Think the rumor was kicking before? Buckle up.

[ScottVib]

Being in the "New Big East" or the ACC will be irrelevant if there is further expansion to 16. UConn will only have one option if the ACC is to be raided further, the Big Ten, UConn is no more likely to go there if it sits in the "New Big East" with the Bad News Bears or in a geographically sensible conference filled with rivals that the team has its history (such as it is) with.

I'm not talking money, I don't care, that's up to the AD, but as a fan, the ACC (post-raid) is so much more interesting to me than the "New Big East" its not even close. TV dollars wise, do you really think that UConn, Rutgers, #2 Ohio school & market, #4&5 Florida school, #5&6 Texas school, #3 Tennessee school, Temple, Boise, and San Diego St is going to draw a bigger deal than a conference, that excepting Philadelphia covers every major East Coast media market from Charlotte to Boston, owning (as much as possible) each of the markets, and has Miami who still is a national name, and legitimately brings that market. I find it hard to believe, regardless of how "bad" the ACC deal looks.

The "New Big East" is a life raft, every survivor on it, would happily step on the others for a lifeline onto any of the bigger ships.

 

[Dann]

u do not understand the acc contract. if uconn never gets a invite to a big 4 conf, we need to be in the nbe with a fresh contract from nbc or espn or fox. the accs contract is a no go. also while bball may be great with cuse/wake/duke/bc, those schools are trying to be bad at fball. usf/ucf/temple/bsu/uh/ecu/mem etc etc are trying to be good at fball. give me those in the same boat trying for the same thing, not those just living offs the 70's.

 

[upstater]

u do not understand the acc contract. if uconn never gets a invite to a big 4 conf, we need to be in the nbe with a fresh contract from nbc or espn or fox. the accs contract is a no go. also while bball may be great with cuse/wake/duke/bc, those schools are trying to be bad at fball. usf/ucf/temple/bsu/uh/ecu/mem etc etc are trying to be good at fball. give me those in the same boat trying for the same thing, not those just living offs the 70's.

First, the ACC contract will be ripped up if those teams leave. Secondly, the ACC will become THE basketball conference. Third, the idea that a small team like UConn or whoever is going to come out of the Big10 or SEC or other Big4 conference as one of the playoff teams is totally farfetched. It will be more traditional schools. UConn football has a much better chance going 12-0 in the ACC and being ranked #4. Will the money hurt UConn? $17 million rather than $20 million or $25 million is not going to end UConn football, and I suspect the basketball side will ramp up.

 

[Dann]

First, the ACC contract will be ripped up if those teams leave. Secondly, the ACC will become THE basketball conference. Third, the idea that a small team like UConn or whoever is going to come out of the Big10 or SEC or other Big4 conference as one of the playoff teams is totally farfetched. It will be more traditional schools. UConn football has a much better chance going 12-0 in the ACC and being ranked #4. Will the money hurt UConn? $17 million rather than $20 million or $25 million is not going to end UConn football, and I suspect the basketball side will ramp up.

a 12-0 team from a crappy acc unless its miami(who won't be playing fball for the next 10 years all the rumors point to, more news is going to drop on them soon) will never crack the top 5. u guys are still living on bball. i love uconn bball as much as the next guy, but we can schedule a tough ooc and live in the nbe for bball and do just fine. once the big 4 expand there each after next tv contract going to be looking at 25-30 mil atleast each. also with the bowls now being set up like they are those teams per year are going to be getting 35-40 mil each at the end of the day. the crappy acc will get 15-20 at the end of the day. thats a HUGE difference. the nbe can hold tight together and kill off duke/bc/wake...get that same 15-20 but have teams that actually have shown somwthing in fball like uh/bsu. 12-0 vs a couple quality schools on the sos might get a nbe team in the top 5 and a shot at a playoff bid. the nbe has a better chance of getting a team in the playoff and a better chance at more $$ from tv. uconn has great tier 3 $$ from bball mens and wmens with sny and w/e else. that tier 3 $$ in the accs contract gets spread(i think right?). uconn can make more $$ in the nbe and have a better/tougher schedule in the nbe. stop living on bball. our bball programs can live as indys if we have to. but with temple/cincy and possibly lville we will be just fine, not to mention the rise of usf and uh lately and add memphis.

