I have seen on several threads the suggestion that UConn might be thinking of leaving the AAC. Now, that could just be wishful thinking on the part of folks who hate all things Husky. It could even be wishful thinking on the part of some who like the Huskies. Who knows what's truly going on in anybody's mind when it comes to realignment?

But it got me thinking. As a football independent, what kind of a schedule could they hope to put together? There are other independents who are always looking for partners. I suppose they could get BYU, Army, UMass, Idaho and New Mexico State if the latter two don't find a new conference home when their SBC deal runs out. Throw in an Ivy League opponent for their FCS game and they are halfway home.

Regionally, they would probably approach schools like Syracuse, BC, Buffalo and Temple. If they get them 50% of the time, they still need four opponents, some of which would have to agree to come to Storrs. That might be a tough sell. But let's come back to that.

What really popped into my head was a question I've never heard asked here. UConn and its fans believe they can stay at the top of the basketball heap despite no longer being in the powerhouse Big East. Is it possible they could do it if they were independent in hoops as well, or is membership in some quality conference a must? If they remain a perennial top 20 program, would they not be able to get an at-large bid to the NCAAT most years? I'm not sure when the last time was that there were independent basketball programs, and I'm not even sure it's allowed by the NCAA. But I don't see why not.

The hard part would be filling about 16 games in their schedule during January and February, when everybody else is involved in league play. If UConn stays UConn - that is, national championship contender - and is willing to go on the road during the week, could they put together a schedule with a good enough SOS to keep them competitive? IMO, they would have to talk a number of big time opponents into a home and home. Folks like Syracuse and BC. Maybe their nearby former Big East buddies, like St John's, Seton Hall and Providence.

And, perhaps they could agree to travel to some of the ACC or Big Ten schools in exchange for a football game or two. If any of this were possible, would NCAAT payouts and media contracts they didn't have to share with anybody be more than they could get by staying in the AAC?

I wonder if the UConn AD has ever thought of this, however fleetingly.

IMO even if you add Idaho and NMSU eventually you are probably three, maybe four independents away from it being anything feasible in football. In basketball I don;t see how it could be done once everybody else starts conference play.

That said...even if it is feasible I don't know how successful it would be. I doubt that the media outlets are going to pay more than what they are already getting for six games when they consist primarily of Idaho, NMSU, UMass, Army, and a FCS school.

(02-21-2015 02:59 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  IMO even if you add Idaho and NMSU eventually you are probably three, maybe four independents away from it being anything feasible in football. In basketball I don;t see how it could be done once everybody else starts conference play.

That said...even if it is feasible I don't know how successful it would be. I doubt that the media outlets are going to pay more than what they are already getting for six games when they consist primarily of Idaho, NMSU, UMass, Army, and a FCS school.

I wouldn't expect UConn to be able to get much of a contract for their football. Maybe not any. But if they could line up heavyweight hoops programs from among several conferences - ACC, B1G, Big East and A-10 - they might not do too badly, since they wouldn't be sharing it with conference mates.

I would also guess that they wouldn't get bowl money but once in a blue moon.

Does anybody remember when there last was a basketball independent? Maybe Miami?

I have no idea what UConn has in mind, so I'll just comment generally. I think that indy could be an appealing option for some FBS team if you can get to a situation where there are at least 6-8 other G5 independents. You need a critical mass of independent teams in order to make scheduling late season games viable. If there are at least 6-8 indy FBS school, assuming these teams are smart enough to cooperate with one another in sort of a loosely grouped coalition, then football independence could be very viable. Such a coalition could group together to negotiate TV agreements, bowl ties, and a scheduling agreement to keep every member covered for late season games (when it is very difficult for indy teams to get games at all, much less home games). The upside is that a G5 team could in theory fashion a near P5 quality schedule---something that is impossible for a G5 conference member. Ideally, an indy team would thus be able to overcome the inherent SOS issue that virtually bars any G5 team from EVER making the playoff.

