This can't be true?!

[FartMan69]

I hate life

 

[Sea Goat]

If true, and Memphis and Cincinnati are off to the B12, this could open up a spot in the AAC for Umass.

If Umass is added, it becomes an annual AAC game, and it would be good for both schools as well as good for New England College football too.
Umass football is in its infancy in attempting to move up the college pecking order, and it needs a local rival in football. BC won't ( or can't) fill that role. But Umass could. As a Massachusetts , born and raised, sports fan, I'd like to see these 2 N.E. Public schools in the same football league and playing each other each fall. Its better than watching BC- Wake Forest anyway. So this COULD be good news for those that would like to see a New England College Football rivalry perhaps take form now.. An annual Umass- Uconn football game is WAY better and potentially far more attractive in the future moving forward than an annual Uconn- SMU, or Uconn- Tulane football game, imo.

You are a special POS - disappear now.

 

[CTMike]

If true, and Memphis and Cincinnati are off to the B12, this could open up a spot in the AAC for Umass.

If Umass is added, it becomes an annual AAC game, and it would be good for both schools as well as good for New England College football too.
Umass football is in its infancy in attempting to move up the college pecking order, and it needs a local rival in football. BC won't ( or can't) fill that role. But Umass could. As a Massachusetts , born and raised, sports fan, I'd like to see these 2 N.E. Public schools in the same football league and playing each other each fall. Its better than watching BC- Wake Forest anyway. So this COULD be good news for those that would like to see a New England College Football rivalry perhaps take form now.. An annual Umass- Uconn football game is WAY better and potentially far more attractive in the future moving forward than an annual Uconn- SMU, or Uconn- Tulane football game, imo.

Get out of my face with this steaming pile of silver lined bullsht.

 

[BUHusky]

I wouldn't put too much stock in this story. It's the Friday before the playoff selection and the Big 12 has a lot anxiety about having co-champions because of their lack of a championship game. This Memphis radio guy is just being opportunistic with the Big 12's anxiety and trying to make something stick in hopes of more clicks/listeners on an otherwise slow sports day. HFD does it all the time, except he doesn't have a radio show.

That said, if at any point Brett McMurphy starts tweeting about it...then we should all collectively freak out. Until then...

 

[noeynox]

If this sheet happens I'm buying a fugging Subaru, finding where whaler lives and driving 20 fugging mph every where I go!

 

[Vowelguy]

While it could be true, I have to think this is coming from the notion that keeps swirling around that the B12 HAS to have a championship game.
Yes, it would suck for them if both TCU & Baylor get left out.
But it also IS possible that both TCU & Baylor get in (Fla St & Oh St losses would do it). Then would anyone be saying the B12 MUST have a championship game?

 

[ZooCougar]

If this happens then this whole AAC thing has to be reexamined. The biggest revenue earners left in the AAC and MWC need to have a chat about a new a football conference. But getting into the Big East for everything else is no given.

 

[Kolumbo]

It is an interesting rumor - it would surprise me, but not completely shock me. It's at least in the plausible category (unlike those old rumors of the Big 12 going after Florida State). The threshold question for me is whether the Big 12 wants to expand at all in the first place.

To be sure, football still does matter here. You have to look at the whole football-related picture just like Rutgers. Rutgers certainly doesn't have a great on-the-field football history. However, the state of New Jersey was the largest non-Sun Belt/Southern football recruiting base (which, along with TV markets, is what commissioners like Jim Delany is really referring to when they talk about "demographics") that wasn't already in the Big Ten. #2 on that list was the state of Maryland. Those certainly weren't the ONLY factors involved (as the TV markets were the number one consideration for the B1G), but they were big ones that university presidents and ADs have actually been very open about. So, it was still a football-driven expansion for the Big Ten even if marquee football programs weren't necessarily added.

In the same vein, the Memphis area is also one of the strongest per capita football recruiting regions in the country. In fact, both Memphis and Cincinnati would instantly be the two best football recruiting areas in the Big 12 outside of the state of Texas.

