UCONN to new Big East

[RockyMTblue2]

Here are two courant articles from today. One focused on what we know of the BE deal.

Why is UConn headed to the Big East and at what cost? Here’s what we know and don’t know

The other focused on the ongoing football quandary.

Mike Anthony: It’s time for David Benedict to handle the football problems that UConn’s Big East move creates

 

[RockyMTblue2]

And if you are not talked/thought out yet on the move here is a good opinion piece from Dan Connoly on same.

What UConn to the Big East Means for UConn Women’s Basketball

"The Big East lacks another dominant program to match UConn, but there’s not many of those in the country to begin with. The conference does have a decent middle class though, led by DePaul. The Blue Demons are coached by Auriemma’s friend Doug Bruno and are typically among the top 25 teams in the nation. Marquette has also become a perennial NCAA Tournament team, making the field each of the past three seasons.
*****************************************
"When the wheels of conference alignment stopped in 2013, not a single athletic program at any school in the country was put in a worse position than UConn women’s basketball. It was like if Alabama football dropped into the Sun Belt. Moving to the Big East is the first step in fixing that. It’s not perfect, but it’s worlds better than the Huskies’ current situation. "

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Purloined from the Men's B'ball Board ..from a poster called @FromTheInside ... BE will be able to renegotiate with Fox and it spells $$

"Second, the NBE has outperformed their TV contract handily. And not only have their TV #s been way better than forecast, they've won 2 National Championships in the last 4 years. So the conference's contract is way under-valued. The problem is, they signed a long-term contract that doesn't expire until spring 2026. The only way their contract can be opened back up for revaluation by Fox, is if there is a change in their membership. Adding UConn allows the Big East to bring their contract up to market value based on the Big East's performance on TV the past 5-6 years + UConn's value. So that contract is going to seriously, seriously jump in value. And, UConn is going to provide a significantly greater boon to the NBE's TV payout than they ever would have in the ACC or Big 12, simply b/c if you look at the historical ratings for basketball, the highest annual TV rating (b-ball) for most programs in the OBE was against UConn. The NBE adding UConn for basketball would be a poor man's version of the Big Ten adding Notre Dame for football. There's so much history & bad blood there, the ratings will be outstanding. So if you're looking at the current AAC payout and comparing it to the current NBE payout, and thinking "this sucks, what the **** are they thinking?!?!.....when the dust settles, UConn will make MORE money in the NBE (+ whatever they do for football) than they were making in the AAC."

 

[CL82]

Amazing how so many people use 1 game to define an entire program and university. You’d think Oklahoma never won before.

"I know a guy who is an outstanding sprinter. He made the Olympic team but didn't get the gold. What a loser!" Sometime just earning a spot is a accomplishment. UConn getting a Fiesta Bowl berth is one of those times.

 

[Vowelguy]

it's for the same reason I wondered why West Virginia would join a conference of midwest schools and be forced to pay for the non revenue sports to go halfway across the country several times per year.

If you don't know the answer to that question, you have a lot to learn about conference realignment.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

If you don't know the answer to that question, you have a lot to learn about conference realignment.

I know exactly why they did it, my answer was being slightly sarcastic. It's the same reason they all did it, football. UConn's best known programs doesn't include football but politics kept both UConn and WV out of the ACC. WV's football success got them a look at the B12 while UConn, Cincinnati, Memphis did not have that opportunity.

 

[diggerfoot]

Perhaps you can explain how a program stays competitive when others have so much money they can build gleaming new facilities every few years and pay coaches twice what you pay.

Perhaps the Gonzaga model can work long term. But don’t delude yourselves into believing it’s not without significant risk.

I agree with you 100%! Absolutely! It would be delusional to be certain that UConn can maintain being good in multiple sports if not in a P5. No doubt about it! Of course .....

It would be delusional to be certain that UConn will maintain being good in multiple sports simply by being in a P5, many P5 schools aren't. There's more to it than what conference you are in and how much revenue you get. From your comment I know you understand the risk of being certain when not warranted, I post this info for whatever Board members may be reading this. While they are reading let me add ...

It's also delusional to be certain that UConn will get into a P5. One may have their reasons to think it is probable, but certain? Nah, that's delusional. For that matter, one cannot be certain whether it's more likely to get to a P5 from the AAC or the NBE. One may have reasons to think one is more probable than the other, but certainty of no risk? Nah, that's delusional. I hope any Board member reading understands that.

However, I do feel certain, and not the least bit delusional, that a smaller geo footprint means less travel expenses, more convenience for student athletes and their parents, including with the overlooked nonprofile sports, and greater opportunities for fan rivalries. Yes, I do want any Board member reading this to know I feel certain about that.

 

[DefenseBB]

"I know a guy who is an outstanding sprinter. He made the Olympic team but didn't get the gold. What a loser!" Sometime just earning a spot is a accomplishment. UConn getting a Fiesta Bowl berth is one of those times.

