The Athletic Group of 5 Mailbag Question: Will UConn's turnaround under Jim Mora get them in a conference?

[gars44]

At least one Carolina fan thinks BCU and Syracuse should be tossed . . .

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However, there is little support on the ACC boards to add us. Most of the thread was like this . . .

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Of course, fans don't decide these things.

That's got to be a BC fan posting that

 

[Hoophound]

That’s why we have to win. 6-5 doesn’t solve our problem.

 

[CL82]

That’s why we have to win. 6-5 doesn’t solve our problem.

Neither does 7-5, though.

 

[TerryD]

That's got to be a BC fan posting that

XLance is an old school Carolina poster who hates the fact that the ACC expanded with Northern schools at all.

He wants a return to the old 9 school ACC. He hates all ACC additions since FSU/Miami.

 

[billybud]

To be fair...a lot of fans on ACC boards view the ACC expansion foray into the northeast to be a wrong step.

Syracuse and BC are a long haul from Clemson and Tallahassee who have had to play them yearly....the sports cultures are very different and there is no feeling of commonness. It's like playing a geographically distant out of conference game. And attended as such.

It might have been different if Cuse and BC were seen as real assets to the conference...after all, South Bend is a long way too, but there is little complaining.

 

[billybud]

One article referenced on an ACC board would make tough reading for any Husky fan....and I am sure that I will get pummelled for referencing it...but, The Day (out of New London) wrote an article "Why would the ACC ever want UConn ?".

I thought that the points made seemed thought out but definitely were not written wearing blue tinted glasses.

Amongst many, maybe the most arguable point was the value of the "market".

UConn’s potential addition to the ACC wouldn’t give the league more media money because it does not add a coveted media market. The ACC is already in New England. Delusional UConn fans might argue the school would deliver New York. Hence the word “delusional.” If UConn truly delivered New York, it would have become a Power 5 school long ago.

FSU fans also do not like the article's implications.

Surely, though, the burgeoning cesspool of college athletics lends itself to presumption and speculation. To wit: Wouldn’t there be a spot for UConn in the ACC if Clemson, Florida State and Miami leave for the Southeastern Conference?

One problem: The SEC appears to be done expanding for the same reason the ACC doesn’t want UConn. There is no additional marketplace. The football programs at Clemson, Florida State and Miami might have similar cachet to UConn basketball. But the SEC has already saturated the southeastern portion of the country where Clemson, Florida State and Miami reside.

It appears that UConn may have a better chance of joining a power 2 than FSU or Clemson...(I am assuming that it would have to be the B1G).

 

[billybud]

and...Geno's quote was referenced in the article...I spit out my coffee..

"Notre Dame is like Robin Hood. They take from the rich and give to Notre Dame"

 

[HitDog]

One article referenced on an ACC board would make tough reading for any Husky fan....and I am sure that I will get pummelled for referencing it...but, The Day (out of New London) wrote an article "Why would the ACC ever want UConn ?".

I thought that the points made seemed thought out but definitely were not written wearing blue tinted glasses.

Amongst many, maybe the most arguable point was the value of the "market".

UConn’s potential addition to the ACC wouldn’t give the league more media money because it does not add a coveted media market. The ACC is already in New England. Delusional UConn fans might argue the school would deliver New York. Hence the word “delusional.” If UConn truly delivered New York, it would have become a Power 5 school long ago.

FSU fans also do not like the article's implications.

Surely, though, the burgeoning cesspool of college athletics lends itself to presumption and speculation. To wit: Wouldn’t there be a spot for UConn in the ACC if Clemson, Florida State and Miami leave for the Southeastern Conference?

One problem: The SEC appears to be done expanding for the same reason the ACC doesn’t want UConn. There is no additional marketplace. The football programs at Clemson, Florida State and Miami might have similar cachet to UConn basketball. But the SEC has already saturated the southeastern portion of the country where Clemson, Florida State and Miami reside.

It appears that UConn may have a better chance of joining a power 2 than FSU or Clemson...(I am assuming that it would have to be the B1G).

