UConn Headed To Big 12?? That's The Unofficial Report

[Alydar]

We need the money. Everyone on this board is excited about the new big east TV Package. It’s chump chang compared to football

What does it cost per year to run an elite college football program? What good is $50 million if it costs $60 million? The only winners would be the vendors who are paid that $60 million.

 

[stamfordhusky]

This appears to be a very unreliable source.

 

[packwrap]

A new basketball tournament with 64 big schools and no Cinderallas will spell the end of college basketball imo. Its a nonviable product imo. Will sink it to the level of college soccer or baseball. A niche interest but not much beyond that. Would be a shame for it to happen so soon after womens basketball finally gains traction in culture.

I'm by no means in favor of this idea, but of course it's viable. A 64 team tourney with Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and UConn up tôp, and teams likè Cal, Northwestern, Penn State and Miss St at the bottom. The fan still gets 3 weekends of excitement and betting, and the sweet 16 would be much the same as the old ncaa tourney anyway.

The reason the p4 likè this idea, is exactly likè the college football playoff, they don't have to share the money with the smaller schools.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

I'm by no means in favor of this idea, but of course it's viable. A 64 team tourney with Duke, Kentucky, UCLA and UConn up tôp, and teams likè Cal, Northwestern, Penn State and Miss St at the bottom. The fan still gets 3 weekends of excitement and betting, and the sweet 16 would be much the same as the old ncaa tourney anyway.

The reason the p4 likè this idea, is exactly likè the college football playoff, they don't have to share the money with the smaller schools.

The smaller schools ARE the draw of the tournament. Its why casuals tun in. They can try this idea, and it sounds like a great basketball tournament but Cinderalla schools are the the heart of the tournament. Take them away and it would be on par with conference tournament interest in 5 years. Which is to say popular but not a month long event that captures the attention of the country.

 

[mlpavela]

This appears to be a very unreliable source.

I can't believe I had to go three pages into this thread to find some plain healthy skepticism. Amazing how much "per a source" and "where there's smoke there's fire" can give rise to. Completely unprincipled wishful thinking click baiting by this podcaster.

 

[CL82]

Could they? Last that I heard no one is quite sure what happened to the conflict trophy.

(For what it's worth, that was not only the dumbest trophy in sports, it was also the ugliest.)

 

[GoUconn7961]

UConn isn't in a P5 right now because it pissed on enough schools when they left the Big East that they didn't get an invite to the ACC when the time came a decade later. There is no P5 anymore if you haven't noticed, the Pac 12 is gone.

You are thinking very short term. Yes the Big East isn't great for UConn Women right now. But if non football conferences realign for Olympic with the P2 pull away and the Big East reconfigures with schools like Notre Dame, Syracuse, Rutgers, Virginia Tech etc it becomes a very different conversation doesn't it.

Being in a P4 before it becomes a P2 doesn't do anything for UConn long term because the Big 10 and SEC will never take them. UConn football will never be in a power conference again. That is just the reality. The only thing it serves to do is make people feel a little safer until the P2 pull away and alienate potential allies and options until the inevitable happens. Basically UConn will just have to hope and pray the P2, which has been what is being worked towards for 3 decades at this point doesn't manifest because if the inevitable happens, they are squarely out of luck in all sports, not just football. Sad.

What schools did UConn "piss" on. It was BC that left the BE first, and then blocked UConn from being allowed in the ACC. If that hadn't happened we would've been in the ACC for years now and this discussion would be moot. You want to blame someone? Blame BC. After that the BE broke apart, and because our football team basically had to go independent that determined where our basketball team had to go, and that was the AAC. We had to claw our way out of there to get back into a somewhat respected conference at a cost that has put the sports program in quite a bit of debt.

 

[GirlBoo1020]

What schools did UConn "piss" on. It was BC that left the BE first, and then blocked UConn from being allowed in the ACC. If that hadn't happened we would've been in the ACC for years now and this discussion would be moot. You want to blame someone? Blame BC. After that the BE broke apart, and because our football team basically had to go independent that determined where our basketball team had to go, and that was the AAC. We had to claw our way out of there to get back into a somewhat respected conference at a cost that has put the sports program in quite a bit of debt.

You backing up what i am saying. Thank you.

 

[GoUconn7961]

You backing up what i am saying. Thank you.

Um..OK..

 

[macklin]

If we get an offer from the Big12 or even a watered down ACC, we should take it.
Too much $ out there. And we cant look at the present. The future of college sports is the P3 or 4.
Love the Big East. But, we need to jump on board.

acc is not watered down, it's imploding. Big12 unfortunately the right move

 

[Bald Husky]

If we can get into the Big12, our great coaches, Auriemma, Kavanaugh, Hurley, Mora, etc., may not eventually leave us in the future since we will be in a P4 conference. We also will get better in football, as being in a P4 conference will attract better talent, so if the conference does dissolve at some point, we will be better prepared and be a better overall choice for the leagues that are looking for a good athletic school to invite in.

 

[oldhusky]

This appears to be a very unreliable source.

That could be, but well into three pages of posts is pretty unusual for a scenario that to my knowledge has not been confirmed or supported by reliable sources. I think maybe it takes on a life of it's own partly because many think it could be a logical step for Uconn and the Big 12, but until more news comes out, I think I will consider it more speculation at this point.

