Why is the Big East terrible for UConn and where should UConn go instead?

[nelsonmuntz]

They've been methodically marginalizing non P level football schools for a while. They'll continue to do so until all conferences other than the P-4 are one bid leagues (a couple could remain two bids) with some stray seasons where an extra bid goes out.

Then it is over. You should find another school to root for.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Then it is over. You should find another school to root for.

No, I'll keep following this one. A little more progress on the football field (I personally believe our new coach will be an exceptional success) and a couple years closer to 2030 and we'll be in position to choose between the B-12 & ACC.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

No, I'll keep following this one. A little more progress on the football field (I personally believe our new coach will be an exceptional success) and a couple years closer to 2030 and we'll be in position to choose between the B-12 & ACC.

I don't see a conference adding a one off team as a full member ever again unless it is one of the very top echelon programs. The SMU deal might be available for us, but UConn can't afford that. But I will be rooting for your dream.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I don't see a conference adding a one off team as a full member ever again unless it is one of the very top echelon programs. The SMU deal might be available for us, but UConn can't afford that. But I will be rooting for your dream.

We can disagree on this and we'll see what happens.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

We can disagree on this and we'll see what happens.

This is not just an opinion, we have a lot of data that agrees with me on this point. UConn has pursued your strategy since the first raid in 2002. What is going to happen in the next 5 or 15 or 55 years that is different from the last 24? Is there some new piece of information that the ACC does not have that we will give them and they will change their mind? Should we ask nicer? Less nice? What is going to change?

I believe over 40 schools have changed from or to one of the 5 major conferences in the last 24 years. Is your argument that in all those moves, the conferences were simply not aware of UConn?

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The first automobiles were sold to the public in the 1890's. Into the 1920's in cities and 1930's in rural area horse and buggies were still prevalent. You're the guy in 1916 saying "I've heard for nearly two decades that automobiles will take over yet I can still see plenty of horse and buggies around.".

 

[ZooCougar]

It is not a strawman. It is a reaction to other posters endless litany of complaints about the conference in almost every single thread on the basketball board. If the conference affiliation is the paramount issue for these posters, what is their solution? If there is no solution, then why do they bring it up in every thread?

I just want to understand why they are making the basketball board unreadable in a year where UConn is a championship contender.

The Big East is the best alternative to a P4 conference at this time.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t express ourselves and complain about how crappy some aspects of it are.

It’s not like the people who are still saying Nick Evers was good and that he wasn’t starting because he was being paid; and that it wasn’t absurdly stupid because Joe Fagnano ended up being a bona fide NFL caliber talent.

 

[ZooCougar]

I don't see a conference adding a one off team as a full member ever again unless it is one of the very top echelon programs. The SMU deal might be available for us, but UConn can't afford that. But I will be rooting for your dream.

If you don’t see it then that can only mean that it will definitely happen.

 

[superjohn]

I hate that lifeline mythology that is promoted by fans of other Big East teams. If anything, we threw the big east a lifeline, making it relevant again by winning national championships in both men's and women's basketball. But the truth is it was a mutually beneficial relationship. We paid 3.5 million to get in and initially promised to pay 30 million if we left. I think our exit fee is down to 15 million now and will drop to 10 million in 2029 or thereabouts.

Big East did great when UConn was in the AAC and it was extemely relevant...

It was a 10 team conference which got 4 bids, 6 bids, 5 bids (national champion), 7 bids, 6 bids (national champion), 4 bids, no tournament Covid(would've had 5 or 6 bids.)

 

[NowInStorrs]

Not a thread for nostalgiamaxers

 

[CL82]

Big East did great when UConn was in the AAC and it was extemely relevant...

It was a 10 team conference which got 4 bids, 6 bids, 5 bids (national champion), 7 bids, 6 bids (national champion), 4 bids, no tournament Covid(would've had 5 or 6 bids.)

It's not 2013 anymore. Nova carried the ball for the conference, and might again, but since we've been back, it's pretty much just been us.

 

[superjohn]

It's not 2013 anymore. Novak carried the ball for the conference, and might again, but since we've been back, it's pretty much just been us.

