https://theathletic.com/1051811/2019/06/...mans-land/

I know it's behind a paywall, but a few salient paragraphs...

Quote:Thomas C. Katsouleas, who takes over as UConn’s president Aug. 1, said his and the school’s “preference” would be to be part of a conference, rather than give it a go as an FBS independent.

“There are some nice examples — like Navy is a football-only participant in a conference,” Katsouleas said. “That works well when you’re trying to support 20-plus sports and one conference doesn’t necessarily fit all. That’s basically the strategy.”

But if no conferences are willing to do that — and that appears to be the case — UConn could be forced to go independent.

Quote:“We will continue to play a championship game; I can promise you that,” Aresco said. “But we’re not in the business of raiding other conferences. … (If we look at adding a member), it’s going to be a deliberate process. We don’t need to do anything. If we’re stronger at 11, which we might well be, we’ll stay at 11. If there’s someone who can enhance our brand and strengthen our league, we’ll be thoughtful and deliberate.”

Quote:And, as a member of the AAC, its athletic department posted a $40 million deficit in 2018. (UConn is expecting to save about $2 million per year in travel costs for all sports by moving back to the Big East; officials are hoping the decrease in costs like that will help offset the loss of AAC television revenue.)

But if football is costing so much and bringing in such dismal returns, how much longer is it worth sponsoring at a high level?

That is a question UConn does not want to answer right now.

Quote:Buy games against Power Five opponents — something UConn isn’t opposed to doing — normally fall in September for that reason, too.

UConn already has a buy game scheduled with Clemson for 2021 worth $1.2 million, and it has scheduled home-and-home series through 2025 against Illinois, Indiana, Duke, Purdue, Boston College and North Carolina State. That’s a start, but it’s hardly a full slate. And none of that helps with scheduling for the 2020 season, which may now have eight open dates.

“All my focus and work has been on getting this program and facilities back to where we all want it regardless of WHERE WE PLAY OR WHO WE PLAY,” head coach Randy Edsall wrote in a statement Wednesday. “I’m leaving the decision up to the Board of Trustees, University Leadership and Athletic Director to find the best situation for our Football Program.”

Edsall’s statement was a sobering message amid so much glee and celebration about the rest of the athletic department’s return to the Big East.

Football felt like a bit of an afterthought — which it is.

USFFan

This is all true and football definitely is an afterthought for UConn — now more than ever. However, this is still an absolute no-brainer solution for them. This is a very good move by the University of Connecticut.

Oh, no, their football program is going to suck now! So what? They’ve had eight losing seasons in a row in the AAC. What’s the difference between going 3-9 or 2-10? Yeah, their schedule is going to suck but from their fans perspective, it sucks now.

Do you really think they’re going to care any less about playing Middle Tennessee State or Marshall than they do Tulane or Tulsa? It’s the same game to those folks.

Don’t you remember how literally everyone made fun of Bob Diaco when he created a trophy for the UCF game? It was completely ridiculous because the two schools had no real history and nothing in common and people were absolutely right to laugh in his face over it.

This is just an acknowledgment of that reality. Now, at least they get to play their men’s (and women’s) basketball games against teams with whom they have a history and a tradition. Now, it won’t be exactly the same as it was because Syracuse and Boston College are no longer there and those were the Huskies two biggest rivals in the old Big East. However, playing Providence and Georgetown and Villanova on the reg again is definitely more attractive to their fans and potential recruits than playing even Memphis and Houston and SMU - fine programs all.

Here’s the final thing but you have to consider. Realignment for the most part is dead. Everyone is contractually locked in for another decade or so. Why suffer for a decade or more when you don’t have to and when it doesn’t materially improve anything?

Also, if I’m being honest, if realignment does happen again in a few years, how likely is UConn to be chosen over UCF, USF, BYU, Houston, Cincinnati, etc.? I think they would likely be behind all of those schools for various reasons.

Personally, I think UConn has missed its opportunity and they know it. That makes this decision a very good one, IMHO. Of course they would love to be in the ACC. That would be the perfect place for them on many fronts. They would fit that conference like a glove. However, there’s no room at the inn and as I said, if members do leave in the future, I doubt they would be at the top of that league’s wish list either.