Huh? You lost me on this response. My interpretation of your simile is it’s great UConn earned a Fiesta Bowl bid, despite the fact the state of Connecticut had to buy 20,000 tickets per Bowl Game regulations, continue to lose money trying to recruit, get coaches and draw fans in a region where youth football is abysmal, fan interest is fickle and focused solely on 3 pro teams? Go ask BC how their efforts in football are going and they have many, many more signature games on their resume. People are ignoring logic here- D1 big time football will and has not been successful nor sustainable in New England AND IT NEVER WILL BE.

 

[CL82]

Huh? You lost me on this response. My interpretation of your simile is it’s great UConn earned a Fiesta Bowl bid, despite the fact the state of Connecticut had to buy 20,000 tickets per Bowl Game regulations, continue to lose money trying to recruit, get coaches and draw fans in a region where youth football is abysmal, fan interest is fickle and focused solely on 3 pro teams? Go ask BC how their efforts in football are going and they have many, many more signature games on their resume. People are ignoring logic here- D1 big time football will and has not been successful nor sustainable in New England AND IT NEVER WILL BE.

A BCS Bowl is a great achievement for a football program and very difficult to do. The fact that we didn't win doesn't change that anymore than Geno FF loss to Virginia. UConn fans bought tickets on the open market. If you listen to the game you'd hear the U-C-O-N-N cheer loud and clear. UConn attendance was great in the early days of the Rent, which kills your argument that UConn is a pro-sports state.

The notion that the way things are is the way they will always be is the refuge of tiny minds.

 

[UConnCat]

Once UConn is part of the BE the relationship with ESPN will change. Except for the early rounds of the NCAA tournament, home games against ranked opponents will no longer be broadcast on ESPN. UConn home games will be on FS1, CBS/CBSsportsnet and hopefully SNY. Road games against opponents whose conference has a media deal with ESPN (P5 conference teams) will still appear on ESPN.

Interesting position for Rebecca Lobo who is both a member of the UConn BOT and an employee of ESPN.

 

[MSGRET]

Once UConn is part of the BE the relationship with ESPN will change. Except for the early rounds of the NCAA tournament, home games against ranked opponents will no longer be broadcast on ESPN. UConn home games will be on FS1, CBS/CBSsportsnet and hopefully SNY. Road games against opponents whose conference has a media deal with ESPN (P5 conference teams) will still appear on ESPN.

Interesting position for Rebecca Lobo who is both a member of the UConn BOT and an employee of ESPN.

#50 will vote for what is best for UConn and not ESPN. She is a Husky for life and has always sided with them even while she is at ESPN.

 

[UConnCat]

#50 will vote for what is best for UConn and not ESPN. She is a Husky for life and has always sided with them even while she is at ESPN.

Well of course. I didn't intend to suggest there were sides to be taken. Her only obligation on this issue is what is best for UConn. I was simply noting the unusual position she's in.

 

[GoDawgs4]

Huh? You lost me on this response. My interpretation of your simile is it’s great UConn earned a Fiesta Bowl bid, despite the fact the state of Connecticut had to buy 20,000 tickets per Bowl Game regulations, continue to lose money trying to recruit, get coaches and draw fans in a region where youth football is abysmal, fan interest is fickle and focused solely on 3 pro teams? Go ask BC how their efforts in football are going and they have many, many more signature games on their resume. People are ignoring logic here- D1 big time football will and has not been successful nor sustainable in New England AND IT NEVER WILL BE.

Unfortunately I think you are right about college football in the New England area. It is just not important to very many fans. For example, in 2016 Mississippi State played UMASS at Gillette Stadium. Tickets were only $25 and parking was free. Only about 14,000 people showed up and 4-5,000 of those were State fans who either made the trip (like my wife and myself) or alumni that lived in the NE area. It was very disappointing that more general fans did not come out. We all had a blast. The UMASS band had a great pregame show in the the plaza on the N end of the complex. Food at the CBS scene was good. It was a great experience all around but the only thing missing was more fans. That would have been a great opportunity for fans to see a CFB game for cheap and see how much fun they are and can be.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

Unfortunately I think you are right about college football in the New England area. It is just not important to very many fans. For example, in 2016 Mississippi State played UMASS at Gillette Stadium. Tickets were only $25 and parking was free. Only about 14,000 people showed up and 4-5,000 of those were State fans who either made the trip (like my wife and myself) or alumni that lived in the NE area. It was very disappointing that more general fans did not come out. We all had a blast. The UMASS band had a great pregame show in the the plaza on the N end of the complex. Food at the CBS scene was good. It was a great experience all around but the only thing missing was more fans. That would have been a great opportunity for fans to see a CFB game for cheap and see how much fun they are and can be.

