UConn is moving to the BIG East Conference in 20-21

[Carnac]

What a move to the Big East means for UConn women's basketball
It isn't the dream that UConn women's basketball fans wanted -- going to the ACC -- but the move to the "new" Big East is still a good thing for the Huskies program, both for the immediate future and for long range.

The high-stakes game of conference musical chairs -- motivated by football -- of the past several years ended some longtime rivalries, erased some logical geographical ties, and left some schools with few desirable options. Hence the launch in 2013 of the American Athletic Conference, a league that's rather like a drawer of socks that don't match.

In women's basketball, it put the 11-time NCAA champion Huskies in a conference in which they've gone unbeaten -- and mostly unchallenged -- for six years (120-0). To be fair, the Huskies also dominated the previous incarnation of the Big East for their last 20 years in it, going 314-18 in the league regular season from 1993-94 to 2012-13, and winning 16 of the 20 conference tournaments in that stretch.

[Article]

Should UConn have stayed in the AAC (all things considered), or is the NBE a much better fit for the them all the way around?

 

[uconnfan68]

WBB doesn’t drive the bus.

 

[oldude]

I view the move to the Big East as long overdue. But I also view it only as step 1 in UConn’s push to establish fiscal responsibility with their athletic department. IMO, step 2 involves either downgrading football to FCS or eliminating it entirely.

 

[Plebe]

Is the thread title accurate? Unless I've missed something, it's TBD whether the move will happen for the 20-21 season. I believe UConn has said they'd like to complete it by then, but it would likely entail paying a heftier exit fee that will have to be negotiated with the AAC.

 

[veryolddog]

In my opinion, the State of Connecticut will take the least expense way to pay for the transition to the Big East and if that means joining for the 20-21 season is the least costly route, then they will do it. By the same token, the State of Connecticut has not wholeheartedly supported UConn football since I left in 1964. I remember that we would lose consistently to Maine, Vermont, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Throughout the years, the program really has not achieved. There was a blip that allowed attendance to a bowl game, but when reality set in during the Oklahoma game, the result of the defeat and the coach leaving put UConn back into it's place again. Since then, they have not paid the millions it would take to have a top 10 football coach. Even the current coach could not compete in the Big 10. Whatever happens at this point is just the result of years of casual support to the football program. Basketball, on the other hand, provides "Pride" and success for the State University and it's residents. The Big East is the best fit. And, in my opinion, the Big East as well as UConn will have the opportunity to improve and get better because of UConn participation. At least, the Big East, has a recognizable basketball tradition from the participating Univerisities that can attract top candidates and improve competition. Now you can bash everything I have said.

 

[Triad]

What a move to the Big East means for UConn women's basketball
It isn't the dream that UConn women's basketball fans wanted -- going to the ACC -- but the move to the "new" Big East is still a good thing for the Huskies program, both for the immediate future and for long range.

The high-stakes game of conference musical chairs -- motivated by football -- of the past several years ended some longtime rivalries, erased some logical geographical ties, and left some schools with few desirable options. Hence the launch in 2013 of the American Athletic Conference, a league that's rather like a drawer of socks that don't match.

In women's basketball, it put the 11-time NCAA champion Huskies in a conference in which they've gone unbeaten -- and mostly unchallenged -- for six years (120-0). To be fair, the Huskies also dominated the previous incarnation of the Big East for their last 20 years in it, going 314-18 in the league regular season from 1993-94 to 2012-13, and winning 16 of the 20 conference tournaments in that stretch.

[Article]

Should UConn have stayed in the AAC (all things considered), or is the NBE a much better fit for the them all the way around?

I'm a long long long time Uconn fan and I DON"T want Uconn in the ACC--no way o'shea! The NEW B.E. is perfect right now for Uconn . A decent league with old time competitors and a way to get priorities come NCAA time with winning the league title. Good old time friends, not travel to MARS to play in the league--good all around. I don't know WHO wants the ACC they must be the ND fans on this board..

 

[Adios]

This drop/eliminate football talk gets so old and out of touch with reality. Every land grant school besides Vermont has one.