If I were a fan of UConn athletics, I would be over the moon excited over this news because it gives you a chance to at the very least go back to where you were before you started playing big time college football.

One final point that I would like to make regarding this decision is that I don’t think people who are on the outside realize how important the Big East Tournament is to fans of college basketball in the Northeast.

The Big East Tournament is hands down the best college basketball tournament this side of the NCAA tournament. Honestly, it’s not even close. I always tell people that it is to college basketball fans in the Northeast what the Rose Bowl is to college football fans in the Midwest and West. It is a core part of our sports identity.

It’s not just the rivalries and the atmosphere and all the rest of it — though that part is awesome. It is that you are playing in front of a huge and boisterous and knowledgeable crowd in “the world’s most famous arena” in the heart of Midtown Manhattan in the cultural center of the country on a Saturday night in March. There’s just nothing like it in college basketball other than perhaps the Final Four.

It’s a big damn deal and I’m sure that to the Connecticut fans, having gotten used to playing in those huge championship games on some of college basketball‘s biggest stage, it was a huge letdown to be playing even high stakes games in a half empty arena in Memphis against some team you don’t care about. That’s not even on the same planet.

I can tell you as a Pitt fan, we’ve gone through the same thing. Now, I must say that I’m not complaining because we were fortunate to get the nod and we had to do it for the sake of our entire athletics program. We have a few rivals here and there, but not many and none of our fiercest rivals are in the conference.

Also, our men’s basketball program has been horrible, so it hasn’t been much of an issue. However, I definitely remember the first time I went to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and being so incredibly underwhelmed by the whole experience.

I was used to the electricity and passion of midtown Manhattan and in Greensboro it feels like you inadvertently walked into the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It is slow and sleepy and absolutely nothing interesting is happening. The basketball inside the arena was great and we found a few nice breakfast joints. Also, it was a much cheaper trip and I certainly appreciated that.

However, from an pure experience standpoint, it’s not in the same ZIP Code as the Big East Tournament — and honestly, that’s probably being generous. I can’t even imagine how lame a an American Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament must’ve felt to the people at UConn.

(06-28-2019 10:24 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  One final point that I would like to make regarding this decision is that I don’t think people who are on the outside realize how important the Big East Tournament is to fans of college basketball in the Northeast.

The Big East Tournament is hands down the best college basketball tournament this side of the NCAA tournament. Honestly, it’s not even close. I always tell people that it is to college basketball fans in the Northeast what the Rose Bowl is to college football fans in the Midwest and West. It is a core part of our sports identity.

It’s not just the rivalries and the atmosphere and all the rest of it — though that part is awesome. It is that you are playing in front of a huge and boisterous and knowledgeable crowd in “the world’s most famous arena” in the heart of Midtown Manhattan in the cultural center of the country on a Saturday night in March. There’s just nothing like it in college basketball other than perhaps the Final Four.

It’s a big damn deal and I’m sure that to the Connecticut fans, having gotten used to playing in those huge championship games on some of college basketball‘s biggest stage, it was a huge letdown to be playing even high stakes games in a half empty arena in Memphis against some team you don’t care about. That’s not even on the same planet.

I can tell you as a Pitt fan, we’ve gone through the same thing. Now, I must say that I’m not complaining because we were fortunate to get the nod and we had to do it for the sake of our entire athletics program. We have a few rivals here and there, but not many and none of our fiercest rivals are in the conference.

Also, our men’s basketball program has been horrible, so it hasn’t been much of an issue. However, I definitely remember the first time I went to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and being so incredibly underwhelmed by the whole experience.

I was used to the electricity and passion of midtown Manhattan and in Greensboro it feels like you inadvertently walked into the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It is slow and sleepy and absolutely nothing interesting is happening. The basketball inside the arena was great and we found a few nice breakfast joints. Also, it was a much cheaper trip and I certainly appreciated that.

However, from an pure experience standpoint, it’s not in the same ZIP Code as the Big East Tournament — and honestly, that’s probably being generous. I can’t even imagine how lame a an American Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament must’ve felt to the people at UConn.

