UConn In Discussions With ACC?

[CL82]

I understand your analysis. I remain firmly convinced that the NNBE contract would have to be light years ahead of the ACC's contract for UConn to even consider turning the ACC down.

If 2 or 4 ACC schools leave for the SEC/Big XII, I still think what would be left in the ACC would be better than staying in the NNBE.

And, if the Big East contract is that far ahead of the ACC contract, ESPN isn't going to let a minor player drive rights for all of college sports through the roof. They will incentivize their conference partners to raid the Big East again until NBC reduces its offer.

Except that in order to "incentivize" them they'd have to up pay more for their rights which would in turn drive rights for all of college sports through the roof.
ESPN’s maneuver room may be limited. It is a widely held belief that they are the hand behind conference realignment and whoever is left on the outside looking in will undoubtedly use the information that is already out there to file suit. ESPN should be concerned about the discovery process that will focus on the company and its conference partners.

 

[CL82]

The ACC has actually offered??!? You must be psychic.

First rule of interpretation of text - keep reading:

UConn should absolutely look at ACC membership if offered (and that supposed interest is based upon the thinnest possible basis - disappearing comments to a blog) but we should also absolutely weigh our options to make sure that we don't jump from a patched ship into a sinking one.

 

[Dann]

-lots of nbe hating(espn power 5 blah blah)
-nbe gets a commish and gear up for a contract
-nbc wants to be a player and must pay up to do so to make the product competitive in the cf world
-gene leaves before it happens...
-espn wont let nbc get to that. knows that uconn and lville are whats left with bball schools staying
-espn can spin uconn and lville to power 5 confs and the bballs will split
-uconn/lville and prob ruty and cincy are on the move
-the bball onlys can add a10 and other teams then go to espn for a deal. espn gets winter programs and both are happy.
-espn then creates(helps) a acc big east challenge type deal
-fball leftovers form a big country conf all sports conf. and go to nbc for 10mil a team type numbers. they are 6th best and far off now.
east-temple/army/navy/ecu/usf/ucf/memphis/tulane/smiss/uab
west-smu/uh/tulsa/bsu/sdsu/byu//fresno/unr/unlv
-espn gives big east more $$ for getting there tney to phili(middle of sju/nova/gtown)
-espn puts acc tney week in msg

 

[Carl Spackler]

1. Which group of schools does more for UConn's academic reputation and standing?

First of all, UConn controls it's own academic reputation and standing, and UConn is a large, public, state affiliated university, and is much more similar to other large public, state universities than private colleges. Considering the mix of schools in both the Big East and ACC? The question is a wash. The stigma of a Duke diploma, vs. a UConn diploma, is no different than a Georgetown diploma and a UConn diploma, and Duke football and Georgetown football is a wash.

2. Which group of schools involves less total travel?

Again, negligible. The only difference is in MODE of travel, and cost, not travel time. Flying to Dallas, or FLorida, takes less time than driving to North Carolina. Cost? REmains to be seen if there is a significant difference in travel costs. Boise and San Diego, involve minimal cost, and time, as those are only football travel, and not every year - not entire athletic departments.

3. Which group of schools has bigger stadium and fanbases?

Well, again - a wash. Fan bases? SMU? Houston? Boise? Big fan bases.

4. Which group of schools has more national following and prestige?

I only have four letters for this.

5. Which group of schools (with UConn either way) is likely to have a better basketball conference?

The Big East. No question.

6. Which group of schools is currently in favor with the other power conferences and has an Orange Bowl tie in?

In favor? Four letters again. As far as the orange bowl tie in? the current arrangement, is exactly the same as it's been in the entire 21 year existence of the Big East conference. Nothing's changed.

You think it has, because of the power of four letters.

So - in summation - the conference of universities, that share common goals, and allegiance in achieving the goals, and has the most potential for the University of Connecticut to maximize it's exposure and growth....is where the University of Connecticut should be....

and when you look at it like that.

ACC sucks. It did then, it does now, it will in the future forever suck.

 

[businesslawyer]

-espn puts acc tney week in msg

The ACC Tourney will be permanently moved to MSG when pigs duck*ing fly.

 

[Carl Spackler]

UConn In Discussions With ACC?

No.

 

[Rondogg]

I like the ACC simply for the fact that we can play our old BE friends in football, UNC and Duke in basketball and have an Orage Bowl lock in the the division winner. I also like heading down South for FB games, lots of airports and easy travel.

