, Rutgers and Louisville are all better off if it collapses, and will be snapped up. It's hard to say for Houston and SMU, probably the same as USF and UCF. Boise and SDSU are probably looking at roughly equivalent conferences either way, but the BE has more travel and forces fb to split from olympics.

From the TV angle, I think this is the design. They don't want to pay for Houston-Memphis football. They'd pay for UConn, RU and Louisville...and at the moment maybe Cincy. So they need to move those schools into a conference they already own the rights to. Boise they get much cheaper if they force them back to the MWC.

Houston and SMU are year to year. But the best way to entice UConn, Rutgers, Boise, Louisville, Cincy, USF etc. to stay is to pay us more money. Not sure why Memphis and Temple deserve as much football TV money as Cincy and Louisville.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

When Syracuse, Pitt and WVU left the smart thing to do would have been to invite UCF, Houston for 2013 and used WVU buyout and brought Boise in for this season. Then you see where you stand with Navy, Air Force and BYU.

SMU, Temple and Memphis do absolutely nothing but tarnish the leagues brand and dilute tv payouts. It honestly makes me so angry just thinking about it.

Before anyone says anything about basketball, do you think its better to have UConn play Georgetown twice or Louisville play Nova twice instead of having to only play every team once with one repeat game?

Before anyone says Temple filled the schedule for 2012 - I would have gladly rather played a FCS school than be stuck with Memphis Temple and SMU for life. We could have had a round robin conf schedule, now we'll see Boise at The Rent once every 12 years.

The sheer incompetence of leadership in this conference is mind numbing. Who knowss what could have been done after 2003 but the way the second raid was handled jusst makes me furious.

So yeaah, there's nothing we can do but play the games, but this conference sucks, the new tv deal will suck and unless we hit a home run when Coach P is fired and Ollie is the real deal, the outlook sucks.

And I don't mean to be a jerk but some of you guys live so far away from reality it truly astonishes me.

 

[ZooCougar]

When Syracuse, Pitt and WVU left the smart thing to do would have been to invite UCF, Houston for 2013 and used WVU buyout and brought Boise in for this season. Then you see where you stand with Navy, Air Force and BYU.

SMU, Temple and Memphis do absolutely nothing but tarnish the leagues brand and dilute tv payouts. It honestly makes me so angry just thinking about it.

Before anyone says anything about basketball, do you think its better to have UConn play Georgetown twice or Louisville play Nova twice instead of having to only play every team once with one repeat game?

Before anyone says Temple filled the schedule for 2012 - I would have gladly rather played a FCS school than be stuck with Memphis Temple and SMU for life. We could have had a round robin conf schedule, now we'll see Boise at The Rent once every 12 years.

The sheer incompetence of leadership in this conference is mind numbing. Who knowss what could have been done after 2003 but the way the second raid was handled jusst makes me furious.

So yeaah, there's nothing we can do but play the games, but this conference sucks, the new tv deal will suck and unless we hit a home run when Coach P is fired and Ollie is the real deal, the outlook sucks.

And I don't mean to be a jerk but some of you guys live so far away from reality it truly astonishes me.

Amer, Brother and preach on.

Memphis and Temple were another Providence-Tranghese-Marinatto special. They totally screwed us. Who pays to bring some dreck that you booted less than a decade ago?

 

[junglehusky]

The SMU/Houston/SDSU/UCF moves were attempts to rope a bunch of markets to make the BE more attractive to NBC. Anyone who follows college football can tell you those schools are not the top draws in their market. Whoever the BE signs with, the tv money might be great, it might be sucky, it'll probably be somewhere in between. What NNBE has to accomplish during the contract is for those teams to really challenge the "marquis" names (UT/UF etc.) on a consistent basis in top 25 rankings, hype, and branding / eyeballs. There were 8 years of false stability in the NBE when UL/Cincy/USF were brought in, though they did about as well as could be expected football-wise, it wasn't enough to keep Pitt and Cuse on board. If the NNBE doesn't surpass the NBE in 3-4 years the stability will be just as illusory, if not in 4 years then in 10 or more when the next contract comes up.

 

[freescooter]

Here's the thing...we can make the exit fee $50billion or $50 quadrillion and it won't matter just as it has never mattered. If someone wants to leave, they will figure out a way to leave. We've seen this movie before. BC voted for a higher exit fee then went to court to challenge it. The last version of the Big East exit fee was supposed to have a double whammy of a highish fee with a mandatory a 27 month time line. The thinking went that even if you were willing to pay the money, neither a school nor a conference would be willing to wait that long, play two full years as a lame duck...and they weren't...West Virginia sued and ultimately negotiated a deal to leave in not 27 months but effectively immediately. Syracuse and Pitt just followed on and cut a deal to leave after 1 season. ND same thing. And in the ACC Maryland and Florida State have both indicated that if push comes to shove, they will tell the ACC to shove its fee...and the real world answer is that if push does come to shove, they will indeed do exactly that,go to court, claim some breach of contract/mismanagement/lying weasle behavior or whatever and negotiate some type of escape that meets their needs. As will Clemson or anyone else even if they voted FOR the $50,000,000 fee. So while I doubt UConn or Louisville or anyone else who feels they have a shot at moving will vote for a large fee or a grant of rights, I also don't expect either of those things to prevent any school from moving if they see a better deal somewhere.