At the same time, Memphis has shown to be at least football *competent* this year. Any school with a great hoops fan base (which includes UConn, Memphis, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, etc.) combined with competent football becomes more intriguing in conference realignment. The football program just can't be down in the dumps horrific or else even the greatest basketball in the world can't compensate for that. Too many schools that I've listed above have the great hoops fan base, but not the competent football.

Are you implying that Memphis Football is competent and UCONN Football is not? If so, then you must believe one or two years defines a program.

 

[Kolumbo]

BS. The Big 12 should invite UAB just to shove it up the tide's arse.

 

[Fishy]

If true, and Memphis and Cincinnati are off to the B12, this could open up a spot in the AAC for Umass.

If Umass is added, it becomes an annual AAC game, and it would be good for both schools as well as good for New England College football too.

Go --- away.

 

[UCFBfan]

Just when I was starting to like the fact that we didn't have to ride the coaching roller coaster this pops up. Seriously, why do we bother anymore......if this happens I'd advocate we follow UAB and shut it down. Make sure we have a solid landing for all other teams (BE bj if needed to get back in) and then close up shop.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

How does this benefit us? All it does is force the AAC to add 2 more schools to get back to 12.

I agree with PJ that it's unlikely the B12 would go past 12 & if they did it is doubtful UConn is on the list.

Get ready for Aresco to announce Umass & ODU joining the AAC

If this shi! comes to pass, UNC Charlotte could be a target, too.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

I will probably pick up voodoo and spend my days needling at Swofford and every BC alumni/administrator I can individually identify.

Please add a Blumenthal and a Hathaway doll to your collection as they also share the blame on this.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

If true, and Memphis and Cincinnati are off to the B12, this could open up a spot in the AAC for Umass.

If Umass is added, it becomes an annual AAC game, and it would be good for both schools as well as good for New England College football too.
Umass football is in its infancy in attempting to move up the college pecking order, and it needs a local rival in football. BC won't ( or can't) fill that role. But Umass could. As a Massachusetts , born and raised, sports fan, I'd like to see these 2 N.E. Public schools in the same football league and playing each other each fall. Its better than watching BC- Wake Forest anyway. So this COULD be good news for those that would like to see a New England College Football rivalry perhaps take form now.. An annual Umass- Uconn football game is WAY better and potentially far more attractive in the future moving forward than an annual Uconn- SMU, or Uconn- Tulane football game, imo.

Not going to happen in at least the next 10 years. UMass would need to put some major money into its athletic facilities, especially football, and staff. McGuirk is too small for FBS football at 17K and the Gillette experiment has been a mess. Plus, gut is that UConn fans would out-number UMass fans, assuming the pricing is reasonable, which would be a PR nightmare for UMass. Such money would also have to come from private donors, which UMass has not had major success with ($275 million endowment), as the current $3.1 million state-funded UMass renovation project that was just launched sounds big; but its spread across all UMass campuses and Amherst is only getting $1 Billion of it. Not to mention Beacon Hill will likely have to pony up major money should Boston get the 2024 summer Olympics to build a 5,000 residence student village that is going to be built at UMass – Boston, not UMass-Amherst.

 

[CL82]

Actually I hope the entire league gets invites elsewhere and pays their exit fees and leave exactly one day before UConn gets a B1G invite. That would almost make all the CR angst over the past few years worthwhile.

 

[UCFBfan]

If this gains more traction and end of March Madness is expected announcement date, it gives Warden and Susan plenty of time to show they can be competent. Whether it's getting us in some P5 or leapfrog Memphis like Louisville did to us 2 years ago, the clock will be ticking. Any stay the course comments are failures in my book.

Will wait to see if this gains any more legs before truly worrying anymore.

 

[DefCONNOne]

It is an interesting rumor - it would surprise me, but not completely shock me. It's at least in the plausible category (unlike those old rumors of the Big 12 going after Florida State). The threshold question for me is whether the Big 12 wants to expand at all in the first place.

To be sure, football still does matter here. You have to look at the whole football-related picture just like Rutgers. Rutgers certainly doesn't have a great on-the-field football history. However, the state of New Jersey was the largest non-Sun Belt/Southern football recruiting base (which, along with TV markets, is what commissioners like Jim Delany is really referring to when they talk about "demographics") that wasn't already in the Big Ten. #2 on that list was the state of Maryland. Those certainly weren't the ONLY factors involved (as the TV markets were the number one consideration for the B1G), but they were big ones that university presidents and ADs have actually been very open about. So, it was still a football-driven expansion for the Big Ten even if marquee football programs weren't necessarily added.

