Membership in the AAC is unsustainable for UConn long term. The issue isn't basketball or football. It's travel for Olympic sports.

Compare their situation to West Virginia's in the Big XII where the Mountaineers have been screaming bloody murder since their first year in the conference about the fact that travel is a killer. Football and basketball aren't the problem; that's what they signed up for. It's everyone else. But the Big XII TV contract + annual BCS money give West Virginia tens of millions of reasons to grin and bear it. With a TV contract that brings in 10% of the revenue that the Big XII's does and no more auto bid to the BCS, UConn has no compensatory benefits in the AAC.

The situation was bad enough when Rutgers and Louisville were still in the conference. But the AAC showed just how much they care about UConn when they replaced Rutgers with Tulsa, a school with little up side, instead of UMass, trading off a 50 mile UMass road trip for UConn for a 1500 mile road trip to Tulsa. Football may be driving the bus, but it's driven it right off the cliff as far as UConn is concerned.

It's nice for UConn that they have Temple just 233 miles away. The addition of Navy is more of a problem than a help because they block the creation of divisions for Olympic sports, something that would help those teams with travel. But Temple and Navy aside, here's how the rest of the travel miles for UConn, 500 miles east of Morgantown, compare with West Virginia's travel distance:

WEST VIRGINIA - UCONN

Iowa St - 861 -- 637 - East Carolina
Kansas - 900 --- 795 - Cincinnati
K State - 981 -- 1210 - UCF
OK ST - 1083 -- 1232 - Memphis
OU ----- 1137 -- 1259 - USF
TCU ---- 1239 -- 1446 - Tulane
Baylor -- 1298 -- 1495 - Tulsa
Texas --- 1399 -- 1691 - SMU
TX Tech - 1467 -- 1770 - Houston

(04-15-2014 01:34 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  Membership in the AAC is unsustainable for UConn long term. The issue isn't basketball or football. It's travel for Olympic sports.

Compare their situation to West Virginia's in the Big XII where the Mountaineers have been screaming bloody murder since their first year in the conference about the fact that travel is a killer. Football and basketball aren't the problem; that's what they signed up for. It's everyone else. But the Big XII TV contract + annual BCS money give West Virginia tens of millions of reasons to grin and bear it. With a TV contract that brings in 10% of the revenue that the Big XII's does and no more auto bid to the BCS, UConn has no compensatory benefits in the AAC.

The situation was bad enough when Rutgers and Louisville were still in the conference. But the AAC showed just how much they care about UConn when they replaced Rutgers with Tulsa, a school with little up side, instead of UMass, trading off a 50 mile UMass road trip for UConn for a 1500 mile road trip to Tulsa. Football may be driving the bus, but it's driven it right off the cliff as far as UConn is concerned.

It's nice for UConn that they have Temple just 233 miles away. The addition of Navy is more of a problem than a help because they block the creation of divisions for Olympic sports, something that would help those teams with travel. But Temple and Navy aside, here's how the rest of the travel miles for UConn, 500 miles east of Morgantown, compare with West Virginia's travel distance:

WEST VIRGINIA - UCONN

Iowa St - 861 -- 637 - East Carolina
Kansas - 900 --- 795 - Cincinnati
K State - 981 -- 1210 - UCF
OK ST - 1083 -- 1232 - Memphis
OU ----- 1137 -- 1259 - USF
TCU ---- 1239 -- 1446 - Tulane
Baylor -- 1298 -- 1495 - Tulsa
Texas --- 1399 -- 1691 - SMU
TX Tech - 1467 -- 1770 - Houston

THAT POST WAS STOLEN FROM "BILLMARSH" IN THE ANTI-AAC THREAD ON THE BIG LEAST'S MESSAGE BOARD!

http://bit.ly/1m8X7HA

Every team on here has done it for years with far less resources

(04-15-2014 01:39 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  Every team on here has done it for years with far less resources

This.

wish UC and UCONN had stayed with the C7 but then we would have no football home...

(04-15-2014 01:42 PM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  wish UC and UCONN had stayed with the C7 but then we would have no football home...

Then you wouldn't have UCF's coattails to ride in football.

Seriously though, it all comes down to being in a relevant all-sports conference. If that's not your goal, then make other plans.

It's total bull****. For one, you can't just arbitrarily discount Navy and Temple. AAC has 4 teams closer than any Big 12 team for WVU.

Bottom line to me is this....

The gap between the Big East and AAC in basketball- is not that big. You ask a lot of fans, and they would say it's no gap at all.

However.... in football the gap between the AAC and where ever UConn is able to put their football team- is so huge- that it's just crazy to think.

Bottom line- UConn is NEVER going to leave the AAC for the Big East. NEVER. If they did so, they would never and I do mean never, have a shot to make the ACC or Big Ten. PERIOD. It's frankly pie in the sky. I don't think the powers to be at UConn even think for a second about going to the Big East. Less real exposure and just totally blows up the football to a point they could NEVER recover.

(04-15-2014 01:34 PM)Melky Cabrera Wrote:  Membership in the AAC is unsustainable for UConn long term.

True, but what is the alternative - joining the ECAC or the Patriot League?

BE fans do not understand football exists. Their world revolves entirely around 4 months out of the year when its basketball season.

