Uconn's time may be near....

[Jimmy Serrano]

Even if Va Tech leaves (which they cannot do without UVA), would you rather be in a conference with Houston, SMU, and Memphis? Or Duke, Wake Forest, and Maryland? I cannot believe what I am reading to be honest.

Well, if you're a hoop fan (which I'm not) you would answer that differently. But seriously, you just named 3 of the most dreadful football BCS programs of 2012 and frankly, the last 20 or so years. Football matters first and foremost. If it didn't, you wouldn't have teams trying to run, not walk, away from the most dominant basketball conference in the nation.

Seriously......Duke, Wake, and MD??????????????? 3 football powerhouses.

 

[Dann]

Not at all. I don't even see the SEC going to 16 frankly. There is no interest in those teams (outside of MAYBE UNC and even less so Georgia Tech). They only added TAMU and Mizzou for their TV markets. Why do you think it is a forgone conclusion that the ACC UConn would be playing in would be Duke, Wake, UConn, Cincy, Pitt, etc. Please tell me what conferences are going to take these teams: UVA, Va Tech, UMD, UNC, Miami, NC State, Georgia Tech? There aren't even enough slots for them. A much more likely scenario is that the ACC would just stay at 12.

sec has 14. the b10 redid there logo so the g looks like a 6. the b12 owns the b16 copyright. conf's are going to 16 soon enough for max tv deals and to get the 4 team playoff down to the big boys and force nd/byu's of the world.

sec added mizzu and atm for tv, exactly, so they will do that again. unc bring thats state tv wise followed by ncst, either of those add huge markets to the sec's contract. same with adding a vt or a 2nd texas school.

texas with its longhorn network will never be in the sec.

the b10 has its own tv. they will add huge public schools that carry the states tv base. thats uva, unc, md, ruty, uconn, kansas. they can pick of those and try to lure nd.

the b10 will get to 12 this summer, for a conf ship game. they have to do it quick. they need inventory and won't sit behind looking at other confs with more teams. fsu/clem/gt/miami/lville/byu/cincy/memphis/tulane in that order picking from...

2015:

pac+byu/bsu/sdsu/unlv. that kills any cusa/nbe having a west division to compete with the pac's inventory. they take a bit of a hit on bsu/sdsu in the classroom and gain a couple fball studs and a couple bball studs.

b10+nd/unc/uva/md. nd gets its east coast trips to psu(phili crowd), md(dc) etc...

sec+ vt/ncst. tv...

b12+ fsu/clem/lville/cincy(ohio) and after some raindeer games gt and miami make the move. the b12 just created a east and west division that on a map doesn't look half bad considering. they also have fl/ga/oh tv and recruiting now. big reach.

acc= duke/wake/cuse/pitt/bc

nbe= uconn/ruty/temple/navy/usf/ucf/uh/smu/memphis

then things get interesting for us...

nbe=

 

[Dann]

Well, if you're a hoop fan (which I'm not) I would answer that differently. But seriously, you just named 3 of the most dreadful football BCS programs of 2012 and frankly, the last 20 or so years. Football matters first and foremost. If it didn't, you wouldn't have teams trying to run, not walk, away from the most dominant basketball conference in the nation.

Seriously......Duke, Wake, and MD??????????????? 3 football powerhouses.

uconn bball can survive on its own. we could play fball in the mac and for bball just load up on occ for a couple years until we make another move. people need to stop with the bball eyes. its scary, they want us to be back to 1993 uconn.

maybe bball fans just don't understand the difference...

 

[Jax Husky]

Wake Forest and Maryland have bo

Well, if you're a hoop fan (which I'm not) you would answer that differently. But seriously, you just named 3 of the most dreadful football BCS programs of 2012 and frankly, the last 20 or so years. Football matters first and foremost. If it didn't, you wouldn't have teams trying to run, not walk, away from the most dominant basketball conference in the nation.

Seriously......Duke, Wake, and MD??????????????? 3 football powerhouses.

th played in BCS bowls in the last decade. Also, those would be 3 of the bottom level teams in the ACC. I was just trying to make a point that playing those sorry football programs is still better than playing SMU or Memphis. All day. Every day. Duke....they are just flat out pathetic.

