Rutgers and MD to the Big Ten

[Icebear]

Fran Fisher the former voice of PSU supposedly passed the info to Phil Grosz.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Yahoo Sports - Link

 

[Coler]

Kind of looks like it could seriously be happening.

 

[CTyankee]

This is all about football and the football audience... The ACC needs the NY market.

With Rutgers going to the Big 10, the ACC needs someone with a similar entry into the NY market and UConn could give that to them.

The plus factors are our strong basketball programs, but the primary motivator will be the potential entry into the NY football market.

For UConn's sake I hope it happens.

 

[triaddukefan]

The Hell with Maryland, let em leave for all I care. Sure it will hurt the ACC in women's basketball and lacrosse, but let the Big 10 deal with their obnoxious, profane, battery throwing, low class fans. Hope the terps enjoy their road trips to Iowa City and Lincoln. Have fun driving to the Big 10 tournaments in Chicago and Indianapolis.

 

[Bestiarius]

WOW!

So, would UCONN want the ACC or BIG 10?

ACC. The weather's better.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

If being within hailing distance of the Atlantic Coast was
the principal criterion for being invited into the ACC, then
UConn would be the obvious choice.

However, if you wanted a better football program along with
much better than average men's and women's basketball
programs then Louisville might be a better choice.

On the other hand, with Rutgers leaving the ACC, who else
but UConn might attract the NYC metro area market?

I'm not at all convinced that this deal for Maryland will get
done unless the Big 10 agrees to pick up a big chunk of
Maryland's $50 Mil exit fee.

 

[Icebear]

Thinking about this from a different point of view would father competition between SNY and the BTN now have become a stumbling block for UConn being attractive to the Big Ten? Might the SNY contract increased the push for Rutgers.

 

[UcMiami]

Thinking about this from a different point of view would father competition between SNY and the BTN now have become a stumbling block for UConn being attractive to the Big Ten? Might the SNY contract increased the push for Rutgers.

I doubt it. I think Rutgers made more sense for Big 10 - better football, 'closer' to the rest of the conference, and very importantly AAU. I know football is driving this thing, but the BIG10 is serious about the AAU perception of serious academics - one reason Herbst talked about joining.
I think this sets up an interesting situation if it happens. ND's move to the ACC is probably a motivating factor for this happening now - a number of conferences were hoping to attract them and waiting on them before making other plans. Uconn could now be very attractive to both Big10 and ACC - they are the only remaining viable school in the NY/NE market that hasn't been snapped up - for Big10 they lock in the NE corridor with MD and Rutgers, for ACC they replace the loss of MD and create a northeastern pod with Syracuse and BC.
I think the SNY deal helps the profile of Uconn as it shows that a NY based enterprise believes there is marketability for the Uconn brand.

 

[connboy77]

If being within hailing distance of the Atlantic Coast was
the principal criterion for being invited into the ACC, then
UConn would be the obvious choice.

However, if you wanted a better football program along with
much better than average men's and women's basketball
programs then Louisville might be a better choice.

On the other hand, with Rutgers leaving the ACC, who else
but UConn might attract the NYC metro area market?

I'm not at all convinced that this deal for Maryland will get
done unless the Big 10 agrees to pick up a big chunk of
Maryland's $50 Mil exit fee.

I agree, Rutgers will probably go to The Big Ten, but I seriously doubt that Maryland will be able to come up with the very high exit fee of $50 million to leave the ACC. Wish it would happen though so that UCONN would in all probability be invited to join the ACC.

 

[Icebear]

I have been told by the person who broke this news to me and is close to PSU the issue at UConn remains academics. Whether that means AAU cert or the issues of the hoops team I am not presently sure. I hope tpo no more but I am heading to CT tomorrow and will not be near my connections here.

 

[UConnChapette]

I know only one thing. If UConn gets an ACC invite, the Georgia Tech message boards will explode. They overwhelmingly feel UConn is a bad fit for the following reasons:

Academics (not an AAU member, post-season ban on men's basketball due to academics)
Football is a weakness
Belief that UConn will cease being a basketball power in the post-Calhoun era
Academics
Football
Geography (huh? Boston College is a fit? Syracuse and Pitt are a fit? But CT is not????)

