UConn in the ACC - Virginia Tech forum

[Fairfield_1st]

Just a little discussion about the ratings the UConn Women are getting and some thoughts on adding us to their conference.

TechSideline.com

 

[storrsroars]

Just a little discussion about the ratings the UConn Women are getting and some thoughts on adding us to their conference.

TechSideline.com

Nice to read a thread that actually has some ideas and not just a string of "UConn football is trash" comments.

 

[shizzle787]

Should ACC Consider Adding UConn if Huskies Leave Current Conference?

 

[ScottVib]

If the ACC was to for some reason make that offer (all sports but football along with scheduling/bowl access for an Independent UConn football team), you take it.

Unfortunately that offer isn't coming.... but it's nice to dream

 

[storrsroars]

If the ACC was to for some reason make that offer (all sports but football along with scheduling/bowl access for an Independent UConn football team), you take it.

Unfortunately that offer isn't coming... but it's nice to dream

Maybe not. Having UConn aboard does solve some issues for the ACC across multiple sports. Obviously, without football, UConn would get a significantly smaller amount of the ACC revenue pie than other teams. So the question more likely is, "what is the number that satisfies both parties?".

I believe that ND receives 1/5th of full share of ACC's TV contact (based on the assumption that football derives 80% of revenue). So that's a little north of $5 million.

Let's say UConn gets that same deal. If we control our TV rights for the other seven games, we should be able to double that, based on UConn's football ratings typically being above G5 averages. So, there's potential for $10 million, which isn't great in the current environment, but sure beats the crap out of what we're making from the AAC.

 

[SubbaBub]

Not happening, but if we can control our own media rights to home FB games and have access to the ACC BB money, a share of road ACC FB games and bowl tie ins, you take it. We could probably make 1-2M per game 6-10M for 6-7 home FB games, another 4-5 million for BB and another few million for bowl payout shares, you could patch together a P5 level budget.

With a 9 game conference schedule and ND taking 5 games, we'd need at least 4 games guaranteed to collectively become the "15th" team. The ACC could go to a 6-2-1 model with the one being either ND or UConn. We'd see a lot of Wake, Duke, etc with ND's schedule priority, but that would be acceptable at this stage.

 

[Hoophound]

We'd get a football deal through SNY and do well with it. The biggest issue is providing something valuable enough to the ACC that the no votes from Cuse and BC can be overcome.

 

[billybud]

Notre Dame gets no media money from the ACC for football...but keep their NBC money. For other sports, Notre Dame gets 1/15th of 20%.

Notre Dame adds value in their five football games....games with the Irish sell tickets, sometimes get decent ratings, and gives a decent OOC partner for scheduling.

If FSU got a 26 million payout for 1/15th of 100%......Notre Dame's 1/15th of 20% would indeed be 5. something million.

 

[shizzle787]

The question would be can we cobble together 7 other games. I think we could if the ACC games are all played in the last 7-8 weeks of the seasons.
Weeks 1-4: FCS, 3 P5 games
Weeks 5-8: BYU, Army, UMass, 5 ACC games.

 

[buddy]

I can't believe that you all are still ruminating about alternative ACC scenarios. It is just not happening. BC, FSU,Cuse, and ESPN are vehemently opposed to UConn. All of the speculation is just silly. UConn is positioning itself for eventual P5/P4 inclusion when it is restructured, with it's improvement in athletic facilities and hopefully improvement in the football program and hopefully membership in the AAU (Academics are meaningless to the ACC remember). Forget the ACC.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

I can't believe that you all are still ruminating about alternative ACC scenarios.

Just to be clear, it's the Virginia Tech forum and an FSU article that are bringing up the topic. The commentary in the 2 are very similar. We're just discussing it. You did notice that, right?

 

[buddy]

I believe both of those schools voted against UConn. Just because a few fans speculate doesn't mean anything.

 

[justinslot]

If you guys ever get to the ACC I'm sure you'll be relieved. But I hope you don't act like Cuse fans and pretend the ACC was where you wanted to be all along. That league 1. destroyed your happy home and 2. exiled you to AAC Island and picked a frigging community college over you. I hope you hate all of them and destroy them in basketball.