 

[Triad]

In my opinion, the State of Connecticut will take the least expense way to pay for the transition to the Big East and if that means joining for the 20-21 season is the least costly route, then they will do it. By the same token, the State of Connecticut has not wholeheartedly supported UConn football since I left in 1964. I remember that we would lose consistently to Maine, Vermont, Delaware, and Rhode Island. Throughout the years, the program really has not achieved. There was a blip that allowed attendance to a bowl game, but when reality set in during the Oklahoma game, the result of the defeat and the coach leaving put UConn back into it's place again. Since then, they have not paid the millions it would take to have a top 10 football coach. Even the current coach could not compete in the Big 10. Whatever happens at this point is just the result of years of casual support to the football program. Basketball, on the other hand, provides "Pride" and success for the State University and it's residents. The Big East is the best fit. And, in my opinion, the Big East as well as UConn will have the opportunity to improve and get better because of UConn participation. At least, the Big East, has a recognizable basketball tradition from the participating Univerisities that can attract top candidates and improve competition. Now you can bash everything I have said.

As and ""ah ah" Old? dog--hey kid, Connecticut isn't smart with tax money but not having Football as a money sucking sport tends to speak well for Uconn. If uconn had OKLA or ARK type fans who always drive 100000 miles to park their RV's and party for a week before and a week after, may be Conn would spend the money. Money OuT requires MONEy in. I detest the wasteful Conn spending--but this is smart. Basketball for nearly100 years has been Uconns sport--accept it.

 

[Adios]

I'm a long long long time Uconn fan and I DON"T want Uconn in the ACC--no way o'shea! The NEW B.E. is perfect right now for Uconn . A decent league with old time competitors and a way to get priorities come NCAA time with winning the league title. Good old time friends, not travel to MARS to play in the league--good all around. I don't know WHO wants the ACC they must be the ND fans on this board..

The ACC is far preferable to the new Big East. Our actual old Big East rivals, majority are in the ACC now. Geno even said this Big East is not the same.

 

[Adios]

As and ""ah ah" Old? dog--hey kid, Connecticut isn't smart with tax money but not having Football as a money sucking sport tends to speak well for Uconn. If uconn had OKLA or ARK type fans who always drive 100000 miles to park their RV's and party for a week before and a week after, may be Conn would spend the money. Money OuT requires MONEy in. I detest the wasteful Conn spending--but this is smart. Basketball for nearly100 years has been Uconns sport--accept it.

Not true. We have 25 conference championships in football. Basketball had no fandom 100 years ago.

Holy cow.

 

[CL82]

So, if you had asked me before the last media deal, I would have said 'stay the course' but the length of the deal, the loss of SNY coverage, and the transfer of production costs made it a bad deal for UConn. It is going to be tough to schedule football as an independent but if we can pull off... and win some games... I think this will end up being a good move for UConn.

The AAC was death by a thousand cuts for us. We were an outlier in what had become a southern/western conference. It was good money and exposure for the CUSA teams that make up the bulk of it but neither for us.

FWIW I think we end up making more money in the NBE. Our AAC deal was $6.95M in 2032, less at the start. We'd be responsible for productions costs which have been estimated at #1.5M-$2M annually, and that's not including our initial investment in the infrastructure to do it. Plus we save @$2M per year in travel costs.

On a net basis we are better off in the NBE and that only gets better if they let us sell our T3 rights to SNY.

 

[oldude]

This drop/eliminate football talk gets so old and out of touch with reality. Every land grant school besides Vermont has one.

Notably, Vermont dropped football so they could afford to fund the rest of their athletic programs.

 

[Adios]

Notably, Vermont dropped football so they could afford to fund the rest of their athletic programs.

And that isn't going to happen here, since UConn aspires to be like Big Ten schools, not Vermont. Geez.

 

[oldude]

And that isn't going to happen here, since UConn aspires to be like Big Ten schools, not Vermont. Geez.

I would respectfully suggest that you are speaking in the past tense. UConn's move to the Big East clearly indicates a recognition that membership in the Big 10 or any other P5 conference is a pipe dream.

 

[oldude]

Not true. We have 25 conference championships in football. Basketball had no fandom 100 years ago.

Holy cow.

Yes, and those 25 conference championships dating back to 1901 were in the Athletic League of New England State Colleges, New England Conference, Yankee Conference and Big East, all of which are no longer in existence as football conferences.

 

[CL82]

I would respectfully suggest that you are speaking in the past tense. UConn's move to the Big East clearly indicates a recognition that membership in the Big 10 or any other P5 conference is a pipe dream.

