He made mention of UConn in talks with the BE. He said it would be good for them to get back to playing teams like Villanova instead of teams like ECU.

I don't know if he was blowing smoke or what but he is still a UConn diehard and it shocked me to hear him say the BE out loud.


Around the 12 minute mark.

https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/conten...m-calhoun/

(03-29-2018 06:17 PM)WNCOrange Wrote:  He made mention of UConn in talks with the BE. He said it would be good for them to get back to playing teams like Villanova instead of teams like ECU.

I don't know if he was blowing smoke or what but he is still a UConn diehard and it shocked me to hear him say the BE out loud.

JC says it would be "incredible", in a good sense, if UConn rejoined the Big East. Says UConn season tickets have fallen from 12,000 to 5,000, because the fans were excited to play Big East teams but have no interest in playing AAC teams.

It doesn't really shock me. JC built his entire career and the UConn program in the Big East. He realizes UConn hoops belongs in the Big East.

It's not going to happen, UConn is all-in as a football program aiming for a P5 invitation. They're not letting that dream die any time soon. But Calhoun has always spoken his mind.

His exact words are--

There is talks, and Im not involved in talks per say, although I act as an adviser, to go back to the Big East--which I think would be incredible for us.


lol....If I had to guess---I suspect he isnt supposed to say that.

Just back of the envelope math--7000 times $250 a season ticket is 1.75 million. Thats definitely a financial incentive to consider moving back. That said, I suspect the vast majority of those season tickets would be sold if UConn was ranked and winning 20-something games a year in the AAC.

I could be wrong--but I dont think so----My gut feeling is UConn isnt going anywhere until they have a solid working figure on the new AAC TV deal.

UConn's rightful place is in MSG battling Villanova as co-kings of the Big East. For a variety of reasons that hasn't happened, but Calhoun isn't wrong about the basketball program.

My guess would be that UConn and the Big East have continual informal talks about a potential reunion in advance of whatever the next AAC TV media deal will be. If it ends up being as poor as the first AAC TV deal, then UConn can walk away, not pay the exit fee (even though that can always be negotiated down) and rejoin the Big East for non-football. If UConn weren't having these discussions, I would think that would be incredibly irresponsible for them. They need to be prepared for whatever and whenever as long as they are in a G5 conference.

Make no mistake, the Big East would welcome back UConn with open arms if UConn asked. It would give more value to the conference, more national fan interest, a regional rival to half the conference and, most importantly, a bump in pay for each of the schools. It also would allow the league to maintain its round-robin format. UConn knows this. They are just waiting to see what the AAC is offered in its next negotiations. Long-term, there is probably little interest remaining in a league that is primarily based in/around Florida and Texas.

Let's not kid ourselves here: He is right. Uconn belongs in the Big East. They are a basketball school.
On another note, it wouldn't be bad if UCONN left the AAC...unless you are a WBB fan I guess.

I've predicted for years that UCONN will leave the AAC for the Big East once the legacy $ dries up. They ll be BE in olympics and Indy in football playing UMASS, Army, Liberty, Buffalo, BC and Cuse yearly. By 2020/21.

(03-29-2018 06:59 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  My guess would be that UConn and the Big East have continual informal talks about a potential reunion in advance of whatever the next AAC TV media deal will be. If it ends up being as poor as the first AAC TV deal, then UConn can walk away, not pay the exit fee (even though that can always be negotiated down) and rejoin the Big East for non-football. If UConn weren't having these discussions, I would think that would be incredibly irresponsible for them. They need to be prepared for whatever and whenever as long as they are in a G5 conference.

Make no mistake, the Big East would welcome back UConn with open arms if UConn asked. It would give more value to the conference, more national fan interest, a regional rival to half the conference and, most importantly, a bump in pay for each of the schools. It also would allow the league to maintain its round-robin format. UConn knows this. They are just waiting to see what the AAC is offered in its next negotiations. Long-term, there is probably little interest remaining in a league that is primarily based in/around Florida and Texas.

Im not sure what you are saying here---but there is zero reason for the AAC to "negotiate down" the exit fee if UConn decides to leave. Its 10 million and that with a 27 month notice. You pay an extra amount if you leave with less than a 27 month notice. That "extra" IS negotiable.

Here is the thing, the difference between the new AAC payout and the BE payout is going to need to be substantial to make the move financially viable. Yes--I do think the BE is a better fit for UConn basketball. I dont know that its a better fit for the overall UConn athletic department which includes football.

(03-29-2018 07:05 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I've predicted for years that UCONN will leave the AAC for the Big East once the legacy $ dries up. They ll be BE in olympics and Indy in football playing UMASS, Army, Liberty, Buffalo, BC and Cuse yearly. By 2020/21.

They might--but it has to make financial sense. Frankly if we get 3-4 million on the next TV deal---I dont think it will make financial sense. Truthfully, I dont think there is a chance in hell the next deal will pay less than 3-4 million per team.

What happens to UConn football? Joining the Big East could revitalize one sport, but then strand the other out in the desert.

(03-29-2018 07:37 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(03-29-2018 07:05 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  I've predicted for years that UCONN will leave the AAC for the Big East once the legacy $ dries up. They ll be BE in olympics and Indy in football playing UMASS, Army, Liberty, Buffalo, BC and Cuse yearly. By 2020/21.