 

[UConner]

i'd cat if we got a invite to the b10.

I'd watch...

 

[junglehusky]

It's not a sure bet that the NNBE football will be any better than the ACC. They might be a bit better, but they're both crappy football conferences, and if they both exist 10 years from now they will continue to be crappy football conferences. Sure, there's some potential in UH, Boise is obviously a solid add but the rest are completely "on paper".

As far as $$$... the BE prez's decided to go to market after the PAC12 deal but it's not obvious to me that if the NNBE holds together it'll be anywhere near what the top 4 get, or even that much better than the ACC. UConn doesn't have to worry about how is it going to et 40 million a year, because it's not going to get 40 million a year. As far as tier 3 in the ACC, my understanding is that UConn would control its SNY stuff the way their bball schools do (and the FSU guy was wrong about their own tier 3 deal at one point).

To me, the academics of the ACC plus having more regional rivalries (esp. if Rutgers comes with us) outweighs playing Boise once every few years and even a few million dollars. And sorry Dan, I doubt that the main decision makers (Herbst, the trustees, gov. Malloy) are going to base the decision on which conference UConn has a better chance of being ranked top 5 in. PP/WM (and JC/GA) will have input but aren't making the decision. Of course if the NNBE gets a good contract and signs grant of rights to guarantee stability, the decision makers will have to decide based on all the facts at hand.

 

[ZooCougar]

If you think the NNBE will be a better home then the ACC, then you seriously need to have your head examined.

 

[Adios]

Love for a purged ACC is making me nauseous. You people out of your minds?! There will be nothing left! The B1G strives to have strong football, basketball and hockey programs. Exactly what UConn is aiming for.

 

[Jimmy]

u do not understand the acc contract. if uconn never gets a invite to a big 4 conf, we need to be in the nbe with a fresh contract from nbc or espn or fox. the accs contract is a no go. also while bball may be great with cuse/wake/duke/bc, those schools are trying to be bad at fball. usf/ucf/temple/bsu/uh/ecu/mem etc etc are trying to be good at fball. give me those in the same boat trying for the same thing, not those just living offs the 70's.

Wake is not trying to bad at fball. We have basically renovated our entire stadium. New fieldhouse top 10 in size in cfb video board. Hired new coaches. We are improving we just lack the fan base.

 

[ScottVib]

Love for a purged ACC is making me nauseous. You people out of your minds?! There will be nothing left! The B1G strives to have strong football, basketball and hockey programs. Exactly what UConn is aiming for.

Hold up... I don't know that anyone has weighed ACC v. Big Ten.. we are discussing ACC versus the "New Big (Frankenstein) East" That said... in the various ACC implosion scenarios, UConn is far from assured a Big Ten invite... and I'd still take the rump ACC schools over the FrankenEast under either conferences umbrella. Yes in the event the ACC completely implodes, the Big Ten would be prefered, but if that invite doesn't come... would you rather a relationship with BC, Syracuse, Duke, and Miami or SMU, Houston, and Memphis? To me that's a no brainer.

 

[CL82]

Here's the thing.... if the Big East had made a Sworford type take it or leave it, it's now or never to Kansas and Kanas St. when Big 12 was on the brink of collapse, the Big 12 breaks up, Syracuse and Pitt stay, and we are not in the nightmare conglomeration. Instead, the Big East promised to be a safety net for the B12 and helped to stabilize it. It's amazing to me that Big 12 has come back to be a major player but a big reason for that is that the BE with it's not ready for pirme time leadership squandered another opportunity to stabilize itself.

