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SeaBlue Offline
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Post: #1
I think #15 is...
UConn.

After seeing http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2014/04/ucon...ic-vision/ , and with the NYC Big Ten office coming online, I think the stars are starting to align for UConn.

With as often as Delany has said he monitors the "changing landscape," I think the GORs and UConn's academic initiatives -- not to mention their recent basketball success -- signal enough change in the landscape to put UConn over the top regardless of their current AAU status. Within 10 years I think they'll have AAU status, and that may be good enough to move ahead now, especially with the new TV contract around the bend.

I also think it possible to stop there. Since the MAC had an odd number of teams for a while, and with the probable new title game legislation coming down the pike anyway, 15 may be doable.

Yeah, I know this should be on the CR board, but I would rather see what you guys think about UConn. So, what do you think?
(This post was last modified: 04-23-2014 09:10 PM by SeaBlue.)
04-23-2014 09:08 PM
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Panthergrad11 Offline
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Post: #2
RE: I think #15 is...
I doubt it. If they were gonna add an AAC team, the best choice would have been Louisville. Granted now Louisville is heading to the ACC but they would have fit better in the geographic footprint of the Big Ten.
04-24-2014 12:22 AM
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SeaBlue Offline
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RE: I think #15 is...
(04-24-2014 12:22 AM)Panthergrad11 Wrote:  I doubt it. If they were gonna add an AAC team, the best choice would have been Louisville. Granted now Louisville is heading to the ACC but they would have fit better in the geographic footprint of the Big Ten.

Louisville had a 0% chance of getting an invite. Their profile is not at all "Big Ten"-like. All they really have is basketball (football is over-hyped).

UConn has that plus the academics and research numbers that are improving every year. They are a land-grant, sea-grant, state flagship, with a realistic shot at the AAU down the road.

Besides that, they're "available" and they want in.
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2014 06:04 AM by SeaBlue.)
04-24-2014 06:02 AM
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brista21 Offline
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Post: #4
RE: I think #15 is...
Once we know the details on the football championship game deregulation its possible that UConn gets the nod. If things can be divisionless then we might see a UConn add in time for the new media rights deals.
04-24-2014 11:45 AM
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BruceMcF Offline
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Post: #5
RE: I think #15 is...
UConn is not a #15 in any event ... the question is whether they are a #16 if a #15 becomes available.

But the Big Ten is not going to take UConn on the promise that their academics are going to reach Big Ten level "someday". If UConn is improving their academic status every year, then once they make it into the AAU, at that point in time they come into the frame for consideration among the other #16's.

(04-24-2014 11:45 AM)brista21 Wrote:  Once we know the details on the football championship game deregulation its possible that UConn gets the nod. If things can be divisionless then we might see a UConn add in time for the new media rights deals.
Deregulating the FB championship game would hurt rather than help UConn's chances, as then a #16 wouldn't be needed if a strong #15 became available.
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2014 01:48 PM by BruceMcF.)
04-24-2014 01:47 PM
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UConnHusky Offline
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Post: #6
RE: I think #15 is...
UConn fan here. I read in a CT paper that UConn has all the qualification pieces in place for AAU inclusion now. UConn just hasn't been nominated, reviewed, or invited yet. I am not sure if that article was 100% true, but I am certain that if UConn doesn't have all of the required qualification pieces in place yet, they will within the year.

I think UConn in the B1G would benefit UConn and the B1G. The B1G really would have control of the NYC media market with Rutgers and UConn surrounding it on both sides (Syracuse is like 220 miles from NYC, so the ACC can't really claim NYC).

UConn can expand their football stadium at any time (it was designed to be expandable to 60-65K). It would give B1G alums in NYC another place to catch a game and UConn would improve with the recruiting advantage it would then have over Cuse and BC in the northeast (I can't wait to see Rutgers use this to their advantage over those schools as well).

The B1G also gets one of the nation's top 5 men's basketball teams and the nation's best women's bball team. Also, assuming UConn becomes AAU, UConn would be the only AAU school playing FBS football within the B1G footprint that already has a hockey team that could be added to the B1G (the B1G only has six hockey teams now and wants more for Big Ten Network content).