I have a rooting interest in Georgia Tech since my son is a student there. But the GT fans on their message board are very snobbish. If for no other reason, I hope we get an invite. Reading their reactions would be very entertaining.

 

[triaddukefan]

I know only one thing. If UConn gets an ACC invite, the Georgia Tech message boards will explode. They overwhelmingly feel UConn is a bad fit for the following reasons:

I have a rooting interest in Georgia Tech since my son is a student there. But the GT fans on their message board are very snobbish. If for no other reason, I hope we get an invite. Reading their reactions would be very entertaining.

If you think the Georgia Tech message boards will explode... that will be miniscule compared to certain message boards of a darker blue tint

 

[alexrgct]

I know only one thing. If UConn gets an ACC invite, the Georgia Tech message boards will explode. They overwhelmingly feel UConn is a bad fit for the following reasons:

Academics (not an AAU member, post-season ban on men's basketball due to academics)
Football is a weakness
Belief that UConn will cease being a basketball power in the post-Calhoun era
Academics
Football
Geography (huh? Boston College is a fit? Syracuse and Pitt are a fit? But CT is not????)

I have a rooting interest in Georgia Tech since my son is a student there. But the GT fans on their message board are very snobbish. If for no other reason, I hope we get an invite. Reading their reactions would be very entertaining.

Bizarre criteria!


Academics: no conferences actually care about that anymore. Not to mention Clemson, Florida State, NC State, and Miami are hardly bastions of high academic standards.

Football- Uconn football sucks, but it has been to a BCS bowl in recent memory. And if it was in a conference where the team had more exposure in the south, recruiting would probably pick up.

Basketball being a weakness post-Calhoun. Could happen, certainly. Early returns suggest otherwise. Three national championships is a lot to hang the brand on, even if the coach who made it happen isn't at the helm anymore.

Geography- yep, totally ridiculous. Between Syracuse and UConn, you have a healthy slice of the NY market. Between BC and UConn, you have a healthy slice of New England. I think Uconn would be a great fit. Hope Herbst and Manuel are able to make it happen.

 

[Goodgood]

Do you guys seriously think that any of the schools will pay the total amount of exit fees and abide to the ridiculous restrictions? They always negotiate and there is always a threat of a lawsuit, and all of a sudden, everything disappears in secrecy and the school leaves before they are allowed to leave and do not pay what they are supposed to pay and the terms are undisclosed.

 

[Icebear]

Do you guys seriously think that any of the schools will pay the total amount of exit fees and abide to the ridiculous restrictions? They always negotiate and there is always a threat of a lawsuit, and all of a sudden, everything disappears in secrecy and the school leaves before they are allowed to leave and do not pay what they are supposed to pay and the terms are undisclosed.

And the conference that wants them badly if there is one will, also, help to pay those exit fees.

 

[ed4ourgirls]

. . . Academics: no conferences actually care about that anymore. . . .

I think the Big 10 does. Every school except Nebraska is an AAU member,
and Nebraska was when they joined the conference. They were voted out
within the last year or two, and two of the negative votes were cast by Big 10
presidents (I think Michigan was one.)

Incidentally, the University of Chicago is still a member of the Big 10
academically, even though they left the conference athletically back in 1939
to divest themselves of the corrupting influence of big time college football.
(They now compete at the D3 level.)

 

[LesMis89]

If being within hailing distance of the Atlantic Coast was
the principal criterion for being invited into the ACC, then
UConn would be the obvious choice.

However, if you wanted a better football program along with
much better than average men's and women's basketball
programs then Louisville might be a better choice.

On the other hand, with Rutgers leaving the ACC, who else
but UConn might attract the NYC metro area market?

I'm not at all convinced that this deal for Maryland will get
done unless the Big 10 agrees to pick up a big chunk of
Maryland's $50 Mil exit fee.

