Rothstein: UConn and Big East have had discussions

[CTFAN4LIFE]

I mean that we can net more dough by playing more valuable FB games on the road/neutral sites (e.g. Fenway game) and perhaps save a few bucks on the Olympic sports side of things.

Sorry for the formatting challenges, but I answered your other points above/click to expand... Cheers!

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

I believe everything about this is calculated. The administration would not have made such a big statement with the Edsall hire if football was going to be downgraded.

Edsall and hiss taff are paid peanuts. if the big statement was in firing Idiaco, then OK. I'm still not sure where that money came from though?

 

[don356]

But where will the AAC hold their conference championship tournaments?!?!

Memphis!

 

[Kevin Caliendo]

I'm guessing any consultant would tell Herst and DB that selling home games is more lucrative and perhaps the only way to keep the program solvent. Basically, the current math doesn't work as UConn is not getting 30k to their games, never mind 40k. Selling a home game to BC for $1.1M makes sense financially. Go indy, play five home games and get checks to go play good teams on the road is a better option than the AAC is with a full home schedule. Tehre is almost no scenario where Uconn is going to generate interest in the football program short of joining the ACC or B10, neither of which is happening.

consultants also refer to this as a death spiral

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

If this happens, I think there will be more to the story. He will not put FB at risk.

I h0pe he is secretly working on blowing up the AAC and starting a new football-only conference. A 12 team national football-only conference consisting of UConn, Cincy, Temple, Navy, UCF, USF, Houston, BYU, Boise St, Colorado St, Air Force, San Diego St would get a lot more money from TV (better teams, bigger markets, national appeal, multiple time zones, etc) and should consistently compete for being one of the top 5 conferences.

If we get more than half of the current AAC to vote to disband the conference (which including the above 7 teams would do), can we dissolve the conference with no fees?

That would be a dream scenario. The NBE for all non-football programs, and this new football only conference for football. Would be a great holding place for 10 years until we can make another push for P5 inclusion.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I'm guessing any consultant would tell Herst and DB that selling home games is more lucrative and perhaps the only way to keep the program solvent. Basically, the current math doesn't work as UConn is not getting 30k to their games, never mind 40k. Selling a home game to BC for $1.1M makes sense financially. Go indy, play five home games and get checks to go play good teams on the road is a better option than the AAC is with a full home schedule. Tehre is almost no scenario where Uconn is going to generate interest in the football program short of joining the ACC or B10, neither of which is happening.

consultants also refer to this as a death spiral

If UConn gets ranked in top 30 lots of people will come watch the games at the Rent. I do not understand how you can say UConn will never join either ACC or B10. Randy Edsall can get us there.

 

[4in16]

The MAC kicked UMass out for not going all in. There is absolutely no way that downgrade would be considered anyways. If this is true it is a ploy by UConn to prove the value they bring to a tv contract. The only way this would ever happen like others have mentioned is the AAC lets us stay as football only, because I doubt the ACC would want us as football only. Too much has been put into the football program to even consider downgrading it. Would I rather UConn play in the NBE yes but I just don't see the American letting us keep football there.

 

[FDNY99]

This is from Benedict earlier today

 

[shizzle787]

The MAC kicked UMass out for not going all in. There is absolutely no way that downgrade would be considered anyways. If this is true it is a ploy by UConn to prove the value they bring to a tv contract. The only way this would ever happen like others have mentioned is the AAC lets us stay as football only, because I doubt the ACC would want us as football only. Too much has been put into the football program to even consider downgrading it. Would I rather UConn play in the NBE yes but I just don't see the American letting us keep football there.

Who would people rather watch for football? UConn or Southern Miss? Honestly, I think we can make a deal where we take a significantly-reduced payout from the AAC to stay for football and take everything else to the NBE.

 

[FDNY99]

Who would people rather watch for football? UConn or Southern Miss? Honestly, I think we can make a deal where we take a significantly-reduced payout from the AAC to stay for football and take everything else to the NBE.

This is about as logical as your idea about a MLS team playing in a 40K seat Rentschler when teams are building 25-30K seat stadiums. Not gonna happen...and where is UConn gonna get the buyout $$ to pay the AAC?

 

[shizzle787]

This is about as logical as your idea about a MLS team playing in a 40K seat Rentschler when teams are building 25-30K seat stadiums. Not gonna happen..and where is UConn gonna get the buyout $$ to pay the AAC?

Except Atlanta is playing in a brand-new 35K stadium this year as an expansion team so there goes that theory. As far as the buyout $$? If we make twice as much in the Big East, we will have to figure that in for five years at $2 million/year. I'm sure the AAC will allow us to pay it in installments.

 

[FDNY99]

Except Atlanta is playing in a brand-new 35K stadium this year as an expansion team so there goes that theory. As far as the buyout $$? If we make twice as much in the Big East, we will have to figure that in for five years at $2 million/year. I'm sure the AAC will allow us to pay it in installments.

Oh you're sure...that's comforting and reassuring. You should stick to the cesspool. Your theories are based in fantasy land! UConn tells Mike Aresco and the rest of the AAC schools that they are taking their most valuable properties to the BE but they would like them to allow football to stay in the AAC...the answer to that will be..everything goes and you owe us $XXX in lump sum by X/XX date.