 

[businesslawyer]

1. Which group of schools does more for UConn's academic reputation and standing?

First of all, UConn controls it's own academic reputation and standing, and UConn is a large, public, state affiliated university, and is much more similar to other large public, state universities than private colleges. Considering the mix of schools in both the Big East and ACC? The question is a wash. The stigma of a Duke diploma, vs. a UConn diploma, is no different than a Georgetown diploma and a UConn diploma, and Duke football and Georgetown football is a wash.

2. Which group of schools involves less total travel?

Again, negligible. The only difference is in MODE of travel, and cost, not travel time. Flying to Dallas, or FLorida, takes less time than driving to North Carolina. Cost? REmains to be seen if there is a significant difference in travel costs. Boise and San Diego, involve minimal cost, and time, as those are only football travel, and not every year - not entire athletic departments.

3. Which group of schools has bigger stadium and fanbases?

Well, again - a wash. Fan bases? SMU? Houston? Boise? Big fan bases.

4. Which group of schools has more national following and prestige?

I only have four letters for this.

5. Which group of schools (with UConn either way) is likely to have a better basketball conference?

The Big East. No question.

6. Which group of schools is currently in favor with the other power conferences and has an Orange Bowl tie in?

In favor? Four letters again. As far as the orange bowl tie in? the current arrangement, is exactly the same as it's been in the entire 21 year existence of the Big East conference. Nothing's changed.

You think it has, because of the power of four letters.

So - in summation - the conference of universities, that share common goals, and allegiance in achieving the goals, and has the most potential for the University of Connecticut to maximize it's exposure and growth....is where the University of Connecticut should be....

and when you look at it like that.

ACC sucks. It did then, it does now, it will in the future forever suck.

With all due respect, that is so ridiculous that no more need be said.

(If we may be going to the ACC, then I need to start paraphrasing Ricky Bobby more.)

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

A few million dollars less from ESPN than NBC and their less-watched NBC Sports Network (where most games would be) and a seat at the table with the coming playoff structure would be worth it. Being left out of the playoff would be a complete killer, no matter how much $ NBC threw out. Not to mention nnnACC basketball would probably rival the NBA and I wouldn't be surprised if there was a clause in the ACC/ESPN contract to renegotiate if there was further realignment.

 

[Dann]

100 pages or bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CL82]

Someone let me know when even one of those things actually happens.

They are no more, and no less, real than UConn have the chance to move to the "least of the power 5 conferences." It's all speculation right now. The change is that the we've gone from the speculation being the about the death of the conference and UConn playing football as an independent and scrambling to get games, to the BE being offered big boy money and UConn getting an ACC invite. None of it puts a dollar in the bank for the university but you have you like the trend. As we've noted time and again on this board, the Big East's product on the field isn't nearly as bad as has been portrayed. The perception of the league's fortunes is on an uptick. It is worth noting as fan. No worries though, I'd be happy to let you know how it all shakes out.

 

[The Funster]

If the ACC was smart, they'd just offer UConn and Rutgers and go to two 8 team pods. Renegotiate with ESPN (again), raise the exit fee and be done with it. You'd have a 16 team eastern powerhouse of a conference that can set the standard as a multisport conference.

 

[Carl Spackler]

With all due respect, that is so ridiculous that no more need be said.

(If we may be going to the ACC, then I need to start paraphrasing Ricky Bobby more.)

All kidding aside BL, in the intercollegiate landscape, moving forward, and as both an academic and athletic institution, the University of Connecticut has a hell of a lot more in common with our current partners, than we do with any of the ACC membership. Not only that, with our current partnership, the University of Connecticut stands as a respected member of the group, and not a red-headed stepchild.

The reality of the Big East conference moving forward will be plain to see in coming months. It seems that in the last days of summer here, there are those that are still pining for the loss of Syracuse. It is a painful loss, to lose a partner like that, but life goes on, and UConn is in an infinitely better position for the future moving forward, than being shackled to espn for another 20 years.

THe ACC in the 2010's has quickly become the Big East of the 2000s with a quick turn of events around the four letter from Bristol.

Been there - done that. I've stood by my post all along. I'd rather be independant, than go to the ACC, until the Big East finally got the priorities right.