I think it is a win-win. Anyway, I am hoping that it happens as we UConn fans would love to be a member of the Big Ten. It is much preferable to the ACC.
04-cheers
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2014 03:54 PM by UConnHusky.)
04-24-2014 03:26 PM
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BruceMcF Offline
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Post: #7
RE: I think #15 is...
(04-24-2014 03:26 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  UConn fan here. I read in a CT paper that UConn has all the qualification pieces in place for AAU inclusion now.
You should take that with a grain of salt ~ UConn doesn't have to just get its research grant funding within the bottom end of the AAU, it has to be well up above those, since the AAU is not going to kick out a current member in favor of UConn for a marginal difference.

UConn might be able to make it to that point in another decade or two, but remember that competitive grant funding is competitive, and lots of other schools are also trying to win at the same game. So its by no means guaranteed that it will.
04-24-2014 04:11 PM
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ohio1317 Offline
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Post: #8
RE: I think #15 is...
I don't see UConn in the immediate future. The Maryland/Rutgers additions were driven by three things. 1. The end of the PAC-12 alliance, 2. The ACC raids pushing into the northeast which was going to be a long term threat to both Big Ten attention in the era and more importantly to Penn State in the conference. 3. A desire to increase recruiting grounds (Maryland and New Jersey have the most left in the north/close to north).

I won't say it will never happen, but the conference took a risk on expansion to 14 and I'd be stunned if we see them go to 16 before we get some time to see how this works out. I also think they felt they needed to expand before and now I don't think those same worries exist.

Also, even if UConn was all of the sudden very hot on the list, you need a #16 and there is no one who isn't tied up in a grant of rights or the SEC that the conference would want.
(This post was last modified: 04-26-2014 09:40 AM by ohio1317.)
04-26-2014 09:39 AM
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jhawkmvp Offline
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Post: #9
RE: I think #15 is...
(04-24-2014 01:47 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  UConn is not a #15 in any event ... the question is whether they are a #16 if a #15 becomes available.

This. UConn is not going anywhere soon most likely. The B1G has more preferred targets with Texas, UNC, and UVA at the top of that list. Those target schools may also require another school, or two, to move as well, before they would accept an invitation. I think UConn is the school you add to make the number even, if one of the preferred targets wants to come alone or with an uneven number of schools that are acceptable to the B1G. For example, let's say Texas agrees to join the B1G, but only if Kansas and Oklahoma are invited. In that situation Uconn works as #18. Or say Virginia is willing to come alone, then UConn is a good #16.

Taking UConn as 15 alone, really reduces the B1G's future expansion options. UConn might end up in the B1G in a few years, but it is better to hold on to that spot for now, IMO. Most of the schools the B1G covets will want 1 or more friends to come as well.
04-29-2014 01:20 AM
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prp Offline
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Post: #10
RE: I think #15 is...
(04-23-2014 09:08 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  15 may be doable.

15 is impossible if they're sticking to the 9-game football schedule. The Big 10 would have to drop back down to 8 games per team per year or up it to 10.
05-01-2014 09:39 PM
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BruceMcF Offline
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Post: #11
RE: I think #15 is...
(05-01-2014 09:39 PM)prp Wrote:  
(04-23-2014 09:08 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  15 may be doable.

15 is impossible if they're sticking to the 9-game football schedule. The Big 10 would have to drop back down to 8 games per team per year or up it to 10.
Which is another way of saying 15 is not really very doable ~ they went to 9 games with 14 schools to allow the cross division schools to see each other often enough ~ so dropping down to 8 to allow for 15 is not very plausible.

And going to 10 is not going to happen. For the big schools, it would mean a choice between playing a P5 marquee opponent and playing 7 home games every year, and given those two choices, the big schools would pick door number three, "don't expand to 15".
05-01-2014 11:46 PM
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HuskyU Offline
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RE: I think #15 is...
(05-01-2014 11:46 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  
(05-01-2014 09:39 PM)prp Wrote:  
(04-23-2014 09:08 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  15 may be doable.

15 is impossible if they're sticking to the 9-game football schedule. The Big 10 would have to drop back down to 8 games per team per year or up it to 10.
Which is another way of saying 15 is not really very doable ~ they went to 9 games with 14 schools to allow the cross division schools to see each other often enough ~ so dropping down to 8 to allow for 15 is not very plausible.