(04-15-2014 01:46 PM)NBPirate Wrote:  BE fans do not understand football exists. Their world revolves entirely around 4 months out of the year when its basketball season.

I agree with the original poster. West Virginia's huge travel expense not to mention impact on the student athletes have been well documented. Uconn will lose a lot of money with the increased travel.

I did not realize how isolated Uconn is. Even Navy only helps with 1 program out of 20+.

The question becomes how do they deal with it?

For one, they will have to cut some sports like Temple did.

Second, their coaches salaries and recruiting budgets will be next. And compared to the major conferences Uconn will not be able to compete.

As for the impact on student athletes issue, having fewer sports means fewer athletes will be impacted.

(04-15-2014 01:48 PM)BE4evah Wrote:  I agree with the original poster. West Virginia's huge travel expense not to mention impact on the student athletes have been well documented. Uconn will lose a lot of money with the increased travel.

I did not realize how isolated Uconn is. Even Navy only helps with 1 program out of 20+.

The question becomes how do they deal with it?

For one, they will have to cut some sports like Temple did.

Second, their coaches salaries and recruiting budgets will be next. And compared to the major conferences Uconn will not be able to compete.

As for the impact on student athletes issue, having fewer sports means fewer athletes will be impacted.

So do what with them? Send them to the BE to play in a bus league that no one sees on TV anymore and throw their football in the MAC to die? Thats the quickest way UConn athletics can be sent to the basement for eternity.

(04-15-2014 01:48 PM)BE4evah Wrote:  I agree with the original poster.

The original poster wasn't really the original poster.

He Shia Laboeffed that post from a NBE fan. Melky is gay for that board.

(04-15-2014 01:48 PM)BE4evah Wrote:  I agree with the original poster. West Virginia's huge travel expense not to mention impact on the student athletes have been well documented. Uconn will lose a lot of money with the increased travel.

I did not realize how isolated Uconn is. Even Navy only helps with 1 program out of 20+.

The question becomes how do they deal with it?

For one, they will have to cut some sports like Temple did.

Second, their coaches salaries and recruiting budgets will be next. And compared to the major conferences Uconn will not be able to compete.

As for the impact on student athletes issue, having fewer sports means fewer athletes will be impacted.

Well, for one, some of the Big East outposts aren't exactly close either. Creighton is like 1350 miles from UConn. Marquette 1000. DePaul 925. Butler 860. Xavier 800.

Also, wouldn't be shocked at all to see the AAC add a VCU. That would help things out quite a bit. Would make it with 12 teams for a 18 game schedule to miss at least 2 of the far away teams. Maybe no Tulane/Tulsa this year. Makes a difference. Also think the AAC will do travel partners to some degree- to make it where a UConn would play at Tulsa on a Thursday, at Tulane on a Saturday. Big 12 hasn't done that for WVU much.

Somehow ECU managed to afford to be in C-USA making far less money and having to travel to El Paso, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Tulsa, Mississippi, Memphis, etc. I can understand and sympathize with UCONN/UC/USF on a lot of their feelings about the American, considering I felt the exact same way about what C-USA became, but this complaint is crap.

Quote:UConn's membership in AAC is unsustainable

Really? You're just cottoning on now??? I have been saying this for over a year.

The AAC is unsustainable. The first to go will be Temple. Then probably Tulsa... Then who knows.

But clearly the AAC is unsustainable... not just for UConn, but for all of us.

(04-15-2014 01:58 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

Quote:UConn's membership in AAC is unsustainable

Really? You're just cottoning on now??? I have been saying this for over a year.

The AAC is unsustainable. The first to go will be Temple. Then probably Tulsa... Then who knows.

But clearly the AAC is unsustainable... not just for UConn, but for all of us.

What leads you to believe that Temple will go first? Is it the OCS issue and the statements from leadership (the whole "mid-major" debacle)? Why Tulsa second?

I'm not contesting the "unsustainable" comment one bit, just the order of things.

Also, what happens to the chemistry of the league IF schools have to drop out?

It's not like it's for every sport. Only team sports are required to schedule round-robin contests within the conference, and you don't even have to travel to each and every school in a given year to do that - you only have to go to half or even less than half. Individual sports are only required to play in a season-ending conference meet, which could be anywhere, even at a neutral site. For the remainder of the seasons, you can play anyone else you like.

And UConn was previously going to Wisconsin, Illinois, and Florida in the Big East. Having the women's soccer team go to Tulsa every other year isn't all that bad.

(04-15-2014 01:58 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

Quote:UConn's membership in AAC is unsustainable

Really? You're just cottoning on now??? I have been saying this for over a year.

The AAC is unsustainable. The first to go will be Temple. Then probably Tulsa... Then who knows.

But clearly the AAC is unsustainable... not just for UConn, but for all of us.

And here we are, 14 years after the inception of CUSA and it's still around. I guess it's how you define unsustainable. there's always somebody willing to back fill. If UConn or anybody else wants out, get out... problem is, there's nowhere better to go and likely won't be for a long, long time.

Simple fact is, this is a nice league for the upper tier programs (for the most part) of the G5, nothing more, nothing less. If any of us truly belonged in the P5, the market would have put us there instead of here.