 

[WallStreetHusky]

Here's the thing.... if the Big East had made a Sworford type take it or leave it, it's now or never to Kansas and Kanas St. when Big 12 was on the brink of collapse, the Big 12 breaks up, Syracuse and Pitt stay, and we are not in the nightmare conglomeration. Instead, the Big East promised to be a safety net for the B12 and helped to stabilize it. It's amazing to me that Big 12 has come back to be a major player but a big reason for that is that the BE with it's not ready for pirme time leadership squandered another opportunity to stabilize itself.

I think the bigger reason the B12 is where they are is one word, Texas. Once the biggest, baddest football program on the planet decided not to go to the PAC12 that gave the B12 all the stability they needed. Any league with the Horns, and OU, was going to get a seat at the big boys table.

 

[CL82]

I think the bigger reason the B12 is where they are is one word, Texas. Once the biggest, baddest football program on the planet decided not to go to the PAC12 that gave the B12 all the stability they needed. Any league with the Horns, and OU, was going to get a seat at the big boys table.

Yep but the time to act was while Texas was looking. We had to act that window of opportunity that instability created. Of course that's always easier with hindsight.

 

[junglehusky]

I was talking with a friend who was interviewing for a job. She had an interview at a small lab in Maine that did good work but was hours away from civilization (i.e. Boston). She got the offer but wasn't sure that was the right move... she decided not to go after talking to another scientist who had worked there, who said that because of their remoteness they were desperate for scientists. That way she could turn them down and in case she didn't get any other offers, re-establish contact a couple months later and most likely would still have an offer.

The Big east is exactly like the lab in Maine in this situation. We could have given Kansas an ultimatum and it would have no effect because they know if armageddon happens (like Boise leaving) they can still pick up the phone and call us because we'll be desperate for name recognition.

 

[upstater]

Love for a purged ACC is making me nauseous. You people out of your minds?! There will be nothing left! The B1G strives to have strong football, basketball and hockey programs. Exactly what UConn is aiming for.

What does hockey have to do with it? UConn is joining the top hockey conference in the nation. Surely you don't mean they should be playing Villanova and Temple instead.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Besides a bit of schadenfreude, how does this help us? I went and read a few articles associated with this news and when they turned to the subject of team movement, UConn wasn't mentioned once. Rutgers and Louisville and ND, no UConn.

Not reading about Uconn going to every conference is a good thing.

 

[Marty Jackson]

I agree with that 100%. I just don't get all of the rumors that have floated around for about 6 months now, stating that ACC would be the conference of choice for ND if they ever decided to give up independence. It just doesn't make sense at all! I grew up watching ND football, and I can tell you with a high level of confidence that they fashion themselves as a pseudo-Big10 team. If they called the Big10 office for an invite today, they would have a certified-mail invitation on their doorstep the next morning. So to think that ND is going anywhere else but the Big10 seems kind of nuts to me. I have heard recent rumors that state a Big12 with FSU and Clemson on board could have enough (with Texas and OU) to coerce ND into joining the Big12. Maybe, but I just don't see it. To me, that school will fight to the bitter end to be independent, and when the fighting stops (no pun intended), it will be the Big10.

I don't see ND joining and not getting equal or more pay than any other school in the conference... If Texas takes a back seat to the Irish, maybe this happens, otherwise it's the ACC.
Regardless of what the SEC, Big10, Big12 and Pac do, an ACC with FSU, ND, VT, Miami, Virginia, and GT is relevant. Even without, the ACC has at least 3 NC level programs, (FSU, VT, and Miami)...

 

[UConnJim]

VT is a NC level program? VT has had one top 5 ranking in its history, which was 13 years ago with Michael Vick. VT has been perceived to be a top program because the ACC has been subpar over the past 10 years. They are 1-5 in BCS bowls, their only win being over Cincy. Similarly, West Virginia has been perceived as a top program due to the weakness of the Big East, although they are 3-0 in BCS bowls with wins over Georgia, Oklahoma, and Clemson.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Hold up... I don't know that anyone has weighed ACC v. Big Ten.. we are discussing ACC versus the "New Big (Frankenstein) East" That said... in the various ACC implosion scenarios, UConn is far from assured a Big Ten invite... and I'd still take the rump ACC schools over the FrankenEast under either conferences umbrella. Yes in the event the ACC completely implodes, the Big Ten would be prefered, but if that invite doesn't come... would you rather a relationship with BC, Syracuse, Duke, and Miami or SMU, Houston, and Memphis? To me that's a no brainer.

