UConn to Big XII Imminent?

[Jimdish255]

Clemson and FSU are stuck, for now. The Big 12 or

I’ve been saying for some time, the ACC being raided/dissolved is increasingly unlikely even with FSU and Clemson throwing their public tantrum.

This is what I believe also. And by the time any renewal or renegotiation of that contract takes place, or dissolution of the core of the ACC, the value of certain "brands" may have changed. In the era of NIL money talks loudly. And those big fish safe in their small ponds could be looking over their shoulders in shorter time frames at other fish feeding off of NIL money from wherever (FSU is currently 0-1 btw). So we really don't know what their value will be down the road.
We do know that we have a brand and a record of success broadly, great academics, a beautiful campus, and an affluent market. We have one major issue that needs to be addressed and revenue takes care of a lot of it from a competitive standpoint. We know people show up when we put a decent product on the field. And the status quo is more fluid now than it has ever been in major college football.

 

[Jimdish255]

Dave needs to be talking to the ACC behind the scenes. The why now is answered by the fact that we accept the first/best invite. I think the ACC has labored under the mistaken belief that they don't need to improve the basketball product, clearly they do. Syracuse, Notre Dame and Louisville all stink. Duke may be in decline. I'm sure they don't want to dilute a mediocre football product, which we would do, at least initially. But the reality is that the only "big time" football programs not in the B1G or SEC are Notre Dame, Clemson and FSU. There are none in the Big XII. The Big XII is trading on competitive football games among good not great teams and outstanding basketball.

The odds of the ACC splintering into oblivion are approaching zero. UConn is the best available brand by a huge margin. I said last fall, our road game at Kansas was important, because it was an audition of sorts, and we crushed it. We showed up at a distant arena and packed restaurants and bars. That's what they want to see. It's what they'd want in Chapel Hill as well.

Going to the ACC now would be a fatal mistake. ESPN would leak it and it would be interpreted as a stab in the back to Yormark and the Big 12. Not only that it makes us look weak. It they want us they can send over an offer anytime. They've had 20 years to do that.

 

[jostar1]

This was posted on the Syracuse board:

Fun fact UConn moved up in 2004 to the BE and between 2004 and 2012 were ranked 3 different seasons and had 5 seasons above .500 … care to guess at how we faired? UConn played in 5 bowl games we played in 2.

Again I’m not a UConn fan but playing for a major sports title is better for the league. Part of the reason you have schools looking to bolt is because the national perception of the conference is taking a beating.

It has been done before and can be done again, it’s not like this hasn’t happened.

 

[Bongo Fury]

I'm sorry but there's no way Yormark wants to add OSU and WSU when they're available at any point. You definitely wait to see what happens with UConn and the ACC first before you add two far flung west coast schools

It makes me happy to see Drake go from on UConn a year ago to now supporting the move a year later. Talk about character development

Icon is an aquired

This was posted on the Syracuse board:

Fun fact UConn moved up in 2004 to the BE and between 2004 and 2012 were ranked 3 different seasons and had 5 seasons above .500 … care to guess at how we faired? UConn played in 5 bowl games we played in 2.

Again I’m not a UConn fan but playing for a major sports title is better for the league. Part of the reason you have schools looking to bolt is because the national perception of the conference is taking a beating.

It has been done before and can be done again, it’s not like this hasn’t happened.

total UConn fan. Seems like most UConn fans don’t know this.

 

[NH Husky]

Icon is an aquired

total UConn fan. Seems like most UConn fans don’t know this.

Thats because too many UConn fans have inferiority complexes. To me, if you want my cash or my attention for viewing commercials then put up a product I’ll be interested in. I’d love for that to be my school. “Brand recognition” is obviously a measure of interest. We easily have overall more brand recognition than at least half the so-called P4 conference members. Walking away from that potential is simply stupid business thinking. As UConn fans we’ll find something to cheer on.

 

[CL82]

Nice Dave!

 

[huskymedic]

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/article/huskies-big-12-big-east-dan-hurley-19723217.php

 

[freescooter]

https://www.ctinsider.com/sports/uconn-mens-basketball/article/huskies-big-12-big-east-dan-hurley-19723217.php

Yeah, it might be the best league in the country but what about MSG? Huh? How about them (Big) apples?

 

[mussels]

Yeah, it might be the best league in the country but what about MSG? Huh? How about them (Big) apples?