Kevin Plank

 

[ed4ourgirls]

Kevin Plank

It must be nice to be a billionaire!

 

[nan linds]

I just read this - http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...4531dc-3268-11e2-9cfa-e41bac906cc9_story.html

Looks like a long link but I am not one of the tech yarders.

 

[uconnell]

Hey Tech fans Cuse isn't in the AAU any more.

 

[rjp172]

Bizarre criteria!


Academics: no conferences actually care about that anymore. Not to mention Clemson, Florida State, NC State, and Miami are hardly bastions of high academic standards.

Football- Uconn football sucks, but it has been to a BCS bowl in recent memory. And if it was in a conference where the team had more exposure in the south, recruiting would probably pick up.

Basketball being a weakness post-Calhoun. Could happen, certainly. Early returns suggest otherwise. Three national championships is a lot to hang the brand on, even if the coach who made it happen isn't at the helm anymore.

Geography- yep, totally ridiculous. Between Syracuse and UConn, you have a healthy slice of the NY market. Between BC and UConn, you have a healthy slice of New England. I think Uconn would be a great fit. Hope Herbst and Manuel are able to make it happen.

I don't know that quality of any of the athletic programs is the deciding factor. I think we can all agree it's about money and the possibility of making more money. I understand that there is a draw fro UConn in the NY market, but does it surpass what is already going to be brought by Syracuse and possibly even ND with their large NYC appeal? That's an honest question...I don't know...so if anyone does please share.

Is it just about tv markets or does the value of the specific teams/brands come into play? I shockingly learned earlier today that Louisville of all teams was the highest monetarily valued basketball team...even more so than Duke and UNC. Have no idea what their football team is valued at. There is the possibility that the ACC moving into a completely untapped market like the KY/S. Ohio area may hold similar if not more value than UConn's appeal with the NY area because it's "cannibalized" by other teams already in the ACC. That could tip the scale in Louisville's favor. Academically UConn would be the far better choice, but the ACC has the academic reputation at the top of the conference to represent itself while they brought the less than stellar schools in for sports.

It'll be interesting to see if this comes down to who like who best among member schools and what kind of politics will come into play. I think enough years a people have gone by for UConn and BC to be amicable with UConn's inclusion.

 

[Icebear]

Do not confuse Syracuse and the NY market with UConn and the much larger NYC market. Syracuse brings you Buffalo, CT is where people working in NYC live.

 

[rjp172]

Do not confuse Syracuse and the NY market with UConn and the much larger NYC market. Syracuse brings you Buffalo, CT is where people working in NYC live.

That helps explain some of my questions. Are those people that work in NYC and live in CT a strong contingent of fans of UConn football that would have a tv impact? I'm not trying to be antagonistic on the subject I just really don't understand based on the little knowledge that I have. There was a comment some time ago either here or another board about how UConn would be a better selection for the ACC than Rutgers during the last round of defections. One of the key arguing points was that Rutgers football isn't that important to NYC fans. To illustrate that point the poster cited attendance to the Yankee Stadium game where UConn out drew Rutgers significantly. Being a ND fan I know that neither had the attendance of ND by a wide margin. ND sold out the event. The others weren't close. That's actual butts in seats which isn't what this decision will be made for. Is this about ratings, which would in turn boost the amount of money they would get when they renegotiate the tv contract? The ACC has a contract with ESPN. The ACC will also get a guaranteed 5 games a year on NBC. Obviously UConn fans aren't ND fans, but there has already been a gain of a significant market by ND's partial inclusion. I guess it still boils down to what additional fan base and ratings UConn can offer in a similar market that Louisville can't offer in theirs. I imagine the number is greater as well as the dollar signs in UConn territory and there still is the point that UConn just seems like a better fit, but it will come down to dollars. Never thought it would even be a tough decision until I was clued into just high the value of Louisville basketball was financially. Their football team could be similar.

 

[msf22b]

The new Western teams see the handwriting on the wall and are getting ready to bolt the the not so Big East

http://espn.go.com/college-football...ztecs-byu-cougars-talk-mwc-return-sources-say