 

[jostar1]

No one knows where it is.

 

[diggerfoot]

What I have yet to see mentioned, though perhaps I missed it, is that NIL has put the BE conference in a very competitive position because most of the schools can concentrate that money on basketball rather than the huge amount that would be required for football. The report was about men’s bb, but no doubt this also applies to women’s bb as well.

Unlike most BE schools UConn does have football that requires NIL money, though not at the level of P4 schools, since we cannot yet recruit at that level. Still, as long as we have the same quality bb coaches and success in place we will continue to recruit well in basketball with NIL continuing the BE men’s success and improving the BE women’s success over time.

So, the B12 would definitely help football, be a neutral move for basketball over time and be a bad move for the other sports outside football and basketball. This assumes current trends hold, but we know by now that everything could change by next month.

 

[uconnfan68]

What I have yet to see mentioned, though perhaps I missed it, is that NIL has put the BE conference in a very competitive position because most of the schools can concentrate that money on basketball rather than the huge amount that would be required for football. The report was about men’s bb, but no doubt this also applies to women’s bb as well.

Unlike most BE schools UConn does have football that requires NIL money, though not at the level of P4 schools, since we cannot yet recruit at that level. Still, as long as we have the same quality bb coaches and success in place we will continue to recruit well in basketball with NIL continuing the BE men’s success and improving the BE women’s success over time.

So, the B12 would definitely help football, be a neutral move for basketball over time and be a bad move for the other sports outside football and basketball. This assumes current trends hold, but we know by now that everything could change by next month.

MBB would be different (loss of old rivalries, but many new ones to cultivate), but still a plus. WBB would be a big plus. FB would be a huge plus. Baseball/Softball would be huge pluses. Not sure where soccer or field hockey goes. Maybe they stay?

 

[stamfordhusky]

That could be, but well into three pages of posts is pretty unusual for a scenario that to my knowledge has not been confirmed or supported by reliable sources. I think maybe it takes on a life of it's own partly because many think it could be a logical step for Uconn and the Big 12, but until more news comes out, I think I will consider it more speculation at this point.

Speculation, or Clickbait. I think there’s a better chance that UConn will end up in the ACC than the B12, if they move at all in the next couple years.

 

[diggerfoot]

MBB would be different (loss of old rivalries, but many new ones to cultivate), but still a plus. WBB would be a big plus. FB would be a huge plus. Baseball/Softball would be huge pluses. Not sure where soccer or field hockey goes. Maybe they stay?

True about baseball/softball save for the travel, had not thought about that. Over time the plus for wbb should be neutralized, given that BE wbb has greater NIL money available for the sport without football.

 

[Steelerone]

I think that eventually the "Big 12" is going to go the way of the Pac 12. The stronger teams will be absorbed by the SEC or Big 10. Colleges have morphed into the Law of the Jungle where only the strong survive. Eventually the basketball schools such as Uconn can hopefully form a conference of powerhouse teams. That is the only way they can survive. I think the next step for these conferences are to attempt to cut some of the weaker, re football, programs. The only chance for Uconn is to take over recruiting in New England. They would have to start by spending about a hundred million dollars and increase the stadium to a minimum of sixty or seventy thousand. Now the problem is, even if you do that will you be able to put that many people in the seats?

 

[JMick]

I think that eventually the "Big 12" is going to go the way of the Pac 12. The stronger teams will be absorbed by the SEC or Big 10. Colleges have morphed into the Law of the Jungle where only the strong survive. Eventually the basketball schools such as Uconn can hopefully form a conference of powerhouse teams. That is the only way they can survive. I think the next step for these conferences are to attempt to cut some of the weaker, re football, programs. The only chance for Uconn is to take over recruiting in New England. They would have to start by spending about a hundred million dollars and increase the stadium to a minimum of sixty or seventy thousand. Now the problem is, even if you do that will you be able to put that many people in the seats?

Big stadiums are a thing of the past. A middle of the road 45,000 person on campus or campus adjacent stadium would send a bigger message that we are serious about football.

UConn football is a chicken or the egg scenario right now. It's no coincidence our best years were in a "power" conference. They need to get better to be taken seriously but to be better they need to be taken seriously (aka play in a real league).

NIL and transfers are how the program needs to be built right now. Any donations to the program should go to NIL and we should break any NCAA rules that get in the way of recruiting better players.

 

[alphasigko]

I'm real torn about this.

Damn I hope not

 

[Luna]

If we can get into the Big12, our great coaches, Auriemma, Kavanaugh, Hurley, Mora, etc., may not eventually leave us in the future since we will be in a P4 conference. We also will get better in football, as being in a P4 conference will attract better talent, so if the conference does dissolve at some point, we will be better prepared and be a better overall choice for the leagues that are looking for a good athletic school to invite in.

Going to the big 12 will be a very bad move for our men’s basketball

 

[Stinger92860]

Because I do not work at UConn and them having 200 million dollars and no competitive athletic programs doesn't do anything for me. Great Uconn has 200 million dollars but the basketball programs are essentially killed. Yay?

Assclown alert

 

[CL82]

Going to the big 12 will be a very bad move for our men’s basketball

Why?

 

[uconnbill]

You just don't see the big picture.