UConn to the Big East?

[uconnell]

Quite frankly, we may now wait to see the identity of our newly configured football team before making any major changes.

The Big East is interested in us for a few reasons. One, that has not been mentioned in this thread is attendance at their tournament at MSG. They want to protect their dates/time-slots at MSG from possible Big Ten or ACC intrusion. UConn has a great reputation for fan turnout at MSG.

The Big East doesn't want us, at least that is what they are saying on the PC board. Let them rot seems to be a favorite . I feel the same way about them. They have a nice little club over there and a few teams are wining who didn't do much in the past. They don't want any outside team to come in and mess it up.

 

[shizzle787]

The Big East doesn't want us, at least that is what they are saying on the PC board. Let them rot seems to be a favorite . I feel the same way about them. They have a nice little club over there and a few teams are wining who didn't do much in the past. They don't want any outside team to come in and mess it up.

Au contraire, FOX wants us. PC fans don't mean anything anyway. The BE wants us too. When we applied to the Big 12 under the football-only portion of the application, we mentioned joining the BE for everything else. We wouldn't have been able to put that down unless the BE had given us a de facto invite.

 

[Chief00]

The Big East doesn't want us, at least that is what they are saying on the PC board. Let them rot seems to be a favorite . I feel the same way about them. They have a nice little club over there and a few teams are wining who didn't do much in the past. They don't want any outside team to come in and mess it up.

Confirmed - Trust me - the Big East wants us.

 

[uconnell]

Confirmed - Trust me - the Big East wants us.

I don't want to give up football and I love basketball,. Guess I'll just stay out of the arguement.

 

[shizzle787]

I don't want to give up football and I love basketball,. Guess I'll just stay out of the arguement.

I don't want to give up football either and we don't have to if we go independent. However, we also need to realize that the future is bleak for football around the country.

 

[upstater]

I'm going to sound like the ultimate Ollie apologist but the AAC's travel is partially to blame for the mediocre records in conference plan year to year. Unless UConn has significantly better players, they are going to struggle every year they travel to Houston, Dallas and Tulsa. The Texas, Oklahoma trips are very similar to the NBA's San Antonio, Houston, Dallas trip where teams are ecstatic to win 2/3. The AAC though is not the NBA and college kids really struggle playing hostile road games with significant travel in a different time zone regardless of opponent. In fact, I think their success in the AAC and NCAA tournament over the last several years is partially due to that crucible.

Ollie has upped the talent level significantly which bodes well for future years and I think would have paid dividends eventually this season but as long as 2 of the top 5 players are sitting on the bench, they won't be beating SMU in Dallas.

I agree in part, but every conference is like this these days so there are no excuses.

The BE itself is in Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, and it will probably add Missouri or Iowa if it adds a school like UConn. You still have to get to Omaha, which is no different than Tulsa.

 

[shizzle787]

I agree in part, but every conference is like this these days so there are no excuses.

The BE itself is in Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, and it will probably add Missouri or Iowa if it adds a school like UConn. You still have to get to Omaha, which is no different than Tulsa.

Except the B1G TV contract is worth almost 20x the AAC one and that softens the travel blow quite a bit.

 

[Adios]

I don't want to give up football either and we don't have to if we go independent. However, we also need to realize that the future is bleak for football around the country.

London still wants an NFL team and the fanbase is still growing there. Do you think before you type? I am guessing no.

 

[shizzle787]

London still wants an NFL team and the fanbase is still growing there. Do you think before you type? I am guessing no.

I'm guessing you haven't heard about CTE yet. You're one of those.

 

[Adios]

I'm guessing you haven't heard about CTE yet. You're one of those.

No, I know plenty about CTE. Been through plenty myself. Notice Brady is insanely careful about his health but still wants to play more anyway. Geez. Yeah, you're one of those.

 

[shizzle787]

No, I know plenty about CTE. Been through plenty myself. Notice Brady is insanely careful about his health but still wants to play more anyway. Geez. Yeah, you're one of those.

It is going to die at the youth level because parents are going to stop letting their kids play and they don't want to sign the lengthy waivers. London has wanted a team for a decade, it doesn't work logistically and the sport is growing (albeit small-time) in the UK because it is a novelty there. It's the equivalent of lacrosse there maybe worse.

 

[UConnfan8]

I think we should give football 3-4 years to see what happens with the team, the new AAC media rights deal, how the AAC fares vs. the NBE, and potential CTE lawsuits. If the Big 12 doesn't come calling by then, it might be time to move to the BE.

By then our biggest OOC draw will be URI

 

[Adios]

It is going to die at the youth level because parents are going to stop letting their kids play and they don't want to sign the lengthy waivers. London has wanted a team for a decade, it doesn't work logistically and the sport is growing (albeit small-time) in the UK because it is a novelty there. It's the equivalent of lacrosse there maybe worse.

You're very wrong about the sport being a novelty. Wow, you are not too bright. In case you didn't know, parents sell their kids when times are rough.

Pushing for independence in football, too? Really?

 

[shizzle787]

You're very wrong about the sport being a novelty. Wow, you are not too bright. In case you didn't know, parents sell their kids when times are rough.

Pushing for independence in football, too? Really?

In the UK, yes, football is a novelty (and I'm not talking soccer when I say that).

