What if....Benedict to Hurley: “We’ll be in ACC by the final year of your contract”

[CL82]

Imagine being a UConn fan in 2018 and still thinking a P5 invite is coming. At this point, I'm pretty sure it's pathological.

 

[uconndogs]

I hope you listened to AD Dave's podcast today. There are no invites in the near future for UConn to a P5 Conference. The AAC will be the home of the Huskies for the foreseeable future. He discusses the disconnect between the fan base idea of where UConn should be, and the reality of the situation. It is, unfortunately, not good news for UConn going to a P5 Conference.

You’re probably right, but the fact that you continue to post these types of messages as a visitor on this board suggests you have the self awareness of a cockroach.

 

[buddy]

I think cockroaches are pretty smart. They have survived for millions of years and likely will survive after humans are long gone. So, I am not insulted. Also, you did start your comment agreeing with what I stated. Believe me, I really wish it wasn't true. UConn must compete and win now or it will be over and the wishes of some that UConn return to the Big East and forget football will come true. I continue to post these messages only because other continue to post a fantasy scenario, like to title of this thread. If you have been reading here, you will note that most "insiders" have either disappeared or gone silent on conference realignment. To me, that says it all.

 

[The X Man]

You’re probably right, but the fact that you continue to post these types of messages as a visitor on this board suggests you have the self awareness of a cockroach.

If he didn’t post about it he really wouldn’t have anything to say.

 

[UconnU]

We're not getting a P5 invite. We should set our sights on joining the Big East for all non-football sports and C-USA/American for Football only.

 

[uconndogs]

I think cockroaches are pretty smart. They have survived for millions of years and likely will survive after humans are long gone. So, I am not insulted. Also, you did start your comment agreeing with what I stated. Believe me, I really wish it wasn't true. UConn must compete and win now or it will be over and the wishes of some that UConn return to the Big East and forget football will come true. I continue to post these messages only because other continue to post a fantasy scenario, like to title of this thread. If you have been reading here, you will note that most "insiders" have either disappeared or gone silent on conference realignment. To me, that says it all.

I suggested you have the self awareness of a cockroach, not the intelligence. As for longevity, a&&holes have been around for a million years too.

 

[whaler11]

He’s also smart enough to know that unless we embrace where we are right now, dramatically increase our attendance, and compete on the field and court for championships, we’ll be less likely to move up. He’s never going to say “Yeah, we’re aspiring to move up and are doing our best to get out of the AAC.” People can infer it but saying it is bad form.

That is what they always say. There are likely continuing informal backroom discussions among UConn and ACC officials.

You’re probably right, but the fact that you continue to post these types of messages as a visitor on this board suggests you have the self awareness of a cockroach.

If he didn’t post about it he really wouldn’t have anything to say.

Yeah Buddy is the problem.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

Before writing off UConn as an ACC team, recall how UConn was just ranked No. 20 in college baseball and continues to do exceptionally well in women's field hockey. It is clearly a top team in women's basketball, and has great potential in men's basketball and football.

 

[CL82]

Before writing off UConn as an ACC team, recall how UConn was just ranked No. 20 in college baseball and continues to do exceptionally well in women's field hockey. It is clearly a top team in women's basketball, and has great potential in men's basketball and football.

Nice post. We are an attractive candidate, but I can't see how we bring enough revenue to the table to justify expansion. The next CR event will probably be the break up the Big 12. That might get us a soft landing spot as a partner to one of the bigger players, or we might end up in a best of the rest group.

 

[buddy]

Before writing off UConn as an ACC team, recall how UConn was just ranked No. 20 in college baseball and continues to do exceptionally well in women's field hockey. It is clearly a top team in women's basketball, and has great potential in men's basketball and football.

I don't think that there is any question that UConn is a P5 school. The problem is whether the other conferences are willing to expand to take UConn and if it will financially worthwhile for them and ESPN to expand. That is where the problem lies. Not with the metrics that UConn has to offer.

 

[YoungFree]

Before writing off UConn as an ACC team, recall how UConn was just ranked No. 20 in college baseball and continues to do exceptionally well in women's field hockey. It is clearly a top team in women's basketball, and has great potential in men's basketball and football.

We can't forget the recent success of soccer and hockey. But are these enough sports to balance our lower football performance?

 

[billybud]

No.

As a poster above has alluded, not until those sports can bring in $28 million plus per year in additional media money.

The Big 12 might actually be twelve if there were teams available that would not cut into the current per program payout.

 

[Adios]

We're not getting a P5 invite. We should set our sights on joining the Big East for all non-football sports and C-USA/American for Football only.