 

[Rondogg]

Flying Pig, Madison Square Garden, Roger Waters 2006

 

[Carl Spackler]

If the ACC was smart, they'd just offer UConn and Rutgers and go to two 8 team pods. Renegotiate with ESPN (again), raise the exit fee and be done with it. You'd have a 16 team eastern powerhouse of a conference that can set the standard as a multisport conference.

If the Big East had been smart all along, the ACC would be the Big East.

 

[businesslawyer]

If the ACC was smart, they'd just offer UConn and Rutgers and go to two 8 team pods. Renegotiate with ESPN (again), raise the exit fee and be done with it. You'd have a 16 team eastern powerhouse of a conference that can set the standard as a multisport conference.

I expect something like that to happen if the offer from NBC would truly exceed what ESPN is paying the ACC. Maybe it's UConn and Rutgers. Maybe there is a deal to push Louisville, with or without Cincy, to the Big XII. But ESPN doesn't have much work to do to split the football schools off from the Catholics (and then sign a TV hoop deal with the Catholics), and if they need to do that I don't doubt that they will.

 

[UConn990411]

If the ACC was smart, they'd just offer UConn and Rutgers and go to two 8 team pods. Renegotiate with ESPN (again), raise the exit fee and be done with it. You'd have a 16 team eastern powerhouse of a conference that can set the standard as a multisport conference.

That may very well happen (eventually), but the ACC should be in no rush to expand.

The ACC has already effectively destroyed their biggest competitor, the Big East, and neither UConn nor Rutgers really does anything to add to the conference (both are decent but not great football programs, and the ACC is already going to be the strongest basketball conference). Notre Dame, on the other hand, would have a HUGE impact on football - thereby satisfying the FSUs and Miamis of the world - and they would then be able to pick the king of the remaining litter (UConn, Rutgers, etc.) to be the 16th team.

Notre Dame is probably a pipe dream for the ACC, but it doesn't really hurt the conference to wait for em. It's not like UConn or Rutgers have anywhere to go...

 

[businesslawyer]

All kidding aside BL, in the intercollegiate landscape, moving forward, and as both an academic and athletic institution, the University of Connecticut has a hell of a lot more in common with our current partners, than we do with any of the ACC membership. Not only that, with our current partnership, the University of Connecticut stands as a respected member of the group, and not a red-headed stepchild.

The reality of the Big East conference moving forward will be plain to see in coming months. It seems that in the last days of summer here, there are those that are still pining for the loss of Syracuse. It is a painful loss, to lose a partner like that, but life goes on, and UConn is in an infinitely better position for the future moving forward, than being shackled to espn for another 20 years.

THe ACC in the 2010's has quickly become the Big East of the 2000s with a quick turn of events around the four letter from Bristol.

Been there - done that. I've stood by my post all along. I'd rather be independant, than go to the ACC, until the Big East finally got the priorities right.

That's nice. But since I'm on the side of our Governor and University President, guess who would end up being right if an invitation came. And the Big East will never be able to "finally get the priorities right" to our satisfaction because it will always need to satisfy schools that don't play football as well as schools that do.

 

[businesslawyer]

That may very well happen (eventually), but the ACC should be in no rush to expand.

The ACC has already effectively destroyed their biggest competitor, the Big East, and neither UConn nor Rutgers really does anything to add to the conference (both are decent but not great football programs, and the ACC is already going to be the strongest basketball conference). Notre Dame, on the other hand, would have a HUGE impact on football - thereby satisfying the FSUs and Miamis of the world - and they would then be able to pick the king of the remaining litter (UConn, Rutgers, etc.) to be the 16th team.

Notre Dame is probably a pipe dream for the ACC, but it doesn't really hurt the conference to wait for em. It's not like UConn or Rutgers have anywhere to go...

That post is 100% correct, if the world remains rational and the Big East does not attract a TV deal that isn't substantially inferior to the ACC's TV deal. But it does hurt the ACC to wait -- it hurts the ACC a huge amount to wait -- if by waiting the Big East reestablishes itself as the ACC's competitor in football and superior in hoops, as it did after '03. I don't see how the ACC can let that happen. I don't see how it made any sense to take Syracuse and Pitt if it wasn't committing to kill the Big East in the process.

 

[Fishy]

Nothing takes a thread from merely inane to Thorazine-level crazy as quickly as a visit from Carl.

Well done.