Winning the Big East Tourney in 2012 and 2013 ... basically the last "real" Big East Tourneys before the conference blew up ... is one of the program achievements I'm most proud of as a Louisville fan.

It was also nice to win the very first American Athletic Conference Tourney over UConn (who went on to win the NCAA tourney).

Looking forward to our first ACC Tourney championship.

But you're right. The Big East Tourney just had something about it. Besides the price tag.

(06-28-2019 10:48 AM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  

(06-28-2019 10:24 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  One final point that I would like to make regarding this decision is that I don’t think people who are on the outside realize how important the Big East Tournament is to fans of college basketball in the Northeast.

The Big East Tournament is hands down the best college basketball tournament this side of the NCAA tournament. Honestly, it’s not even close. I always tell people that it is to college basketball fans in the Northeast what the Rose Bowl is to college football fans in the Midwest and West. It is a core part of our sports identity.

It’s not just the rivalries and the atmosphere and all the rest of it — though that part is awesome. It is that you are playing in front of a huge and boisterous and knowledgeable crowd in “the world’s most famous arena” in the heart of Midtown Manhattan in the cultural center of the country on a Saturday night in March. There’s just nothing like it in college basketball other than perhaps the Final Four.

It’s a big damn deal and I’m sure that to the Connecticut fans, having gotten used to playing in those huge championship games on some of college basketball‘s biggest stage, it was a huge letdown to be playing even high stakes games in a half empty arena in Memphis against some team you don’t care about. That’s not even on the same planet.

I can tell you as a Pitt fan, we’ve gone through the same thing. Now, I must say that I’m not complaining because we were fortunate to get the nod and we had to do it for the sake of our entire athletics program. We have a few rivals here and there, but not many and none of our fiercest rivals are in the conference.

Also, our men’s basketball program has been horrible, so it hasn’t been much of an issue. However, I definitely remember the first time I went to Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and being so incredibly underwhelmed by the whole experience.

I was used to the electricity and passion of midtown Manhattan and in Greensboro it feels like you inadvertently walked into the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” It is slow and sleepy and absolutely nothing interesting is happening. The basketball inside the arena was great and we found a few nice breakfast joints. Also, it was a much cheaper trip and I certainly appreciated that.

However, from an pure experience standpoint, it’s not in the same ZIP Code as the Big East Tournament — and honestly, that’s probably being generous. I can’t even imagine how lame a an American Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament must’ve felt to the people at UConn.

Winning the Big East Tourney in 2012 and 2013 ... basically the last "real" Big East Tourneys before the conference blew up ... is one of the program achievements I'm most proud of as a Louisville fan.

It was also nice to win the very first American Athletic Conference Tourney over UConn (who went on to win the NCAA tourney).

Looking forward to our first ACC Tourney championship.

But you're right. The Big East Tourney just had something about it. Besides the price tag.

Yeah, but UConn downgraded themselves to a non-football conference instead of upgrading to a P5 conference. Look at BYU? Last year, all of BYU's sports struggle. BYU needs to shollow their pride and rejoin MWC for all sports. It is not too late for UConn to turn down the Big East invite and stay with the AAC. AAC needed to addressed UConn's needs and add UMass. #13 and a western school for # 14. UMass. would have helped ease UConn's needs and not leave them on an island. Missouri State or UTSA would be good on the west. Even North Dakota State on the west looks good on paper.

(06-28-2019 10:48 AM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  Winning the Big East Tourney in 2012 and 2013 ... basically the last "real" Big East Tourneys before the conference blew up .

It's still the tournament. It's unfortunate Syracuse isn't around, but otherwise it's the going to be the closest alignment to the original lineup from the 80's heydays since the Big East started sponsoring football to accommodate Cuse, Pitt, and BC. It's MSG, it's sold out, most of the original lineup and all but one of the Big East's National Championships will still be in-house.