So you're refencing BCGenuius huh? We know his work

 

[Kolumbo]

One article referenced on an ACC board would make tough reading for any Husky fan....and I am sure that I will get pummelled for referencing it...but, The Day (out of New London) wrote an article "Why would the ACC ever want UConn ?".

I thought that the points made seemed thought out but definitely were not written wearing blue tinted glasses.

Amongst many, maybe the most arguable point was the value of the "market".

UConn’s potential addition to the ACC wouldn’t give the league more media money because it does not add a coveted media market. The ACC is already in New England. Delusional UConn fans might argue the school would deliver New York. Hence the word “delusional.” If UConn truly delivered New York, it would have become a Power 5 school long ago.

FSU fans also do not like the article's implications.

Surely, though, the burgeoning cesspool of college athletics lends itself to presumption and speculation. To wit: Wouldn’t there be a spot for UConn in the ACC if Clemson, Florida State and Miami leave for the Southeastern Conference?

One problem: The SEC appears to be done expanding for the same reason the ACC doesn’t want UConn. There is no additional marketplace. The football programs at Clemson, Florida State and Miami might have similar cachet to UConn basketball. But the SEC has already saturated the southeastern portion of the country where Clemson, Florida State and Miami reside.

It appears that UConn may have a better chance of joining a power 2 than FSU or Clemson...(I am assuming that it would have to be the B1G).

So you're refencing BCGenuius huh? We know his work

I was just replying. the person who wrote that is a known bcu stoolie who hates UCONN. he and the word delusional are no strangers.

 

[Luna]

I think Uconn has to make it on it’s own first…we need a good big east deal and a good football independent deal … hopefully Mora can come though… then maybe the Acc will come calling… at that time we will have to decide if joining the acc is worth it… right now I can’t see any power conference calling

 

[hoopsfan22]

Conferences are just scared of the athletic juggernaut that is UConn. Women's basketball ranked 3rd in the country, men's team ranked, men's ice hockey ranked 7th alongside all of those B1G hockey teams, and the women's hockey team is ranked 12th, football bowl eligibile and up and coming, plus we're good at baseball and other sports like field hockey.

 

[coachcap]

Conferences are just scared of the athletic juggernaut that is UConn. Women's basketball ranked 3rd in the country, men's team ranked, men's ice hockey ranked 7th alongside all of those B1G hockey teams, and the women's hockey team is ranked 12th, football bowl eligibile and up and coming, plus we're good at baseball and other sports like field hockey.

So I was thinking, what happens when/If UConn wins the Presidents Cup or whatever that award is called for overall athletic excellence?

 

[billybud]

So you're refencing BCGenuius huh? We know his work

Thanks...I did not know that the writer on The Day in New London was a BC guy...sorry about that...but I still think much of what he said holds water...

 

[HitDog]

Thanks...I did not know that the writer on The Day in New London was a BC guy...sorry about that...but I still think much of what he said holds water...

Of course you do you're like a broken record.

 

[hoopsfan22]

So I was thinking, what happens when/If UConn wins the Presidents Cup or whatever that award is called for overall athletic excellence?

Nothing really. Realignment isn't about any real quantifiable or tangible metrics. It's a good old boys club and they know who they want in (and more importantly who they don't), and then make the parameters so specific that it could only ever fit those one or two schools that were pre-chosen. It's not about academics, or TV markets, or success on the field/court because UConn is better than most of the P5 schools in all of those areas.

 

[Hoophound]

One article referenced on an ACC board would make tough reading for any Husky fan....and I am sure that I will get pummelled for referencing it...but, The Day (out of New London) wrote an article "Why would the ACC ever want UConn ?".

I thought that the points made seemed thought out but definitely were not written wearing blue tinted glasses.

Amongst many, maybe the most arguable point was the value of the "market".

UConn’s potential addition to the ACC wouldn’t give the league more media money because it does not add a coveted media market. The ACC is already in New England. Delusional UConn fans might argue the school would deliver New York. Hence the word “delusional.” If UConn truly delivered New York, it would have become a Power 5 school long ago.