And going to 10 is not going to happen. For the big schools, it would mean a choice between playing a P5 marquee opponent and playing 7 home games every year, and given those two choices, the big schools would pick door number three, "don't expand to 15".

I always liked the idea of a 3 pod, 15 team conference with a 9 game schedule and conference playoff.

West: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois
Central: Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Purdue, Northwestern
East: Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, Maryland, UConn (for the sake of it 03-cloud9)

You play your four divisional opponents every year. Then you would play 2 teams from another division and 3 teams from the other division. The following year you reverse it. This way you play everyone every 2 years.

The top team from each division and the overall best second place team go to a four team conference championship playoff.

While some may not like this, I think it's an interesting conference set-up (even if UConn isn't a part of it). 04-cheers
(This post was last modified: 05-02-2014 08:31 AM by HuskyU.)
05-02-2014 08:29 AM
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prp Offline
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RE: I think #15 is...
(05-02-2014 08:29 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  
(05-01-2014 11:46 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  
(05-01-2014 09:39 PM)prp Wrote:  
(04-23-2014 09:08 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  15 may be doable.

15 is impossible if they're sticking to the 9-game football schedule. The Big 10 would have to drop back down to 8 games per team per year or up it to 10.
Which is another way of saying 15 is not really very doable ~ they went to 9 games with 14 schools to allow the cross division schools to see each other often enough ~ so dropping down to 8 to allow for 15 is not very plausible.

And going to 10 is not going to happen. For the big schools, it would mean a choice between playing a P5 marquee opponent and playing 7 home games every year, and given those two choices, the big schools would pick door number three, "don't expand to 15".

I always liked the idea of a 3 pod, 15 team conference with a 9 game schedule and conference playoff.

It's a nice idea, but 15 teams and 9 games is mathematically impossible. At least one team would have to play 8 or 10 games.
05-02-2014 09:14 AM
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uconnwhaler Offline
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Post: #14
RE: I think #15 is...
(05-02-2014 09:14 AM)prp Wrote:  
(05-02-2014 08:29 AM)HuskyU Wrote:  
(05-01-2014 11:46 PM)BruceMcF Wrote:  
(05-01-2014 09:39 PM)prp Wrote:  
(04-23-2014 09:08 PM)SeaBlue Wrote:  15 may be doable.

15 is impossible if they're sticking to the 9-game football schedule. The Big 10 would have to drop back down to 8 games per team per year or up it to 10.
Which is another way of saying 15 is not really very doable ~ they went to 9 games with 14 schools to allow the cross division schools to see each other often enough ~ so dropping down to 8 to allow for 15 is not very plausible.

And going to 10 is not going to happen. For the big schools, it would mean a choice between playing a P5 marquee opponent and playing 7 home games every year, and given those two choices, the big schools would pick door number three, "don't expand to 15".

I always liked the idea of a 3 pod, 15 team conference with a 9 game schedule and conference playoff.

It's a nice idea, but 15 teams and 9 games is mathematically impossible. At least one team would have to play 8 or 10 games.

We will be happy to play 10 :)
05-02-2014 11:21 AM
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Waterloo Offline
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Post: #15
RE: I think #15 is...
No to UConn please.

The B1G should have that market pretty well covered now, the only reasons the conference made the last 2 additions was to get access to DC and NYC.

How about the B1G make the right move form a fan support and competitiveness standpoint, do the right thing. Pick up some combo of KU, OU and Mizzou. Those schools get you the KC, StL markets and OU gets you OKC and a huge chunk of North Texas (DFW to the Red River).
05-05-2014 09:21 PM
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harley93davidson Offline
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Post: #16
RE: I think #15 is...
We aren't moving on UConn till uva, ku, ou, and mizzou all say no thanks book it, actually come to think of it if non AAU UConn would be considered vt is getting a call first
05-05-2014 10:06 PM
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Waterloo Offline
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RE: I think #15 is...
I understand harley; however, first "we" aren't deciding anything, the conference does not put this up to a vote for alumni, students and fans. If they did, Rutgers and Maryland may not have been added.