You, my friend, are completely wrong and clueless. You clearly cannot see trends. Maybe besides stuff like Marilyn Manson, etc, when it is popular.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

It may look bleak now, but conference realignment can take place rapidly. UConn can make it into the ACC and it would not surprise me if it happens in a few years. I have confidence that our football and men's bball programs will soon improve drastically. And our UConn officials know how to sell the school to a P5 conference.

 

[UCHuskies08]

And our UConn officials know how to sell the school to a P5 conference.

What have they ever done to make you think that?

 

[CL82]

No.

As a poster above has alluded, not until those sports can bring in $28 million plus per year in additional media money.

The Big 12 might actually be twelve if there were teams available that would not cut into the current per program payout.

Not so much, since they had a guarantee with ESPN and Fox. I suspect that ESPN reminded them what happens to conferences that cross them, e.g. the Big East.

 

[billybud]

Oh yeah...but those media entities were not going to be strong armed into paying more money for no more content....ESPN had already kept the Big 12 whole when they devolved to 10 programs...no monetary cut.

I think some figurative horses heads were found in the beds of Big 12 brass.

 

[billybud]

Sooo...it appears the message to conferences is...."bring us a good proposal for very watchable content additions if you want us to pony up more gazillions".

 

[YoungFree]

It may look bleak now, but conference realignment can take place rapidly. UConn can make it into the ACC and it would not surprise me if it happens in a few years. I have confidence that our football and men's bball programs will soon improve drastically. And our UConn officials know how to sell the school to a P5 conference.

Have you read the presentation they sent to the Big 12? If I was on the Big 12 board I wouldn't have selected UConn. Arguably, the package would have been more competitive with the ACC but I'm thinking the ACC would try to get Memphis or Cincy.

 

[buddy]

What have they ever done to make you think that?

I really hate to comment, but I can't bite my tongue here. Well, one made a wonderful trip to the Bahamas on the most important weekend of conference realignment. The other was blind to what was happening during the dissolution of the BigEast. One was monitoring and the other was saying we are the greatest of all. They really really had a chance to grab the gold at that time and let it slip away. Regardless of how bad the prior AD and administration was, they are the ones who let it slip away.

 

[uconnbill]

Have you read the presentation they sent to the Big 12? If I was on the Big 12 board I wouldn't have selected UConn. Arguably, the package would have been more competitive with the ACC but I'm thinking the ACC would try to get Memphis or Cincy.

Memphis brings nothing, so that opinion is just that an opinion. Cincinnati is a possibility but then again they don't bring a bigger market and let's be honest Ohio cares about Ohio St, not Cinci. That is a fact and one many seem to ignore.

 

[CL82]

Sooo...it appears the message to conferences is...."bring us a good proposal for very watchable content additions if you want us to pony up more gazillions".

Or is it don't make us pay more for content we already own for less?

 

[YoungFree]

Memphis brings nothing, so that opinion is just that an opinion. Cincinnati is a possibility but then again they don't bring a bigger market and let's be honest Ohio cares about Ohio St, not Cinci. That is a fact and one many seem to ignore.

I understand that...lived in Ohio for three years. But the ACC alredy has Boston because of BC, already has NY because of Syracuse....not sure what media market we would bring in that the ACC doesn't already have?

 

[LoyalFanCT]

I understand that...lived in Ohio for three years. But the ACC alredy has Boston because of BC, already has NY because of Syracuse....not sure what media market we would bring in that the ACC doesn't already have?[/QUOTE

Residents from greater Boston are not that interested in BC and Syracuse barely gets NYC residents interested. UConn can get central and western Mass. fans as well as fans from all over CT, and can also bring in metro NYC in Fairfield and Westchester counties.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Nice post. We are an attractive candidate, but I can't see how we bring enough revenue to the table to justify expansion. The next CR event will probably be the break up the Big 12. That might get us a soft landing spot as a partner to one of the bigger players, or we might end up in a best of the rest group.

No.

As a poster above has alluded, not until those sports can bring in $28 million plus per year in additional media money.

The Big 12 might actually be twelve if there were teams available that would not cut into the current per program payout.

I think you guys over simplify this. None of the ACC schools "brings 28 million per year". In fact, the entire current model evolved from a prior model where each school sold its own content. In that model, none of them got much. It was only by pooling the schools and selling the rights of the conference as a whole that the numbers increased significantly. It should be obvious why, the following and market for any one program, even Texas, is insufficient. Notre Dame gets much less as an independent than it could in the Big Ten. It gets $15M annually from NBC.