Disagree. We will continue FBS football. The Big 10 institutions are exactly the institutions that are consistent with who we are/aspire to be. As much as we were a bad fit in the American, we are a bad fit in the NBE. Small private Catholic colleges are neither who we are nor who we aspire to be. If a path to the P5 opens we will sprint down it in heartbeat. I don't see it happening in the near term, but it would be foolish not to optimize our chances.

 

[Carnac]

The ACC is far preferable to the new Big East. Our actual old Big East rivals, majority are in the ACC now. Geno even said this Big East is not the same.

Butch, you’re preaching to the choir. Most of us agree with you. We all know what it would take to get an invitation to join the ACC. What has UConn done in the last 6 years towards that end?

What direction are they going now? UConn needs some wins against high quality opponents over 3-4 years (shows consistency) before any P5 conference will begin to look at them seriously. Recently UConn has not been able to win games against unranked programs that they should easily dominate.

One should not venture out into the ocean for a 2-3 mile swim until he/she has mastered their skills in a pool. All UConn fans want the FB program to return to glory, lately they’ve regressed and are simply marching in place. The reality is until UConn becomes a formidable challenger, no one is going to take them seriously.

How serious can you take a program that only wins one game all year against lowly Rhode Island in a 56-49 shootout? As former Minnesota Vikings WR, and NFL HOF Chris Carter sez........................."C'mon man". You lose to mid-major Temple by 50. Dominate the AAC first, then look to move up to a more prestigious conference. If you want to play with the big boys, you’ve got to be able to beat quality opponents and generate some revenue to look attractive to them. How are we doing in those areas?

First things first. Let’s get the FB program turned around and get it going in the right direction. UConn needs to find a coach that will come in and do for them what Steve Spurrier (the old ball coach) did for South Carolina. UCF seems to be doing well. Would it be a bad idea to try and do what they’re doing? Some 11-1 or 10-2 seasons would help. Remember what Bill Parcels said about teams and their record. You go 11-1 or 10-2, you don't have to boast about your program. Records speak for themselves.

I would love nothing better than to see UConn return to it's glory days in the next few years.

 

[oldude]

Disagree. We will continue FBS football. The Big 10 institutions are exactly the institutions that are consistent with who we are/aspire to be. As much as we were a bad fit in the American, we are a bad fit in the NBE. Small private Catholic colleges are neither who we are nor who we aspire to be. If a path to the P5 opens we will sprint down it in heartbeat. I don't see it happening in the near term, but it would be foolish not to optimize our chances.

So UConn football will be an FBS school as an independent? How will that work, and how will it advance our chances to join a P5 conference while closing the substantial budget deficit for the athletic department?

 

[Adios]

So UConn football will be an FBS school as an independent? How will that work, and how will it advance our chances to join a P5 conference while closing the substantial budget deficit for the athletic department?

So your concern is a budget deficit for an athletic department when the country is 22 trillion in debt?

I am sure UConn will find a solution for a much more manageable problem.

Oh, the football program is strangely claiming a 1924 national title. Same year Notre Dame won their first FB title. Notre Dame and UConn had players on Hartford's NFL franchise in 1926.

Yeah, we are nothings in football. Had pro players in football before any other sport at UConn.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I view the move to the Big East as long overdue. But I also view it only as step 1 in UConn’s push to establish fiscal responsibility with their athletic department. IMO, step 2 involves either downgrading football to FCS or eliminating it entirely.

100 or so Scholarships/year WOw!. !00 OR SO fully equiped player WOW. Associated equipment WOw, 2 FOOTBALL ARENA'S DOUBLE WOW. COACHING SALARIES, WOW. What is the financial return? What is the fan base? Who fill the seats? Can they ever become nationally competitive? The answers tell the story. UConn is a Basketball oriented University and maybe state. Why throw Tax money down the drain?? Oh, yes this IS Conneticut where tax dollars historically are down many unnecessary drain????

 

[BroadwayVa]

So your concern is a budget deficit for an athletic department when the country is 22 trillion in debt?

I am sure UConn will find a solution for a much more manageable problem.

Oh, the football program is strangely claiming a 1924 national title. Same year Notre Dame won their first FB title. Notre Dame and UConn had players on Hartford's NFL franchise in 1926.