Secondly, I understand the AAU angle, but Nebraska doesn't have their ranking anymore and it's still a great university. OU is a replica of Nebraska, top notch research with a ton of alumni and fans. Additionally, OU is a premier athletics program that would add more value to the B1G brand than any of the other candidates mentioned and combined (KU, Mizzou, Rutgers, Maryland).
05-05-2014 10:46 PM
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harley93davidson Offline
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Post: #18
RE: I think #15 is...
Yes I am known to use 'we' very liberally, I'm working on it. Its just easiest to say 'we', I'm lazy

As for Oklahoma I didn't mention them in the same discussion as vt and UConn for reasons you point out. There are three schools that have been known to garner B1G interest that are not AAU one is nd one is in the conference now (nebby, and yes they were at the time I know) and the conference has done research on ou. I think the school president can go to bat for non AAU schools amongst the cic academia if they have true value and do measure well academically. However there is a short list of schools they will do that for and even shorter amongst teams that would be interested in joining the big (ie Dartmouth and Georgia are out) and Oklahoma is probably the only school that meets the criteria and would be interested as well. I guess what I'm saying is the sooners definitely DO NOT need AAU to get in and I think most B1G fans agree, that's what I was saying in my post I just was pointing out UConn needs AAU to get in. In my ideal world Ku and ou are the next members, and I think most B1G fans would support this (as a Midwest guyI thought nebby was the best add the conference has made since Ohio state)
05-05-2014 11:34 PM
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BruceMcF Offline
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Post: #19
RE: I think #15 is...
(05-05-2014 10:46 PM)Waterloo Wrote:  Secondly, I understand the AAU angle, but Nebraska doesn't have their ranking anymore and it's still a great university.
But Nebraska was brought in the door when they still had their AAU ranking, and while the insiders in the Big Ten would have known that Nebraska was just about to lose that status, there's a difference between the insiders who want to make the move knowing something and outsiders who might raise a stink knowing something.

The thing is that if OU were part of a pair, and the other part of the pair was Texas, Texas would be a bright enough bauble for the academic snobs at Wisconsin and That School Up North that they could well decide to hold their nose about OU.
05-06-2014 05:05 AM
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UConnHusky Offline
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Post: #20
RE: I think #15 is...
(05-05-2014 09:21 PM)Waterloo Wrote:  No to UConn please.

The B1G should have that market pretty well covered now, the only reasons the conference made the last 2 additions was to get access to DC and NYC.

How about the B1G make the right move form a fan support and competitiveness standpoint, do the right thing. Pick up some combo of KU, OU and Mizzou. Those schools get you the KC, StL markets and OU gets you OKC and a huge chunk of North Texas (DFW to the Red River).

Other than AAU status (which UConn is getting close to obtaining), I will argue that UConn is much preferable to Kansas. While the B1G has NYC somewhat covered, it doesn't have UConn's market covered (Hartford, which is actually a slightly bigger TV market than Kansas City):
http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corpo...-Ranks.pdf

This also doesn't include the fact that almost at least another one-third of Connecticut's population is in the New York TV market (not the Hartford market) and helps deliver the NYC market along with Rutgers.

UConn has a more decorated men's basketball team (national champs in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014) vs. Kansas (national champs in 1952, 1988, 2008). UConn has been much more relevant in the last two decades:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCA..._champions

As for women's hoop, UConn has no equal.

UConn has another thing that the B1G needs...UConn helps the B1G expand their fledgling hockey conference as they only have six teams now.
http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-hockey/sp...dings.html

For B1G hockey expansion schools, there aren't many options out there. Other than a current B1G school currently without hockey adding hockey, UConn is the only FBS school other than Boston College and Notre Dame that can bring another hockey team into the B1G. As for current B1G members without hockey adding hockey, they are all located in states where people don't care about hockey. Connecticut (being in New England) has a rabid fanbase for hockey.

In football, both UConn and Kansas need work at the moment. However, UConn seems much more dedicated to turning football around. Bob Diaco will make UConn a winner over the next few years.
(This post was last modified: 05-06-2014 01:20 PM by UConnHusky.)
05-06-2014 01:14 PM
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