Uconn's time may be near....

[Dann]

You guys just need to stop taking this board so seriously and just enjoy it for the conspiracy theory’s that it is. That’s what all of these boards are. Go to the WVU 1 or the Texas 1. There a lot worse than here. Just laugh and dream and enjoy it. Is it not fun to start from scratch and build things yourself if you could dream? If you hate or love something enjoy it and poke fun at it. Stop acting like its life or death on this board.

 

[traitor71]

there was plenty of $$ being thrown at that program. so much so that they got caught. miami is smueast soon.

No one can say what the NCAA will find, in fact when they really look into a given program they are bound to find something. To this point though, it doesn't seem like a lot of Shapiro's claims are being proven. A handful of one game suspensions, one 6 game suspension and the reinstatement of a basketball player that Shapiro claimed to have paid isn't exactly earth shattering stuff just yet.

 

[whaler11]

You guys just need to stop taking this board so seriously and just enjoy it for the conspiracy theory’s that it is. That’s what all of these boards are. Go to the WVU 1 or the Texas 1. There a lot worse than here. Just laugh and dream and enjoy it. Is it not fun to start from scratch and build things yourself if you could dream? If you hate or love something enjoy it and poke fun at it. Stop acting like its life or death on this board.

No one is acting like it's life or death, but some of us are following expansion because it impacts something we care about.

If people want to post UNLV to the Pac 12 or Northwestern to the ACC..... good for them, it's just so stupid it makes it harder to find legitimate information or opinions in the threads.

I'd read another school's message board about the same time I root for Boston College.

 

[Dann]

No one is acting like it's life or death, but some of us are following expansion because it impacts something we care about.

i follow the real stuff also and care as does nelson and others i'm sure, but we all have our fun also. there are some all business threads here, its not all disney world fluff. i guess just ignore me becuase i don't work for espn or comcast so no matter what i say its not the mccoy.

If people want to post UNLV to the Pac 12 or Northwestern to the ACC..... good for them, it's just so stupid it makes it harder to find legitimate information or opinions in the threads.

its not hard to find the important stuff. if i say unlv to the acc and then the next thread on this board some 1 says espn just paid x mil to the acc for y. if you can't tell which one is important of the 2 than i don't know what to tell you.

there is a poster who keeps a beauty of a thread going on the psu board about expansion. its all the meat and real stuff no theorys and fun like most stuff on most expansion boards. if your looking for the real deal go follow that thread, i do and its a great read. he has everything from the fcs schools moving up and down to the b12 contract talks all linked with good sources. its a rare breed in the expansion world to have a thread like that.

I'd read another school's message board about the same time I root for Boston College.
sorry tough guy, i didn't realize real fans only read 1 board.

 

[noeynox]

You're not old enough to remember the FL teams before FSU's glory daze. Wasn't until the mid-80's and some NCAA sanctions that FSU caught up on the field.

True, As a kid, I remember Florida sucking under Galen Hall. Don't ask me who coached there before him.

 

[UConnDan97]

You guys just need to stop taking this board so seriously and just enjoy it for the conspiracy theory’s that it is. That’s what all of these boards are. Go to the WVU 1 or the Texas 1. There a lot worse than here. Just laugh and dream and enjoy it. Is it not fun to start from scratch and build things yourself if you could dream? If you hate or love something enjoy it and poke fun at it. Stop acting like its life or death on this board.

I have to agree about the WVU board. I've read that thing, and I'm not sure that I've recovered from it. They are another level of "crazy"...

 

[whaler11]

Who said anything about that making anyone a tough guy or a real fan. I waste enough time here, I don't need to multiply it by reading other board about teams I don't care about.

 

[UConnDan97]

Who said anything about that making anyone a tough guy or a real fan. I waste enough time here, I don't need to multiply it by reading other board about teams I don't care about.

Huh? Was that directed at me or at someone else?

 

[CTMike]

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.

I'm a lot more likely to go see Duke, Wake, and MD play than ever traveling to Houston or SMU. Actually, I have- UConn/Duke @ Duke... UConn/Wake @ Charlotte... and crossing off MD this September. I'm just more familiar with/interested in those schools. Their football histories not withstanding.

 

[UCFBfan]

ESPN Rumor Central is now reporting that rumor has it that ND/Louisville are top targets for Big 12 if they expand. It also said that if ND doesn't come along, and we all know how hard it is to get them to join a conference, that Louisville would no longer be a target. This could get very interesting in a few months.

On another point....if anyone thinks that staying in the BE is a good idea is crazy. You think Louisville plans on sticking around very long? Heck no. Assume ND could bring it's olympic sports to the Big-12, if not the whole package. What are you going to do now? Cheer when they bring in UMass and UNLV or whatever other silly, stupid schools they can grab to expand the "geographic footprint"?? Please.

I HOPE the ACC invites us. This new conference is just another patch job and the ACC is stability. Even if FSU and Clemson leave. Some of you really need to lay off the Koolaid.....

