(05-11-2020 09:23 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  It was 2-1 and FCS teams, not with FCS teams lol.

Oh no, back in the summer/fall there were people here who'd try to convince you that UConn was going to be playing at FCS teams to keep from having to pay for buy games. That was definitely a thing at one point.

(05-11-2020 09:23 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  If I'm reading the tea leaves UConn's AD is packaging BBall scheduling (what other AD's want from him) with FB scheduling (what they don't want from him). For example UCF agreed to a 1 game deal with UConn FB and UConn BBall agreed to a deal with UCF.

The AAC asked for four basketball home-and-homes with UConn as part of the early separation, but I don't believe UConn and UCF have agreed to anything for basketball. The one football game is just a buy game they took because they want to play in Florida every so often for recruiting purposes. None of the other announcements have mentioned basketball either (but I mean- Hey, if any of Maryland/UNC/Cuse want to talk a series, by all means...).

(05-11-2020 09:32 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 09:23 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  It was 2-1 and FCS teams, not with FCS teams lol.

Oh no, back in the summer/fall there were people here who'd try to convince you that UConn was going to be playing at FCS teams to keep from having to pay for buy games. That was definitely a thing at one point.

(05-11-2020 09:23 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  If I'm reading the tea leaves UConn's AD is packaging BBall scheduling (what other AD's want from him) with FB scheduling (what they don't want from him). For example UCF agreed to a 1 game deal with UConn FB and UConn BBall agreed to a deal with UCF.

The AAC asked for four basketball home-and-homes with UConn as part of the early separation, but I don't believe UConn and UCF have agreed to anything for basketball. The one football game is just a buy game they took because they want to play in Florida every so often for recruiting purposes. None of the other announcements have mentioned basketball either (but I mean- Hey, if any of Maryland/UNC/Cuse want to talk a series, by all means...).

I'd be shocked if those deals didn't involve a basketball agreement. It's a brilliant way to fill the FB schedule. Trying to stand on it's own yes it'd be closer in the camp of those blasting UConn FB not being able to fill the schedule but leveraging BBall would get you FB games.

(05-11-2020 09:38 PM)MidknightWhiskey Wrote:  I'd be shocked if those deals didn't involve a basketball agreement. It's a brilliant way to fill the FB schedule. Trying to stand on it's own yes it'd be closer in the camp of those blasting UConn FB not being able to fill the schedule but leveraging BBall would get you FB games.

All I can say is what's gone on so far, and to this point that hasn't happened. I wouldn't even mind if they did, given the bigger brands they've scheduled with have all been big basketball brands as well (in truth, basketball schools).

(05-11-2020 08:20 PM)stxrunner Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 03:54 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Dave Benedict, with what the UConn athletic department has acheived in the past 12 months, has arguably been one of the top-performing ADs in the country.

While I do agree he has done the best job possible, and deserves credit for staying organized and on point, I think this is spinning it a little far.

Quote:In that time frame, Benedict has several seasons worth of opponents lined up, reacquired regional programs like Syracuse and Boston College to the schedule (with UMass and Army are annual matchups), gained P5 matchups at home against Duke, UNC, Purdue and NC State

UConn scheduled Boston College, Duke, Purdue, and NC State all before their move to the Big East. The already had these games in the AAC. Definitely deserves credit for putting together a passable schedule on short notice, but their home slate is pretty dreadful for quite a while and they had to compensate multiple teams to split up their already scheduled series.

Quote:lined-up buy games (over $1 million each annually) at Clemson, Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio State

Most teams in the country can get these games. It's not hard to get a payday from these schools. Most teams don't do it with any frequency because it makes it impossible to schedule home and homes. Again, they could have done this in the AAC. The move to the Big East precipitates the need for it now because of the lost revenue specifically on the football side.

Quote:and, now, found a new and better home (CBS Sports Network has 50 million+ subscribers) for its games than it was originally to have had (ESPN+ has under 10 million subscribers)

This is certainly a better home for UConn football as their stature within the league would have relegated most/all of their games on ESPN+. That said, they are getting paid pretty much peanuts, and were forced into a potential 8 year deal on that little money just to get on national TV. It's reminiscent of the deal Aresco made for the AAC back in 2014 (the need to sacrifice $$$ to get exposure).

Quote: - all while substantially cutting down travel costs (which was easily over $7 million annually - almost identical amount it was to be making under the new AAC TV deal) and associating its top athletics brand (basketball) with an identifiable and geographic power basketball conference.

UConn was not spending $7m on travel costs. By their own estimates, I've seen as much as $2m floating around. That seems high, but is somewhat plausible when considering all their sports. That said, their new schedule has the need for a fair amount of travel in football anyway. They get more paydays in the form of guaranteed games, but again, that wouldn't be incremental revenue then.


