UConn's proposed 2015 BE Division

[CTMike]

I don't entirely disagree with you Carl, but we, collectively, want to feel like we are moving forward as a program. We all root for UConn but it doesn't exist in a vaccum- who you play is a big part of the fun. And between this conference crap, and our on-field product lately, there's a lot of fun that's missing. I'll still go, I'll still cheer, I'll enjoy the wins... But it's a step backwards. Our measuring sticks are getting smaller, not bigger. And it pisses me off that there's nothing we can do to change it.

 

[JayRU09]

It'd be nice. Put it at Yankee Stadium since they seem to be in need of events that would sell. UCONN vs Rutgers in NYC for the " Syracuse You're Still Irrelevant" trophy. Oh and the BE title......don't know which is more important.

 

[pj]

This. They are choosing how they break the league up based on what gets us better TV deals. No one gives a rats ass if people on the Boneyard understand why this works better for the networks.

Yes. Presumably they want to have a selection of games going on simultaneously at every time slot, so that you can regionally broadcast each one, and also switch between broadcasts to the most interesting game, much like CBS does in the NCAA tournament. It will make for a much more exciting broadcast for casual fans who don't have deep ties to an individual team but want to see interesting football.

Say you're NBC and you have 2 time slots on Saturday plus your Notre Dame game (3 time slots when Notre Dame plays away). Schedule 3 BE games in each of the two slots, with a selection of teams playing from all parts of the country. Each home area gets to see it's own team, and on NBC Sports Network and in NBC markets that don't have a home team, you show whatever game is most interesting at the moment with highlights from the others. Make the Big East football season an event that excites people's interest like the NCAA tournament. Let people know they'll get entertaining broadcasts, and let people have a rooting interest in West vs East or South vs North or Texas vs Florida rivalries, not just in the individual colleges.

I think it will work out best for TV, and I think the league needs money and TV exposure more than it needs short travel times and the ability of fans to travel to away games.

 

[JayRU09]

pj that's the best post I've seen in terms of how to get a good tv deal done. Now our leaders just have to get it done.

And as sad as it sounds, I'd take a deal for less a year to be on a network that will try rather than ESPiN. I want our football to feel important. Not just faceless programming on a network that just wants to stifle competition.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Do I understand personally why it's better for TV? No. Do I have any reason to doubt that the new Commissioner is making this decision in conjunction with TV (as opposed to just being a moron)? No, I don't. And neither do you.

I'm going to guess this is being discussed and done in accordance with the university presidents.

The same presidents that invited Memphis, Temple and decided to go to 14 teams in the first place.

I realize a lot of what has transpired is out of the BE's hand, but when it comes down to making a moronic decision you can be certain the BE leadership won't dissapoint.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I don't entirely disagree with you Carl, but we, collectively, want to feel like we are moving forward as a program. We all root for UConn but it doesn't exist in a vaccum- who you play is a big part of the fun. And between this conference crap, and our on-field product lately, there's a lot of fun that's missing. I'll still go, I'll still cheer, I'll enjoy the wins... But it's a step backwards. Our measuring sticks are getting smaller, not bigger. And it pisses me off that there's nothing we can do to change it.

I agree. UConn v. Michigan and Rentschler Field is a lot different than UConn v. Buffalo. I haven't compared anywhere what our future conference schedules are like compared to our past.

But we are not taking steps backwards, (don't get me started on the W/L record for the past 2 seasons) - but in other respects, there is nothing going backwards. Our university is growing, and the athletic department is growing, and the football program is growing, and set to make more money than we ever have, we don't have a low ceiling on growth at all.

For some reason, everybody here, well the majority, seem to assume that our future conference schedules will make for worse games than our past. Why? That's not necessarily the case. We played WVU what 7 times? 8? ever? we played Syracuse and PItt how many times? (We'll miss them for one reason and one reason only - we won a lot against them) We never got to play Miami, or VTech as conference members. We got BC once. Part of the intial allure of UConn football, was the Big EAst lineup that existed in 2000, 2001. That time is long gone, and we've got a solid 25,000 people that have invested in UConn football for a decade now. Those weekend days of tailgating at the stadium aren't just going to be given up.

It's up to the program to continue to grow, and we do that by winning game, scheduling everybody and anybody, and winning. Which leads me to the other problem we face thinking about future schedules. Aside from Michigan next year, and Tennessee in what 2015? There's nothing on the schedule to look forward to right now, which was a product of our former leadership at the university as well. THat just magnifies the changes in scheduling we're seeing right now.