 

[Dann]

1) i saw that^. what i thought was weird is why would espn post that? what do they have to gain from doing that? if nd/lv goto the b12 imho that would give fsu/clem and 2 others more fuel to move right?

2) best post on the wvu board today was a random person who posted that nd was invited and accepted today to the b12. news to come next week. and u guys get at me?!?!?!

 

[Vowelguy]

ESPN Rumor Central is now reporting that rumor has it that ND/Louisville are top targets for Big 12 if they expand.

I will now report the rumor that Alabama is the top target for the Big East.

Both rumors have the same probability of actually occurring.

 

[UConnDan97]

ESPN Rumor Central is now reporting that rumor has it that ND/Louisville are top targets for Big 12 if they expand. It also said that if ND doesn't come along, and we all know how hard it is to get them to join a conference, that Louisville would no longer be a target. This could get very interesting in a few months.

Not to constantly bash on ESPN, but saying that Notre Dame is now a top target for Big12 expansion is kind of like saying LeBron James is now a top target for teams in the NBA. No $#it, ESPN! They are a top target for every other conference, too!

I guess the possibly interesting twist from the synopsis is that the Big12 is considering L'Ville and ND linked somehow. If that is true, then it means that they just don't want Louisville, in my opinion. They have to know that ND is going to fight joining a league, as they always have. They also know that a functioning Big East allows ND to do so. They also know that taking L'Ville would be a strong shot to the heart of the Big East. They could easily add L'Ville right now, along with Clemson and FSU (as rumored). That would likely spur ACC to take UConn / Rutgers, killing off the Big East and giving the Big12 their best shot at ND. So to me....it sounds like they don't want the Ville.

Besides, if I know ND and their alums like I think I do, the Big12 is a distant third to the Big10 and ACC for being the conference that could make ND go to the altar (pun intended)...

 

[Dann]

Not to constantly bash on ESPN, but saying that Notre Dame is now a top target for Big12 expansion is kind of like saying LeBron James is now a top target for teams in the NBA. No $#it, ESPN! They are a top target for every other conference, too!

I guess the possibly interesting twist from the synopsis is that the Big12 is considering L'Ville and ND linked somehow. If that is true, then it means that they just don't want Louisville, in my opinion. They have to know that ND is going to fight joining a league, as they always have. They also know that a functioning Big East allows ND to do so. They also know that taking L'Ville would be a strong shot to the heart of the Big East. They could easily add L'Ville right now, along with Clemson and FSU (as rumored). That would likely spur ACC to take UConn / Rutgers, killing off the Big East and giving the Big12 their best shot at ND. So to me....it sounds like they don't want the Ville.

Besides, if I know ND and their alums like I think I do, the Big12 is a distant third to the Big10 and ACC for being the conference that could make ND go to the altar (pun intended)...

lets look at it a different way. the b12 has 6 spots open for a 16 team conf with a east and west division.

lville/fsu/gt/clem/md

if those were the 5 added to lure nd it may work. why?

nd and wvu used to be rivals somewhat right? nd gets to go to dc ever year(md), fl (fsu), atl (gt). so they get to visit the east coast for the alum. that east division will get 1 texas school also. baylor or tcu would make nd happy being what those schools are about. the b12 would have 7 division games and 2 cross games. ok and tex would prob both make nds cross games. that would be a interesting league. kan/lville/tex easily keep that bball league in the top 3 every year.

 

[huskypantz]

On another point....if anyone thinks that staying in the BE is a good idea is crazy.

Noone does. We can make it as positive as possible until we move on, or we can on the BE left and right while potential recruits and their parents read our posts.

 

[UConnDan97]

lets look at it a different way. the b12 has 6 spots open for a 16 team conf with a east and west division.

lville/fsu/gt/clem/md

if those were the 5 added to lure nd it may work. why?

nd and wvu used to be rivals somewhat right? nd gets to go to dc ever year(md), fl (fsu), atl (gt). so they get to visit the east coast for the alum. that east division will get 1 texas school also. baylor or tcu would make nd happy being what those schools are about. the b12 would have 7 division games and 2 cross games. ok and tex would prob both make nds cross games. that would be a interesting league. kan/lville/tex easily keep that bball league in the top 3 every year.

Wow. Again, you know that I really do appreciate your work, HuskyfanDan, but the answers to your questions are no, no, no, and no. No, ND does not fancy itself as a rival of WVU. No, ND does not need to be in a conference with Maryland to visit DC every year (they could just schedule Maryland or play their annual Navy game which is near DC). No, they don't care about Baylor or TCU. No, no, no, no, no, no, and no again.

ND likely believes that its true rivals are Michigan, USC, and Michigan State. To a lesser degree, they have a rivalry with Miami and Florida State that was fostered in the late 80's and early 90's. Then, they have their "tradition games" against BC, Navy, Stanford, Purdue, and Pitt. They don't really care about "The Ramblin' Wreck," nor do they care about Maryland. What you have stated is just pure fantasy...

 

[whaler11]

Notre Dame and West Virginia were never rivals. They were both just good at the same time.