In the same vein, the Memphis area is also one of the strongest per capita football recruiting regions in the country. In fact, both Memphis and Cincinnati would instantly be the two best football recruiting areas in the Big 12 outside of the state of Texas.

At the same time, Memphis has shown to be at least football *competent* this year. Any school with a great hoops fan base (which includes UConn, Memphis, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, etc.) combined with competent football becomes more intriguing in conference realignment. The football program just can't be down in the dumps horrific or else even the greatest basketball in the world can't compensate for that. Too many schools that I've listed above have the great hoops fan base, but not the competent football.

2011 called and told you to shut up!!!

 

[DefCONNOne]

If true, and Memphis and Cincinnati are off to the B12, this could open up a spot in the AAC for Umass.

If Umass is added, it becomes an annual AAC game, and it would be good for both schools as well as good for New England College football too.
Umass football is in its infancy in attempting to move up the college pecking order, and it needs a local rival in football. BC won't ( or can't) fill that role. But Umass could. As a Massachusetts , born and raised, sports fan, I'd like to see these 2 N.E. Public schools in the same football league and playing each other each fall. Its better than watching BC- Wake Forest anyway. So this COULD be good news for those that would like to see a New England College Football rivalry perhaps take form now.. An annual Umass- Uconn football game is WAY better and potentially far more attractive in the future moving forward than an annual Uconn- SMU, or Uconn- Tulane football game, imo.

How big is that jug of gasoline you're holding?

 

[junglehusky]

If this gains more traction and end of March Madness is expected announcement date, it gives Warden and Susan plenty of time to show they can be competent. Whether it's getting us in some P5 or leapfrog Memphis like Louisville did to us 2 years ago, the clock will be ticking. Any stay the course comments are failures in my book.

Will wait to see if this gains any more legs before truly worrying anymore.

Don't hold your breath, because you won't get anything other than "stay the course" / "monitoring the situation" type comments - the chances UConn will could receive a BXII invite are close to zero. And that would still be true even if we cloned twenty Tom Jurich's and had them all running the UConn AD, board of trustees, president's office and got them elected as CT's governor and lieutenant governor. Our only hope to get in that conference would be a big expansion going for the East Coast with Temple/Cincy/ECU, which I would put at 0.01%.

(...so you're saying there's a chance.)

...

 

[junglehusky]

And to all the UConn fans who suddenly turn into nelsonmuntz at the drop of a rumor. MAN THE duck* UP. Did all the positive arguments for UConn being a P5 school suddenly evaporate? Did our gains in fundraising suddenly turn out to be worthless like a pile of of hedge fund derivatives? HELL NO. Our leadership will fight (behind the scenes) on as long as they can. Who knows, maybe that's only ten years or but the minute we give up, we've closed the door on being a big boy school. Perhaps the door is only open a crack right now and hope is fading we can keep it open. But we have to try.

 

[TRest]

Why are people saying that FedEx is backing the Memphis move? If that's the case do we have any backers to help get us out of this godforsaken conference? Or is Burton it? From what I understand JC's son is president of converse (sub of Nike). Why can't we have nice things!

In addition, and if true, could this move open up a new series of realignment? Thoughts?

All the FedEx money in the world couldn't get Memphis into the BE until it went up in flames, it won't make a difference to the B12.

 

[Point6]

If this happens ESPN probably also comes back to renegotiate the AAC's crappy contract downward to make it even crappier. My recollection is that there are four "bell cow?" schools designated in the contract and if one or more leaves the conference, ESPN will come back in to add insult to injury. Cincy was one (along with us). I don't remember the others. Good times!

 

[The Viking]

Now is the time where it would be good if we had Bill Cosby as a big donor so he could have a few special cocktails with Mr. Delany. Just make sure the papers get signed soon after that first drink.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

It would be depressing but honestly, things really are already terrible from a conference perspective for UConn. Losing Cincy and Memphis would make it worse but things are already so bad, I'm not sure it really matters all that much. Getting leapfrogged by Memphis would be the worst part of it all.