 

[rich1122]

Agreed A

I'd rather be in the new version of the Big East than the ACC version without FSU & Clemson. If that ever were to happen......you don't think VT and the upper crust of the ACC would be looking elsewhere?

Agree, ACC = Losers. If the choice is that then stay here. We will end up like BC with 225 fans at the Spring Game.

 

[AJC88]

A move to the ACC would be a boon for the football and basketball programs. One of Uconn football's issues was that there wasn't a ready made rival available in the Big East, but in the ACC we would get two rivals we are already predisposed to despising (Maryland and BC), not to mention it is just simply easier to recruit to the ACC, with the perception amongst the public that it is a major conference. Plus, being a basketball school, our biggest rivals (Pitt and SU) would be back on our schedule without having to mention slugging it out with UNC and Duke for ACC primacy. It would be the best thing possible for our programs to move to the ACC rather than stay in a neutered Big East.

We are completely in agreement. I tempered my statement so I wouldn't have to deal with the nut jobs that would lambaste me for insisting the football would be more entertaining with regional rivals.

 

[Dann]

We are completely in agreement. I tempered my statement so I wouldn't have to deal with the nut jobs that would lambaste me for insisting the football would be more entertaining with regional rivals.

its not that playing bc/cuse/pitt isn't entertaining. we all would love to play and beat them. it sthat playing just a bunch of schools like them would mean that uconn isn't playing better teams(trying to be like them) and were not making money(tv contract). the acc right now plus uconn and ruty would be great. it has some local rivlas, big boys (fsu/clem/unc/ncst/uva/vt), great bball, bcs fball and great other sports. but that acc will never exist becuase of tv $$. so now you have to make choices. i respect all opinions but love to argue...

 

[uconndogs]

I love..........loveD the Big East. But, this talk of passing on an ACC invite is Fruit Loops crazy............

 

[AJC88]

its not that playing bc/cuse/pitt isn't entertaining. we all would love to play and beat them. it sthat playing just a bunch of schools like them would mean that uconn isn't playing better teams(trying to be like them) and were not making money(tv contract). the acc right now plus uconn and ruty would be great. it has some local rivlas, big boys (fsu/clem/unc/ncst/uva/vt), great bball, bcs fball and great other sports. but that acc will never exist becuase of tv $$. so now you have to make choices. i respect all opinions but love to argue...

So we're going to make more money in the NNBE?
I understand you and Waylon are leading the charge on insisting the ACC is a marked man, but that hasn't happened yet, and will likely take YEARS to ever come to fruition if it ever did.
How many times have people said the Big East is dead, only to keep living on. AND THAT WAS AFTER TEAMS HAD BEEN PICKED OFF. No one has left the ACC, and no one has said publicly that they want out, yet we think they're doomed?
I take the ACC invite today, tomorrow, and twice the day after that. Better schools, better sports, better exposure, better contract.

Feel free to post whatever you like, I enjoy reading your prognostications on realignment, we just differ in opinion here.

 

[Dann]

duke/wake/bc/cuse/pitt will get what kind of contract tv wise? besides some bball $$, nothing. so they get $5mil each a year.

uconn/ruty/usf/ucf/temple/navy/uh/smu/memphis etc... will get what kind of tv contract? as we already found out $14mil is looking good. but thats with sdsu/bsu so lets bump it down alot(for argument sake) to $10mil a year.

do you want $10mil a year with no GOR, 3 local rival games (ruty/tem/navy and possible a 4th in army), a built in trip to fl for recruiting looks every year, a built in trip to tex every year also among smaller things.

vs

$5mil a year and GOR for 10 years(so if we they get a BIG invite or w/e we then lose $$ on tv), 3 local rivals in bc/cuse/pitt, no trips to fl or tex, good bball and hang out with small catholic/pusssssy schools....

which one?


we are getting a brand new contract next year. the acc contract is locked in for the next 10+ years already and they want GOR now. why would we ever lock ourselves into that? ONLY way is if all the current school do which they aren't. fsu kept the buyout # down remember? clem formed a expansion club remember?

those 5 acc leftovers can come join our east coast league and help our tv contract if they want, no way we sell our sole to espn the way the acc contract is. i hope ruty is smelling blood like we are. susan smells it.

i'm ok with this BE(new tv contract) as the 5th conf behind the big 4 until we get the BIG call. This would be whats left after the b4 goto 16 and we need to goto 16.
uconn/bc/cuse/pitt/ruty/temple/army/navy/duke/wake/ucf/usf/mem/smu/uh/ecu or tulane
but its all about the contract!

we can't lock outselves into the acc with that contract unless all of the 14 now plus ruty or nd does it with us and all 16 are locked in. thats the only way we go(which is not likely).