Yes I was reading your earlier post and agree, NE isn't an area where there is much interest in football outside of the professional franchises. BC and Rutgers are both in P5 conferences UConn would love to be in but they aren't football hotbeds. Football is major in the south and midwest, with some pockets here and there other places. In Mississippi we (still) don't have professional franchises and the same with Alabama. I remember when Tennessee got the Titans while I was in school at MSU and that was a first. Of course I'm in Atlanta now which is football mad with the Falcons as well as rabid alums of Georgia, Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, and many other ACC and SEC schools. Still, it was fun trying to explain to a friend of mine a couple of years ago who grew up in New Hampshire why college athletics were such a big deal here compare to there.

 

[oldude]

Unfortunately I think you are right about college football in the New England area. It is just not important to very many fans. For example, in 2016 Mississippi State played UMASS at Gillette Stadium. Tickets were only $25 and parking was free. Only about 14,000 people showed up and 4-5,000 of those were State fans who either made the trip (like my wife and myself) or alumni that lived in the NE area. It was very disappointing that more general fans did not come out. We all had a blast. The UMASS band had a great pregame show in the the plaza on the N end of the complex. Food at the CBS scene was good. It was a great experience all around but the only thing missing was more fans. That would have been a great opportunity for fans to see a CFB game for cheap and see how much fun they are and can be.

Growing up in the 60’s in CT, Carm Cozza’s Yale Bulldogs were the biggest show around. The Eli would frequently fill the Yale Bowl, and even though there were no athletic scholarships at Yale, they had some great players, future pros and several nationally ranked teams.

Of course the high water mark of Yale football was the 1968 battle between undefeated Yale and undefeated Harvard before a big crowd at Harvard Stadium in what has become known simply as “The Game” when Harvard scored 16 pts in the last 42 seconds to earn a 29-29 tie. Truth be told, college football in New England hasn’t been the same since.

 

[JSB60]

When I think about the move, I picture Bart Simpson writing on the chalkboard "UCONN is a basketball school....UCONN is a basketball school....". I love it. Big East forever.

 

[Carnac]

When I think about the move, I picture Bart Simpson writing on the chalkboard "UCONN is a basketball school....UCONN is a basketball school....". I love it. Big East forever.

.......................................and will be until the football program can PROVE otherwise with a CONSISTENT increase in the number of wins every year against top 25 programs, not substandard cupcakes. Right now, the news media IS NOT talking about UConn football. UConn is not on their radar. Right now UConn is a fledgling program struggling to stay afloat. There is nothing that program is doing that excites or raises the interest in local area college FB fans. We certainly don't hear anything about UC football here on the west coast. Was there any interest in the Cleveland Browns before Baker Mayfield got there, and they started winning FB games?
No!! They had a 19 game losing streak.

Looking at some of the final scores from last season, they won't be generating any fan interest any time soon.
Judging from their performance of last year, they have nowhere to go but up. Remember what Bill Parcels said about records. 1-11 says it all. When they turn that around to 11-1 (and maintain it for 5-6 years), then they can't call themselves a football school. Until then, like Mike Wilbon says daily on PTI, "get that stuff outta here".

I'm not hating on UConn football. My observation is generic. This can be said about ANY college football program. You don't get accolades and a parade down Main Street for winning one game all year. If you take a beating on the field, you can expect to take one in the media as well. Fans will only support losing for so long.

If you're a true football school (Alabama, Clemson, Oregon, Texas, Florida St, Oklahoma USC, etc, You don't have to announce it to the sports world, they already know it.

 

[UConnCat]

 

[mbr33ct]

Unfortunately I think you are right about college football in the New England area. It is just not important to very many fans. For example, in 2016 Mississippi State played UMASS at Gillette Stadium. Tickets were only $25 and parking was free. Only about 14,000 people showed up and 4-5,000 of those were State fans who either made the trip (like my wife and myself) or alumni that lived in the NE area. It was very disappointing that more general fans did not come out. We all had a blast. The UMASS band had a great pregame show in the the plaza on the N end of the complex. Food at the CBS scene was good. It was a great experience all around but the only thing missing was more fans. That would have been a great opportunity for fans to see a CFB game for cheap and see how much fun they are and can be.

UMass has a football team? With that announced crowd they could have held it at Gillette Castle.

 

[triaddukefan]

Unfortunately I think you are right about college football in the New England area. It is just not important to very many fans. For example, in 2016 Mississippi State played UMASS at Gillette Stadium. Tickets were only $25 and parking was free. Only about 14,000 people showed up and 4-5,000 of those were State fans who either made the trip (like my wife and myself) or alumni that lived in the NE area. It was very disappointing that more general fans did not come out. We all had a blast. The UMASS band had a great pregame show in the the plaza on the N end of the complex. Food at the CBS scene was good. It was a great experience all around but the only thing missing was more fans. That would have been a great opportunity for fans to see a CFB game for cheap and see how much fun they are and can be.