The other factor in going independent is the availability of a viable olympic sports option. You would need a decent place to put your Olympic sports. In UConn's case, there is a great option. Schools along the eastern seaboard in general seem to have pretty decent options to honest (A-10, CAA, etc). For a school like mine (Houston), finding a decent Olympic sports home might be a serious problem. The Southland Conference is about the only option---that's quite a step down. That would make indy a long shot for some schools despite there being an indy coalition to ease the difficulty.

You have to have a strong enough pull and fan base as well as prestige, be caught on a geographical island while your conference falls apart without another life raft or, like Temple, you get kicked out of your conference. Otherwise, why go indy? The majority of your opponents are gonna be other indies anyways and that works out like a conference.

(02-21-2015 02:49 PM)ken d Wrote:  I have seen on several threads the suggestion that UConn might be thinking of leaving the AAC. Now, that could just be wishful thinking on the part of folks who hate all things Husky. It could even be wishful thinking on the part of some who like the Huskies. Who knows what's truly going on in anybody's mind when it comes to realignment?

But it got me thinking. As a football independent, what kind of a schedule could they hope to put together? There are other independents who are always looking for partners. I suppose they could get BYU, Army, UMass, Idaho and New Mexico State if the latter two don't find a new conference home when their SBC deal runs out. Throw in an Ivy League opponent for their FCS game and they are halfway home.

Regionally, they would probably approach schools like Syracuse, BC, Buffalo and Temple. If they get them 50% of the time, they still need four opponents, some of which would have to agree to come to Storrs. That might be a tough sell. But let's come back to that.

What really popped into my head was a question I've never heard asked here. UConn and its fans believe they can stay at the top of the basketball heap despite no longer being in the powerhouse Big East. Is it possible they could do it if they were independent in hoops as well, or is membership in some quality conference a must? If they remain a perennial top 20 program, would they not be able to get an at-large bid to the NCAAT most years? I'm not sure when the last time was that there were independent basketball programs, and I'm not even sure it's allowed by the NCAA. But I don't see why not.

The hard part would be filling about 16 games in their schedule during January and February, when everybody else is involved in league play. If UConn stays UConn - that is, national championship contender - and is willing to go on the road during the week, could they put together a schedule with a good enough SOS to keep them competitive? IMO, they would have to talk a number of big time opponents into a home and home. Folks like Syracuse and BC. Maybe their nearby former Big East buddies, like St John's, Seton Hall and Providence.

And, perhaps they could agree to travel to some of the ACC or Big Ten schools in exchange for a football game or two. If any of this were possible, would NCAAT payouts and media contracts they didn't have to share with anybody be more than they could get by staying in the AAC?

I wonder if the UConn AD has ever thought of this, however fleetingly.

As a full independent, no. As a member in everything but a single sport, perhaps if their cache is strong enough, like Notre Dame.

(02-21-2015 03:07 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-21-2015 02:59 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  IMO even if you add Idaho and NMSU eventually you are probably three, maybe four independents away from it being anything feasible in football. In basketball I don;t see how it could be done once everybody else starts conference play.

That said...even if it is feasible I don't know how successful it would be. I doubt that the media outlets are going to pay more than what they are already getting for six games when they consist primarily of Idaho, NMSU, UMass, Army, and a FCS school.

I wouldn't expect UConn to be able to get much of a contract for their football. Maybe not any. But if they could line up heavyweight hoops programs from among several conferences - ACC, B1G, Big East and A-10 - they might not do too badly, since they wouldn't be sharing it with conference mates.

I would also guess that they wouldn't get bowl money but once in a blue moon.

Does anybody remember when there last was a basketball independent? Maybe Miami?

Miami didn't have a basketball team until they joined the Big East.

NJIT is now a DI independent in all their sports.

Notre Dame might have been the last legitimate basketball independent. Other schools that have been independent in last 30 years were because no conference wanted them. E.g. UTPA and Chicago St

UCONN is an interesting case when it comes to full independence. The basketball program is very strong, and therefore, I think they (MBB and WBB) could fill their independent schedules. I also think they could leverage football scheduling by promising dual MBB and WBB match-ups.