(I'd rather you be in the B1G, of course.)

 

[IMind]

How cheap can a conference get UConn for? Honestly at this point we might be so cheap that a conference goes why the heck not. Like a movie in the $5 bin at Walmart. ☹️

 

[coachcap]

The question would be can we cobble together 7 other games. I think we could if the ACC games are all played in the last 7-8 weeks of the seasons.
Weeks 1-4: FCS, 3 P5 games
Weeks 5-8: BYU, Army, UMass, 5 ACC games.

Add New Mexico St. to the independent list of BYU, Army, UMass. They were kicked out of their conference. Air travel is to El Paso, then @ a 25 minute ride north to Las Cruces. Playing a team like that is good for Texas recruiting.

 

[uconndogs]

I believe both of those schools voted against UConn. Just because a few fans speculate doesn't mean anything.

There's some pretty insightful stuff. Thanks for that post.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

Should ACC Consider Adding UConn if Huskies Leave Current Conference?

From that article - "maybe the greatest (women's program) in the history of the college game"

Maybe???

 

[Drew]

man when you see some of the formatting on these other sites it makes you really appreciate what @temery and the crew have done with the BY

 

[Marty Jackson]

Should ACC Consider Adding UConn if Huskies Leave Current Conference?

have to really challenge the author's credentials the way he suggests that Uconn looking to leave the AAC should be the reason to consider them for the ACC. "Oh, so you are available? Why didn't you say so? Sure, we've be more than happy to have you join the ACC."

I have to believe that if the ACC wanted Uconn, we'd be in the ACC.

 

[uconnbaseball]

I would go for it under the condition that we are team #16 if Notre Dame joins for football.

I honestly think this would have been done already if the ACC didn't think they could poach someone like PSU if ND joined full time...which would potentially open up a spot in the B10 anyway.

Also for the buddy troll, UConn has excellent athletic facilities in both football and basketball...not like you'd know that.

 

[dwalks93]

I am actually amazed some P5 conference hasn't latched on to this yet. To use a Wall Street metaphor UConn is an undervalued stock in the AAC which could probably be bought for less than its market value. The "half partner" concept seems like a good way to make UConn very profitable for a P5 conference.

UConn may not increase the revenue to a conference like the ACC to the tune of $30 million (a full member payout). That is not a slam on UConn as most of the teams in the ACC aren't individually worth that amount. The collective bargaining positions of the P5 conferences has allowed the aggregate conference payout to far exceed the individual worth of the teams. Teams like WF and BC are benefiting from getting into the P5 early....they are not worth $30 million on their own.

Bottom line - UConn is extremely underpaid in the AAC. There is probably a sweet spot somewhere between $30 million full ACC share and the current $3 million AAC share UConn is getting.

The better question is "would UConn be willing to accept a partial membership arrangement from the ACC?" Would this be for a period of time? Would there be an opportunity to become a full partner?

UConn mens/women's basketball alone has won more than a lot of the ACC programs combined and UConn's women basketball is setting records for TV viewership and opposing fan attendance. It is a valuable product and one that appears to be growing in national appeal. Despite struggling some this year the men's basketball programs remains a national brand and is a team other programs want to play. It is hard to envision UConn agreeing to a perpetual $10 million payout while BC makes $35 million and doesn't bring a premier program in anything.

"Paying your dues upfront" only works if there a possibility for full membership down the road. That said, at some point it may be about finding a way to financially survive, retain a competitive schedule and continue to fight for another day. Maybe a half membership is a way to get in the P5 door?

 

[don356]

0 comments on that article, the engage va tech crowd. ha.

 

[Sea Goat]

How cheap can a conference get UConn for? Honestly at this point we might be so cheap that a conference goes why the heck not. Like a movie in the $5 bin at Walmart. ☹️

off...

 

[IMind]

off..

Grow up... we're are absolutely available at a deep discount... pennies on the dollar. We'd take 10 years of far less than market value if it meant being in a stable home long term.

 

[huskypantz]

man when you see some of the formatting on these other sites it makes you really appreciate what @temery and the crew have done with the BY

Tech Sideline has had that horrible format as long as I can remember, which was around the first major wave of conference realignment in 2003. Largely unreadable.