FSU fans also do not like the article's implications.

Surely, though, the burgeoning cesspool of college athletics lends itself to presumption and speculation. To wit: Wouldn’t there be a spot for UConn in the ACC if Clemson, Florida State and Miami leave for the Southeastern Conference?

One problem: The SEC appears to be done expanding for the same reason the ACC doesn’t want UConn. There is no additional marketplace. The football programs at Clemson, Florida State and Miami might have similar cachet to UConn basketball. But the SEC has already saturated the southeastern portion of the country where Clemson, Florida State and Miami reside.

It appears that UConn may have a better chance of joining a power 2 than FSU or Clemson...(I am assuming that it would have to be the B1G).

He was trolling us. Been going on for years.

 

[Hoophound]

Thanks...I did not know that the writer on The Day in New London was a BC guy...sorry about that...but I still think much of what he said holds water...

Sort of. We do actually carry a lot of the New York market, as we've covered here a million times. Certainly, there would be whining about adding a horrible football program. However, a few years of us being good will change a lot of things. I believe we will have the most successful combo of 3 major revenue programs over the next several years with both our basketball programs storming back to elite status and our football team playing Top 25 ball.

 

[Rufus]

The article mentioned FSU, Miami and Clemson provide no new geographical benefit to the SEC. This is true. But what they do provide are more big brands for more big matchups for other SEC schools, which could generate revenue that way.

Also, those three schools would give the B1G new geographic territory AND more big brands for more big matchups in the B1G. Kevin Warren has already said AAU membership is not a requirement to join the B1G.

I think all three schools will end up in either the SEC or B1G eventually. UNC as well. Those are the only 4 ACC schools with a guaranteed lifeboat to one of the P2. UConn will be backfilled into the ACC at that time.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Sort of. We do actually carry a lot of the New York market, as we've covered here a million times. Certainly, there would be whining about adding a horrible football program. However, a few years of us being good will change a lot of things. I believe we will have the most successful combo of 3 major revenue programs over the next several years with both our basketball programs storming back to elite status and our football team playing Top 25 ball.

Don't most alumni live in the NYC market? I assumed so because that's the most populated part of the state. The TV markets in the northeast aren't like the rest of the country. They sometimes only encompass a handful of counties, and even one of the smallest states in the country like Connecticut is covered by more than one TV market because of the dense population. When you are sandwiched between the #1 and #8 TV markets, you can bet there are a ton of alumni living in those adjoining TV markets given the short distances involved.

 

[businesslawyer]

Hear me out:

Football finishes 8-5 this season, followed by back to back 9 win seasons in year 2 and 3 of Mora. The Rent attendance returns to ~40K to 35K as UConn is a consistence bowl team, beating some notable P5 schools each year.

Mens Basketball makes the sweet 16 this season. The following year with Hurleys highest rated recruiting class ever, they make the final 4. The next year they make another deep run and Hurleys team continue to a be top 25 team.

Womens Basketball win another title in Paiges senior year and remains a top program.

Which conference wouldn't want us in next 3-5 years?!?

Your argument that performance will only help is rational. But we watched the ACC take Louisville over us in a year where we won mens and womens championships, went to the Fiesta Bowl and sent our baseball team to the Super Regional.

 

[businesslawyer]

I disagree that the AAC was more difficult than the Big East. You have to remember that the worst Big East teams were not nearly as bad as the worst AAC teams. If you look at UConn's Sagarin schedule rating during the Big East and AAC years, it show UConn played a tougher schedule in the Big East than the AAC. Here are the numbers:

Big East: 2004 to 2012: 61.9
AAC: 2013 to 2019: 77.0

The real problem was UConn football starting falling apart in 2012 and never recovered which made the AAC appear more difficult. Look at the Sagarin ratings:

Big East: UConn football 57.4
AAC: UConn football 126

If UConn had won in the AAC, fans would have come to games, although probably not as much as during the Big East days. Bottom line, UConn made 2 really bad head coaching hires that really tanked the program and UConn did not invest in the program. You can argue that UConn doesn't have the money, but look at the salaries over time in this table:

UConn: 2009: $1.5 million, 2022: $1.5 million
Cincinnati: 2009: $1.5 million, 2022: $5.0 million
Houston: 2009: $700k, 2022: $5.0 million
UCF: 2009: $1.15 million, 2022: $4.0 million

Bingo.

