The pros and cons of joining the Pac-12 for football only

[shizzle787]

The more I think about this, the more I think the Pac-12 will come back around and likely up whatever offer they gave to us before.

So what are the pros and cons:

Cons:
We can no longer play 4-5 P4 schools a year (the max would be 3 going forward if we schedule an FCS game)
We would no longer play predominantly eastern schools
We would have to travel 4 times a year out west
Less games on TV
Potentially having to play 1-2 Pac-12 teams a year in men's and women's basketball on a rotation
Being in the same football league as potentially Texas State

Pros:
CFP money
A realistic path to the CFP (the Pac-12 champ will likely make the playoff 7-8 times a decade)
Additional TV monies (if we get 70% of a TV contract that could realistically be an additional 5-6 million per year in the coffers)
Decent name opponents (Boise State, SDSU, Washington State, Oregon State, etc.)

 

[DoctorWho85]

Cons:
Distance
Basketball
Pac-12

Pros:
none.

 

[pick6s]

It’s really not a bad option, if and only if it’s for football only and there is no exit fee.

If we have another good year or two in football though, it’s possible the Big 12 may come calling. That would be the ideal realistic scenario.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

I actually don’t see many cons, assuming the exit fee is reasonable if a power conference calls. Playing Gonzaga and whoever annually in basketball is fine by me if thats part of the deal. A CFP path is important for a football program.

 

[shizzle787]

I actually don’t see many cons, assuming the exit fee is reasonable if a power conference calls. Playing Gonzaga and whoever annually in basketball is fine by me if thats part of the deal. A CFP path is important for a football program.

There would be no exit fee from the Pac-12. It is in their new by-laws that no exit fee will be applied if a school leaves for a P4.

 

[CL82]

There would be no exit fee from the Pac-12. It is in their new by-laws that no exit fee will be applied if a school leaves for a P4.

I didn't know that. I kind of looked at joining the PAC whatever as being a tacit admission that the athletic department didn't see any realistic opportunity to join the big 12 or the ACC. But if the money is right, it is for football only, and we can get out for free, it makes sense.

 

[SU1968]

There is a liquidated fee requirement AND a GoR.

Term sheet outlines Pac-12 deal for Boise State, others including lock-in, WSU/OSU rights, more - BoiseDev

BoiseDev has obtained the term sheet between the Pac-12 conference and a set of four Mountain West members signed earlier this month that would have the schools join Oregon State and Washington State in the league. The document outlines the high-level terms of the membership, including locking...

boisedev.com

 

[Patman]

Cons:
Distance
Basketball
Pac-12

Pros:
none.

Who says we have to join for basketball?

 

[huskidork]

football only still not crazy about at all I think to make it feasible UConn would need travel partner(s), or a schedule fix that lets them play @ home more often than not.

 

[shizzle787]

Who says we have to join for basketball?

We don't and we won't.

 

[Kolumbo]

Pros:
Football is a member of perhaps the best G6 conference and perception matters. Conference standings and increased visibility for UConn
OSU and WSU are still legit P4 level programs in my opinion and Boise and SDSU are too. Add in 2 more P programs on the schedule and that's legit competition
PAC 12 should add at least 1 or 2 more eastern programs which benefits UConn. Having UConn may entice USF, Memphis increasing eastern time zone schedule
UConn and Texas State are the new Penn State and Texas

 

[metsfan2323]

Cons:
We can no longer play 4-5 P4 schools a year (the max would be 3 going forward if we schedule an FCS game)

LOL, literally all of our success this year was against the G5 teams and you still beat this stupid drum. Until we become a P4 team we better off playing a G5 schedule. You seem to enjoy watching us lose and having P4 referees work against us,

 

[shizzle787]

LOL, literally all of our success this year was against the G5 teams and you still beat this stupid drum. Until we become a P4 team we better off playing a G5 schedule. You seem to enjoy watching us lose and having P4 referees work against us,

We beat UNC, and three of our losses were by one score. Your inferiority complex is nauseating.

 

[metsfan2323]

We beat UNC, and three of our losses were by one score. Your inferiority complex is nauseating.

Your original point was about regular season scheduling. UNC was a post season game that would not have happened without our G5 wins. A little easier beating a P4 team when they don't have a head coach and the rosters are unstable.

 

[Kowalski]

There would be no exit fee from the Pac-12. It is in their new by-laws that no exit fee will be applied if a school leaves for a P4.

If there’s no exit fee, then distance is the only con. Even that’s probably no more that 4 or 5 trips for the FB team. And II can’t see how it would hurt BB.