Of all leagues why would Notre Dame join the damn Big 12. To end their series with USC and Michigan to play Iowa State and Baylor?

 

[Dann]

navy
usc
mich or another ooc
lville
md
fsu
clem
wvu
tex cross 1
ok cross 2
tcu
gt

i think thats a pretty good schedule. nd would never go 10-2.

with navy ooc and md in conf thats a trip to dc every year
with tex cross div and a tex school in division thats a trip to tex every year
ga and fl every other.

just playign around with what there looking at(if they actually are)...

 

[nelsonmuntz]

. That is just fcking crazy.

It isn't crazy at all. If you don't like Tulane and Rice, leave them out. If you think for a minute that Vanderbilt or Northwestern alums think of any school in their respective conference as "rivals" in anything other than sports, you are out of your mind. I don't care if a kid grew up in Tuscaloosa, if he is a legitimate candidate for Vanderbilt, he would slit his wrist if he ended up at Alabama. If you asked Vanderbilt and Northwestern alums if they would rather be in a league with Auburn and Minnesota, or Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and even Georgetown and Villanova, most would rather be affiliated with the better schools.

Vanderbilt and Northwestern are not interested in being semi-pro teams like Auburn and Ohio State. How do I know this? Look at their records for the past 10 years. They are playing a straight game in leagues where anyone that wants to win is cheating. That won't get better with the dollars on the table, particularly with the playoff.

Despite their huge endowments, money is still a problem, or these schools would already be in a league together. But in this market, the league I laid out could still get a big payday from TV. A lot would have to happen to get to that point. But there are very plausible scenarios where UConn is not the next phone call the ACC makes if it tries to expand.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I will now report the rumor that Alabama is the top target for the Big East.

Both rumors have the same probability of actually occurring.

I tend to agree. 1) National news organizations have NEVER broken these stories. 2) ESPN is way too far in the middle of this stuff to be remotely accurate. I am surprised they are reporting on this at all, because anything they publish could get them in trouble in a lawsuit.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I have trouble playing any scenario out in such a way that UConn does not end up completely screwed. Our BEST CASE is the current Big East hangs together. #BegHarder© has not worked. While lightweights like Gross at mediocre schools in dead factory towns in Siberia were saving their programs, we have been left on the sidelines. I don't see a scenario where UConn ever gets invited to the ACC unless it is in such shambles UConn shouldn't join.

The only chance UConn has is the Big East gets a decent enough contract so that UConn can be competitive. Manuel somehow gets Shaka Smart, who doesn't miss a beat, and Pasqualoni rights the ship enough in football so that next time UConn goes to hire a football coach, the two choices aren't a has been and a never was (Whipple). IF BOTH THINGS HAPPEN, UConn has a chance to land on its feat in the next go around. There will be successful programs emerging from the non-majors. Hopefully one can be UConn.

The more likely outcome is that it is all finished. Edsall was mediocrity personified, and while WVU and Louisville were making themselves attractive to other leagues, UConn was treading water. Calhoun will be a happy memory that will be replaced by a succession of Dom Pernos while UConn ends up in a league with UMass, Buffalo, UNH and Temple. The New New Yankee Conference.

 

[Dann]

put down the bottle andleave the crazy talk to me nelson. u made me cry, thats hard to do on a sports message board.

 

[whaler11]

Ah the conference affiliation problem is Edsall's fault for being mediocre. Now it all makes sense.

Northwestern and Vanderbilt are not leaving those paydays - if they had a problem with being uncompetitive (which they aren't really), why did they wait so long. Northwestern had days 100x darker then their current results.

They didn't walk away when the money wasn't this big. They aren't walking away now.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Ah the conference affiliation problem is Edsall's fault for being mediocre. Now it all makes sense.

Northwestern and Vanderbilt are not leaving those paydays - if they had a problem with being uncompetitive (which they aren't really), why did they wait so long. Northwestern had days 100x darker then their current results.

They didn't walk away when the money wasn't this big. They aren't walking away now.

Reasons why Vandy and NW have not left yet:

1) There has never been a credible alternative. They joined these leagues decades ago for proximity and because they were the only "major" schools in the region. With the TV rights market the way it is, a FBS "Patriot League" with the names I gave could get a very healthy contract, probably in the high teens. They wouldn't be playing for a National Championship, but then none of them are playing for national championships now.

2) These schools do not need the money. Vandy and NW have huge endowments. These are academics first universities. Do you think the Ivies or U of Chicago, which were powerhouses in the early days of college football, regret their decision to de-emphasize athletics for even a millisecond?

3) Changing face of college athletics. There is a 50% chance that college athletes will be getting paid within a decade. At most SEC and about half the Big 10 schools, that is already happening. Do you think Vandy or NW want any part of that? They will drop down to DII before they pay their players.

Those two are the first calls if the ACC gets raided heavily, i.e 4 or more teams leave.

 

[The Funster]

Didn't Northwestern seek and receive a commitment from the Big 10 that they would not be forced out of the conference?