Scheduling wouldn't be the problem IMO. Whether it makes sense financially is a whole other story. With college sports it's all about the $ now, and independence would be tough on the wallet for most programs.

(02-21-2015 03:12 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I have no idea what UConn has in mind, so I'll just comment generally. I think that indy could be an appealing option for some FBS team if you can get to a situation where there are at least 6-8 other G5 independents. You need a critical mass of independent teams in order to make scheduling late season games viable. If there are at least 6-8 indy FBS school, assuming these teams are smart enough to cooperate with one another in sort of a loosely grouped coalition, then football independence could be very viable. Such a coalition could group together to negotiate TV agreements, bowl ties, and a scheduling agreement to keep every member covered for late season games (when it is very difficult for indy teams to get games at all, much less home games). The upside is that a G5 team could in theory fashion a near P5 quality schedule---something that is impossible for a G5 conference member. Ideally, an indy team would thus be able to overcome the inherent SOS issue that virtually bars any G5 team from EVER making the playoff.

The other factor in going independent is the availability of a viable olympic sports option. You would need a decent place to put your Olympic sports. In UConn's case, there is a great option. Schools along the eastern seaboard in general seem to have pretty decent options to honest (A-10, CAA, etc). For a school like mine (Houston), finding a decent Olympic sports home might be a serious problem. The Southland Conference is about the only option---that's quite a step down. That would make indy a long shot for some schools despite there being an indy coalition to ease the difficulty.

Some are independent in football by choice. Notre Dame and BYU each have a national following large enough to pull it off. Others are indy because no conference seems to want them. The question is, does anybody else have what it takes to make being a football indy pay off financially?

But is it even possible for a school to have a strong enough national cachet in hoops to make independence possible in that sport? To even consider it, you would need to consider your current football conference affiliation worth very little to you, and your prospects for finding a better conference slim. Does any of that describe UConn? Does it describe anybody else?

Uconn should push for a ND-style scheduling alliance with the ACC. Join the ACC in all sports but football, 5 football games a year against ACC, and part of ACC bowl game line-up, except for the Orange Bowl. Uconn has to get their own football tv contract and gets none of the ACC tv money for football.

Who knows, maybe UConn can sign a tv deal with NBC to be the home team on weeks when ND has a road game.

(02-21-2015 03:29 PM)goofus Wrote:  Uconn should push for a ND-style scheduling alliance with the ACC. Join the ACC in all sports but football, 5 football games a year against ACC, and part of ACC bowl game line-up, except for the Orange Bowl. Uconn has to get their own football tv contract and gets none of the ACC tv money for football.

Who knows, maybe UConn can sign a tv deal with NBC to be the home team on weeks when ND has a road game.

Why exactly would the ACC be interested in that?

It would depend on on wether or not they would find themselves isolated.

If an elite program went independent and then could choose whomever to play then they could benefit. If they were then cut away from their old conference mates entirely then no; they would not survive.

(02-21-2015 03:29 PM)goofus Wrote:  Uconn should push for a ND-style scheduling alliance with the ACC. Join the ACC in all sports but football, 5 football games a year against ACC, and part of ACC bowl game line-up, except for the Orange Bowl. Uconn has to get their own football tv contract and gets none of the ACC tv money for football.

Who knows, maybe UConn can sign a tv deal with NBC to be the home team on weeks when ND has a road game.

This is the best idea I've read yet for the UCONN situation. It would actually benefit the ACC and bring them a balanced schedule. For UConn it would guarantee late season games in football. Which are the hardest to acquire.

(02-21-2015 03:27 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(02-21-2015 03:12 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I have no idea what UConn has in mind, so I'll just comment generally. I think that indy could be an appealing option for some FBS team if you can get to a situation where there are at least 6-8 other G5 independents. You need a critical mass of independent teams in order to make scheduling late season games viable. If there are at least 6-8 indy FBS school, assuming these teams are smart enough to cooperate with one another in sort of a loosely grouped coalition, then football independence could be very viable. Such a coalition could group together to negotiate TV agreements, bowl ties, and a scheduling agreement to keep every member covered for late season games (when it is very difficult for indy teams to get games at all, much less home games). The upside is that a G5 team could in theory fashion a near P5 quality schedule---something that is impossible for a G5 conference member. Ideally, an indy team would thus be able to overcome the inherent SOS issue that virtually bars any G5 team from EVER making the playoff.

