Visions of Sugarplums-Is UConn Back on the Table for Big 12?

[hardcorehusky]

Travel Partner is a concept for non-revenue sports only like soccer, baseball, softball, etc. It exists today. That concept will not work for major sports like BB because so much of the schedule is made for TV. Plus an extended road trip is competitive disadvantage. For any of us that travel(ed) on long sales trips or extended projects for business, you know that life in multiple hotel rooms in 1 week can drain you. Only Uconn would have that to face in the Big12. Everyone else, an every other year trip to CT is no big deal. For Uconn, they are slogging a long way multiple times a year.

This is why the Big 12 is the worst of all possible expansion options because of the long one and done road trips. But any option is better than no option.

The Pac 12 has been doing this in all sports for many years and their contracts seem just fine.

 

[BlueDogs]

Looks like the house money is on BYU and Cincy. The biggest negative is a lack of football history. In this day and age how that is relevant is beyond me. The addition of any program to a P5 conference automatically gives its a huge edge in recruiting up. The minute we move to Big 12 or B1G we become the default premier program in the Northeast and NY markets....Syracuse and BC go to the back of the line as small time private school programs in the ACC, and Rutgers is perpetually dysfunctional even despite B1G membership. We have the academics, media market and flagship university class, as well as dominant Basketball and other sports programs. I still think B1G is the right place for us as a state flagship university in the North, but Big12 will do fine.

 

[BoatShow]

We're 1-0 in our Big 12 conference basketball schedule

 

[Marty Jackson]

If the state is big enough, it can make sense. UC Berkeley and UCLA are effectively the universities of northern and southern California, respectively. San Diego State would be the equivalent of a directional school and would bring a major market. Texas has UTexas, A&M, Texas Tech in P5 and Tech is basically the equivalent of a directional school, as would be Houston. Florida is or is about to be the #3 state by population after California and Texas, and is a football recruiting hotbed. It may be able to support a 3rd state school, especially since Florida and Florida State are located well to the north of the major media markets.

The Big12 not adding Louisville and West Virginia was a big mistake that may be looked upon similar to Penn State and the Big East. Sitting there was Louisville, West Virginia, Cincy, and Pittsburgh. They missed on all of them but WV. They could still get Cincy and Uconn (a decent replacement for UofL albeit a little more geographically challenged)...
I think the consensus is that the Big12 needs to be bigger than a Texas conference. Adding Houston and SMU might make the football competitive, but it doesn't expand the conference and it doesn't add eyeballs. Unfortunately, the conference can't get out of it's own way and is destined to repeat the SWC failure. So they add SMU and Houston. But, the number one rule in CR is screw Uconn. So maybe, just maybe the gods are looking down at Uconn and saying "hey, what better way to screw uconn than to throw them a life-line on the Titanic"...

 

[BlueDogs]

If the big12 backfills with Cincy, UConn, Memphis and Temple, they create a pretty credible national presence. They also grab 4 excellent basketball programs.

So the state that can't balance its budget would magically find the $XX million to expand the Rent. All the reps from Waterbury, Bridgeport, New Haven, Willimantic, New London (all cities that cant get much help from the state on basic infrastructure needs) Litchfield County and even Hartford would be right on board with that vote for the bonding day 1? Now, whoever is gov would surely be able yo make some magic happen, but since the oriignal bonding was tied to Hartford redevelopment (including the convention center), I'm not sure how you get the expansion pushed thru quickly.

There is anti-Uconn sentiment in the political world in Hartford. The move downtown from West Hartford left a lot of stomped on legislators and lobbyists in its path. Don't discount it.

UConn sports are a significant economic driver with many secondary and tertiary economic benefits. The West Hartford issue has a lot more to do with some very particular insular interests of a very influential community in state politics. The minute we go P5, the multiplier effect will be significant. The Rent will be full with season ticket holders, local business traffic will increase, corporate sponsorship dollars will increase.

 

[Pudge]

Cost. The downtown campus is costing money. Moving is costing money. Selling the WH campus at a fire sale price does not help. Adding more state/non-tax paying real estate to Hartford (although the economics of students downtown and spending money/living there helps to offset that).