 

[shizzle787]

Oh you're sure..that's comforting and reassuring. You should stick to the cesspool. Your theories are based in fantasy land! UConn tells Mike Aresco and the rest of the AAC schools that they are taking their most valuable properties to the BE but they would like them to allow football to stay in the AAC..the answer to that will be..everything goes and you owe us $XXX in lump sum by X/XX date.

I'll put it to you this way: why was the AAC willing to give ECU a football-only spot a few years ago? UConn had a BETTER record from 2002-2012. If they would take ECU football-only, they would take UConn.

 

[FDNY99]

I'll put it to you this way: why was the AAC willing to give ECU a football-only spot a few years ago? UConn had a BETTER record from 2002-2012. If they would take ECU football-only, they would take UConn.

BECAUSE UConn BASKETBALL..BOTH PROGRAMS ARE THE CROWN JEWELS OF THE AAC!!! You need to educate yourself about how a conference works in reality..not the fantasy land that resides in your head.

 

[shizzle787]

BECAUSE UConn BASKETBALL..BOTH PROGRAMS ARE THE CROWN JEWELS OF THE AAC!!! You need to educate yourself about how a conference works in reality..not the fantasy land that resides in your head.

Reread what I posted. They were going to offer ECU a football-only spot then when they had a worse record than us (they still have the same winning % as us in the last 15 years).

 

[FDNY99]

Reread what I posted. They were going to offer ECU a football-only spot then when they had a worse record than us (they still have the same winning % as us in the last 15 years).

I did...you have NO CLUE what you are talking about. There is NO WAY the AAC would let UConn keep their football program in the AAC and pull their basketball programs (which AGAIN are the CROWN JEWELS of the AAC) so they can go to the NBE! It's about what is leaving NOT what is staying! Get a clue...because you have no idea about CR or how this stuff works!

 

[shizzle787]

I did..you have NO CLUE what you are talking about. There is NO WAY the AAC would let UConn keep their football program in the AAC and pull their basketball programs (which AGAIN are the CROWN JEWELS of the AAC) so they can go to the NBE! It's about what is leaving NOT what is staying! Get a clue..because you have no idea about CR or how this stuff works!

Au contraire. It's called negotiating. If I'm the AAC and UConn wants to leave but park football, I make sure they get a reduced share as opposed to anyone else who would get a full share...cough...Southern Miss.

 

[FDNY99]

Au contraire. It's called negotiating. If I'm the AAC and UConn wants to leave but park football, I make sure they get a reduced share as opposed to anyone else who would get a full share..cough..Southern Miss.

Thanks for playing..I now know why your handle says what it does. You are a moron, who should stick to the cesspool or spend your time lobbying your State reps, Senators and the Gov office for your precious MLS team that will never come!

 

[ZooCougar]

For this to happen it must be UConn in the AAC for football only. Independence doesn't make sense because of bowl alliances not to mention scheduling and not being able to compete for a championship of any kind.

 

[junglehusky]

For this to happen it must be UConn in the AAC for football only. Independence doesn't make sense because of bowl alliances not to mention scheduling and not being able to compete for a championship of any kind.

A written agreement with Fox where UConn gets a guaranteed number of B12 / B10 football games and a fair TV package plus some cash to offset the AAC exit fee might be workable.

 

[Drew]

I'll put it to you this way: why was the AAC willing to give ECU a football-only spot a few years ago? UConn had a BETTER record from 2002-2012. If they would take ECU football-only, they would take UConn.

mostly because at the time we needed 12 teams for a conference championship game and nobody wanted to have to play ECU in anything besides football

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

mostly because at the time we needed 12 teams for a conference championship game and nobody wanted to have to play ECU in anything besides football

Making ECU a football-only school once again would increase the value of the AAC to the media and its stature in basketball circles.

 

[Point6]

If it's happening, this may be AD DB calling BS on what I'm sure was ESPN's (and probably the AAC's) position in justifying the super low payout for the conference, i.e., "football drives the bus." If that has been ESPN's position - no worries. They can keep UConn FB in the conference. (No need for an exit penalty in that case either - the "valuable" property will stay in the AAC).

 

[Stinger92860]

Bingo. My guess is AD Dave says to Aresco - look, you know you need our brand on the football side of things. We'll throw you $1M to let us move everything else, it'll lower travel costs for the other schools non-FB teams. You can keep our third tier TV rights for FB - but that exit fee has to be zero. FB is the AAC's most valuable property and what would drive up your next TV negotiation, not basketball. Realistically, if you want us to move out entirely, who are you going to get to replace us on the FB side? UMass? Marshall? Have fun. Let us leave, replace our BB team with Wichita, call it a day. We'll agree to play two AAC teams OOC each year, one home one away, in MBB and WBB for X years.

You would need to sweeten the deal. If I was was Aresco, I'd say good luck, if you want to leave, take football with you and write me a check. It has to be a good deal for both sides, not just for UConn.

 

[billybud]

I think that it is the AAC that has the upper hand in any negotiation...going indy in football is fraught with difficulty and I do not see a conference taking UConn as a football only program.

I guess the Huskies could go the way of UMass and Coastal Carolina as indies...but, I fear that football would not prosper,