In the 8 years I've been in the Big East, our slate of conference opponents has changed already - three times, and will change for the fourth time in year 9, and for the fifth time in year 11. Do the math - in 11 years of one single conference play - we will have had our conference lineup changed on average every other year.

What's good for UConn, is that this is happening now, and not in 2003. In 2002, there was no UConn football fan base to speak of. There is interest now in UConn football that can sustain us through this mess of conference shifting for the next 2-3 years, without a doubt, as new opponents work their way through Rentschler, and hopefully go home losers.

The best thing we can do is recruit like hell, and start winning more games than we lose. That's what we can control, and we've got the toys with Shenkman, and Burton work with, and what should have Pasqualoni working harder than he's ever worked in his life at recruiting.

 

[geordi]

Carl and BusinessLawyer are absolutely right! All we can do is to work with what we have. For those of you that are demanding geographic divisions, you've got to start thinking through another prism. Fact is that SMU, Boise State, Houston, maybe Air Force and/or BYU have much, much more football cache than Temple, USF, Rutgers, and yes, Connecticut in the eyes of most people in the country. Building our brand with them, at least for the time being, is a good thing...until our football brand can stand alone. As much as you might want it to, it doesn't right now.

Sure, everyone would be happy with a schedule of Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, A&M, and LSU or Michigan, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Penn State, and Iowa coming into the Rent each year. But are you going to be happy getting hammered 48 - 3 every week or with the 1 - 11 seasons being in those conferences would produce? We'd take over the roles of Vanderbilt, Indiana, or Puke, then you'd be complaining about something else.

The only thing that is going to make us relevant in the future is to win...to start a string of 10 - 2/ 11 - 1 seasons with a few conference championships. Then begin winning those 10 games by 25, 30, 40 points. Then beating some "Power Conference' teams in bowl games. Then we become desirable and, oh, by the way, able to compete with the SEC or Big 10 if and when offered.

Don't fall into the trap of believing that, just because the SEC is the best conference in 2012, it will always be. Over the past 50 years, the 'best' conference has rotated among various conferences, including some in the east. It will again.

Boise wasn't complaining about who they were playing. They just went out and won and started to show up on the rankings. We've got to do the same and playing a national schedule, at least in this league at this time, is the only way we can do it. (Now don't get me started on whether Pasqualoni can get us there.)

 

[huskymedic]

I'm going to guess this is being discussed and done in accordance with the university presidents.

The same presidents that invited Memphis, Temple and decided to go to 14 teams in the first place.

I realize a lot of what has transpired is out of the BE's hand, but when it comes down to making a moronic decision you can be certain the BE leadership won't dissapoint.

... and since none of us here can control it, I'm not losing sleep over it. 2015 is a long way away with the changes we've been seeing on the past few years. The only thing that is constant - is change. Key will also be how UConn fills non-conference schedule.

 

[huskymedic]

http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/4...NS,-CHAMPIONSHIP-GAME,-STARTING-IN-2013-.aspx

CHICAGO – BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco, emphasizing his conference’s national scope, announced that East and West divisions of six teams each in football will begin play in the 2013 season, culminating in a new BIG EAST Championship Game.

“This new alignment gives the Conference and its fans the best of both worlds – national exposure that is a result of the BIG EAST being in six of the top 10 U.S. media markets – with a schedule that focuses on spirited regional rivalries,” said Aresco.

The BIG EAST Football Championship Game will be played between the East and West champions at the home field of one of the participating teams, not at a neutral site, promising an exciting fan experience.

“This unique combination of nationwide scope and regional flavor reflects our commitment to innovation in response to the changing landscape in college football,” Aresco said, “while honoring a tradition of success on the field and in the classroom.”

Aresco continued: “Combined with the extension through 2026 of our historic relationship with Madison Square Garden for the BIG EAST Basketball Championship, the new BIG EAST Football Championship Game will provide two signature events of national significance in college sports.”

The new divisions will be:

East Division
UCF
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Louisville
Rutgers
USF

West Division
Boise State
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
Temple


Aresco noted that this alignment will likely be revisited after the 2014 season, when the U.S. Naval Academy and possibly other schools begin play in the BIG EAST.