You said UConn made the Big East relevant again which is simply not true, the league was relevant when UConn joined back up. Over half the league was getting tournament bids, multiple 1 seeds, won 2 of the last 4 national championships.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Adding a bit of reality to this thread:

The NCAA allowed multiple tournament bids for a conference beginning in 1976, from which we have seen fifty seasons (not including the current one) and forty-nine tournaments (COVID led to no 2020 tournament). The NCAA also split division one football into two categories (initially 1A & 1AA; now FBS & FCS) after the 1979 season.

Of the forty-nine champions 2.04% (one school, Marquette in 1979) were schools that did not play football, 10.20% were won by schools that played 1AA or FCS level football (Georgetown 1984; Villanova 1985, 2016, 2018; UConn 1999) combining for all of six championships (12.24% of all championships) over the past half century.

There also were a total of seven schools (14.29% of all championships) that won while not participating in a power level conference in football (Louisville 1980, 1986; UNLV 1990; UConn 2004, 2014, 2023, 2024). We hadn’t yet joined the Big East for football in 2004 and were no longer in a power football conference after 2013.

The prospects for the future are bleak within this conference (Big East), especially as the power conferences continue to marginalize everyone else. Yes, what Villanova accomplished once the Big East split from the football schools was outstanding, but Jay Wright is gone. Yes, I’ve heard quite a bit about how revenue sharing was going to give non-football schools an advantage, but that hasn’t materialized and in all candor, there is no way it could happen. The big football schools would never allow it.

Wanting to find a home where we can remain relevant on a consistent, sustainable basis is merely common sense. It’s sad that many don’t see this.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Adding a bit of reality to this thread:

The NCAA allowed multiple tournament bids for a conference beginning in 1976, from which we have seen fifty seasons (not including the current one) and forty-nine tournaments (COVID led to no 2020 tournament). The NCAA also split division one football into two categories (initially 1A & 1AA; now FBS & FCS) after the 1979 season.

Of the forty-nine champions 2.04% (one school, Marquette in 1979) were schools that did not play football, 10.20% were won by schools that played 1AA or FCS level football (Georgetown 1984; Villanova 1985, 2016, 2018; UConn 1999) combining for all of six championships (12.24% of all championships) over the past half century.

There also were a total of seven schools (14.29% of all championships) that won while not participating in a power level conference in football (Louisville 1980, 1986; UNLV 1990; UConn 2004, 2014, 2023, 2024). We hadn’t yet joined the Big East for football in 2004 and were no longer in a power football conference after 2013.

The prospects for the future are bleak within this conference (Big East), especially as the power conferences continue to marginalize everyone else. Yes, what Villanova accomplished once the Big East split from the football schools was outstanding, but Jay Wright is gone. Yes, I’ve heard quite a bit about how revenue sharing was going to give non-football schools an advantage, but that hasn’t materialized and in all candor, there is no way it could happen. The big football schools would never allow it.

Wanting to find a home where we can remain relevant on a consistent, sustainable basis is merely common sense. It’s sad that many don’t see this.

This post convinced me that UConn should join the Big 10. Make it happen.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Since we are doing breakdowns of National Champions...

UConn's 2014 National Championship remains the only National Championship by a school outside of the major conferences since UNLV's championship in 1990. Prior to that, Louisville (1980 and 1986) and Marquette (1977) were the only other National Championships going back to Texas Western in 1967. That makes 5 schools that did it in almost 60 years, and an argument could be made that the Metro should be considered a major conference, which would take Louisville's titles off the list. Even with the tighter definition, Kevin Ollie did something no other coach has done in 35 years (and counting), and only 3 other coaches, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame, have done in 58 years (and counting).

Something to consider for the Big East bashers who think there is no difference between the A10 or AAC and Big East.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Big East is the best alternative to a P4 conference at this time.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t express ourselves and complain about how crappy some aspects of it are.

It’s not like the people who are still saying Nick Evers was good and that he wasn’t starting because he was being paid; and that it wasn’t absurdly stupid because Joe Fagnano ended up being a bona fide NFL caliber talent.