 

[Carl Spackler]

All UConn needs to do, is continue to maintain our pride and investment in being the finest state flagship public institution of higher learning in all of New England, academically, athletically, and facilities wise - and the rest will fall into place. That means continueing to keep all the facilities, programs, academic and athletic top notch and improving, growing the financial resources of the university through the endowment by contributions and grants, and for athletics --- RECRUITING like crazy and winning games.

35 years ago, UConn was speck on the map of the intercollegiate athletics. Jim Calhoun changed that such that 20 years ago, we no longer were just a speck, and UConn basketball gained regional, and then national attention, and the pride in the state U that swelled up around basketball was instrumental in the investment of millions upon millions into the university for the UConn 2000 project. 15 years ago, the UConn Board of Trustees decided in a vote that we were going all in and move to upgrade football to 1-A. Lots of hurdles along the way that could have stopped that upgrade at any time through three long years from 1997 until 2000 until the ground for the new stadium was finally broken.

9 years ago we played our first division 1-A game, against division 1-A competition in a bona fide division 1-A stadium - and won it - it against Indiana. Two years ago, we opened the season against Michigan in football, and finished the season in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. Lost both of them.

We get a rematch with Michigan - next year.

What it all means? Were good enough to beat the Duke's and Indiana's of the world - in both basketball and football......and we're good enough to own our own state in college sports broadcasting in football and basketball, and we're multiple title winners in all sports, but were not good enough to beat Michigan and Oklahoma on the big stage....YET.

The growth curve needs to continue, and in football it most definitely is. Basketball? Lots of question marks for the men's program right now. But football? The most important thing for UConn athletics, in whatever arrangement of conferences we end up in, is that we retain the most freedom we can with our scheduling and broadcasting, such that we can continue to grow our market value in CT, New York, and New England. In that sense, football ranks ahead of basketball now.

It all comes down to one thing - continue to win games.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The tough call will be if FSU and Clemson leave (and the public momentum on that has increased about 500% in the last 2 days) and then nothing happens for a bit. All the ACC teams are scrambling for the life rafts, but they have not disembarked yet. What does UConn do in that situation?

I suspect that Swofford will want to add teams immediately, but more likely the ACC retrenches for several months before adding teams, and we will get to see who can escape and who can't.

 

[pj]

It all comes down to one thing - continue to win games.

Continue to win fans is more like it. Fan interest = TV audience & ticket sales = dollars. For UConn, bigger fan support = penetrating major media markets (including NYC) which makes us very attractive to conferences.

Huskyfandan's scenario is pretty reasonable. The thing is, if it came to pass that the ACC was wrecked and carved up, then why would the big 4 conferences stop at 16? Huskyfandan's scenario leaves the whole northeast beyond Penn State and Maryland without a conference. I think there develops an incentive for the B1G to pick up Rutgers and UConn and grow to 18. Even the SEC might consider growing north from Va Tech. Either that or we get a national superconference made out of all the leftovers in sizeable media markets. UConn could be a big fish in that pond.

 

[Jax Husky]

Nelson, where are all these ACC teams going to go in your opinion? There are no more spots. Conferences aren't going to expand to 16 just because, and they aren't going to do it real soon. The one's who have just gone to 14 want to see how that works first. There aren't many moves left that the SEC can make that won't seriously dilude their product.

 

[pj]

Jax, we know the SEC wants to expand their TV footprint into major markets. Neglecting the states north of Kentucky which are cultural not inclined toward the SEC/South, the most populous states contiguous to the SEC footprint are Texas (#2 in population), North Carolina (#10), Virginia (#12), and Missouri (#18). They just expanded into Texas and Missouri. Now the top candidates are NC and Va. Why wouldn't their recent actions prove that they would love to grab UNC or NC State and Va Tech?