In this new structure, each team will play eight Conference games per season, of which five will be against divisional rivals. The home and away opponents for each school will be announced after the BIG EAST athletic directors’ annual meeting in New York on Dec. 3.

 

[CTGoonie]

I do like this

The BIG EAST Football Championship Game will be played between the East and West champions at the home field of one of the participating teams, not at a neutral site, promising an exciting fan experience.

That's different from other conferences. Hope we can score one of those games in the next 5 years.

 

[Dann]

http://www.bigeast.org/News/tabid/4...NS,-CHAMPIONSHIP-GAME,-STARTING-IN-2013-.aspx

CHICAGO – BIG EAST Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco, emphasizing his conference’s national scope, announced that East and West divisions of six teams each in football will begin play in the 2013 season, culminating in a new BIG EAST Championship Game.

“This new alignment gives the Conference and its fans the best of both worlds – national exposure that is a result of the BIG EAST being in six of the top 10 U.S. media markets – with a schedule that focuses on spirited regional rivalries,” said Aresco.

The BIG EAST Football Championship Game will be played between the East and West champions at the home field of one of the participating teams, not at a neutral site, promising an exciting fan experience.

“This unique combination of nationwide scope and regional flavor reflects our commitment to innovation in response to the changing landscape in college football,” Aresco said, “while honoring a tradition of success on the field and in the classroom.”

Aresco continued: “Combined with the extension through 2026 of our historic relationship with Madison Square Garden for the BIG EAST Basketball Championship, the new BIG EAST Football Championship Game will provide two signature events of national significance in college sports.”

The new divisions will be:

East Division
UCF
Cincinnati
Connecticut
Louisville
Rutgers
USF

West Division
Boise State
Houston
Memphis
San Diego State
SMU
Temple


Aresco noted that this alignment will likely be revisited after the 2014 season, when the U.S. Naval Academy and possibly other schools begin play in the BIG EAST.

In this new structure, each team will play eight Conference games per season, of which five will be against divisional rivals. The home and away opponents for each school will be announced after the BIG EAST athletic directors’ annual meeting in New York on Dec. 3.

ok this is great news
1-temple signed up knowing west and we get our east teams we want to be with.
2-the conf ship at a teams place is great. take the highest ranked team. thats good. imagine lville going to bsu or uh to uconn or w/e. great!
3- other schools A+++++ need west schools for 8-8. f bball stuff. uconn/lville/cincy/temple/memphis can hold a 16 team conf a float by themselves. usf/ucf/ruty/uh/smu are all building right now bball wise. we have seen news with all of them. sdsu is a good bball school. if we go 16 all sports they are quality, even bsu is building bball wise. navy wont play bball and we should get in also like navy. byu is a gem and unr will be good also. those are the 3 we need.

 

[Carl Spackler]

this is the kind of leadership this conference needs. Thank you Mike Aresco. Thanks for posting that link husky medic.

Here's a little history lesson from the UConn Task Force on the Upgrade to 1-A football published to the UConn community in October 1997 the week after the BOT approved the upgrade. If we are to continue to be aligned with schools that do not play 1-A football, in teh Big East, the leadership structure of the conference, has to have it's priorities right, and I'm convinced we finally have a leadership that does. THe final question in this piece from 1997, has finally been answered, by a leadership structure that has arrived at the conference alignment based on the principle in the first paragraph, that 1-A football conferences are the dominant voice in the NCAA. we may not like what it looks like, but all the programs that have left the Big East, and have joined - since 1997 - including us - have either joined, or left, based on leadership with different priorities.



"As the newly restructured governmental framework of the NCAA begins to operate, it is becoming more and more apparent that conferences will be the most significant entity in the regulation of intercollegiate athletics. It also becomes more evident each day that the dominant voices in this new structure will be those of the I-A conferences.

"The new structure is clearly established to give the I-A member institutions the ability to control and dictate the solutions of the major issues which affect intercollegiate athletics such as academic integrity, student-athlete eligibility, competitive standards, financial aid and the economic structure of television and post-season competition.

"In my opinion only institutions which are members of I-A conferences will be in a position to have a major voice in the future of intercollegiate athletics."

