UConn's proposed 2015 BE Division

[ZooCougar]

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.

I return in January.

Outlook on your hypothesis is doubtful to not a chance in hell. Fred Smith and FedEx don't need the Big East to market their product. That's just plain ridiculous, that's like ESPN advertising on local access cable.

 

[coachcap]

So, unless the teams are reshuffled, UConn's Big East Schedule for 2013 will be:

Home: Louisville, Rutgers, USF, 1 Western Division Team
Away: Cincinnati, UCF, 2 Western Division Teams

We will know on December 3rd who those Western Division schools are. ( If we're playing SDSU on the road, I'll plan on taking vacation time to spend with sister & Brother-in-law living in S.D. to take in the game.)

 

[junglehusky]

Thank god we're going geographical divisions instead of some other format. In fact I thought the league pretty much settled on geographic divisions a few weeks ago which was why I was puzzled by yesterday's news that has since been quashed.

I like UConNYC's alignment. Maybe we can go to 16 by taking both BYU + Air Force, moving Navy back east, then adding one more out west (UNR for dan, or someone else)? But then the pie becomes smaller.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I return in January.

Outlook on your hypothesis is doubtful to not a chance in hell. Fred Smith and FedEx don't need the Big East to market their product. That's just plain ridiculous, that's like ESPN advertising on local access cable.

When did I say that FedEx needs the Big East? it's the other way around. You asked why Memphis was allowed in.

 

[ZooCougar]

When did I say that FedEx needs the Big East? it's the other way around. You asked why Memphis was allowed in.

Carl,

The Big East could make good use of Fed Ex. UConn could also use an invite to the Big 10, and I could use 500 million bucks.

 

[Pudge]

When the column starts:
By Brett McMurphy | ESPN.com

I immediately discount. That guy is on some kind of mission to throw Monkey Bones into every discussion. And, that my friends, sends various people in our (self-described) fickle fanbase into a tizzy.

We are going to get a decent contract for our sports content. And, I really don't think 12 to 14 (considering what we are looking at) ... nor 14 to 16 dilutes OUR (UConn) share. We are going to be north of $10m ... and not too close to the ACC $17m. It allows us to fight another decade & raise our credibility (as long as we don't let PP kill the Program in the next 15 months). It simply makes too much sense for us to be in a 7/8 divisional configuration with Cincy/UL, East/Mid-Atlantic and the 2 Florida schools.

We are not going to see the Zipper. We are not going to California more than once a year.

As for the other item on the Wish list, they are not going to let us trashcan Providence College nor Seton Hall in my lifetime.

 

[HuskyHawk]

When did I say that FedEx needs the Big East? it's the other way around. You asked why Memphis was allowed in.

You don't date, let alone marry, a tawdry crack-whore, just because she has a rich brother. There were several much better choices out there than Memphis, starting with Nevada.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

You don't date, let alone marry, a tawdry crack-whore, just because she has a rich brother. There were several much better choices out there than Memphis, starting with Nevada.

It's not complicated. Memphis was added to appease the basketball schools. That's it.

 

[Pudge]

Memphis is basketball. And ... they are going to be really good hoop for most of the next half-dozen years under Pastner. Solid solid talent & maybe the kid can create a solid identity. But certainly a Thursday/Friday entrant at MSG.

Tennessee, as we have seen with the SEC entrants, is not a dominant Football state in the south. Having said that, there is NO structural reason why Memphis can't become competitive ... with the right Coach building a competitive Program. We have seen too much of this with the BE & Temple.

I have no good answer to the question why they were invited. Basketball.

 

[huskymedic]

Not a lot of talk about Red/Blue outside of the ESPN snippet:

"League officials already have discussed how to split the divisions when the Big East grows to 14 teams. Sources said the most popular 14-team model would then be Red and Blue divisions that are nongeographic.
The proposed Red Division in 2015 would consist of Louisville, UConn, Memphis, Navy, San Diego State, USF and SMU, while the Blue Division would consist of Boise State, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston, Rutgers, Temple and the 14th team."

"Each team would play six games within its division and two games against the other division, including one permanent cross-division game. The annual cross-division games would be Cincinnati-Louisville, UConn-Rutgers, Boise State-San Diego State, Houston-SMU, Navy-Temple, UCF-USF and Memphis versus the 14th team."