None of this free or funded by private donations. Projected cost is about $50mm just for the development in Hartford. The move was opposed by a number of legislators citing costs. And this is actually a good plan for Uconn, Hartford and West Hartford. The benefits outweigh the costs in several studies thru better integration with companies, downtown residents, etc. But it was still opposed by a number of people.

Now picture the question of spending $XX million on a stadium expansion for 7 games per year that benefits who? Some conference that caters to TX and OK? It is just not the slam dunk people think it will be. The opposition would be loud and significant. Pre-sell 50,000 season tickets and you get a good counter argument but that won't happen overnight either. Season tickets maxed out at sub 30K so far.

Lesson 4028 on Stadium Funding:

The RENT in a Stadium Authority is fairly easily re-financed and expanded. That is really not an issue at all. Grab the original bonds and read the opinion of the Bond Counsel. It really is not ... NOT ... going to burden the CT taxpayers like you think.

The question on the Stadium expansion is PURELY the ability to fill/need a bigger capacity. Well ... we proved through the Big East period that 40,000 was a great size as we s0ld that out regularly and had in excess of 30k season tickets. IF ... we are in the B12 or the B1G, with big names coming regularly, I truly don't think that it is too much to propose a 55,000 seat stadium BASED on past history. The RENT was proposed with a prayer of a BE conference. The B12 or the B1G are solid conferences with great appeal.

Your curmudgeonly attitude is all wet.

 

[CTMike]

Cost. The downtown campus is costing money. Moving is costing money. Selling the WH campus at a fire sale price does not help. Adding more state/non-tax paying real estate to Hartford (although the economics of students downtown and spending money/living there helps to offset that).

None of this free or funded by private donations. Projected cost is about $50mm just for the development in Hartford. The move was opposed by a number of legislators citing costs. And this is actually a good plan for Uconn, Hartford and West Hartford. The benefits outweigh the costs in several studies thru better integration with companies, downtown residents, etc. But it was still opposed by a number of people.

Now picture the question of spending $XX million on a stadium expansion for 7 games per year that benefits who? Some conference that caters to TX and OK? It is just not the slam dunk people think it will be. The opposition would be loud and significant. Pre-sell 50,000 season tickets and you get a good counter argument but that won't happen overnight either. Season tickets maxed out at sub 30K so far.

Sorry but I'm having a hard time making the leap from UConn Hartford to negative outlook on stadium expansion. The $50 million you mention isn't the incremental cost of Downtown versus West Hartford. UConn would have had to invest millions in to West Hartford campus to keep it current anyway - heck, it was severely outdated when I was there in 98-99. The cost difference I think would have been closer than most think, aside from the ancillary benefits of moving downtown that you mention. The only way I see it tying to a negative stadium outlook is just a general reluctance to spend money, which... pretty much always exists.

 

[weyuo]

The Big 12 might want to reach east or north but they aren't going to reach this far.

 

[uconnphil2016]

VERY interesting...found this retweeted from the UConn Blog

 

[UConnDan97]

VERY interesting...found this retweeted from the UConn Blog

 

[uconnphil2016]

I feel exactly the same way. Before that tweet, I thought BYU and Cincy and we had little shot. Now, not so sure. However, it's not like we were meeting with Texas or OU. K State isn't exactly the mover and shaker of the Big 12

 

[Dooley]

I feel exactly the same way. Before that tweet, I thought BYU and Cincy and we had little shot. Now, not so sure. However, it's not like we were meeting with Texas or OU. K State isn't exactly the mover and shaker of the Big 12

Just FYI - KSU's President Schulz served as B12 expansion committee chairman during their last expansion effort. I think meeting with him is every bit as important as meeting with Texas or OU officials.

 

[UConnDan97]

I feel exactly the same way. Before that tweet, I thought BYU and Cincy and we had little shot. Now, not so sure. However, it's not like we were meeting with Texas or OU. K State isn't exactly the mover and shaker of the Big 12

In the Key Tweets thread, apparently Shulz is the head of an important committee (expansion committee?) as it pertains to the conference. It doesn't take much for me to be a believer...