The Big East Conference recent Commissioner's Update explained that "the last five years have been at times tumultuous for the governance of The Big East Conference. Expansion was a painful issue for the Conference in 1994. And varying levels of Conference membership and NCAA play have created a complicated web of competing interests between members of The Big East and The Big East Football Conference. These disparate concerns have at times led to disputes over the continued structure of The Big East. Thankfully, with strong leadership and a universal vision, these disagreements have been settled. Today Big East basketball and football are full partners in our ever expanding success. Although our membership in now on common ground, we must continue to anticipate obstacles to our success as an all-sports Conference."

A restructuring of The Big East occurred as recently as 1994 with the addition of Rutgers and West Virginia (already members of The Big East Football Conference) and Notre Dame. While this action was taken to avoid the departure of the football institutions from The Big East, the potential for volatility persists. When viewed in light of the Kramer analysis, the Division I-A institutions may see little to be gained financially from continued association with the non-Division I-A institutions. Those schools not involved in I-A football are: Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and the University of Connecticut, the only nonsectarian school in the group. Where will UConn find the opportunity to affiliate with a conference composed of institutions of similar size and mission if not included in The Big East Conference as it is structured today?

http://advance.uconn.edu/1997/971027/fballqa.htm

 

[huskymedic]

 

[uconNYC]

3- other schools A+++++ need west schools for 8-8. f bball stuff. uconn/lville/cincy/temple/memphis can hold a 16 team conf a float by themselves. usf/ucf/ruty/uh/smu are all building right now bball wise. we have seen news with all of them. sdsu is a good bball school. if we go 16 all sports they are quality, even bsu is building bball wise. navy wont play bball and we should get in also like navy. byu is a gem and unr will be good also. those are the 3 we need.

No reason to break away from Georgetown, Villanova, SJU and Marquette. They are quality bball opponents, regional rivals (except MQ) and are very strong in the Olympic sports.

 

[uconNYC]

After 2015 I see this:

East:

RU
UConn
Temple
UL
UC
USF
UCF

West:

SDSU
BSU
/BYU
Navy
UH
SMU
Memphis

 

[Carl Spackler]

No reason to break away from Georgetown, Villanova, SJU and Marquette. They are quality bball opponents, regional rivals (except MQ) and are very strong in the Olympic sports.

I agree. In the late 1990s, through the 2000s, there was plenty of reason to break away from them. Not now. It is - and always has been - about the leadership from the top down in this conference.

 

[gioff23]

And despite the fun of how miserable the realignment will be after 14

Aresco noted that this alignment will likely be revisited after the 2014 season, when the U.S. Naval Academy and possibly other schools begin play in the BIG EAST.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This. They are choosing how they break the league up based on what gets us better TV deals. No one gives a rats ass if people on the Boneyard understand why this works better for the networks.

Why is it better for the Networks? What I see is a guarantee that ever single game will be irrelevant on both sides. UConn gets on good league opponent in UL and bunch we don't want to see. But it's essentially the same for every school. SDSU would turn out for Boise and so naturally they don't get those schools. It's moronic. Every school gets the other schools they would least like to play. It's designed to kill enthusiasm across the league.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Boise and Cincy more than make up for that.

Navy is a fun game. Historic. We have Memphis. Ugh.

 

[ZooCougar]

Screw Memphis. Why did we let that dreck in?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Screw Memphis. Why did we let that dreck in?

Fred Smith has been wanting and willing to bankroll Memphis St. to play big boy football for a long time and has just been waiting for an invite.....and that they also have a decent basketball program............. are probably the two biggest reasons.

 

[ZooCougar]

Fred Smith has been wanting and willing to bankroll Memphis St. to play big boy football for a long time and has just been waiting for an invite.....and that they also have a decent basketball program............. are probably the two biggest reasons.

That Fred Smith line has been around forever.

You can safely dismiss that idea. Memphis is a high school with ashtrays. It's not remotely the most followed school in the state. It's the third or fourth most popular school in the city behind Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Arkansas.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So is the zipper alignment consigned to the trash-bin of bad ideas?

 

[UConnDan97]

So is the zipper alignment consigned to the trash-bin of bad ideas?

I hope to God it has been trashed, composted, and burned...

 

[Carl Spackler]

That Fred Smith line has been around forever.

You can safely dismiss that idea. Memphis is a high school with ashtrays. It's not remotely the most followed school in the state. It's the third or fourth most popular school in the city behind Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Arkansas.

I know you're overseas right? Well, don't be surprised when you come back, if FedEx seems to have replaced other advertisers, on all the billboards, scoreboards, and handouts at Big East football and basketball games.