Yormark confirms that the big 12 was in expansion talks with Connecticut and Gonzaga but indicates neither program is being pursued any longer.

[CL82]

 

[History Geek]

That headline is too strong. I would add “for now.”

 

[Ldandy]

Yormark is clearly very pro UConn. My belief is that if he could have found a way to make the money work, he would have gotten UConn into The Big 12. He still may, it just might be 5-10 years from now.

 

[Hoophound]

Yormark is clearly very pro UConn. My belief is that if he could have found a way to make the money work, he would have gotten UConn into The Big 12. He still may, it just might be 5-10 years from now.

If we can win a bunch of football games this fall, someone will probably move on us. We really need to flex some football muscle so we aren't easily dismissed any more. Yormark could sell us much more easily when he can point to our revived football program. Right now, he's pitching 6-7 and a bowl game as evidence of our revival. Frankly, I can see why that isn't exciting decision makers in the B12.

 

[CL82]

If we can win a bunch of football games this fall, someone will probably move on us. We really need to flex some football muscle so we aren't easily dismissed any more. Yormark could sell us much more easily when he can point to our revived football program. Right now, he's pitching 6-7 and a bowl game as evidence of our revival. Frankly, I can see why that isn't exciting decision makers in the B12.

I actually wonder if the Nielsen data that came out showing us to be the number one college sports brand last year had come out a week or two earlier, whether that would've been enough for us to bump one of the Pac 12 programs.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Yep it was over the minute FOX using its hitman B1G to destroy the PAC. I predicted everything was working in our favor with B1G being the one huge x-factor.

In the end, they destroyed a 108 years old conference. We are one of the victims along with Stanford, Cal, Oregon State, and Washington State. Stanford and Cal will find a home, but not sure about others.

 

[B1GEast]

 

[CTBasketball]

Put down the crack pipe folks.

 

[UConnRock]

Irritating that UConn is paired with Gonzaga in these discussions. Gonzaga is more like a Villanova or other BE school. UConn has so much more to offer as a college both athletically and academically as a flagship state school. UConn's fanbase in CT, the rest of New England, and New York City is so much more valuable from a TV revenue standpoint. I guess it is what it is until the football team can turn some heads.

 

[JeepCSC]

I’m confused if they were looking at UConn for all sports and pivoted to pairing them with Gonzaga in basketball, or was it always basketball-only, or it what.

 

[ScottVib]

There was different ideas at various points. Yormark had said that if a school offered football it would likely be included. The media glommed onto early reports of UConn/Gonzaga (and some Big East schools) as basketball members and never let go (likely in part with the prevailing narrative that UConn was no longer serious about football).

 

[superjohn]

Irritating that UConn is paired with Gonzaga in these discussions. Gonzaga is more like a Villanova or other BE school. UConn has so much more to offer as a college both athletically and academically as a flagship state school. UConn's fanbase in CT, the rest of New England, and New York City is so much more valuable from a TV revenue standpoint. I guess it is what it is until the football team can turn some heads.

Gonzaga is like Villanova without all of Nova's winning.

 

[drayenob]

 

[Hoophound]

I don’t like that it is getting national airplay that the B12 rejected us. I preferred when it wasn’t publicized.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

There was different ideas at various points. Yormark had said that if a school offered football it would likely be included. The media glommed onto early reports of UConn/Gonzaga (and some Big East schools) as basketball members and never let go (likely in part with the prevailing narrative that UConn was no longer serious about football).

We were the #14 school if the PAC 3 stayed. Once the B1G blew up PAC, we were out. Everything changed that Friday morning.

We would have been in as #14 if it is just Colorado. Iowa ST AD confirmed this in an interview.

 

[superjohn]

I don’t like that it is getting national airplay that the B12 rejected us. I preferred when it wasn’t publicized.

We're the only lunatics who follow this cr@p.

 

[Patrick79]

I actually wonder if the Nielsen data that came out showing us to be the number one college sports brand last year had come out a week or two earlier, whether that would've been enough for us to bump one of the Pac 12 programs.

If Yormark does what he’s shooting to do: uncouple bball from football, and as a consequence, boosts the value of bball to football up from 20/80 to a more favorable ratio- UConn becomes more valuable to the P5(4). If he continues to shift things, UConn could find itself to be a very attractive. Timing wise, this would ideally happen before the ACC GOR is up.

 

[uconnric]

Put down the crack pipe folks.

Wrong

 

[August_West]

We're the only lunatics who follow this cr@p.

I wish that was true. It ain’t. I see long threads about this on tons of college hoop boards.

 

[Hoophound]

I wish that was true. It ain’t. I see long threads about this on tons of college hoop boards.

Yeah. It’s in all the major channels’ ticker at the bottom of the screen. All the sports apps are singing my phone with it etc. It kind of seems unfair. If we aren’t even worth an invite, why is it such big news?

 

[Skiblets]

My good friend told me we were being played by Yormark. I was blinded. Didn’t want to believe it. Now for him to use the same word Edsall used when he left for Maryland has given me PTSD.

Get used to always being the ‘little engine that could ‘ folks. Conference situation just a metaphor for the state stuck between Boston and New York. Can’t fight geography

 

[superjohn]

I wish that was true. It ain’t. I see long threads about this on tons of college hoop boards.

Okay, those lunatics too. How big do you really think that audience of lunatics is?

I've been told over and over college basketball doesn't matter yet we're supposed to care about some idiots on Twitter talking about it? The only people I know outside of CT who know about UConn even trying to get in the Big 12 know about it because of me and they think UConn is nuts trying to leave the Big East.

 

[NE Football]

We need to get our football program into any conference that will take us for football only. It’s extremely important that we beat NC State, which I expect will happen. They lost at home to BCU last year!!!

 

[superjohn]

My good friend told me we were being played by Yormark. I was blinded. Didn’t want to believe it. Now for him to use the same word Edsall used when he left for Maryland has given me PTSD.

Get used to always being the ‘little engine that could ‘ folks. Conference situation just a metaphor for the state stuck between Boston and New York. Can’t fight geography

I'm pretty used to winning national championships and I'm confident that will continue.

You sound like a spoiled baby.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

We need to get our football program into any conference that will take us for football only. It’s extremely important that we beat NC State, which I expect will happen. They lost at home to BCU last year!!!

We can only control what we can control. We absolutely have to get our football program back on the map or no one will take us seriously. It is simple as that when it comes to realignment.

I am hoping the next wave of realignment will be each school's football program go indy and negotiating their own media deal like we are doing. We are just ahead of everyone on this. At some point, Alabama will be sick of sharing revenue with Vandy and Miss St. If they want easy wins, they can just schedule scrubs with an indy schedule.