They might--but it has to make financial sense. Frankly if we get 3-4 million on the next TV deal---I dont think it will make financial sense. Truthfully, I dont think there is a chance in hell the next deal will pay less than 3-4 million per team.

This. $3-4M+CFP revenue is about the same as BE media deal. That’s not worth paying $10m to leave the AAC.

(03-29-2018 07:56 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  What happens to UConn football? Joining the Big East could revitalize one sport, but then strand the other out in the desert.

Either as an Indy

or maybe as a FB only to the MAC

Lastly they de-emphasize FB and go back to FCS.

To my knowledge, Colorado, West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh all negotiated to leave their former conferences early and did not pay the full exit amount. If a school can leave a power conference with lowered exit fees, why can't a member from a G5 conference?

(03-29-2018 08:14 PM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  To my knowledge, Colorado, West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh all negotiated to leave their former conferences early and did not pay the full exit amount. If a school can leave a power conference with lowered exit fees, why can't a member from a G5 conference?

Thats not true at all. I think all the Big East teams paid MORE than the standard 5 million dollar exit fee in force at the time. The extra amount over 5 million was to pay for the right to leave PRIOR to the 27 month waiting period. That's the negotiable part because no specific amount is spelled out in the agreement.

I didnt look them all up---but W Virginia paid 20 million dollars to leave the Big East prior to the 27 month period. At that time, the exit fee was only 5 million with a 27 month notice.

https://www.newsday.com/sports/college/w...-1.3529069

Pitt, who also left when the exit fee was 5 million with a 27 month notice ended up paying 7.5 million to leave early. Thier fee was lower because they gave more notice than W Virginia.

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sports/big...83262.html

Colorado paid less than the Big2 wanted them to pay---but its hard to say they got a deal because it sounds like the exit fee is based on the amount of estimated "damage" to the conference resulting from the loss of the exiting school. Both sides basically just made up a number. lol....The Big12 said it was 30 million and Colorado said it was zero. They ended up paying a little less than 7 million.

https://www.statesman.com/sports/college...39CNO4qjP/

From what I read at the time, the Big 12 bylaws were horribly drafted, and could be read as only requiring an exit fee if you left in certain years. (A court would *probably* have ruled that it was a drafting error--because it obviously was, but you never know?)

So the schools leaving the Big 12 all hinted that they would go to court and hope to pay $0. And the Big 12 said that they would each have to pay a bazillion dollars. And from there they negotiated because neither side really wanted to test their theories in court.

The Big East bylaws were solid on the number ($5 million), and solid on the 27 month waiting period. But the waiting period turned out to be unenforceable. Most of the damage in a school leaving is in the fact that the school is leaving. There's some extra damage if the school leaves abruptly and disrupts the following season--that's why West Virginia had to pay about $20M (they created holes in the Big East schedule, which had to be patched by buying Temple out of the MAC) while Pitt and Syracuse each paid about $7.5M and waited one year so that there was a smooth transition.

Then the Big East bumped the number from $5M to $10M, and Rutgers and Louisville each paid about $11M and played one lame duck year.

What the AAC bylaws are nobody really knows--it might be the same, it might not.

(03-29-2018 07:56 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  What happens to UConn football? Joining the Big East could revitalize one sport, but then strand the other out in the desert.

When C-USA East splits and takes UAB that puts them at 8. Take Army and UConn both football only and call it a day.

(03-29-2018 06:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  His exact words are--

There is talks, and Im not involved in talks per say, although I act as an adviser, to go back to the Big East--which I think would be incredible for us.


lol....If I had to guess---I suspect he isnt supposed to say that.

Just back of the envelope math--7000 times $250 a season ticket is 1.75 million. Thats definitely a financial incentive to consider moving back. That said, I suspect the vast majority of those season tickets would be sold if UConn was ranked and winning 20-something games a year in the AAC.

I could be wrong--but I dont think so----My gut feeling is UConn isnt going anywhere until they have a solid working figure on the new AAC TV deal.

I'm not sure where Calhoun is getting his numbers from. UConn's average attendance in 2012 (Big East) was 12,640 (total - not just season tickets). The first year in the AAC that dropped by about 2,000 and stayed at that number for a few years until slipping further to 8,505 this year. But that had more to do with underperforming under Ollie than leaving the Big East.

That changes the math some.

(03-29-2018 06:44 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  I could be wrong--but I dont think so----My gut feeling is UConn isnt going anywhere until they have a solid working figure on the new AAC TV deal.

I think you'd be safe inscribing that in marble.

Personally I have thought for some time that the AAC vs. Big East math for UConn probably favored Big East simply because conference revenue is such a small portion of their revenue. AAC revenue is roughly as important to UConn as Sun Belt revenue has been for AState.

UConn, for branding’s sake, needs to return to their old logo.

Anyone else associate the old logo with blueblood UConn and new logo with mediocre UConn? I do. Feels like 2 different schools.

I think you're going to find the pro-Big East UConn folks pushing like hell for the move to happen right now. Because they know if Hurley turns it around fast, folks will return in droves for the games. A LOT of this years attendance was due to the team being awful.