Everything that can be said about the conference situation has been said many, many times about the conference situation since 2002. We have covered it ad nauseum, and I estimate that at least 5% of of all posts on the Football and Men's Basketball boards at least reference the conference situation. There is nothing new to say about the conference situation at this time. And if someone wants to talk about it anyway, there is a whole board, Conference Realignment, just to talk about the conference situation.

With that backdrop, why do the same 5-10 UConn "fans" have to derail almost every thread on the basketball board that is actually about basketball with their whining about the conference situation?

 

[CL82]

You said UConn made the Big East relevant again which is simply not true, the league was relevant when UConn joined back up. Over half the league was getting tournament bids, multiple 1 seeds, won 2 of the last 4 national championships.

Go back and reread my post and see if you can get a better understanding. You know what I'll just put it here for you:

It's BS that the big east "threw Connecticut, a lifeline". Bringing men's and women's national championships to the big east is valuable. That's the point, and it's not a particularly hard one to understand. As noted above, the truth is it's a mutually beneficial arrangement and that's why both parties entered into it, but I feel like you're going pick this hill to die on and I have no desire to wheel spin with you, so feel free to have the last word.

 

[superjohn]

Go back and reread my post and see if you can get a better understanding. You know what I'll just put it here for you:
View attachment 116445
It's BS that the big east "threw Connecticut, a lifeline". Bringing men's and women's national championships to the big east is valuable. That's the point, and it's not a particularly hard one to understand. As noted above, the truth is it's a mutually beneficial arrangement and that's why both parties entered into it, but I feel like you're going pick this hill to die on and I have no desire to wheel spin with you, so feel free to have the last word.

It's BS to suggest UConn made the Big East relevant again for the reasons I stated.

That shouldn't be difficult for you to understand, I laid it all out for you.

 

[FightOnCT]

UConn didn’t make the Big East relevant again but it is also the primary force that’s keeping it relevant right now.

They did fine without us in an era that was kinder on non-football schools. Now, not as much and we don’t know what Nova’s current ceiling is and if St. John’s will stay this level once Pitino retires.

Too many people on this thread acting like the times haven’t changed. What was true 10 years ago isn’t nowadays. There ya go.

 

[CL82]

It's BS to suggest UConn made the Big East relevant again for the reasons I stated.

That shouldn't be difficult for you to understand, I laid it all out for you.

 

[uconnyankee]

Everything that can be said about the conference situation has been said many, many times about the conference situation since 2002. We have covered it ad nauseum, and I estimate that at least 5% of of all posts on the Football and Men's Basketball boards at least reference the conference situation. There is nothing new to say about the conference situation at this time. And if someone wants to talk about it anyway, there is a whole board, Conference Realignment, just to talk about the conference situation.

With that backdrop, why do the same 5-10 UConn "fans" have to derail almost every thread on the basketball board that is actually about basketball with their whining about the conference situation?

So just say we have a thread for that and don’t engage.

Why doesn’t best Pizza in CT not go viral in other threads? If I say First and Last in Hartford blows anything away, is it going to take over this thread?

 

[John]

“Because I said so!” Lol

 

[uconnyankee]

This post convinced me that UConn should join the Big 10. Make it happen.

This is the right attitude.
Maybe BIG is a bit optimistic, but surely a more manageable target is ACC or Big 12 in next 5 years.

If that doesn’t happen, then I suspect we may see a FB only move somewhere which wouldn’t be ideal. But look at what JMU did out of Sun Belt. Just need a legitimate path.

 

[UConnDan97]

I hate this thread for multiple reasons, but I have to put my hat in the ring too.

Yes, the Big East saved us from death in the AAC. The AAC was not really all that good for our football team, and you could make the argument that the existence of the AAC is why Houston and UCF are in the Big12 and we aren't. And it was horrible for our basketball programs.

But good God almighty, if anyone on this thread is arguing that the Big East is great for us and that we wouldn't accept a Big12 invite in a New York minute, I would recommend that person to seek serious medical help...

 

[John]

Of course the Big East second tier got better results when we and the other all-sports schools left, they had a competition vacuum to fill. And now that we’ve returned, it’s back to the natural order of things.