 

[Jax Husky]

Jax, we know the SEC wants to expand their TV footprint into major markets. Neglecting the states north of Kentucky which are cultural not inclined toward the SEC/South, the most populous states contiguous to the SEC footprint are Texas (#2 in population), North Carolina (#10), Virginia (#12), and Missouri (#18). They just expanded into Texas and Missouri. Now the top candidates are NC and Va. Why wouldn't their recent actions prove that they would love to grab UNC or NC State and Va Tech?

I don't see the SEC going after Va Tech, but maybe after North Carolina (and NC State). Those markets, however, aren't nearly comparable to the markets brought by the 2 additions they just made. If a school cannot bring major major eyeballs, they aren't getting invited. The only school I see that fits that bill is UNC, and for them it is as much because they are a national brand as anything.

 

[AJC88]

duke/wake/bc/cuse/pitt will get what kind of contract tv wise? besides some bball $$, nothing. so they get $5mil each a year.

uconn/ruty/usf/ucf/temple/navy/uh/smu/memphis etc... will get what kind of tv contract? as we already found out $14mil is looking good. but thats with sdsu/bsu so lets bump it down alot(for argument sake) to $10mil a year.

do you want $10mil a year with no GOR, 3 local rival games (ruty/tem/navy and possible a 4th in army), a built in trip to fl for recruiting looks every year, a built in trip to tex every year also among smaller things.

vs

$5mil a year and GOR for 10 years(so if we they get a BIG invite or w/e we then lose $$ on tv), 3 local rivals in bc/cuse/pitt, no trips to fl or tex, good bball and hang out with small catholic/pusssssy schools....

which one?


we are getting a brand new contract next year. the acc contract is locked in for the next 10+ years already and they want GOR now. why would we ever lock ourselves into that? ONLY way is if all the current school do which they aren't. fsu kept the buyout # down remember? clem formed a expansion club remember?

those 5 acc leftovers can come join our east coast league and help our tv contract if they want, no way we sell our sole to espn the way the acc contract is. i hope ruty is smelling blood like we are. susan smells it.

i'm ok with this BE(new tv contract) as the 5th conf behind the big 4 until we get the BIG call. This would be whats left after the b4 goto 16 and we need to goto 16.
uconn/bc/cuse/pitt/ruty/temple/army/navy/duke/wake/ucf/usf/mem/smu/uh/ecu or tulane
but its all about the contract!

we can't lock outselves into the acc with that contract unless all of the 14 now plus ruty or nd does it with us and all 16 are locked in. thats the only way we go(which is not likely).

Again, you're throwing out hypothetical numbers and situations. It's tough to argue against something that may or may not happen. As both conferences currently stand, ACC all day, no questions asked.

And you treat the grant of rights as a bad thing. If anything it's stabilizing, and is the main reason Waylon has been saying the B12 is now a stable conference despite suffering 4 departures in 2 years.

 

[sportsart]

Did someone move the ACC thread from the realignment board over here?

 

[Dann]

Again, you're throwing out hypothetical numbers and situations. It's tough to argue against something that may or may not happen. As both conferences currently stand, ACC all day, no questions asked.

And you treat the grant of rights as a bad thing. If anything it's stabilizing, and is the main reason Waylon has been saying the B12 is now a stable conference despite suffering 4 departures in 2 years.

GOR is good for uconn if the current acc 14 plus uconn and ruty all sign it together. that locks the 16 of us up together. i am 100% game for that the minute it happens. hell i'm game for uconn/ruty/temple/nd for 18 also.... what i'm not game for is:
GOR is bad if whats left of the acc is duke/wake/bc/cuse/pitt... and they want to add uconn/ruty/temple to shown life again. the 3 of us shouldn't go becuase we would have to sign the GOR with those teams. thats not a good enough home to join for a conf let alone sign GOR. espn wants acc gor and also is going to a arb for $$, poopies are hitting the fan quick for conf.

 

[Dann]

Did someone move the ACC thread from the realignment board over here?

i was thinking about moving this over. i'm getting out of hand so i might as well...