 

[Adios]

In the UK, yes, football is a novelty (and I'm not talking soccer when I say that).

I am sure that's why they're aiming for an NFL team. They can support a full franchise there as of now. Tickets sell for 100 pounds and above for each game. And sold out all but two games.

In Germany and Australia, the game's popularity is even picking up. This Super Bowl should actually help it grow even more. If you listen to players, they speak of what they do as job opportunities. Too bad you can't grasp that.

 

[shizzle787]

I am sure that's why they're aiming for an NFL team. They can support a full franchise there as of now. Tickets sell for 100 pounds and above for each game.

It's a novelty and once or twice a year. They can't support eight home games.

 

[Adios]

It's a novelty and once or twice a year. They can't support eight home games.

3 games a year now and going to four next season. And they all sold out, except 2. You're way behind.

 

[shizzle787]

3 games a year now and going to four next season. And they all sold out, except 2. You're way behind.

They didn't even sell them all out. Ouch. Do you know what happens when you don't sell out. Blackout. Very few teams around here have that problem. 3/4 games featuring teams from the US is one thing. 8 games featuring a London team where most people who follow the sport are already fans of another team is not going to work.

 

[Adios]

They didn't even sell them all out. Ouch. Do you know what happens when you don't sell out. Blackout. Very few teams around here have that problem. 3/4 games featuring teams from the US is one thing. 8 games featuring a London team where most people who follow the sport are already fans of another team is not going to work.

They actually sold out all but one. I was mistaken. I do something called research.

NFL Games in London Sell Out Every Time and Still Lose Money

"League says U.K. capital has become a top-five market for NFL". Internet search engines are quite useful tools.

 

[shizzle787]

They actually sold out all but one. I was mistaken. I do something called research.

NFL Games in London Sell Out Every Time and Still Lose Money

"League says U.K. capital has become a top-five market for NFL". Internet search engines are quite useful tools.

Especially when your own link says and "still lose money."

 

[Bobol]

It's pretty simple.

The American Athletic Conference is trivializing UConn men's basketball program.

UConn lacks commonality with most AAC schools and lacks a geographic rival.

If UConn men's basketball team remains indefinitely in the AAC then it will lose it's prestige and continued to be devalued.

Capisce?

 

[nomar]

Especially when your own link says and "still lose money."

For now.

That’s going to change quickly, Waller said. By continuing to play games in London -- and making them free to watch via the BBC -- the NFL has succeeded in slowly building a fan base. Half of the fans who went to a game at Wembley last year had been to a previous football game, and one-third bought tickets to the full series.

With enough fans, Waller said, “media values go up, your sponsor values go up and the commercial side of the arrangement reaches scale.”

I'm not saying I agree it's a good idea, but the games are popular and getting more popular.

But, anyway, UConn to the Big East!

 

[shizzle787]

For now.

That’s going to change quickly, Waller said. By continuing to play games in London -- and making them free to watch via the BBC -- the NFL has succeeded in slowly building a fan base. Half of the fans who went to a game at Wembley last year had been to a previous football game, and one-third bought tickets to the full series.

With enough fans, Waller said, “media values go up, your sponsor values go up and the commercial side of the arrangement reaches scale.”

I'm not saying I agree it's a good idea, but the games are popular and getting more popular.

But, anyway, UConn to the Big East!

The point that Butch is missing is that while it may be gaining a little in popularity in the UK (due to being new and cool), it is dying in the US (it's actual home) due to concussions, CTE, parents not allowing their kids to play, etc. The Ivy just starting using mechanical dummies in practice as opposed to other human beings for practice. The Ivy League, the arguable birthplace of football, just canned tackling in practice.

 

[upstater]

Except the B1G TV contract is worth almost 20x the AAC one and that softens the travel blow quite a bit.

BE = Big East.

I was referring to the Big East, not the B1G.

Obviously, I like the B1G more than the AAC.

 

[dennismenace]

I mean in the AAC you have:

-UConn is an elite program
-Cincinnati is a perennial top 25 team
-Memphis and Temple who have some tradition of being very good teams, usually pretty consistent, too. Tulsa's probably the penultimate mediocre team.
-While it's kind of hard to say where SMU is right now, Houston and Tulane are doing a lot of the right things and should only stand to get better.
-UCF, USF and East Carolina are atrocious.

In the Big East you have:

-Villanova is an elite program
-Xavier, Creighton, Butler, Georgetown (less so) and Marquette are perennial top 25 teams
-Providence has a some tradition of being a very good team, fairly consistent.
-Seton Hall and St John's have been mostly bad, but at least have some tradition, some brand recognition and a natural rivalry with UConn.
-DePaul is, was and always will be awful.

I would have to think that in addition to the above comments that recruiting would be easier for KO in the Big East
because of the quality of opponents. This would help keep the quality of our BB program up while football can hopefully rebuild. Unfortunately, we may not be on the Big East's "top ten teams we'd like to have" list as others have mentioned.
So by going there we're with another elite program. Instead of one perennial top 25 opponent we have four or five. Even the bad teams are teams we have history with, geographic location, etc. You know - and Providence.

I DO think the AAC stands to continue to improve. I really do. But it's not the Big East and right now - I just don't think there's much of a discussion which place would be better for UConn hoops. There just isn't.