(01-20-2019 02:29 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(01-20-2019 02:15 PM)Coach Bonez89 Wrote:  Going out west is a bad idea. I won't ruffle too many feathers here regarding UCONN, as I've stated my opinions in the past. But it is alarming to see a deficit of that worth. My concern for UCONN is that they lie in the most inflated area of the country for the US dollar, so the tv money they get, isn't worth as much as it is in most other areas of the country.

Going west or outside of current footprint is a mistake. It does nothing to build rivalries or cut down on travel costs. Would probably be very minimal or have no affect on next tv contract. There are other programs that could fit the mold in the region, but I would turn to Cincy and see what their thoughts would be. They are fairly isolated at the moment. I still think Louisville should have stayed, but understand why they left. Even on their local radio affiliates, they openly admit that they have no rivals, and miss playing Memphis and Cincinnati every year.
Which I assume is how UCONN feels too. The only difference is, Louisville gets $30 million + from their tv contract. Had Louisville stayed, I think this league could be looking at $15-$20 million/a team.

I don't think Cincinnati would want to elevate any of the Ohio MAC schools, and I don't think the conference would want to expand north with one of the directional Michigans. I guess I could see Marshall potentially working as a drivable away game in the conference and they have some name recognition, but they don't exactly fit the city-school profile the conference looks for (then again, market-based expansion may not mean as much as it did previously). Still think Old Dominion might be the best choice to consolidate some of that East Coast geography and as a school that's in a population center and decent recruiting area.

That and they do have a decent, growing fanbase. They've competed well in basketball, have a decent sized arena, and draw well, whether they're very good or not. Plus, they have healthy rivalries with VCU and Richmond.
But I agree about no MAC schools, as that's mainly what the rust belt consists of. Hell, I wouldn't take half the schools in the Big 10 either lol!

Cincinnati is an interesting city, because it doesn't scream rust belt when you're up there. Similar to St. Louis, it is located in a spot that has almost equal parts southeastern and midwest feel to it.

UConn is going nowhere, unless they drop football or move it down to FCS (which they won't do).

(01-20-2019 03:01 PM)Ned Low Wrote:  UConn is going nowhere, unless they drop football or move it down to FCS (which they won't do).

Exactly. They will cut their budget to fall more in line with the the deficit run by the typical AAC team. Given the free marketing and advertising benefit of sports--running a moderate deficit is just part of the schools marketing costs. The total budget at UConn is 1.36 billion per year. A forty million dollar deficit is about 3% of the budget. Twenty million is less than 1,5%. And a large part of that deficit is scholarships. That scholarship money is "given" to the athletic department which immediately turns around and gives it right back to the university as tuition and room and board. So, if they can get that deficit to closer to around 20 million---I think they will be just fine financially. No reason UConn cant run a solid athletic department for 60-65 million. I'd much rather have an academically prestitigious flagship university like UConn operating with a 60-65 million budget in the AAC than a regional university like ODU with its 30+ million dollar budget.

(01-19-2019 07:49 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(01-19-2019 07:43 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-19-2019 07:21 PM)Agust Wrote:  I don't see the uconn non revenue sports making a dent on 40 million. the only real option is to have everyone travel by greyhound or drop football.
which leads me to think they only thought about this as an option because they don't think the tv money is going to be
as much as they thought.

if they drop football i don't see them staying in the american when they can go to the big east and be treated like a hero of some sort
and enjoy all the games they used to play. not to mention they would be a top 25 from the get go because everyone loves uconn and
in the big east they would be in every way to early top 25 poll.

kind of like how one of our players commits to an american team they lose a star in their recruiting and when they transfer or commit elsewhere they gain a star.

either way this is what i read from it. i think we go out west if they leave.

Im just not sure what they are spending 81 million on. The biggest expense is typically your football staff. UConn spends less on their football staff than a lot of other AAC teams. So---I have no idea where all that extra money is going. Bottom line, if football and basketball get better---they will sell more tickets and some of these issues will dissipate.

I mean it's pretty easy to see what we're spending money on. See the other AAC CSNBB thread or one of them on the Conference Realignment board to get your answers. Also pretty sure I broke down the truth on previous thread here. But go ahead and continue to be uneducated. By all means, Mr uneducated Mod.

You totally missed the entire point of the post. Excellent athletic programs can be funded for far less. UConn need not have a 40 million dollar deficit.

(01-19-2019 06:41 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  

(01-19-2019 06:32 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(01-19-2019 06:28 PM)HuskyU Wrote:  Plus, y'all tryin to trade HuskyU for some Southern Miss posters...?

Southern Real Housewives are way more fun

You obviously don't know the Real Housewives of Central-ish Connecticut.

Stepford?

Southern Miss does not have the financial support to operate in the AAC.

AAC schools are building/improving facilities and paying more for coaches.
Southern Miss facilities are old and they are not being updated. They would never support at the same levels.

Doubtful that Southern Miss could pay the travel expenses in the AAC.

