It’s possible, but I’m not sure even the SEC would want to pass now, now that the clock is ticking on filling the new “Power 5″, 16 team, two division format in advance of the new football playoff system.
Don’t underestimate the impact the accomplishments of UCONN basketball is having now. If it turns out, as most of us suspect, that Bob Diaco is the right guy, the best choice Warde Manuel could have made from the selection of available, high profile assistants, and UCONN football takes a quick giant step, losing in the UCONN sweepstakes would be more than three fold.
The leagues hesitant to act will not only lose an up and coming football program, but a program that, in it’s current state, isn’t a day one threat to established powers in established leagues, and don’t think that’s not important to the officials who will vote on membership.
If UCONN offers two national champions in basketball, while the revenue and the profile isn’t in the same class as football, it’s awful nice to have your league on center stage every March.
Any league that plays a waiting game on UCONN now may find itself waiting too long. UCONN may not match Cincinnati in football yet, but the promise is there. When it comes to basketball nobody, not Cincinnati or anyone else, is in UCONN’s league. In a lot of minds that elevates the already acceptable status of UCONN football a whole lot. The league that hesitates will be the league that loses.
It may not be about basketball, but basketball makes waiting to see on UCONN football a big gamble. It’s a gamble at least one league out there probably won’t be willing to take. This last week should have put the Huskies over the top and into a “Power 5″ league.