Unless there’s an imminent P4 invite, getting into probably the best G6 with a path to the playoff would be great for the FB program. Hard to position the FB program among the best G6 programs otherwise. Can’t see us outperforming Boise & the other PAC-12 programs if we stay independent. Sustaining FB success is clearly in the critical path for entire athletic program success.

 

[shizzle787]

Your original point was about regular season scheduling. UNC was a post season game that would not have happened without our G5 wins. A little easier beating a P4 team when they don't have a head coach and the rosters are unstable.

They still had P4 players playing against us. Their lack of motivation isn't our problem.

 

[CL82]

There is a liquidated fee requirement AND a GoR.

Term sheet outlines Pac-12 deal for Boise State, others including lock-in, WSU/OSU rights, more - BoiseDev

BoiseDev has obtained the term sheet between the Pac-12 conference and a set of four Mountain West members signed earlier this month that would have the schools join Oregon State and Washington State in the league. The document outlines the high-level terms of the membership, including locking...

boisedev.com

According to the documents, if any schools opt out of joining the conference on July 1, 2026, they would have to pay liquidated damages of $30 million or $40 million, depending on which conference that school joined instead.

The Grant of Rights—a contract between a college athletics conference and its member institutions that gives the conference exclusive media rights to broadcast the schools’ games—states that the schools agree to join the Pac-12 until at least June 30, 2031—or a different mutually agreed-upon date established in an upcoming long-form agreement. The long-form agreement, which is due to be delivered to the schools by Oct. 11, will focus on the strategic considerations regarding the length of a media rights deal.

I'd imagine that we wouldn't agree to any GOR or any b significant liquidation fee.

 

[ZooCougar]

Is this still something that is being considered or is this just Twitter echochamber nonsense?

 

[uconnyankee]

LOL, literally all of our success this year was against the G5 teams and you still beat this stupid drum. Until we become a P4 team we better off playing a G5 schedule. You seem to enjoy watching us lose and having P4 referees work against us,

Literally???? So we literally didn’t beat a P4 team in the Fenway Bowl?

You’ve made the case of not playing other P4 teams if I recall. I disagree. We are competitive with lower tier P4 and our trend has been getting better.

I would prefer not to lose traction in that regard. I can see joining for FB as second option to B12. But having eastern partner like Memphis or Navy would be nice.

Maybe a ND like affiliation could be worked out with a couple basketball games as compensation.

 

[CL82]

Is this still something that is being considered or is this just Twitter echochamber nonsense?

Pretty sure it's the second one.

 

[Blades]

Cons: Is that Uconn's Indy schedule is already better than the PAC starting in 2026 and Uconn's AD already said no .... Plus as this year should prove, conference bowl tie-ins are irrelevant unless your in a P-4 ( Uconn took the AAC's game at Fenway)

Pros: Would be if the PAC wanted to give a "Uconn FB only partner" a full TV share if they got say a $7-10 mil a year per school
( I doubt they get that number...still yet to be known) Plus no exit fee..Ever !

 

[Ha Who]

Is this still something that is being considered or is this just Twitter echochamber nonsense?

Just Charlie Brown nonsense

 

[ScottVib]

football only still not crazy about at all I think to make it feasible UConn would need travel partner(s), or a schedule fix that lets them play @ home more often than not.

There's no need for a travel partner for football. You play one game a week. Teams fly in; fly out. Travel partners exist in basketball/other team sports to save on travel when you typically play a thursday - saturday; friday - sunday (or for some sports saturday - sunday) schedule. Team flies out plays the two teams within a bus drive distance and then flies out.

 

[Huskygrad88]

Literally???? So we literally didn’t beat a P4 team in the Fenway Bowl?

You’ve made the case of not playing other P4 teams if I recall. I disagree. We are competitive with lower tier P4 and our trend has been getting better.

I would prefer not to lose traction in that regard. I can see joining for FB as second option to B12. But having eastern partner like Memphis or Navy would be nice.

Maybe a ND like affiliation could be worked out with a couple basketball games as compensation.

I do not want to dismiss the Fenway Bowl, but with what NC was going through I do not put as much weight as I would a regular season game, and Mets had already said he was replying about regular season anyway.

While I think we are getting better overall, our P4 success is trending nowhere. I’m likely slightly off but I think we are 1-16 v P4 in regular Season games the last four years, and 0fer in the last 2+ years

We had 6 wins vs teams below 100 this year. I do not want to only play those teams, but it is a huge part of what got us to the bowl and ignited some excitement.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Cons:
Distance
Basketball
Pac-12

Pros:
none.

Football only butthead