LOL - T-Mobile Center in Kansas City?

 

[jostar1]

Yeah, it might be the best league in the country but what about MSG? Huh? How about them (Big) apples?

Wanna make a bet we play at MSG if we join the Big 12? It might even be part of the agreement.

Brett Yormark:

"On the basketball front, we've got to bring the product to all the right places, and New York is the place for it. I want us to have a big moment in New York".

 

[jostar1]

There has been some discussion of what ESPN and Fox would pay for UConn basketball in the Big 12.

I found this quote from Dennis Dodd last year about Gonzaga:

Gonzaga has received a $15 million annual valuation, per one industry source, should it join a Power Five conference for basketball. That's less than half of what full-ride Big 12 members will receive ($31.7 million) beginning in 2025.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

LOL - T-Mobile Center in Kansas City?

Pfft, if only the Big 12 played its hoop tourney in a Big 12 state. Or, KU also wasn’t hosting home football games 47 miles away in the Show Me state. /s

 

[ZooCougar]

LOL - T-Mobile Center in Kansas City?

Take it from me. MSG is better by light years.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[nelsonmuntz]

So, if nothing changes with respect to football, it's the right choice.

If football changes fundamentally to the extent its deemphasized.. we'd be in the best basketball league and find ourselves as a top chess piece for any future basketball centric reorg?

NO ONE has any idea what the college football business model will look like in 4 years. It seems like pre-salary cap baseball, where the top programs dominate because they can and are willing to pay more. And dominate could look like 90-7 wins in conference games. A completely realistic scenario could end up with 10-15 schools simply dominating college football, getting all of the talent, and it simply not being worth it to even try for the other programs.

Throw everything any of us know about recruiting in the garbage. Facilities, tradition, location, are all basically irrelevant. Coach may matter a bit, but the size of the NIL paycheck is going to drive decisions. How are we, or most programs, going to compete with Michigan or USC or Georgia? The costs of running a football program are going to be MASSIVE compared to hoops. We are going to have to be prepared to lose tens of millions for multiple years before we get mediocre.

In this world, it would seem to be more likely that football simply breaks off into its own structure. I do not know if this will happen, but it is a possibility. There are so many unknowns, and the costs of getting it wrong are so massive, that I am pretty ambivalent about what comes next with the Big 12. I would MUCH prefer a similar deal with the ACC, even if it was for a little less money.

 

[EdgewoodNHV]

Discussions continuing seems more good than bad

 

[ZooCougar]

NO ONE has any idea what the college football business model will look like in 4 years. It seems like pre-salary cap baseball, where the top programs dominate because they can and are willing to pay more. And dominate could look like 90-7 wins in conference games. A completely realistic scenario could end up with 10-15 schools simply dominating college football, getting all of the talent, and it simply not being worth it to even try for the other programs.

Throw everything any of us know about recruiting in the garbage. Facilities, tradition, location, are all basically irrelevant. Coach may matter a bit, but the size of the NIL paycheck is going to drive decisions. How are we, or most programs, going to compete with Michigan or USC or Georgia? The costs of running a football program are going to be MASSIVE compared to hoops. We are going to have to be prepared to lose tens of millions for multiple years before we get mediocre.

In this world, it would seem to be more likely that football simply breaks off into its own structure. I do not know if this will happen, but it is a possibility. There are so many unknowns, and the costs of getting it wrong are so massive, that I am pretty ambivalent about what comes next with the Big 12. I would MUCH prefer a similar deal with the ACC, even if it was for a little less money.

Quit while you are behind bud.

 

[cellocgg]

Discussions continuing seems more good than bad

They were never voting today, it was announced this morning there would be an informational meeting

 

[BlueMAB]

We are going to have to be prepared to lose tens of millions for multiple years before we get mediocre.

If nothing else, we've already shown that we're prepared to lose tens of millions for multiple years with the hope of just being mediocre in football.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If nothing else, we've already shown that we're prepared to lose tens of millions for multiple years with the hope of just being mediocre in football.

I think the other G5 leagues are in the process of saying "no mas" to this. That is why they are discussing their own playoffs.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[KryHavok]

Zanetto said we have the votes, then we have the votes. Why trust anyone else when he broke the story before anyone else !

Well, just like Walter Donovan told Indiana Jones, "Now be very careful. Don't trust anybody."

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]