Yeah, we are nothings in football. Had pro players in football before any other sport at UConn.

kind sir or madame pray tell: hOW IS Uconn football or athletics involved with the national debt. One, can be handled by Uconn the other no one can handle it---until it explodes. Stay within the threat---!!! discuss Uconn next you'll be discussing Race, Iran, Iraq, Formus, etc---stay within the thread.

 

[uconnfan68]

I would respectfully suggest that you are speaking in the past tense. UConn's move to the Big East clearly indicates a recognition that membership in the Big 10 or any other P5 conference is a pipe dream.

^^^ this. No conference wants to dilute their current income by adding new members that can’t actually pay for themselves.

 

[BroadwayVa]

And that isn't going to happen here, since UConn aspires to be like Big Ten schools, not Vermont. Geez.

You know that they aspire to be Big 10? How? Geno actually said the BE isn't the old BE--yet he pushed to join the BE, WHY?? UConn athletic management or school management or Geno are not idiots--so why is Geno happy to leave the AAC, since he almost invented it. The AC c has teams from the BE that is true. What is the need to be in that league, other than the money derived from that from FB (which Uconn will never see) . A big fish in a little pond (BE) is better than being in a tiny pond or a swamp. I have no desire to see Uconn in the AcC--Yankee's find the southern speech pattern hard to emulate (take it from one who had to learn).

 

[oldude]

So your concern is a budget deficit for an athletic department when the country is 22 trillion in debt?

I am sure UConn will find a solution for a much more manageable problem.

Oh, the football program is strangely claiming a 1924 national title. Same year Notre Dame won their first FB title. Notre Dame and UConn had players on Hartford's NFL franchise in 1926.

Yeah, we are nothings in football. Had pro players in football before any other sport at UConn.

See Broadway's post below

kind sir or madame pray tell: hOW IS Uconn football or athletics involved with the national debt. One, can be handled by Uconn the other no one can handle it---until it explodes. Stay within the threat---!!! discuss Uconn next you'll be discussing Race, Iran, Iraq, Formus, etc---stay within the thread.

 

[BroadwayVa]

@Butch, @Carnac, others----Get real! The AAC is gone. The ACC isn't possible for the next 10 years, the BE is what Uconn has and was a good home. No it's not the same old home true but comfortable. Louisville ND, Rutgers, etc have moved on. uCONN CAN play them every year if they choose. So what's the big deal ---if you want foot ball--cheer for OKLA , TX, Arkansas (I do). Dance with the girl you brought to the party.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Butch, you’re preaching to the choir. Most of us agree with you. We all know what it would take to get an invitation to join the ACC. What has UConn done in the last 6 years towards that end?

What direction are they going now? UConn needs some wins against high quality opponents over 3-4 years (shows consistency) before any P5 conference will begin to look at them seriously. Recently UConn has not been able to win games against unranked programs that they should easily dominate.

One should not venture out into the ocean for a 2-3 mile swim until he/she has mastered their skills in a pool. All UConn fans want the FB program to return to glory, lately they’ve regressed and are simply marching in place. The reality is until UConn becomes a formidable challenger, no one is going to take them seriously.

How serious can you take a program that only wins one game all year against lowly Rhode Island in a 56-49 shootout? As former Minnesota Vikings WR, and NFL HOF Chris Carter sez....."C'mon man". You lose to mid-major Temple by 50. Dominate the AAC first, then look to move up to a more prestigious conference. If you want to play with the big boys, you’ve got to be able to beat quality opponents and generate some revenue to look attractive to them. How are we doing in those areas?

First things first. Let’s get the FB program turned around and get it going in the right direction. UCF seems to be doing well. Would it be a bad idea to try and do what they’re doing? Some 11-1 or 10-2 seasons would help. Remember what Bill Parcels said about teams and their record. You go 11-1 or 10-2, you don't have to boast about your program. Records speak for themselves.

I would love nothing better than to see UConn return to it's glory days in the next few years.

Name the number of high Quality Coaches tried to pull Uconn out of it's position. They pulled they pushed and prodded and yet no big wins. Quite a few of those coaches win big in Maryland , ND, USC,, elsewhere--why not Uconn? NO REAL INTEREST. Face it: Uconn is a Basketball school.

 

[CL82]

So UConn football will be an FBS school as an independent?

Yes UConn will continue to be an FBS school as an independent.