Look, this isn't a bad deal at all for UConn. I see what they are trying to do. Let's just try and stay on the ground here. There is already enough overreaching on the AAC board already. This isn't some landmark deal that is going to save UConn football. The money still isn't there.

Who are the other ADs in the country that was put together a highly respectable independent schedule for the following season in less than a year's time? Many predicted that UConn would need a waiver because they'd end up playing so many FCS teams (they are only playing one this year). Many predicted UConn would have a schedule like Liberty or New Mexico State (they clearly will not). Benedict has really made a name for himself throughout this entire process, and likely positioned himself for a strong P5 AD job in the coming years.

You're also selling the OOC buy games short. Which non-P5 program has numerous OOC games against former national champions in the coming years? And these aren't just casual buy games against the likes of Kansas State, Minnesota, Washington State or Vanderbilt. Blue bloods like Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee can get anyone they choose for buy games; why pick a non-P5 in the NE? Clearly, Benedict worked some of his magic there.

With regards to TV revenue, again, many predicted UConn would struggle to get any money/exposure as an independent. The money is on par with the SBC/C-USA, however the exposure is greater (and, once again, CBSN has more subscribers than ESPN+, which is another huge win). Most importantly, fans/viewers from their region will be able to watch their games (while also likely preserving their SNY relationship - which wasn't to be had they stayed in the AAC).

Finally, with regards to travel costs, you're misinformed. UConn spent over $9 million this past year on travel alone (https://dailycampus.com/stories/2020/5/1...m-covid-19). In 2018, it was $7.3 million (https://www.courant.com/sports/hc-sp-uco...story.html). Had they remained in the AAC, the television revenue alone would have compensated for their significant travel annually. Returning to the Big East cuts down that number big-time.

Overall, with this move to the Big East, this is very much part of a landmark deal for UConn athletics; it is going to save their athletics programs, and why Dave Benedict has done one of the best jobs in the country as a D1 AD in the past year.

I wondering how much leeway does UConn have to use basketball as an enticement? They would have maybe 10-14 OOC games a year depending on early season tournaments. then there is the usual local teams (do they play any annually?) and any other series they might have signed already like old Big East/now ACC foes. Doesn't seem like it's so easy to trade basketball games.

By all means this deal is better than what the Independents not named ND, BYU and Army are getting for a TV deal but I find the numbers underwhelming when the rumor was they were going to get 1 million+ per year on SNY.

They aren't getting a G5 sized cut of the CFP money either. Long term they are going to want to be in a conference I think, especially if that playoff expands. It starts to become recruiting suicide if they aren't.

UConn traded exposure for $$$

They did well. They will have set kickoff times well in advance and can tell recruits straight up to expect 8-9 games on national sports networks.

(05-11-2020 10:20 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 08:20 PM)stxrunner Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 03:54 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Dave Benedict, with what the UConn athletic department has acheived in the past 12 months, has arguably been one of the top-performing ADs in the country.

While I do agree he has done the best job possible, and deserves credit for staying organized and on point, I think this is spinning it a little far.

Quote:In that time frame, Benedict has several seasons worth of opponents lined up, reacquired regional programs like Syracuse and Boston College to the schedule (with UMass and Army are annual matchups), gained P5 matchups at home against Duke, UNC, Purdue and NC State

UConn scheduled Boston College, Duke, Purdue, and NC State all before their move to the Big East. The already had these games in the AAC. Definitely deserves credit for putting together a passable schedule on short notice, but their home slate is pretty dreadful for quite a while and they had to compensate multiple teams to split up their already scheduled series.

Quote:lined-up buy games (over $1 million each annually) at Clemson, Michigan, Tennessee and Ohio State

Most teams in the country can get these games. It's not hard to get a payday from these schools. Most teams don't do it with any frequency because it makes it impossible to schedule home and homes. Again, they could have done this in the AAC. The move to the Big East precipitates the need for it now because of the lost revenue specifically on the football side.

Quote:and, now, found a new and better home (CBS Sports Network has 50 million+ subscribers) for its games than it was originally to have had (ESPN+ has under 10 million subscribers)

This is certainly a better home for UConn football as their stature within the league would have relegated most/all of their games on ESPN+. That said, they are getting paid pretty much peanuts, and were forced into a potential 8 year deal on that little money just to get on national TV. It's reminiscent of the deal Aresco made for the AAC back in 2014 (the need to sacrifice $$$ to get exposure).