 

[clmssun]

If this happens ESPN probably also comes back to renegotiate the AAC's crappy contract downward to make it even crappier. My recollection is that there are four "bell cow?" schools designated in the contract and if one or more leaves the conference, ESPN will come back in to add insult to injury. Cincy was one (along with us). I don't remember the others. Good times!

I believe the four bell cows are Cincinnati, Houston, Temple, and UConn.

 

[UCFBfan]

And to all the UConn fans who suddenly turn into nelsonmuntz at the drop of a rumor. MAN THE duck* UP. Did all the positive arguments for UConn being a P5 school suddenly evaporate? Did our gains in fundraising suddenly turn out to be worthless like a pile of of hedge fund derivatives? HELL NO. Our leadership will fight (behind the scenes) on as long as they can. Who knows, maybe that's only ten years or but the minute we give up, we've closed the door on being a big boy school. Perhaps the door is only open a crack right now and hope is fading we can keep it open. But we have to try.

Look I hear ya but being picked over for Memphis....a school that never got a shot in a BCS conference like Cincy or Louisville did to pump up it's image and such is a real shot in the heart. It truly makes it painful to be a UConn fan and have any hope that this would ever change. Plus, you're now looking at basically playing in C-USA. So you're sports teams have gone from being in the PREMIER bball conference and a BCS football conference to a conference that is a complete joke and worse off than C-USA was when we were still playing in the BE. Sorry but it's hard to swallow this one if true.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

To answer the original question...No, this can't be true. Can anyone..ANY-Butch-ONE see Texas sharing a dime with Memphis?? Me neither.

 

[clmssun]

Are you implying that Memphis Football is competent and UCONN Football is not? If so, then you must believe one or two years defines a program.

Utah had little beyond "one or two years" (Urban Meyer) before their Pac-12 invitation from my perspective/recollection. To lesser degrees, "great improvement recently" also helped TCU, Louisville, and Rutgers.

EDIT: ALL of those schools also had "unique" geographic appeal to their new conferences.

 

[junglehusky]

Look I hear ya but being picked over for Memphis....a school that never got a shot in a BCS conference like Cincy or Louisville did to pump up it's image and such is a real shot in the heart. It truly makes it painful to be a UConn fan and have any hope that this would ever change. Plus, you're now looking at basically playing in C-USA. So you're sports teams have gone from being in the PREMIER bball conference and a BCS football conference to a conference that is a complete joke and worse off than C-USA was when we were still playing in the BE. Sorry but it's hard to swallow this one if true.

The AAC is a subpar league. That was true in 2012, it's true now and it'll be true in 2018+. Look, UConn was going to have to hold out for at least ~2020 for an ACC/B1G invite anyway. Those are the only P5 possibilities. Maybe in ten years the AAC will be untenable. But you have to put off that decision as long as possible.

 

[Yawkey Way]

Are you implying that Memphis Football is competent and UCONN Football is not? If so, then you must believe one or two years defines a program.

While its true that " 1 or 2 years ( of success ) should never define a football program", I don't understand the hostility to the thought that Umass could not be a good replacement for the AAC if Memphis and Cincinnati left the ACC.

I do agree that Umass has financial hurtles to overcome and facility upgrades that would be required. But if these football program hurdles could be overcome, playing Umass, while not ideal, is still a better game of interest than SMU, Tulane, Temple league games each year. The games could be played in Harttford, then Foxboro. The schools have played before. There is a history there. Much of the undergraduate student body are from New England. NESN can be assured to cover the games, and with several players on the programs coming from New England it would make for a good future recruiting tool of competition between the 2 schools. Umass playing non New England based schools in football, doesn't do that much for me and for the life of me, I really don't understand why playing Tulane, Temple, SMU, each and every season has more of an appeal to the Uconn football fanbase than would Umass. A Umass- Uconn game, that would be a league annual game, would be a great boost to College Football in New England. Without question, a Umass- Uconn football game will outdraw a Uconn- Temple, Uconn- SMU, Uconn- Tulane games too. So I don't quite understand why a Umass league game possibility is not more appealing than these others that are in the AAC.