But UMASS is a bit of a distance to Gillette Stadium..... over a 90 minute drive according to Google.

 

[Carnac]

They can form new rivalries with teams that are in the NBE. Since it appears a "certainty" that UConn is going back to the BE, make it work for you. We know the BE is not the P5 conference they sought, but IMO it's an improvement over the AAC. UConn had no business in the AAC. It was like being put in suspended animation. There is no future for UConn in the AAC. They've been wanting to get out since 2013. Well, now's their chance. If an invitation is extended, I think they have to accept it. I'm sure a satisfactory solution will be found for the football team.

I'd like to think that most of us will welcome the change of scenery once conference play begins. I look forward
to watching them play new conference opposition. It was impossible for me to get excited about playing teams in the AAC. As we know, NONE of them are at UConn's elite level, which is why UConn as yet to lose a conference game. Right now, UConn is a whale in a very small AAC pond. Most of those teams don't have a single McD All American, or a top 100 rated player player on their roster. In the last 5 years, only a very small number of players in the Hoopgurlz top 100 committed to a program in the AAC other than UConn. UConn is always the biggest game on their schedule.

I'm thinking that most teams in the AAC will be glad to see UConn leave. It will level the playing field for everyone else to not only win games, but have a realistic chance of winning the conference tournament and getting that automatic bid to the BIG dance. If UConn does leave the AAC, there'll be no reason to look back when they do.

 

[j66kicker]

3 ESPN writers’ takes on what the B/E move will mean to 3 UConn sports...

- WBB (Voepel): Huskies will still drill everyone by same 30-point average as they did in the AAC, but it might be more interesting.
- MBB: Super move, great for everybody!
- Football: Will be in purgatory for a while. If a smaller conference loses someone to the AAC to replace UConn, would they even want UConn as a football-only replacement?

What UConn's expected move to the Big East could mean for its biggest programs

Our experts weigh in on how a conference change could impact the Huskies.

www.espn.com

 

[DefenseBB]

Growing up in the 60’s in CT, Carm Cozza’s Yale Bulldogs were the biggest show around. The Eli would frequently fill the Yale Bowl, and even though there were no athletic scholarships at Yale, they had some great players, future pros and several nationally ranked teams.

Of course the high water mark of Yale football was the 1968 battle between undefeated Yale and undefeated Harvard before a big crowd at Harvard Stadium in what has become known simply as “The Game” when Harvard scored 16 pts in the last 42 seconds to earn a 29-29 tie. Truth be told, college football in New England hasn’t been the same since.

Well congrats on living up to your meme.. and logically noting the Eli past but that was 50+ years ago. Yale’s last top 25 ranked team I believe was 1981 with star running back Rich Diana (also a baseball player). All things move on so we muct bid adieu to any football acclaim (See NAVY or ARMY). But as our MSU fans noted, no fan support but great at parties and tailgates!
UConn football had a great regional following with the Yankee Conference but then success of the Big East and winning a couple of titles led to illusions of grandeur to go from 1AA to 1A and it has not been remotely successful. Heck even their 1AA success was paltry. Why the football base is apoplectic and mad at MCBB fans being happy going back to its roots about this is odd. They tried going big, it failed badly, they need to cut their losses now and make MCBB relevant again. Heck even regional football would bring in more fans than the current rendition of the football team. This is a win for the school AND ALL THE OTHER SPORTS that UConn fields. As I do recall, UConn has won NC’s in other sports so this will help them.

 

[pvdoggy]

3 ESPN writers’ takes on what the B/E move will mean to 3 UConn sports...

- WBB (Voepel): Huskies will still drill everyone by same 30-point average as they did in the AAC, but it might be more interesting.

What UConn's expected move to the Big East could mean for its biggest programs

Our experts weigh in on how a conference change could impact the Huskies.

www.espn.com

Stat like this tends to be misleading. 7 out 16 games against AAC teams in the regular season is decided by about 20 pts or so, or less. ND has even a higher % of games with even larger margin of victory in the ACC. Does that mean the mighty ACC is a crappy wbb conference as well?

 

[Plebe]

I don't have a beef with the sport of football per se (except for that pesky brain damage thing, but let's not digress...), but I sure as hell HATE the long and dark shadow it casts over every corner of college athletics. It's one of those things that make me ask: "Is this really how the world was meant to be?"

I had never cared a lick about UConn's football team until it became the cover charge for mere eligibility for future P5 membership. This move must mean that UConn is satisfied that the P5 ship has sailed for good or that they simply can't afford the yawning deficits for which the football program is primarily culpable. Let's just hope that the gross incompetence that left UConn in its odd state of exile is not continuing in this present decision.