The other factor in going independent is the availability of a viable olympic sports option. You would need a decent place to put your Olympic sports. In UConn's case, there is a great option. Schools along the eastern seaboard in general seem to have pretty decent options to honest (A-10, CAA, etc). For a school like mine (Houston), finding a decent Olympic sports home might be a serious problem. The Southland Conference is about the only option---that's quite a step down. That would make indy a long shot for some schools despite there being an indy coalition to ease the difficulty.

Some are independent in football by choice. Notre Dame and BYU each have a national following large enough to pull it off. Others are indy because no conference seems to want them. The question is, does anybody else have what it takes to make being a football indy pay off financially?

But is it even possible for a school to have a strong enough national cachet in hoops to make independence possible in that sport? To even consider it, you would need to consider your current football conference affiliation worth very little to you, and your prospects for finding a better conference slim. Does any of that describe UConn? Does it describe anybody else?

To be clear, I think indy is suicide in Olympic sports. You need to be able to offer your athletes a championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA's that it provides (especially if you are a non-power conference school).

In terms of an indy schedule---I think you can theoretically fashion a better schedule than you can as a member of any G5 conference. Lets say you are getting 4 games from the coalition as part of the agreement to aid one another's late season scheduling. That still leaves 8 games open. In theory, you could schedule 8 P5 teams. I think the reality is you could schedule as many as 6----especially if you were willing to make at least one 2-for-one a year as part of the discussion. An FCS tune up home game is probably also part of the picture. So, the real life best case is probably more like between 4-6 P5 games a year (if you are pretty successful in your scheduling efforts). Obviously, some teams would do better than others. That's still a ton better than most any G5 schedule.

(02-21-2015 03:39 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(02-21-2015 03:29 PM)goofus Wrote:  Uconn should push for a ND-style scheduling alliance with the ACC. Join the ACC in all sports but football, 5 football games a year against ACC, and part of ACC bowl game line-up, except for the Orange Bowl. Uconn has to get their own football tv contract and gets none of the ACC tv money for football.

Who knows, maybe UConn can sign a tv deal with NBC to be the home team on weeks when ND has a road game.

Why exactly would the ACC be interested in that?

Balance. Plus adding another big basketball program would help with the eventual ACC network.

(02-21-2015 03:39 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  It would depend on on wether or not they would find themselves isolated.

If an elite program went independent and then could choose whomever to play then they could benefit. If they were then cut away from their old conference mates entirely then no; they would not survive.

I suspect UConn already feels itself cut off from their old conference mates. Other than South Florida, with whom they have zero affinity, and Cincinnati, everybody else left them in the lurch. Not to belittle schools like Houston and Memphis, who have some hoops history, but the Huskies have no real ties to those schools on any basis except that they have being left out of the P5 in common.

I'm surprised that the NCAA still allows schools to play an independent schedule in any sport. Outside of football, it should be outlawed.

(02-21-2015 02:49 PM)ken d Wrote:  I have seen on several threads the suggestion that UConn might be thinking of leaving the AAC. ............I wonder if the UConn AD has ever thought of this, however fleetingly.

If he did, he should probably be replaced.

(02-21-2015 03:48 PM)Rube Dali Wrote:  I'm surprised that the NCAA still allows schools to play an independent schedule in any sport. Outside of football, it should be outlawed.

Why?

(02-21-2015 03:51 PM)Gray Avenger Wrote:  

(02-21-2015 02:49 PM)ken d Wrote:  I have seen on several threads the suggestion that UConn might be thinking of leaving the AAC. ............I wonder if the UConn AD has ever thought of this, however fleetingly.

If he did, he should probably be replaced.

No he shouldn't. Thinking is what he is paid for. The AD's job is to do whatever's in the best interest of his/her athletics department. That means looking at every possible option/idea.