The suggestion that joining the NBE would generate a windfall for UConn is a complete fallacy. People are conflating issues, judging revenue solely on basketball specific TV deals, and simply using bad data.
In year ending June 2015 the gross revenue of the NBE was $42.6M, Their media deal paid out $31.6M (or $3.16M per school). Of course. . . there are expenses. The net payout for teams in the conference averaged less than $3M, which ranged from Creighton's payout of $2.2M to top earner Villanova's $3.7M. For year ending June 2016 the NBE revenue climbed to $45.8M. Assuming expenses stay relatively consistent, you are talking about an extra $200K increase per school at best. Fox back-loaded this deal.
The AAC's revenue for year ending June 2016 was $79.3M, up $9M from the year prior, but still pretty lame. Of that, UConn pocketed $10.5M. Before you think it's all about NCAA Units/Exit Fees, Houston pocketed $7.1M. Even Tulsa pocketed $4.7M. Post Season Tournaments totaled $48M. Much of this was derived through the CFP, which will continue to increase (helping offset other decreases). The recent success of AAC football will add to the pot. Having said that, the AAC is still at a distinct disadvantage with regard to the P5. That's a fact.
Would UConn be better off collecting $3.7M, funding a FCS football team and outfitting 20+ olympic sports, like Villanova? I doubt it, at least financially. The $3.7 would not begin to cover the cost of doing so. We would likely have to scrap football altogether. Currently, it's pretty much a wash with regard to conference revenue, with our $7M edge (along with FBS attached revenue) going to subsidize a modest FBS effort. The difference is that AAC/P5 inclusion has much, much greater upside potential on many different levels, especially for a flagship university. Unfortunately, fan interest and some sports, including basketball, will take a hit in the short term, but it's still the right course of action. The upcoming TV deal will help determine whether that remains the case.