There are far better schools for inclusion. Army and Buffalo are doing well. UAB and CSU are showing commitment by building new facilities. CSU recently paid more than 200 mil. for a stadium. That's commitment to supporting their program.

UConn is a credit to the AAC.

(01-21-2019 12:18 AM)HoustonRocks Wrote:  Southern Miss does not have the financial support to operate in the AAC.

AAC schools are building/improving facilities and paying more for coaches.
Southern Miss facilities are old and they are not being updated. They would never support at the same levels.

Doubtful that Southern Miss could pay the travel expenses in the AAC.

There are far better schools for inclusion. Army and Buffalo are doing well. UAB and CSU are showing commitment by building new facilities. CSU recently paid more than 200 mil. for a stadium. That's commitment to supporting their program.

UConn is a credit to the AAC.

Plus, we need a flagship*.

* - Flagship = A team that ECU can beat at stuff

(01-20-2019 02:39 PM)Coach Bonez89 Wrote:  

(01-20-2019 02:29 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(01-20-2019 02:15 PM)Coach Bonez89 Wrote:  Going out west is a bad idea. I won't ruffle too many feathers here regarding UCONN, as I've stated my opinions in the past. But it is alarming to see a deficit of that worth. My concern for UCONN is that they lie in the most inflated area of the country for the US dollar, so the tv money they get, isn't worth as much as it is in most other areas of the country.

Going west or outside of current footprint is a mistake. It does nothing to build rivalries or cut down on travel costs. Would probably be very minimal or have no affect on next tv contract. There are other programs that could fit the mold in the region, but I would turn to Cincy and see what their thoughts would be. They are fairly isolated at the moment. I still think Louisville should have stayed, but understand why they left. Even on their local radio affiliates, they openly admit that they have no rivals, and miss playing Memphis and Cincinnati every year.
Which I assume is how UCONN feels too. The only difference is, Louisville gets $30 million + from their tv contract. Had Louisville stayed, I think this league could be looking at $15-$20 million/a team.

I don't think Cincinnati would want to elevate any of the Ohio MAC schools, and I don't think the conference would want to expand north with one of the directional Michigans. I guess I could see Marshall potentially working as a drivable away game in the conference and they have some name recognition, but they don't exactly fit the city-school profile the conference looks for (then again, market-based expansion may not mean as much as it did previously). Still think Old Dominion might be the best choice to consolidate some of that East Coast geography and as a school that's in a population center and decent recruiting area.

That and they do have a decent, growing fanbase. They've competed well in basketball, have a decent sized arena, and draw well, whether they're very good or not. Plus, they have healthy rivalries with VCU and Richmond.
But I agree about no MAC schools, as that's mainly what the rust belt consists of. Hell, I wouldn't take half the schools in the Big 10 either lol!

Cincinnati is an interesting city, because it doesn't scream rust belt when you're up there. Similar to St. Louis, it is located in a spot that has almost equal parts southeastern and midwest feel to it.

There is an old saying about Cincinnati that is it is either the Northern-most Southern City or the Southern-Most Northern City. I lived in Central Ohio (Columbus) for a dozen years and my wife's family is from North East Ohio. Cincinnati has very little in common with those other two, other than it is within the walls of Ohio. When I moved back to Cincinnati from Columbus I brought my wife, who told me within a month that she felt like she moved "out of state". Culturally we have things in Cincinnati that are just unique to us and we don't share in a lot of the things that a lot of the rest of the state celebrates.

As to whether to add another Ohio school, let's just say I would not be for it. I doubt it would add to the bottom line. Frankly anything short of BYU and maybe Army does not add to the bottom line. I would be in favor of staying at 11 quite frankly and let the rest of us get a very slight bump in revenue from UConn's share.

(01-20-2019 03:31 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-20-2019 03:01 PM)Ned Low Wrote:  UConn is going nowhere, unless they drop football or move it down to FCS (which they won't do).

Exactly. They will cut their budget to fall more in line with the the deficit run by the typical AAC team. Given the free marketing and advertising benefit of sports--running a moderate deficit is just part of the schools marketing costs. The total budget at UConn is 1.36 billion per year. A forty million dollar deficit is about 3% of the budget. Twenty million is less than 1,5%. And a large part of that deficit is scholarships. That scholarship money is "given" to the athletic department which immediately turns around and gives it right back to the university as tuition and room and board. So, if they can get that deficit to closer to around 20 million---I think they will be just fine financially. No reason UConn cant run a solid athletic department for 60-65 million. I'd much rather have an academically prestitigious flagship university like UConn operating with a 60-65 million budget in the AAC than a regional university like ODU with its 30+ million dollar budget.

40+ Million and we're classified as a national research university. But I'd rather have UCONN in my conference than ODU as well. They're the most recognizable brand in your conference and have recent men's and women's basketball national titles. Bit of a no brainer. They'll have to cut some fat but will be fine, 15-20 million is a lot of fat though and cutting sports is painful from a PR though.