It is a no-brainer. I'd rather be in a conference with North Carolina, UVA and the MAC schools than in the NBE. Recent football success is irrelevant. What matters is associating with flagship universities with national reputations. Our stated goal with UConn 2000, which gave birth to our FBS efforts, was to be like Virginia and North Carolina. We are a basketball centric athletic department. The only reason we even play FBS football is to gain associations with major research universities that also play FBS football. Not to gain associations with glorified community colleges and commuter schools like Boise, Memphis and Houston. Nobody in their right mind expects UConn to become a football power.

Yes, the Big Ten is a fantastic result in the unlikely event that we get an invite. In the the real world however, nothing is better for UConn than FSU and Clemson bailing on the ACC, leading them to add Uconn and Rutgers. The entire original Big East (minus West Virginia and Temple) would be reunited with several excellent universities along the east coast. It's what the Big East football conference always dreamed of being.

Now here is part 2. UConn and Rutgers to the ACC collapses the BE. The hoop schools will split off. Notre Dame will be forced to a conference. I doubt that the B12 will add them just for olympic sports. Imagine the options available to them. 1. join the Big Ten 2: join the ACC. Could Notre Dame pull Penn State to the ACC? Maybe. The latter would create the true Eastern league everyone has been pining for. The TV contract would be better than fine.

 

[junglehusky]

I don't think Penn state would leave the B1G for any reason outside of hostile aliens invading Chicago (but leaving the east coast alone for once), but I like the rest of your post.

 

[CL82]

I was talking with a friend who was interviewing for a job. She had an interview at a small lab in Maine that did good work but was hours away from civilization (i.e. Boston). She got the offer but wasn't sure that was the right move... she decided not to go after talking to another scientist who had worked there, who said that because of their remoteness they were desperate for scientists. That way she could turn them down and in case she didn't get any other offers, re-establish contact a couple months later and most likely would still have an offer.

The Big east is exactly like the lab in Maine in this situation. We could have given Kansas an ultimatum and it would have no effect because they know if armageddon happens (like Boise leaving) they can still pick up the phone and call us because we'll be desperate for name recognition.

Yeah, but if your friend's company was closing and the Maine offer was presented like Sworford pitch to Pitt and 'cuse (i.e. we have 10 names, you are the top, you have two weeks to decide, if you don't accept in 2 weeks, we'll move on to name 3) that might well have changed her calculus. The BE made B12 schools the Motel 6 offer (we'll leave a light on for you) that let them wait things out, like your friend chose to do. They should have pressed their hand while Kansas and K -State were in panic mode.

In any event that ship, like so many other has sailed. We have to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best.

Eh, it is what it is.

 

[Nostical]

Our stated goal with UConn 2000, which gave birth to our FBS efforts, was to be like Virginia and North Carolina.

That's evolved. Now when Susan Herbst drives down Rte 195, she sees Michigan.

 

[pinotbear]

i'd cat if we got a invite to the b10.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrstitustrout/6550253559/
http://www.pawsonline.info/wav/angry 01.wav

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's evolved. Now when Susan Herbst drives down Rte 195, she sees Michigan.

Michigan was on the orginal list. UVA, UNC and Michigan. But she didn't list Michigan for football success, but academic success. Football is just a means to attract and retain students, faculty and research dollars. Do you people really think a million or two a year is big money to these schools? Seriously. That is pocket change.

 

[businesslawyer]

I don't think Penn state would leave the B1G for any reason outside of hostile aliens invading Chicago (but leaving the east coast alone for once), but I like the rest of your post.

And even then it might depend on whether the aliens' preferences run to girls or .... never mind. Cheap shot.

