Rothstein: UConn and Big East have had discussions

[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 genius, 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,

 

[Hoophound]

I'm still hearing SNY is a wild card for us in conjunction with BE membership. Not sure what level of agreement we would have with them or how much it would pay but I'm told it is very compelling when compared to staying in the American under current conditions.

 

[CL82]

View attachment 19817
This is from Benedict earlier today

Of course that sold out game wasn't a conference game AD Dave, but other than that...

 

[auggie22]

The end of the current media deal for the American has got to be w/in 3 years of renewal ( I thought they signed a 6 year deal ) ... so if there are discussions with the BE / American on a split, it must be looking out to that point. Why pay an exit fee to leave a year or two earlier when they could wait and exit with no penalty?

UCONN does have some leverage when you look 2 or 3 years out; and Aresco can evaluate how to go to market with or without UCONN football in order to determine whether it makes sense for them to allow partial membership.

 

[auggie22]

indeed, just found this snippet from AAC: TV deal is with ESPN, CBS Sports:

"Last year, the American Athletic Conference inked a seven-year, $126 million TV contract with ESPN for rights to telecast the league’s games, primarily football and basketball. The deal runs through the 2019-20 season."

 

[auggie22]

I actually think there is a win / win for UCONN and the AAC ... UCONN stays in the AAC for football for the next media contract, moves the rest of its sports to the BE. They essentially play for free in the American, allowing that conference to split their contract 11 ways instead of 12. UCONN keeps it's football in a viable conference, the American gets a better alternative than So Miss and splitting the pot a 12th way. Win / Win.

 

[businesslawyer]

My guess is we are letting a few parties (the AAC, ESPN, possibly other conference's and broadcast outlets) know that we do have options.

The problem arises if they call our bluff.

They already have. AFter you get called once, the odds of ever being successful with this strategy plummet.

 

[businesslawyer]

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

The death spiral would be taking a football schedule that guaranties you always end up with a winning record.

We can increase attendance in football materially by winning. Period. It will never in this conference be back to what we drew before HCRE left, but it will be a lot better than it is now if we start playing competitive football again.

 

[FDNY99]

The death spiral would be taking a football schedule that guaranties you always end up with a winning record.

We can increase attendance in football materially by winning. Period. It will never in this conference be back to what we drew before HCRE left, but it will be a lot better than it is now if we start playing competitive football again.

I don't know BL...the quality of teams top to bottom in the AAC is better than it was in the BE. It's just not regional anymore so it's hard to swallow. If the product put on the field is anything close to what Lashlee and Crocker talked about yesterday the Rent will be full again.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't know BL..the quality of teams top to bottom in the AAC is better than it was in the BE. It's just not regional anymore so it's hard to swallow. If the product put on the field is anything close to what Lashlee and Crocker talked about yesterday the Rent will be full again.

I hope so. And I don't think the quality difference is large. But we are not in a league with an automatic BCS bid and we are not in a league with as large a number of regional rivals. I don't see why those factors wouldn't harm attendance.

But that's all irrelevant to can we draw more than we are drawing now if we start winning again.

 

[hthusky74]

I just heard we are joining the Big East for all sports except football. The football team will replace the San Diego Chargers in the NFL.