jplotinus, are you a UConn football fan? Do you go to UConn football games? If not, I can kind of understand where you are coming from.
But if you are, then you understand that the movement of the other conferences to increasing the footprint of their conferences, increasing it's media markets and bringing in the best football programs they can will have a lasting impact on ALL sports, beyond football. The money that is on the table for schools in the mega conferences and their media contracts can be reinvested in football programs as well as the other sports. More money in the coffers means more money to enhance facilities, which will bring in better recruits, which will increase the success of the programs. Not to mention the greater and better the competition, the greater the likelihood of getting top recruits which in turn leads to more success. Less money puts teams at a competitive disadvantage all around.
Like it or not, football is the driving force behind this and UConn's success in non-football sports will, at some point, suffer if they do not end up at the adult table.
Do you remember the days when ODU was a women's basketball annual power? I do. Where are they now? When was the last time they were ranked in the top 10 or in the running for a national championship? Look at the teams in the CAA. Got any football powers there? No? Do you think that is a coincidence?
UConn cannot stay in the tattered remnants of the Big East and expect to stay relevant in the basketball world. Without big name football programs and the money that comes with the media rights for those conferences, financing the other sports will become increasingly difficult.