The Existential Question to be Answered First

[BlueDogs]

This presumes we had ANY offer for P5. You sir are unhinged.
Basketball is important to us. The move to the Big EAST is hugely supported by our Fanbase. I think Benedict has proven that we can schedule to succeed at this Independent level ... can we throw a decent Football team on the field?

P5 was not going to happen after first BC ... then losing out to Louisville. WE were not going to get taken over Syracuse or Pitt - at that moment. And to huskysupporter ... we would NEVER spend money like a Louisville; so, we were predestined to lose to that kind of player.

The Net. There are gonna be more FBS moving up; nobody is moving down. It will be in our region - I am convinced. Not URI or UNH ... but the CAA level need see the $ available and I think within 5 you will see 3-5 at a higher arc. MAC isn't a great fit for us; as it wasn't for UMASS and ain't for UBuffalo.

No Pudge. It's basic logic and math. "Basketball is important to us" is simply a statement devoid of meaning beyond an emotional claim. It may be but isn't in relation to the rest of the money landscape. It's hard to argue facts with emotionally driven sentamentalism that refuses to acknowledge that paying $20.5 Million ($17M exist + $3.5 entrance) to get $4M instead of $6M is called losing more money. When you strand the asset that can produce revenue to protect a nonappreciating asset, that's a bad decision in any business. Now, if you intend to become a nonfootball school, it might make marginal sense, but you've effectively decided to become a second tier school.

 

[CL82]

I believe we lost the P5 issue when Senator BloomingIdiot (as AG) sued BC and the ACC. I don't think they forgot. I think the B1G might not invite us because they might think we might not be able member

Don't know if this is still a factor but I do believe it was when Louisville rather that UConn went to the ACC.

At the time of the law suit I posted on the CR board some information that I got in a conversation with an SEC official. He told me that bringing in the two Presidents and the ACC commissioner as individuals was looked on by other conferences as shocking. In their opinion, what Bloomie was trying to do was say that these officials had a duty to protect UConn and the OBE that was almost equal to their duty to protect the interests of their own institutions.

Needless to say they found this as totally unacceptable.

I just hope that the ACC and BC will forgive us. When I heard Bloomie was going to sue, my state Representative was against it. It would be bad blood and it did.

Lol, this is nonsense. Bloomberg didn't sue anyone, the institutions did, including Pittsburg, who got the nod over us to go to ACC with Syracuse. UConn was originally the target with Syracuse. The BC athletic director told the Boston Globe that they blocked UConn's entry because "(BC) wanted to be the New England team." That article also goes on to sad that NC and Duke were shocked by that mindset because their regional rivalry helps both of them.

Louisville got the nod to replace Maryland because FSU flexed it's muscles to get a "football" replacement rather than Tobacco Road's preference UConn. All this stuff is well documented. It is surprising to me that people still perpetuate the "it's all Bloomies fault" myth when it has been so thoroughly and publicly debunked.

 

[huskymedic]

I don't disagree with that. Winning solves a lot of the issues. But I feel that more people would be aware about the program if instead of it playing in Hartford it played in Bridgeport. It just would be visible to a lot more people.

You want the UConn Football team to play in Bridgeport instead of East Hartford?

 

[LoyalFanCT]

UConn could play one game a season at Yale Bowl. Seats around 70,000. Maybe a game at CitiField would be less expensive than Yankee Stadium.

 

[coachcap]

UConn could play one game a season at Yale Bowl. Seats around 70,000. Maybe a game at CitiField would be less expensive than Yankee Stadium.

No UConn can not play a game a season at Yale Bowl. Part of the reason that the 10 year Notre Dame contract wasn't signed was because the Irish wanted UConn's Home games to be in alternate sites like Giants, Yankee, Citifield, or Foxboro to accommodate their fans. The State mandated that all Husky home games be played at the RENT to protect its investment. Exceptions can be made, like the game at Fenway against the Thunderchickens. The only way that UConn will play at the Bowl is if the Huskies resume home & homes with the Elis.

 

[LIUCHusky]

Jeep, let me correct you on the Fiesta Bowl participation by the fanbase. UConn fans filled at least a quarter of the Stadium, they just didn't buy through the University. UConn only sold a complete package of tickets to the game, airfare, & hotel accommodations & it was at a premium price.
That year, the 1-A National Championship game was also held in Phoenix. Any fan who wished to buy ticket to the Championship was also REQUIRED to by tickets to the Fiesta Bowl & another bowl game held in Sun Devil Stadium. The purchased tickets to the Fiesta Bowl & Sun Devil Bowl were dumped onto the secondary market (e.g. StubHub, Ticketmaster) & sold for pennies on the dollar.
Husky fans (as well as Oklahoma fans) purchased the secondary market tickets, made there own hotel & airfare reservations & saved a bundle.
I was at the game. Husky fans packed the seating from the 50 yard line on the UConn side of the field to the endzone where the UConn Marching Band was seated. There were also fans wearing blue in various other spots in the building

One correction coach. UCONN did indeed sell tickets without needing to buy travel and accommodation package. I know since I bought at least 8 tickets through UCONN.