 

[Rondogg]

I can't wait until this is all behind us and we are safe in a good conference. This whole thread is very anxiety inducing.

 

[UCFBfan]

Being in the "New Big East" or the ACC will be irrelevant if there is further expansion to 16. UConn will only have one option if the ACC is to be raided further, the Big Ten, UConn is no more likely to go there if it sits in the "New Big East" with the Bad News Bears or in a geographically sensible conference filled with rivals that the team has its history (such as it is) with.

I'm not talking money, I don't care, that's up to the AD, but as a fan, the ACC (post-raid) is so much more interesting to me than the "New Big East" its not even close.

I couldn't agree more on this part. Look, UConn is probably not going to be in the big picture for the Big 4 conferences for the near future. I think anyone thinking UConn is even on the B1G's radar is crazy. So why be in a horrible conference with one rival (Rutgers) when we can hope to be in a conference with all of our old rivals in both football and basketball. I know we're a newer program in the football world but any game against BC, RU, or Syracuse will always have some bad blood and be exciting!

Some of you wanna only think from a football perspective but honestly, what do you think is going to happen to our basketball program if we stick with this horrible new BE? People are going to totally be lining up to buy tickets to see UConn-UCF/UH/SMU. Please....Even Memphis and Temple don't do anything to make me excited. Without Syracuse and Pitt the basketball season is not as exciting.

 

[ZooCougar]

Love for a purged ACC is making me nauseous. You people out of your minds?! There will be nothing left! The B1G strives to have strong football, basketball and hockey programs. Exactly what UConn is aiming for.

Do you reside in an alternate reality where the sky is purple?

I'll take a conference with peer schools from the same region as us, near urban areas where we actually have alums over a randomly generated conference of schools that are neither close to us or have a shared history.

 

[Carl Spackler]

It is a no-brainer. I'd rather be in a conference with North Carolina, UVA and the MAC schools than in the NBE. Recent football success is irrelevant. What matters is associating with flagship universities with national reputations. Our stated goal with UConn 2000, which gave birth to our FBS efforts, was to be like Virginia and North Carolina. We are a basketball centric athletic department. The only reason we even play FBS football is to gain associations with major research universities that also play FBS football. Not to gain associations with glorified community colleges and commuter schools like Boise, Memphis and Houston. Nobody in their right mind expects UConn to become a football power.

Yes, the Big Ten is a fantastic result in the unlikely event that we get an invite. In the the real world however, nothing is better for UConn than FSU and Clemson bailing on the ACC, leading them to add Uconn and Rutgers. The entire original Big East (minus West Virginia and Temple) would be reunited with several excellent universities along the east coast. It's what the Big East football conference always dreamed of being.

Now here is part 2. UConn and Rutgers to the ACC collapses the BE. The hoop schools will split off. Notre Dame will be forced to a conference. I doubt that the B12 will add them just for olympic sports. Imagine the options available to them. 1. join the Big Ten 2: join the ACC. Could Notre Dame pull Penn State to the ACC? Maybe. The latter would create the true Eastern league everyone has been pining for. The TV contract would be better than fine.

I agree with this. The ideal 10 team conference for UConn would look something like this (assuming UMass is successful in upgrading and gets a facility and infrastructure built before beign forced to pack it in and go back) : Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Penn State, Maryland, Temple, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia Tech.

The fact that nothing like that actually exists, and the history behind it, could be the subject of a book - a long book. I"ve written most of it here in the past year. Just need an editor.

Funny - all I wanted to do was talk football, but the liars took over last year.

Currently, preventing something like an association of colleges like that from actually forming, are companies like Disney, and News Corp, and Comcast, and their business contracts and profit interests around live sports programming.

THe chance of forming an eastern seaboard all sports league like this - can only happen one way.

The complete destruction of the big east and acc - both, both conferences entirely dissolving and ceasing business.

That's not happening, so we make do with the best we can, and make sure that we don't start doing business with liars again.

 

[whaler11]

Yeah it's Disney. Not Penn State who doesn't want to play football with UMass.