Quote: - all while substantially cutting down travel costs (which was easily over $7 million annually - almost identical amount it was to be making under the new AAC TV deal) and associating its top athletics brand (basketball) with an identifiable and geographic power basketball conference.

UConn was not spending $7m on travel costs. By their own estimates, I've seen as much as $2m floating around. That seems high, but is somewhat plausible when considering all their sports. That said, their new schedule has the need for a fair amount of travel in football anyway. They get more paydays in the form of guaranteed games, but again, that wouldn't be incremental revenue then.


Look, this isn't a bad deal at all for UConn. I see what they are trying to do. Let's just try and stay on the ground here. There is already enough overreaching on the AAC board already. This isn't some landmark deal that is going to save UConn football. The money still isn't there.

Who are the other ADs in the country that was put together a highly respectable independent schedule for the following season in less than a year's time? Many predicted that UConn would need a waiver because they'd end up playing so many FCS teams (they are only playing one this year). Many predicted UConn would have a schedule like Liberty or New Mexico State (they clearly will not). Benedict has really made a name for himself throughout this entire process, and likely positioned himself for a strong P5 AD job in the coming years.

You're also selling the OOC buy games short. Which non-P5 program has numerous OOC games against former national champions in the coming years? And these aren't just casual buy games against the likes of Kansas State, Minnesota, Washington State or Vanderbilt. Blue bloods like Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee can get anyone they choose for buy games; why pick a non-P5 in the NE? Clearly, Benedict worked some of his magic there.

With regards to TV revenue, again, many predicted UConn would struggle to get any money/exposure as an independent. The money is on par with the SBC/C-USA, however the exposure is greater (and, once again, CBSN has more subscribers than ESPN+, which is another huge win). Most importantly, fans/viewers from their region will be able to watch their games (while also likely preserving their SNY relationship - which wasn't to be had they stayed in the AAC).

Finally, with regards to travel costs, you're misinformed. UConn spent over $9 million this past year on travel alone (https://dailycampus.com/stories/2020/5/1...m-covid-19). In 2018, it was $7.3 million (https://www.courant.com/sports/hc-sp-uco...story.html). Had they remained in the AAC, the television revenue alone would have compensated for their significant travel annually. Returning to the Big East cuts down that number big-time.

Overall, with this move to the Big East, this is very much part of a landmark deal for UConn athletics; it is going to save their athletics programs, and why Dave Benedict has done one of the best jobs in the country as a D1 AD in the past year.

The Travel costs savings of 2 million for UConn is probably misleading. First, some of those costs dont change at all. For instance, Womens Field Hockey was already playing in the Big East. The AAC doesnt play hockey---so UConn mens hockey and womens hockey travel costs remain unchanged in Hockey East. Golf, Track and Field, Tennis, swimming, and diving generally operate as limited meets---so travel to a single central point is the standard and cost are not going to change much in those sports. Basically, almost all the travel savings will have to come from football, basketball, soccer, softball, and baseball. Ive looked at the football schedule and I doubt much if any savings is going to come from there. I think its little more than AD spin to claim there is 2 million in savings that can be squeezed out of those remaining 4 sports. We'll see how it goes---but Im skeptical.

With this new contract UConn has the potential to be on TV 8 times in 2020 if the season is played in full.

The CBS Sports contract covers 4 games this year - Indiana, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, and Army.

They play away games at:

Illinois - potential B-10 Network game.
Virginia and North Carolina - 2 potential ACC Network games.
Ole Miss - potential SEC Network game.

Not bad for an independent leaving the AAC.

(05-11-2020 08:26 PM)stxrunner Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 07:56 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 03:54 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  Dave Benedict, with what the UConn athletic department has acheived in the past 12 months, has arguably been one of the top-performing ADs in the country.

Indeed. What he has done with UConn football going independent, from putting together schedules and now this TV deal, is really high-performing stuff.

I'm not sure this is much different than the deal Aresco put together for the AAC in 2014 (exposure at all costs) given the $$ involved.

I didn't think that deal was great, and I don't think the recent one was good either. So if I don't like those deals for Aresco, I'm having a hard time giving the AD too much credit for this one.

I see your POV. FWIW, I think the current Aresco deal is arguably worse than the first deal. Aresco touted "Ballpark P5" revenue would be coming, and the AAC got far, far from that, and for a looong deal that seals that relatively low amount for over a decade.

I also agree that this UConn deal is good only relative to expectations. It's not actually a "good" deal in an objective sense, but given what the AD had to work with it does look pretty impressive.

UConn now has five years of football schedules, interesting schedules, better than AAC schedules IMO, and nationally televised games on a CBS network for four years at least, and a year or so ago there were many, many scoffers around here that doubted either could happen. Heck many were expecting an announcement that UConn would either be dropping football or moving down to FCS.