"Those division lineups could be tweaked to appease the Big East's future TV partners and increase the worth of the media rights deal"

Maybe that's what ESPN wanted and didn't get? From all I read today, it seems pretty clear that post 2014 divsional alignement is in the air and not written in stone.

 

[ZooCougar]

Their invite was an inside job. They hired Tranghese to "consult" for them, and he sold them to the hoop schools.

We're now saddled with an absolute skank, probably forever. Memphis will be herpes for the Big East.

 

[junglehusky]

Pudge - " the right Coach building a competitive Program" thing is what's stuck in my craw now. The Big East will have a bit more money and maybe okay to decent exposure in the next contract. But the ACC and the big conferences are going to blow the doors off when it comes to spending. Over the short term I could see more successes akin to Cincinnati, but over the long term I just don't see how NNBE schools will be able to retain top coaching talent. For pete's sake Cinci couldn't hang on to their previous two successful coaches. Less money for coaching, less money for recruiting means less competitive Programs. Sorry, that's what I'm seeing out of this. #ClapHarder won't cut it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

my original response to the memphis question was two parts: #1 Fred Smith and his willingness to dump the money into the football program to compete at the level he wants - which is already happening to a major extent, and #2 Memphis basketball.

While it's not explicit in the contractual agreement, it's entirely expected of Memphis State, that they pursue FedEx for sponsorship of Big EAst athletic events, AND pursue that the renovated liberty bowl become a contractual arranged bowl destination for Big East programs.

 

[Dann]

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.

thats fine if u want to play them in bball. get there cell phone numbers and plan a play date in december.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Their invite was an inside job. They hired Tranghese to "consult" for them, and he sold them to the hoop schools.

We're now saddled with an absolute skank, probably forever. Memphis will be herpes for the Big East.

True, they did hire good old Mike in I think 2008 or something to be a consultant on moving out of conference USA. Memphis had been trying to get into the Big East since 2003. Memphis leadership was pissed off when Louisville, USF, Cincy, Marquette and Depaul were invited - and to this day - the invite of Marquette and Depaul - irks me. Those are two schools that sit quietly in the corner and must be extremely thankful for whatever they get off the money table.

Mike Tranghese cost Memphis something like $25k in consulting fees to tell them that they needed better athletic facilities on campus, and gave them his standard line about Big East football. "They had to win more." Good lord Mike Tranghese would be in for trouble in the same room with me.

No Mike, they didn't have to win more football games, to get invited, they just had to wait for your league to crumble to the ground on your leadership.

 

[Pudge]

Pudge - " the right Coach building a competitive Program" thing is what's stuck in my craw now. The Big East will have a bit more money and maybe okay to decent exposure in the next contract. But the ACC and the big conferences are going to blow the doors off when it comes to spending. Over the short term I could see more successes akin to Cincinnati, but over the long term I just don't see how NNBE schools will be able to retain top coaching talent. For pete's sake Cinci couldn't hang on to their previous two successful coaches. Less money for coaching, less money for recruiting means less competitive Programs. Sorry, that's what I'm seeing out of this. #ClapHarder won't cut it.

... and so we lost Randy Edsall.

I just don't think this market is nearly as fluid as it's portrayed here. IF ... a big IF at the moment ... we get a solid young FB coach, I truly don't see the ramping up & the Yanking him off to MichiganSt./NotreDame/Maryland as that onerous a development. That, in my view, is a 4-6 year Process. And, if you truly put some thought into the guy, you could see a person wanting to make this more of a Legacy.

I don't want to be the Mississippi State or Wake Football program. I am not thrilled with the expanded BE; but, at least I believe we have an opportunity to win at a fairly high level. And with breaks ... Championship of the conference.

Plus HOOPS. For the rest of my life, I want to see our MBB program thrive. And then MSG > March Madness.

 

[junglehusky]

Well, I'm not just talking about UConn. Maybe UConn can have the kind of success arc you described. But my main concern in this thread is the NNBE - we desperately need somebody to take the place of WVU in terms of carrying the banner, but what we really need is a handful of programs to go out and beat the big names on a consistent basis so the league can shake it's image of being one of the poor sisters. That becomes less and less likely when the big boys get a larger share of the pie.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

We are going to get a decent contract for our sports content. And, I really don't think 12 to 14 (considering what we are looking at) ... nor 14 to 16 dilutes OUR (UConn) share.