 

[Jax Husky]

GOR is good for uconn if the current acc 14 plus uconn and ruty all sign it together. that locks the 16 of us up together. i am 100% game for that the minute it happens. hell i'm game for uconn/ruty/temple/nd for 18 also.... what i'm not game for is:
GOR is bad if whats left of the acc is duke/wake/bc/cuse/pitt... and they want to add uconn/ruty/temple to shown life again. the 3 of us shouldn't go becuase we would have to sign the GOR with those teams. thats not a good enough home to join for a conf let alone sign GOR. espn wants acc gor and also is going to a arb for $$, poopies are hitting the fan quick for conf.

You kep stating these teams will be the conference. What do you suppose will happen to Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, UVA, VT, etc? I know you've put forth a scenario, but I just don't see that happening. For instance, your idea that UNLV would end up in the PAC is pure craziness. Never gonna happen. Where will Louisville and Cincy be? I think that just about any scenario that involves UConn leaving this new BE is a good one. This conference (from a football standpoint) is a dead man walking.

 

[Dann]

You kep stating these teams will be the conference. What do you suppose will happen to Miami, Georgia Tech, Maryland, UVA, VT, etc? I know you've put forth a scenario, but I just don't see that happening. For instance, your idea that UNLV would end up in the PAC is pure craziness. Never gonna happen. Where will Louisville and Cincy be? I think that just about any scenario that involves UConn leaving this new BE is a good one. This conference (from a football standpoint) is a dead man walking.

miami and gt follow fsu/clem. both of those schools bring big markets and recruit areas. both need a kick start to get the life back in there programs. an extra $10mil from a tv contract can do that...they follow not right away but a little later after they find out the sec is looking at va and nc.

the sec wants 2 markets. unc and ncst now see that the bacco road dream life is over. they know that together as 2 they can't sell a move somewhere becuase thats 2 teams for 1 market, they need to split. same with uva/vt. each schools can bring the state market with its fanbase, but 2 together doesn't make sense for a conf $$ wise. for vt/ncst to the sec and uva/unc to the b10.

the b10 will need 2 more and 1 of those ion the end will be nd. so its down to kansas, md, ruty, uconn for that last spot. kansas isn't enough tv wise and nd wants 1 more east market becuase nd is going to be in the new eastern division of the b10 with uva/unc/psu/tosu etc... md is having $$ issues so this would be a huge boost, they also bring dc. we all know ruty and uconns resumes. so they take md knowing that one day they can goto a8 and grab nyc with ruty/uconn. they fear that leaving dc untouchedcould hurt as the sec of 12 could expand more and grab it.

-unlv has a stadium in town ready to go and a great bball setup also
-its a big public and brand name
-has big boy bball that just came back to life
-vegas tv market, vegas for conf ships and stuff and that state is the odd state out right now of the pac, it fits. just in eyeballs, unlv works. now take a top 25 team every year in bsu, a national brand in byu and a up and coming school in unlv in the one mk in cali that the pac really doesn't have and there u go.....all west coast inventory is owned by the pac. the wac just died so idaho and nmst and crew are the big sky. they don't matter and the mwc has 10ish teams. all have no carry or real on field results besides fresno and unr. the nbe and cusa have no teams out there to add that matter so no west divisions then. the pac sitting pretty now...one day when confs goto 18, /fresno/unr can battle it out.

 

[Jax Husky]

miami and gt follow fsu/clem. both of those schools bring big markets and recruit areas. both need a kick start to get the life back in there programs. an extra $10mil from a tv contract can do that...they follow not right away but a little later after they find out the sec is looking at va and nc.

the sec wants 2 markets. unc and ncst now see that the bacco road dream life is over. they know that together as 2 they can't sell a move somewhere becuase thats 2 teams for 1 market, they need to split. same with uva/vt. each schools can bring the state market with its fanbase, but 2 together doesn't make sense for a conf $$ wise. for vt/ncst to the sec and uva/unc to the b10.

the b10 will need 2 more and 1 of those ion the end will be nd. so its down to kansas, md, ruty, uconn for that last spot. kansas isn't enough tv wise and nd wants 1 more east market becuase nd is going to be in the new eastern division of the b10 with uva/unc/psu/tosu etc... md is having $$ issues so this would be a huge boost, they also bring dc. we all know ruty and uconns resumes. so they take md knowing that one day they can goto a8 and grab nyc with ruty/uconn. they fear that leaving dc untouchedcould hurt as the sec of 12 could expand more and grab it.