How will that work, and how will it advance our chances to join a P5 conference while closing the substantial budget deficit for the athletic department?

They will schedule games without the benefit of a conference schedule. The AD has, apparently, received a lot of interest in scheduling us. SNY has indicated that they are interested in buying the broadcast rights to out home games.

How does this advance our interests in joining the P5? Well you have play FBS football to join a P5 conference, definitionally, so having a team is better than not. Some have argued that leaving American hurts us and our chances to move to the P5. They may well be right. On the other hand, it is certainly a fair observation, that the move to the NBE has created some buzz for us. If we can schedule FB games and win them, I think we create a little niche for ourselves.

In any event the American was a death by a thousand cuts. It was time.

EDIT:
On closing the "substantial AD debt," I've written about this in detail a lot. I won't do it again right now. Suffice it to say that:

1) on a net basis I believe the current NBE deal to worth more than the new American deal which begins in 2020 and ends in 2032. (The just under $7M of the American deal is reduced by @$2.M in production costs and @$2M in additional travel costs.)

2) Fox has indicated that they will open the existing deal if the NBE if we were to join so the existing NBE TV deal will be higher than the current amount.

3) The current NBE Fox deal ends in a few years. It is expected to be increase when renewed.

4) SNY has indicated that it is interested in broadcasting our football games. I anticipate that they will pay seven figures for those rights.

5) The NBE is rumored to willing to let us sell our T# rights to SNY. If this happens I would fully expect it to be worth several millions of dollars.

6) Keep in mind that much of the AD deficit is illusory:

a) We current account for scholarships as if they were full freight out of state rates. No one actually pays those. A better way to account for them would be the incremental out of pocket costs.

b) We rent the Rent and the XL from the CDRA at high rates (XL is $40K a game I believe.) This is money being paid by a state organization (UConn) to a state organization (the CDRA). It has the effect of aritifically inflating the AD expenses while minimizing the deficit that the CDRA operates under. Geno has suggested that a better way to account for the profitability of these games is simple to have UConn and CDRA split the profit. This makes sense to me.

c) Some of the deficit that you are seeing is actually due to student club and rec sport programs and just student recreation. These are not actually "athletic department costs" in the traditional sense.

7) As noted above the move the NBE is estimated to reduce travel expense by $2M per year.

 

[Carnac]

Name the number of high Quality Coaches tried to pull Uconn out of it's position. They pulled they pushed and prodded and yet no big wins. Quite a few of those coaches win big in Maryland , ND, USC,, elsewhere--why not Uconn? NO REAL INTEREST. Face it: Uconn is a Basketball school.

Several years ago, I ventured over to the football thread. I suggested that UConn look seriously into hiring Charlie Strong, who at that time was on his way out at Texas. That comment was bitterly rejected and scoffed at.

Well what do you know? Strong did leave Texas soon thereafter, and where did he land? Right here in the AAC with USF.
10-2 and 7-6 his first two seasons, going to bowl games both years. If UConn had dangled a large enough carrot in front of him, perhaps he would have come here. The last two years: USF 17-8 - UConn 4-20. Draw your own conclusions.

BTW, my poll is getting some action (which is exactly what I hoped for). As of this posting, 91% of the voters agree with UConn moving to the NBE.

 

[CL82]

Several years ago, I ventured over to the football thread. I suggested that UConn look seriously into hiring Charlie Strong, who at that time was on his way out at Texas. That comment bitterly rejected and scoffed at.

Well what do you know? Strong did leave Texas, and where did he land? Right here in the AAC with USF.
10-2 and 7-6 his first two seasons, going to bowl games both years. If UConn had dangled a large enough carrot in front of him, he would have come here. The last two years: USF 17-8 - UConn 4-20. Draw your own conclusions.

BTW, my poll is getting some action (which is exactly what I hoped for). As of this posting, 91% of the voters agree with UConn moving to the NBE.

I love the "I posted this on the BY and UConn didn't do it" posts.

Spoiler Alert: That's not how things work.

 

[Carnac]

I love the "I posted this on the BY and UConn didn't do it" posts.

Spoiler Alert: That's not how things work.

I'm glad you liked it. I realize that's not how things work. I only mentioned it to show the mindset of some of the posters at the time. Right now the football program is mired in "quick sand", and can't figure how to get out.
It appears the University as forsaken the team by going off in another direction that they can't. Any suggestions?