Umm...its pretty simple if you understand basic math.

Do Templle and Memphis add less value than UConn? Yes.
Will Temple and Memphis receive an equal cut to UConn in TV revenue? Yes.

Explain to me how UConn's payout won't be less due to these teams??

The fact that you don't even think 16 teams further dilutes UConn's payout just shows you're clueless.

That's why I'm in a "tizzy".

 

[Dann]

its funny now that i see this 13 team league so far and we are def getting at least 1 more for 14 and think u guys used to hammer me home with all the fun i was having with looking at west schools trying to see who was a good fit. now thats exactly what we are going to be doing. better hope the nfl is going to invite rutgers and they take us with them u funny guys.

bsu/smu/uh/sdsu/byu/urn//mem
uconn/ruty/cincy/tem/lville/usf/ucf/navy
16 fball
14 bball other sports +nova/gt/sju/prov/shu/dep/marq. thats 21 or 20 round robin bball games for the whole league which ='s a ton of quality inventory towards a contract being better $ wise.

 

[junglehusky]

If some teams out west can add value to the point where they're not another mouth to feed, then yeah get 'em. BYU would be in that category. Beyond that it's more trying to get the Navy and Temple chess pieces back east which necessitates adding western teams, and though I was having fun I don't think there's anyone who adds more value to the contract than they take away by being another mouth to feed, at least in the next 5 years...

 

[Pudge]

Umm...its pretty simple if you understand basic math.

Do Templle and Memphis add less value than UConn? Yes.
Will Temple and Memphis receive an equal cut to UConn in TV revenue? Yes.

Explain to me how UConn's payout won't be less due to these teams??

The fact that you don't even think 16 teams further dilutes UConn's payout just shows you're clueless.

That's why I'm in a "tizzy".

I just don't see it.

Less value? You are not going to be able to quantify it. And ... I am convinced ... somehow the Basketball leverage that you get with Temple & Memphis was calculated with this; I don't get it ... but the MSG Thursday/Friday nights will be better. You aren't going to convince me that UConn will get $10m instead of $12m because the BE included Temple & Memphis. As I have been saying for months (and refuted by a handful of the most virulent curmudgeons here), the real NEWS was the BE negotiation was happening at the most fortuitous time of this market. It is like the Japanese (and no other conceivable buyers) are circling Pebble Beach again. The Cost of Memphis & Temple is simply marginal dollars from the whole package. (and btw ... they ARE both Comcast cities. I think that's the unknown factor.)

And ... let me point out something else, Aresco's Press Release said the following:

"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."

Yes. The underlines are mine. But ... I think there is a real possibility of 8 East & 8 West Conference divisions. Air Force & BYU are the targets. But ... that opens up the last slot. At which point, the Usual Suspects here are going to roll out their cliche' phrases. (Fresno????)

At this point, I just want to see exciting football (which means I want PP gone). 7 Conference games in Division means UCF, USF, Louisville, Cincy, Navy, Temple, Rutgers. Plus another from out west. See ... I really am not missing my 2 hour trip to the Carrier Dome at all.

 

[Point6]

I like the zipper - sorry if this has already been said (i read the first few pages) but an east vs. west division looks too much like the left over big east vs. MWC/CUSA. Better to mix it up a little and spread everyone around for this to be a truly "new" conference. Plus, I would love to go into texas and beat SMU every other year. It will help the w/ the national cred.

 

[Pudge]

If Nelson Muntz did his analysis of the possible NBE & included all the various Market ratings (TV eyeballs, Brand, Q, Attendance at home games, Marginal increased Attendance at Away) ... you would find, IMHO, that BYU is the most valuable Program of the 14-16 that we are talking about.

just saying

 

[Dann]

byu is easily #1
is prob #2 value wise in just fball
#3 would be interesting. i have been bitching about a nevada school or fresno for a while but i think with memphis being a west team we would be foolish not to consider tulsa/ulm/ull/latech/tulane/arkst type also...

 

[Point6]

After 15 minutes of reflection, I know why i like the zipper. Next year, I will watch the early, east coast BE games and not be too personally invested in the west side of the conference. In 2015, west coast UConn conference games might start after a home Rutgers game. I will be more invested in the west side of the conference if we play those teams regularly - and I'm more likely to watch those games. If you can get some of the east coast watching west coast football (and vice versa), maybe you've got something new: $$.