 

[Pudge]

First ... to wisc ... this is a Start-up. It still is. This is isn't self-loathing. This is a kid with a 550 Verbal SAT knowing he won't get into Harvard. (RE the SEC). We need to plan accordingly.

So what are the options?

Number 1. I do not think, looking across the landscape, that we are at the top of the next list of whom to take (and I don't think any of the Big 5 will take anyone ... until someone gets into the top 10 in Football ... then Rutgers or Louisville snapped away). We need handcuffs.

Lots here are essentially ready to tcan the BE ... and go Independent? Are you nuts? We need the high TV dollars to keep up in this rat race.

Number 2. Memphis & Temple are not circumstantial. They make NO sense ... unless someone behind the scenes made a strong case. In my world, dealmaking in commercial real estate, things like this become clear. All the pissing & moaning, I believe, ends up with a deal outside of ESPN. I respectfully read the FairfieldCtyHusky ... and disagree. We have other networks. We hired this guy Bevilacqua because of that. And shoot me if it isn't clear by December 1.

We just watched Syracuse fanbase bitch about being in the Big East since 2003. I hope I am not going to watch this board disintegrate for 8 years of wannabee. I believe WE are better positioned than Syracuse in the long run. Our Market; our Public Structure. They are gonna rue the their status in that league ... eventually.

 

[Pudge]

Here's the thing...we can make the exit fee $50billion or $50 quadrillion and it won't matter just as it has never mattered. If someone wants to leave, they will figure out a way to leave. We've seen this movie before. BC voted for a higher exit fee then went to court to challenge it. The last version of the Big East exit fee was supposed to have a double whammy of a highish fee with a mandatory a 27 month time line. The thinking went that even if you were willing to pay the money, neither a school nor a conference would be willing to wait that long, play two full years as a lame duck...and they weren't...West Virginia sued and ultimately negotiated a deal to leave in not 27 months but effectively immediately. Syracuse and Pitt just followed on and cut a deal to leave after 1 season. ND same thing. And in the ACC Maryland and Florida State have both indicated that if push comes to shove, they will tell the ACC to shove its fee...and the real world answer is that if push does come to shove, they will indeed do exactly that,go to court, claim some breach of contract/mismanagement/lying weasle behavior or whatever and negotiate some type of escape that meets their needs. As will Clemson or anyone else even if they voted FOR the $50,000,000 fee. So while I doubt UConn or Louisville or anyone else who feels they have a shot at moving will vote for a large fee or a grant of rights, I also don't expect either of those things to prevent any school from moving if they see a better deal somewhere.

Big difference between $5 & $50m (*which is designed to grow). Yield to maintenance type prepay penalty will always inhibit the exit.

 

[mattp]

I say we do what BYU, TCU, Louisville, Boise State, and every good team in a mid major conference has done, go out and win our games. Has Iowa State been better than TCU over the last ten years? Was Duke better than Louisville when they were in CUSA and consistently ranked top 10? Did we lose to South Carolina in Birmingham because they're in the SEC?

Obviously I'd like to play compelling teams, but all of this non stop bitching about our conference is pathetic. I can't imagine how some of you would handle real adversity in your lives. College football is supposed to be a fun distraction from day to day stuff and some people are carrying it like a burden. All the complaining in the world isn't going to change a thing. We are where we are and we're not happy about it, but all we can do is go out and cheer for our team to win games. You'll notice the four teams I mentioned above did just that and as a result they're situations have improved, some more dramatically than others.

 

[The Funster]

I say we do what BYU, TCU, Louisville, Boise State, and every good team in a mid major conference has done, go out and win our games. Has Iowa State been better than TCU over the last ten years? Was Duke better than Louisville when they were in CUSA and consistently ranked top 10? Did we lose to South Carolina in Birmingham because they're in the SEC?

Obviously I'd like to play compelling teams, but all of this non stop bitching about our conference is pathetic. I can't imagine how some of you would handle real adversity in your lives. College football is supposed to be a fun distraction from day to day stuff and some people are carrying it like a burden. All the complaining in the world isn't going to change a thing. We are where we are and we're not happy about it, but all we can do is go out and cheer for our team to win games. You'll notice the four teams I mentioned above did just that and as a result they're situations have improved, some more dramatically than others.

This post makes too much sense.