-unlv has a stadium in town ready to go and a great bball setup also
-its a big public and brand name
-has big boy bball that just came back to life
-vegas tv market, vegas for conf ships and stuff and that state is the odd state out right now of the pac, it fits. just in eyeballs, unlv works. now take a top 25 team every year in bsu, a national brand in byu and a up and coming school in unlv in the one mk in cali that the pac really doesn't have and there u go.....all west coast inventory is owned by the pac. the wac just died so idaho and nmst and crew are the big sky. they don't matter and the mwc has 10ish teams. all have no carry or real on field results besides fresno and unr. the nbe and cusa have no teams out there to add that matter so no west divisions then. the pac sitting pretty now...one day when confs goto 18, /fresno/unr can battle it out.

There sure is a lot of conjecture in this post. UNLV is a nobody. Las Vegas is not a "big market". Miami and GT may want to follow FSU and Clemson, but I think it is a little shortsighted to think they will have that opportunity. BYU is independent by choice so they can have all their games on the Mormon network out west. They also don't fit in AT ALL philisophically with the rest of the PAC. I don't see them joining the PAC. The "west coast inventory" you speak of is a bunch of garbage. I just think you are overestimating that all these changes will occur. I don't see it.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Continue to win fans is more like it. Fan interest = TV audience & ticket sales = dollars. For UConn, bigger fan support = penetrating major media markets (including NYC) which makes us very attractive to conferences.

Huskyfandan's scenario is pretty reasonable. The thing is, if it came to pass that the ACC was wrecked and carved up, then why would the big 4 conferences stop at 16? Huskyfandan's scenario leaves the whole northeast beyond Penn State and Maryland without a conference. I think there develops an incentive for the B1G to pick up Rutgers and UConn and grow to 18. Even the SEC might consider growing north from Va Tech. Either that or we get a national superconference made out of all the leftovers in sizeable media markets. UConn could be a big fish in that pond.

PJ, last I thought, you gain new fans by winning. Winning games. Winning BIG games.

UConn, to my knowledge, has never played a football season anywhere near the top 25 in the rankings.

When UConn football, begins to play football as a regular top 25 ranked team, the fan bandwagon will be incredible. When top 25 ranked teams have come into Rentschler, the buzz and fan interest has been incredible. The most electric that I can remember the stadium being at any point since it was opened, was when North Carolina came in early in the season ranked at #19 I believe, and we had one of our strongest rosters in the Edsall era. Don't get me started on the game plan in that game.....

Scheduling and winning. Those are the common denominators. We haven't had a really big game in Rentschler for a while, and we haven't been anywhere near the top 25 in a while.

I expect that to change - this year.

 

[junglehusky]

C'mon Jax... dan has the compulsion to map out 10 chess moves at once, instead of just focusing on the next 2 moves. Since I'm not that good of a chess player I'll just ponder a few possible moves... we have heard rumors that the SEC was considering NC State (not UNC). I think they want to be geographically contiguous (Mizzou just touches arkansas, right?) so maybe they woudn't jump to Va Tech without NC State or another NC team. If FSU/Clemson entertain the B12's entreaties, and let's say VT and NC State go to the SEC, what do the ACC schools do? I imagine Miami and everyone else would start asking around, but would there be any landing spots? Would the B12 bring in Miami? For now I doubt it.

I think the wild card is the B1G. They run a tight ship so there's not too much to go on rumorwise. Maybe they make another run at ND. Maybe they want to add some northeastern flavor (UConn/Rutgers). Maybe they want to expand to the Mid-Atlantic with MD / UVA. Maybe they want UNC and GT. Those are all schools that fit their academic profile more or less. Who knows, maybe they'll consider BYU and Kansas. But I agree with Dan that if we get invited to a FSU/Clemson-less ACC with the condition that all remaning ACC schools (and UCOnn and whoever else is invited, ND or Rutgers) sign 10 years or whatever of TV rights as a blood oath, hells yeah we're gonna sign up for that. I think Herbst and her underlings will work the phone lines like crazy with Indianapolis and their contacts in the B1G right up until the paperwork is signed, but if we don't get an invite to the B1G we're going to the ACC.