There are optimists and then there are this board's breed of optimists. If we were all on the Titanic, I think there would be about three of us looking for a seat on a lifeboat and the rest of you would be on deck wondering why the bar closed early.

 

[Excalibur]

I remember now why I don't visit this board. Here is what I've learned in this thread.

AAA > Major League
Irrelevance > Relevance
Being on a network that nobody watches > Being on a network that everybody watches
Good bowl tie-ins < lousy bowl tie-ins
Easily accessible away games < trying to fly to Texas, Idaho and God knows where else


The ACC minus Clemson and FSU would essentially be the conference that we thought we were getting into in the first place, plus Maryland and the Carolina schools. I'd take that over the clusterduck that is/will be the NNBE.

 

[Carl Spackler]

That's nice. But since I'm on the side of our Governor and University President, guess who would end up being right if an invitation came. And the Big East will never be able to "finally get the priorities right" to our satisfaction because it will always need to satisfy schools that don't play football as well as schools that do.

Invoking Malloy? Really. Two words Bus way. Gee, I must be doing a really good job writing - did you forget that there are basketball interests at UConn?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Nothing takes a thread from merely inane to Thorazine-level crazy as quickly as a visit from Carl.

Well done.

There are optimists and then there are this board's breed of optimists. If we were all on the Titanic, I think there would be about three of us looking for a seat on a lifeboat and the rest of you would be on deck wondering why the bar closed early.

Wait, when did you lose an inch?

 

[Dann]

if we end up in the acc, i hope to god they redo the divisions to big public and losers divisions. it would suck to get a couple private bitches in the same division on the home schedule.

uconn/clem/fsu/unc/ncst/md/uva/?
pitt/cuse/bc/duke/wake/vt/gt/miami

 

[Fishy]

Wait, when did you lose an inch?

Looks like I lost a pound, too - clearly, I am shrinking.

 

[freescooter]

That post is 100% correct, if the world remains rational and the Big East does not attract a TV deal that isn't substantially inferior to the ACC's TV deal. But it does hurt the ACC to wait -- it hurts the ACC a huge amount to wait -- if by waiting the Big East reestablishes itself as the ACC's competitor in football and superior in hoops, as it did after '03. I don't see how the ACC can let that happen. I don't see how it made any sense to take Syracuse and Pitt if it wasn't committing to kill the Big East in the process.

The other risk of waiting, and why I didn't want the Big East to wait to add football teams, is that when you make a move in reaction you always look weak. The ACC added Syracuse (1 winning season in the last 10 years) and both the ACC and the Orange look much better than the Big East adding anyone, even though most of the added Big East teams could likely whip Syracuse with their B squads. And in a business where perception is so important, the ACC has been exceptional in making moves that make it appear as more than it is, and leaving the Big East to look like less than it is. You can always replace a team, but that is a reactionary move which hurts perception.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Looks like I lost a pound, too - clearly, I am shrinking.

You should get that looked at.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[businesslawyer]

View attachment 1158

Thank you.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The other risk of waiting, and why I didn't want the Big East to wait to add football teams, is that when you make a move in reaction you always look weak. The ACC added Syracuse (1 winning season in the last 10 years) and both the ACC and the Orange look much better than the Big East adding anyone, even though most of the added Big East teams could likely whip Syracuse with their B squads. And in a business where perception is so important, the ACC has been exceptional in making moves that make it appear as more than it is, and leaving the Big East to look like less than it is. You can always replace a team, but that is a reactionary move which hurts perception.

I'm pretty sure that nobody in the football world looked at Syracuse and Pittsburgh to the ACC as anything meaningful for ACC football. Even ESPN has been reluctant to try to pimp Cuse and Pitt as any sort of improvement in football.

The entire premise of the "strength" of the ACC conference is founded on the premise that the Big East conference is weak.

The premise that the Big EAst conference is weak, is false, and all it takes is somebody to shine a spotlight on it, and we've got that guy out front now - to do that.

The ACC is in trouble. ESPN can pimp them all they want, but it reaches a breaking point and will backfire. Look at the McMurphy article the other day.

THey simply can't keep propping the ACC up, by digging on the Big East.

As for ACC basketball? Well if you look at things like revenue, the ACC has actually been not #2, but actually #3, behind the Big EAst and Big 10. There's no guarantee that changes with the addition of PItt and Syracuse.