I love Southern Miss but they shouldnt be on any short list to be added to the conference. If they are, then we should just not add anyone.

I'll stir the pot a bit. UCONN is in some pretty serious financial trouble and there aren't many ways to make serious financial cuts outside of the football program. UCONN is and always will be a basketball first school, but unless they are a top 25 program and in the sweet sixteen or elite 8 every year they will continue to have issues. Now what's the easier fix, getting UCONN basketball back to national prominence or making UCONN football sustainable? Push come shove and UCONN is in the BE before anybody can blink.

I'd say let UCONN go and make a strong push for Army. I would be interested to know that the value of UCONN basketball is compared to the AAC having the Army/Navy game as a nationally televised conference game in the TV contract.

Some interesting hot takes here.

(01-21-2019 01:42 PM)200yrs2late Wrote:  I'll stir the pot a bit. UCONN is in some pretty serious financial trouble and there aren't many ways to make serious financial cuts outside of the football program. UCONN is and always will be a basketball first school, but unless they are a top 25 program and in the sweet sixteen or elite 8 every year they will continue to have issues. Now what's the easier fix, getting UCONN basketball back to national prominence or making UCONN football sustainable? Push come shove and UCONN is in the BE before anybody can blink.

I'd say let UCONN go and make a strong push for Army. I would be interested to know that the value of UCONN basketball is compared to the AAC having the Army/Navy game as a nationally televised conference game in the TV contract.

The Army/Navy game would easily out-value all current AAC content (across all sports). There's stirring the pot and then there's just being dumb.

(01-21-2019 10:17 AM)CliftonAve Wrote:  I would be in favor of staying at 11 quite frankly and let the rest of us get a very slight bump in revenue from UConn's share.

If push came to shove that's my vote until a better scenario presents itself - the B12 implodes in 2025 or if a "best of the rest" G5 conference configuration makes financial sense.

To the extent a financial crisis exists, I think UConn will shed Olympic sports to the minimum before ending football.

Football offers the best opportunity for revenue improvement and they had some success in the past.

(01-21-2019 02:14 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  To the extent a financial crisis exists, I think UConn will shed Olympic sports to the minimum before ending football.

Football offers the best opportunity for revenue improvement and they had some success in the past.

Now that's a good hot take. And our AD is an Auburn guy. The idea that UCONN is cutting football anytime before the mid-2020s is Diaco ridiculous.

By 2021 UAB will have built or have easy access (less than two miles from campus) to the following facilities:

-$30 million on campus football complex with covered practice field.
-45,000 seat football stadium at downtown BJCC location, adjacent to Uptown entertainment district, TopGolf, etc. UAB is the primary tenant with naming rights.
-5,000 seat BBVA Compass Field (soccer). Will be one of the premier on campus college soccer facilities in the nation. Will also be home to Bham's new USL franchise.
-Access to fully renovated 15,000 seat BJCC arena built to NBA specifications, as well as Bartow Arena.
-7,000 seat minor league stadium Regions Field borders our campus and can be used for hosting bigger baseball opponents.

Next on our list is a basketball practice facility. Fundraising efforts are ongoing...

(01-21-2019 03:04 PM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  By 2021 UAB will have built or have easy access (less than two miles from campus) to the following facilities:

-$30 million on campus football complex with covered practice field.
-45,000 seat football stadium at downtown BJCC location, adjacent to Uptown entertainment district, TopGolf, etc. UAB is the primary tenant with naming rights.
-5,000 seat BBVA Compass Field (soccer). Will be one of the premier on campus college soccer facilities in the nation. Will also be home to Bham's new USL franchise.
-Access to fully renovated 15,000 seat BJCC arena built to NBA specifications, as well as Bartow Arena.
-7,000 seat minor league stadium Regions Field borders our campus and can be used for hosting bigger baseball opponents.

Next on our list is a basketball practice facility. Fundraising efforts are ongoing...

Good plug. I like it.

It's sad it couldn't work out. Going to miss them. I'll be sure and to pour one out for the homies. Seems like yesterday.

(01-21-2019 03:04 PM)BlazerGreen Wrote:  By 2021 UAB will have built or have easy access (less than two miles from campus) to the following facilities:

-$30 million on campus football complex with covered practice field.
-45,000 seat football stadium at downtown BJCC location, adjacent to Uptown entertainment district, TopGolf, etc. UAB is the primary tenant with naming rights.
-5,000 seat BBVA Compass Field (soccer). Will be one of the premier on campus college soccer facilities in the nation. Will also be home to Bham's new USL franchise.
-Access to fully renovated 15,000 seat BJCC arena built to NBA specifications, as well as Bartow Arena.
-7,000 seat minor league stadium Regions Field borders our campus and can be used for hosting bigger baseball opponents.

Next on our list is a basketball practice facility. Fundraising efforts are ongoing...

Kick out Tulsa and Tulane, add UAB