 

[CL82]

No UConn can not play a game a season at Yale Bowl. Part of the reason that the 10 year Notre Dame contract wasn't signed was because the Irish wanted UConn's Home games to be in alternate sites like Giants, Yankee, Citifield, or Foxboro to accommodate their fans. The State mandated that all Husky home games be played at the RENT to protect its investment. Exceptions can be made, like the game at Fenway against the Thunderchickens. The only way that UConn will play at the Bowl is if the Huskies resume home & homes with the Elis.

I suspect turning down the Notre Dame deal hurts us a little bit in realignment. If we want to be Notre Dame‘s “plus one“ if they eventually join the ACC, it probably wouldn’t have hurt to have a relationship with them. Personally, I would’ve been OK if they went with alternating our home games between Giants stadium, Gillette and the Rent. So the contract might look like Notre Dame, Giants Stadium, Notre Dame, Gillette, Notre Dame, Rentschler Field, Notre Dame, Giants stadium, Notre Dame, Gillette. As long as the NYC and Boston games are still home games for us, I think that would’ve been OK.

 

[billybud]

One correction coach. UCONN did indeed sell tickets without needing to buy travel and accommodation package. I know since I bought at least 8 tickets through UCONN.

The problem is that UConn, just like other schools, must buy a certain number of tickets at full book price....the seats can be had cheaper on resale markets like Stubhub...

 

[Milo65]

Need to win! Eventually the SEC will go after Clemson and FSU. When that happens the musical chairs will start again. UConn needs to be winning consistently by then.

 

[uconnfan68]

The problem is that UConn, just like other schools, must buy a certain number of tickets at full book price....the seats can be had cheaper on resale markets like Stubhub...

And many other schools subsidize that cost… like Oklahoma did.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Need to win! Eventually the SEC will go after Clemson and FSU. When that happens the musical chairs will start again. UConn needs to be winning consistently by then.

Milo is totally correct. We want to be the leading choice for the ACC with no Louisville like challengers.

 

[Adios]

Old Dominion and UAB will leapfrog us, going by BY logic.

 

[John Greene]

And many other schools subsidize that cost… like Oklahoma did.

I believe that most conferences provide the individual schools a 'subsidy' to offset the cost of the tickets. The OBE did not do that so UConn was on the line for the full cost of required tickets. As an independent FB program UConn will again be responsible for the full cost of any bowl ticket requirements.

Needless to say at this point that would be a high class 'problem' for the program.

 

[DoctorWho85]

Need to win! Eventually the SEC will go after Clemson and FSU. When that happens the musical chairs will start again. UConn needs to be winning consistently by then.

If that happens, it forces the B1G to expand and Kansas and UConn would be top targets for the conference.

 

[Greedo]

If that happens, it forces the B1G to expand and Kansas and UConn would be top targets for the conference.

Without AAU I don't know that UConn is ever a top candidate for the B1G. In that scenario the top two would be Kansas and Iowa State, likely regardless of the state of UConn's football program. The ACC is our best ticket to P4, assuming the football program drastically improves.

 

[bobbyinaz]

Without AAU I don't know that UConn is ever a top candidate for the B1G. In that scenario the top two would be Kansas and Iowa State, likely regardless of the state of UConn's football program. The ACC is our best ticket to P4, assuming the football program drastically improves.

If Clemson & FSU go to the SEC that means that the ACC is imploding.

The B1G would target UNC & UVA and likely consider Duke & Georgia Tech way before thinking about Iowa St & Kansas.

 

[Stinger92860]

You want the UConn Football team to play in Bridgeport instead of East Hartford?

They could sell out Bridgeport Central! The Jets (kinda) played there.

 

[Stinger92860]

I think an issue is that UConn and The Rent are far away from the population center of the state in Fairfield County. Add the fact that those in Fairfield County are close to NYC and all that it brings, and UConm football has a tough time competing for awareness, especially when it's historically bad

It does not affect either of our basketball teams, think 6th Borough. We put 8K+ in MSG when we play there. I’m curious to see how many Husky fans make the trip on 12/11 to the Pru in Newark. I’ll be there.

 

[Greedo]

If Clemson & FSU go to the SEC that means that the ACC is imploding.

The B1G would target UNC & UVA and likely consider Duke & Georgia Tech way before thinking about Iowa St & Kansas.

Right, either way they're not considering UConn, which was my main point. We'd be below Iowa State on the pecking order of B1G considerations.

 

[Watchdog]

The cost to get out of the BE is intentionally financially prohibitive because the conference knows we’d move in a second. They also blocked football from moving to a P5 because they were afraid the rest would soon follow. So, we paid $17M to get out of a conference that paid $6M and paid $3.5 Million to get in a conference that pays $4 Million, plus lost the right to move football to a P5 and if we leave the Big East the exit fee is $30 Million. So we invested $20 Million to burnish a sports asset that has limited revenue (BB) potential and cut ourselves off from rebuilding the asset that the market pays value for (FB). I don’t know who in their right mind would cut such a deal. Your local independent business owner would knows better. The smart play would have been enter a P5 for a $7M revenue share for 10 years. That’s how bad a deal it was.

While you're questioning peoples' sanity, are you saying you wouldn't find a way to pay $30 Million one time in order to be able to join a league which pays its members $25-30 Million (ACC) to $50 Million (B1G) EVERY YEAR?

 

[Bongo Fury]

Return on investment?