To me, that's the AD earning a raise or bonus.

(05-12-2020 08:15 AM)panite Wrote:  With this new contract UConn has the potential to be on TV 8 times in 2020 if the season is played in full.

The CBS Sports contract covers 4 games this year - Indiana, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, and Army.

They play away games at:

Illinois - potential B-10 Network game.
Virginia and North Carolina - 2 potential ACC Network games.
Ole Miss - potential SEC Network game.

Not bad for an independent leaving the AAC.

They look to be having a similar problem as Umass in getting quality Home games. Pretty much anyone will take them - it is an easy win (I believe the term is body bag game).

That said, I don't see many wins on that schedule - home or away.

Seems most of us agree that the UConn deal is very solid and that the UConn AD has done a commendable job. Full props.

Those on this board (for example, some AAC and ACC posters) who have been unreasonably critical of UConn likely are letting their personal biases against the university distort their assessments. As such, they likely are not giving UConn as much credit as it deserves.

Similarly, there are others on this board who I feel sometimes give UConn football a bit too much credit for the progress it has made (which, I do feel is very commendable).

Any fair and reasonable person will acknowledge that the arrangement UConn will have with the Big East will be much better overall for the university than its membership in the American. Similarly, any fair and reasonable person will acknowledge that the BE is the consolation prize for the university and its athletics. The grand prize would have been the Atlantic Coast Conference. Also, any fair and reasonable person will acknowledge that the American provided UConn with some solid sports opportunities during what we now know was a "transition period." The AAC was not a disaster — or even necessarily bad — for UConn as some might feel or suggest. But it clearly was insufficient and the Big East will be much better.

As noted, and as a Middle Tennessee and Indiana fan, I'm pleased we will be playing UConn in football. I would like to see Memphis and Cincy play the Huskies in both sports. Maybe down the road.

The only thing this deal does if we didn't already know it for sure already that is put UConn FB squarely ahead of UMass FB for recruiting purposes.

(05-12-2020 09:01 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Similarly, any fair and reasonable person will acknowledge that the BE is the consolation prize for the university and its athletics. The grand prize would have been the Atlantic Coast Conference.

That has always been my one qualm when asked over the past 5-6 years whether I, as a Big East fan, wanted UConn to "come home". Of course I did, to me they belong in the Big East. But I also know that UConn doesn't feel that way anymore. For all other Big East programs, the Big East is their destination conference, but for UConn it will always be a Power-5 conference, specifically either the ACC or B1G. So they will always have one eye on the door, and that makes them suspect.

UConn is kind of like the 17 year old kid who runs away from home with some bravado, vowing never to come back, but six months later he shows up on the doorstep, looking scraggly and sheepish and asking if his old room is still empty. Yes, you're glad the prodigal son is back so you welcome him in, but you also know as soon as he gets some home cooking in him and a few good night's sleep, the restlessness will arise, because the underlying reasons he left to begin with are still down there for him.

And if anything, the success of the UConn AD in keeping FBS football viable has made that restlessness far more likely. It's ironic that if the AAC fanboys who hate both the Big East and UConn had been right - if UConn had been forced to drop football entirely or move down to FCS - the stability of their Big East membership would be much greater than it now will be.

(05-11-2020 11:34 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  UConn traded exposure for $$$

They did well. They will have set kickoff times well in advance and can tell recruits straight up to expect 8-9 games on national sports networks.

I expect you'll see a lot of UConn and Army leading into each other in the early time slots before the MW takes over around 5 eastern. A regular schedule of Saturday afternoon kicks between 12-3 is pretty much ideal.

(05-11-2020 11:34 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  UConn traded exposure for $$$

They did well. They will have set kickoff times well in advance and can tell recruits straight up to expect 8-9 games on national sports networks.

Eh, to "trade" one thing for another, both have to be on the table. Just like with the AAC in 2013, I don't think there were really any more dollars out there for UConn one way or the other. They took as much exposure as they could get given that they were going to be getting very few dollars.

(05-12-2020 08:55 AM)Eldonabe Wrote:  

(05-12-2020 08:15 AM)panite Wrote:  With this new contract UConn has the potential to be on TV 8 times in 2020 if the season is played in full.

The CBS Sports contract covers 4 games this year - Indiana, Liberty, Middle Tennessee, and Army.

They play away games at:

Illinois - potential B-10 Network game.
Virginia and North Carolina - 2 potential ACC Network games.
Ole Miss - potential SEC Network game.

Not bad for an independent leaving the AAC.