 

[businesslawyer]

One article referenced on an ACC board would make tough reading for any Husky fan....and I am sure that I will get pummelled for referencing it...but, The Day (out of New London) wrote an article "Why would the ACC ever want UConn ?".

I thought that the points made seemed thought out but definitely were not written wearing blue tinted glasses.

Amongst many, maybe the most arguable point was the value of the "market".

UConn’s potential addition to the ACC wouldn’t give the league more media money because it does not add a coveted media market. The ACC is already in New England. Delusional UConn fans might argue the school would deliver New York. Hence the word “delusional.” If UConn truly delivered New York, it would have become a Power 5 school long ago.

FSU fans also do not like the article's implications.

Surely, though, the burgeoning cesspool of college athletics lends itself to presumption and speculation. To wit: Wouldn’t there be a spot for UConn in the ACC if Clemson, Florida State and Miami leave for the Southeastern Conference?

One problem: The SEC appears to be done expanding for the same reason the ACC doesn’t want UConn. There is no additional marketplace. The football programs at Clemson, Florida State and Miami might have similar cachet to UConn basketball. But the SEC has already saturated the southeastern portion of the country where Clemson, Florida State and Miami reside.

It appears that UConn may have a better chance of joining a power 2 than FSU or Clemson...(I am assuming that it would have to be the B1G).

DiMauro of the Day is a Richard (I don't want to be edited). BC "gets" the ACC Connecticut far less than UConn would "get" a conference New York. Does BC have its own contracts to bring its sports events into CT? Because UConn has had contracts to get its events on a NY cable channel, and still has it I believe for women's hoops.

It's not Di Mauro's fault he's a BC grad, or sees the world through maroon tinted glasses. But he's just a four legged animal that reminds some of donkeys and mules.

 

[businesslawyer]

At least one Carolina fan thinks BCU and Syracuse should be tossed . . .

View attachment 80715

However, there is little support on the ACC boards to add us. Most of the thread was like this . . .

View attachment 80716

Of course, fans don't decide these things.

Other than the opinion of the individual author, the second post is just stupid. The ACC might consider Navy as a football only. Other than that, we're far more likely than anyone else on that list to backfill the ACC when the Big Ten or SEC takes some of their members. But football can't be a total joke and this year can't just be a one year aberration.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The article mentioned FSU, Miami and Clemson provide no new geographical benefit to the SEC. This is true. But what they do provide are more big brands for more big matchups for other SEC schools, which could generate revenue that way.

Also, those three schools would give the B1G new geographic territory AND more big brands for more big matchups in the B1G. Kevin Warren has already said AAU membership is not a requirement to join the B1G.

I think all three schools will end up in either the SEC or B1G eventually. UNC as well. Those are the only 4 ACC schools with a guaranteed lifeboat to one of the P2. UConn will be backfilled into the ACC at that time.

If (more accurately when) the SEC expands by adding current ACC members, priorities 1a & 1b will be adding a presence in Virginia and North Carolina, the only two southern states they can't call home.

 

[HuskyDogArt]

B10 still may not want us given that we do not have AAU membership and it may take a while to get one. But ACC may be very interested especially if other conferences come a calling.

Nebraska doesn't have AAU membership. B1G would be nice if they accept us, UVa, Stanford and Cal. Think about the schedule with it. tOUS, PSU, Rutgers and let's say UCLA and Stanford at home? 5hink the Rent wouldn't be expanded to 70k? I'd still want hockeyin Hockey East not the Big 10.