 

[uconnphil2016]

Just FYI - KSU's President Schulz served as B12 expansion committee chairman during their last expansion effort. I think meeting with him is every bit as important as meeting with Texas or OU officials.

I'm just looking for reasons to temper my excitement/enthusiasm

 

[Dooley]

I'm just looking for reasons to temper my excitement/enthusiasm

Completely understand this. Seems like the metrics for expansion change each and every time to justify choosing XYZ College over UConn. I'm just waiting to be told that now that UConn is showing a pulse again in football, we pose too much of a threat to the traditional football powers of the B12. Rule #1, my friend.

 

[noeynox]

The Big 12 might want to reach east or north but they aren't going to reach this far.

Time will tell. If you believe we are the best brand outside the P5, the Big 12 should absolutely consider us before the likes of Houston (a duplicate market) and Memphis.

 

[shizzle787]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the K-State president talked about UConn because he went there for the WBB game between them and UConn. Although, he did mention meeting K-State alumni in CT (all ten of 'em) so who knows.

 

[Dooley]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the K-State president talked about UConn because he went there for the WBB game between them and UConn. Although, he did mention meeting K-State alumni in CT (all ten of 'em) so who knows.

If he flew from Kansas to Hartford just to take in a WBB game, then this guy is a hard core President that probably never sleeps. He probably boarded a flight the next morning to watch KSU's Tiddly Wink team take on Western Washington State the next day.

He met with our President during his trip. Hopefully, he met with more UConn officials when he was in NYC a few weeks later (when we were playing Maryland at MSG).

Kirk H. Schulz‏@kstate_pres
Thanks to @UConn President Susan Herbst for hosting @kstate_1stlady & I for dinner tonight in Hartford - loved hearing about UConn!

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

How many times does the ball have to be pulled away before you all stop going for the kick?

 

[noeynox]

How many times does the ball have to be pulled away before you all stop going for the kick?

Me personally? When they shutdown the football program.

 

[UConnDan97]

Me personally? When they shutdown the football program.

^^^ This.

I think the majority of us know that there is probably only a 5% chance of joining a new conference soon, and perhaps a 0.1% chance of it being the Big12. But so what??? We want our program to survive and to thrive. What's wrong with wanting that? It's not pessimistic enough for The Boneyard??? Sheesh...

 

[junglehusky]

Completely understand this. Seems like the metrics for expansion change each and every time to justify choosing XYZ College over UConn. I'm just waiting to be told that now that UConn is showing a pulse again in football, we pose too much of a threat to the traditional football powers of the B12. Rule #1, my friend.

Despite Tramel's comments, I still have my doubts that academics & research (UConn's best strength over other candidates) matters to B12 presidents. I can see maybe that's what Oklahoma will value in evaluating candidates. But will Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU?

 

[junglehusky]

^^^ This.

I think the majority of us know that there is probably only a 5% chance of joining a new conference soon, and perhaps a 0.1% chance of it being the Big12. But so what??? We want our program to survive and to thrive. What's wrong with wanting that? It's not pessimistic enough for The Boneyard??? Sheesh...

I think this is right. There's no certainty or guarantees for the short term or even over the long term. But since we (or some of us at least) like to talk about CR a lot, it might seem to someone else that the odds are higher for the short term. Either way, UConn's leadership will keep the ship on course no matter what events unfold in the short term.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

^^^ This.

I think the majority of us know that there is probably only a 5% chance of joining a new conference soon, and perhaps a 0.1% chance of it being the Big12. But so what??? We want our program to survive and to thrive. What's wrong with wanting that? It's not pessimistic enough for The Boneyard??? Sheesh...

Don't let me interrupt your fantasy.

Best comment in this thread was rich lamenting about the possibility of playing road games in OK. Solid stuff from him as usual.

 

[UConnDan97]

Don't let me interrupt your fantasy.

Best comment in this thread was rich lamenting about the possibility of playing road games in OK. Solid stuff from him as usual.

Don't you have a kitten to kick somewhere?

Why comment on a thread that you clearly don't care about? Just to try to "spread your wisdom?" Well, not to worry. Your "wisdom" hasn't interrupted my "fantasy"...