They look to be having a similar problem as Umass in getting quality Home games. Pretty much anyone will take them - it is an easy win (I believe the term is body bag game).

That said, I don't see many wins on that schedule - home or away.

Yes but you can get to see UConn lose if they don't turn it around right a away with UConn picking up more exposure on TV then it probably would in the AAC with a better schedule name brand wise than being in the AAC to boot too. Its a win for UConn no matter what others say including all of the UConn naysayers.

(05-12-2020 09:12 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(05-12-2020 09:01 AM)bill dazzle Wrote:  Similarly, any fair and reasonable person will acknowledge that the BE is the consolation prize for the university and its athletics. The grand prize would have been the Atlantic Coast Conference.

That has always been my one qualm when asked over the past 5-6 years whether I, as a Big East fan, wanted UConn to "come home". Of course I did, to me they belong in the Big East. But I also know that UConn doesn't feel that way anymore. For all other Big East programs, the Big East is their destination conference, but for UConn it will always be a Power-5 conference, specifically either the ACC or B1G. So they will always have one eye on the door, and that makes them suspect.

UConn is kind of like the 17 year old kid who runs away from home with some bravado, vowing never to come back, but six months later he shows up on the doorstep, looking scraggly and sheepish and asking if his old room is still empty. Yes, you're glad the prodigal son is back so you welcome him in, but you also know as soon as he gets some home cooking in him and a few good night's sleep, the restlessness will arise, because the underlying reasons he left to begin with are still down there for him.

And if anything, the success of the UConn AD in keeping FBS football viable has made that restlessness far more likely. It's ironic that if the AAC fanboys who hate both the Big East and UConn had been right - if UConn had been forced to drop football entirely or move down to FCS - the stability of their Big East membership would be much greater than it now will be.

As always, Quo, very well presented. The point you make about the AAC fanboys is interesting. There is an element of irony, indeed.

I would also argue that there seemingly are some pro-Big East types and fans in general who believe that UConn will see this "return" to the league as a "alright, everything is back to normal for the Husky athletics program" situation — failing to either realize or acknowledge that UConn is returning to a Big East that lacks ND, Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, Syracuse, WVa and BC. Some of these folks might not want to admit the Big East has not been a true "East Coast" league (which was kind of "sexy" back in the day) for years and has, instead, become a Midwest/Northeast conference (which, to me, as a fan of DePaul and as a "loose-knit supporter" of Georgetown is 100 percent fine).

If a major reshuffling (but not an actual split) hits in a few years, I could easily see UConn with its football program leave the BE for an all-sports league. And the Big East will remain strong and vibrant (Dayton would be an excellent replacement).

Until then, the Big East and UConn will be very happy in what is a boost for the former and a better arrangement (compared to that offered by the AAC) for the latter.

(05-12-2020 09:26 AM)Bogg Wrote:  

(05-11-2020 11:34 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  UConn traded exposure for $$$

They did well. They will have set kickoff times well in advance and can tell recruits straight up to expect 8-9 games on national sports networks.

I expect you'll see a lot of UConn and Army leading into each other in the early time slots before the MW takes over around 5 eastern. A regular schedule of Saturday afternoon kicks between 12-3 is pretty much ideal.

You could get all three academies and UConn packaged into one solid day of football viewing on a Saturday. Example:

1 PM - Army - National or CBSS
3 PM - UConn - CBSS, B-10 (Indiana), ACC (Virginia / NC), SEC (Ole Miss)
5 PM - Navy away AAC West - ESPN or CBSS
7PM - Eastern - Air Force - ESPN or a MWC channel

(05-11-2020 10:31 PM)trephin Wrote:  I wondering how much leeway does UConn have to use basketball as an enticement? They would have maybe 10-14 OOC games a year depending on early season tournaments. then there is the usual local teams (do they play any annually?) and any other series they might have signed already like old Big East/now ACC foes. Doesn't seem like it's so easy to trade basketball games.

Probably not much. I could see it being an attractive offer to some P5 schools, like a H/H with UConn football and basketball (Duke, UNC, Wake, Kansas, Syracuse, etc), but most of those schools would agree to a football H/H with UConn regardless.

It could maybe help them get 1 off home games against MAC schools or something, like do a double buy game of Ball State @ UConn for both football and men's basketball, but UConn isn't going to want to play Sun Belt/MAC/CUSA teams on the road in men's basketball to help with football scheduling.

The women's team has had occasional OOC games @ non power opponents (@ Nevada, @ St Louis, @ Chattanooga, @ Colgate, looking at their past few years schedules), so *maybe* they'd be marginally amenable to that. H/H in women's basketball with a G5 football team, and a game @ UConn for football.