Does UConn enhance the overall appeal and market of the ACC. Yes. How does it compare to others? For the ACC, I'd say UConn would add more value than any non P5, non Notre Dame program. We'd have much more value to the ACC than we did to the Big 12, and would really turn New England into "ACC Country" the way it is in the Carolinas and Virgina. They don't have that kind of saturation even in Georgia or Florida.

The bigger challenge we face is that ESPN has UConn's rights for pennies on the dollar right now. Our talk about the Big East is (in my opinion) largely to let ESPN know that they won't continue getting UConn at bargain basement prices. They broadcast the hell out of UConn sports. Even when we suck, we are on national TV more than most P5 schools. I think Benedict is positioning us for this. It's why Diaco had to go when he did and so did Ollie. It's a short window and UConn has to have a competitive football team and very competitive basketball team now. Baseball being ranked is great. If the American can switch to Fox, I actually think that ESPN would move to put UConn in the ACC as #15. If we up the cost of our content to ESPN, even that could be enough.

That is my .02

 

[HuskyHawk]

I understand that...lived in Ohio for three years. But the ACC alredy has Boston because of BC, already has NY because of Syracuse....not sure what media market we would bring in that the ACC doesn't already have?

The ACC doesn't have either Boston or NY. Certainly not NYC. Neither of those two schools, alone, are enough to generate the level of market saturation they need. They aren't Ohio State that can capture attention across the state. BC barely moves the needle in Boston.

It's interesting to see how markets change. When I got out of law school, and lived in KC, it was Big 8/12 dominated. KU, Mizzou, K-State, Nebraska, Iowa State...it was fully a Big 12 market, lock, stock and barrel. Now? Lost Mizzou to SEC, lost Nebraska to B1G, where it combines with Iowa. Now the Big 12 is the biggest player in that market, but it's share is much, much smaller.

So that's what I think UConn adds to the ACC (and to a lesser extent the B1G). Two teams in New England (of a total of two that play FBS) and two in NY of a total of three, one of which (Buffalo) doesn't register. That's pretty good market saturation. The ACC really screwed up not adding UConn and Rutgers before it lost Maryland. Big mistake.

 

[YoungFree]

The ACC doesn't have either Boston or NY. Certainly not NYC. Neither of those two schools, alone, are enough to generate the level of market saturation they need. They aren't Ohio State that can capture attention across the state. BC barely moves the needle in Boston.

It's interesting to see how markets change. When I got out of law school, and lived in KC, it was Big 8/12 dominated. KU, Mizzou, K-State, Nebraska, Iowa State...it was fully a Big 12 market, lock, stock and barrel. Now? Lost Mizzou to SEC, lost Nebraska to B1G, where it combines with Iowa. Now the Big 12 is the biggest player in that market, but it's share is much, much smaller.

So that's what I think UConn adds to the ACC (and to a lesser extent the B1G). Two teams in New England (of a total of two that play FBS) and two in NY of a total of three, one of which (Buffalo) doesn't register. That's pretty good market saturation. The ACC really screwed up not adding UConn and Rutgers before it lost Maryland. Big mistake.

Good points. So we are saying that UConn will bring both Boston and NYC to the ACC if they move? Is that because we are UConn fans or is that fact? I haven't lived in either of those markets in 20 years.

 

[businesslawyer]

Good points. So we are saying that UConn will bring both Boston and NYC to the ACC if they move? Is that because we are UConn fans or is that fact? I haven't lived in either of those markets in 20 years.

Did you read one friggin word of the post you're responding to? It's not about "bring." There is no 'bringing' the college sports market in New York or New England. We're not like Alabama or Iowa. It's about meaningfully increasing market share and power.

 

[YoungFree]

Did you read one friggin word of the post you're responding to? It's not about "bring." There is no 'bringing' the college sports market in New York or New England. We're not like Alabama or Iowa. It's about meaningfully increasing market share and power.

Yes I read it. I apolgize I used the wrong word....

 

[HuskyHawk]

Good points. So we are saying that UConn will bring both Boston and NYC to the ACC if they move? Is that because we are UConn fans or is that fact? I haven't lived in either of those markets in 20 years.

UConn is the strongest basketball brand in NYC, Syracuse is next. They'd argue that but the ACC has both. In terms of football, I believe we came in 3rd or 4th, after Rutgers and ND and close to Syracuse. Boston is more tricky, but I live in that market and see UConn stuff everywhere. It's more about the New England market. Boston is the capital of the region, and covers events across New England. Having two New England teams greatly increases the importance of both in the Boston market. It's just the way they think about things.