Quote:“We will continue to play a championship game; I can promise you that,” Aresco said. “But we’re not in the business of raiding other conferences. … (If we look at adding a member), it’s going to be a deliberate process. We don’t need to do anything. If we’re stronger at 11, which we might well be, we’ll stay at 11. If there’s someone who can enhance our brand and strengthen our league, we’ll be thoughtful and deliberate.”

Except that most of their members were raided from other conferences.

(06-28-2019 11:51 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

Quote:“We will continue to play a championship game; I can promise you that,” Aresco said. “But we’re not in the business of raiding other conferences. … (If we look at adding a member), it’s going to be a deliberate process. We don’t need to do anything. If we’re stronger at 11, which we might well be, we’ll stay at 11. If there’s someone who can enhance our brand and strengthen our league, we’ll be thoughtful and deliberate.”

Except that most of their members were raided from other conferences.

Hah! Pretty funny!

But reading between the lines, adding BYU or Army does not require raiding a conference...Pretty sure this our focus.

Now, that won't stop lots of G5 conference schools from applying for memberhip. Including some MWC schools....But that's not our goal.

I think it highly unlikely that UConn has given up on the P5.

(06-28-2019 12:13 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(06-28-2019 11:51 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

Quote:“We will continue to play a championship game; I can promise you that,” Aresco said. “But we’re not in the business of raiding other conferences. … (If we look at adding a member), it’s going to be a deliberate process. We don’t need to do anything. If we’re stronger at 11, which we might well be, we’ll stay at 11. If there’s someone who can enhance our brand and strengthen our league, we’ll be thoughtful and deliberate.”

Except that most of their members were raided from other conferences.

Hah! Pretty funny!

But reading between the lines, adding BYU or Army does not require raiding a conference...Pretty sure this our focus.

Now, that won't stop lots of G5 conference schools from applying for memberhip. Including some MWC schools....But that's not our goal.

Doesn't seem worth it from the perspective of MWC schools to apply nor for the AAC to invite any MWC schools. Too much distance. Each of the two conferences can just continue to dominate the G5 scene in its half of the country.

And yet we've heard from several of them...

(06-28-2019 12:13 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(06-28-2019 11:51 AM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  

Quote:“We will continue to play a championship game; I can promise you that,” Aresco said. “But we’re not in the business of raiding other conferences. … (If we look at adding a member), it’s going to be a deliberate process. We don’t need to do anything. If we’re stronger at 11, which we might well be, we’ll stay at 11. If there’s someone who can enhance our brand and strengthen our league, we’ll be thoughtful and deliberate.”

Except that most of their members were raided from other conferences.

Hah! Pretty funny!

But reading between the lines, adding BYU or Army does not require raiding a conference...Pretty sure this our focus.

Now, that won't stop lots of G5 conference schools from applying for memberhip. Including some MWC schools....But that's not our goal.

Also UMass, if for some reason someone thought the hockey team would be coming along.

(06-28-2019 12:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I think it highly unlikely that UConn has given up on the P5.

I was thinking this as well. If they can somehow survive these first few years as an independent in FBS, then begin getting OOC deals with Syracuse, BC, Pitt, WVU, and other regional/former foes, I think they will appease their fanbase somewhat. Definitely will have plenty more openings on the schedule moving forward to try to fit these in. Can still schedule UMass in football (maybe create a rivalry), Army, then FCS like Villanova, New Hampshire, Georgetown, URI (and any other Big East teams that have football in another conference). May not get them into the P5 for sure, but at this point they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

As of right now, independence isn't the scariest option, because you currently have so many independent teams in FBS who can fill up the calendar.

If your buy games fill up the first three or four weeks, get your nearby CAAF, Patriot, or qualifying NEC game in, then you have UMass, Liberty, and NMSU for at least three. If you can get on Army and BYU's schedules, great (I suspect Army will want them). I'm pretty sure that the way the SEC plays that body-bagger late-season, you might find a taker there, too. Some rotating 1-1's or 2-1's with MWC, SBC, CUSA, and MAC will surely fill in the rest. In some years, maybe you nab Notre Dame mid-season.

I actually like it that the indy count is going up. In UConn's case, there's no reason they have to travel far to do it, either.

(06-28-2019 12:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I think it highly unlikely that UConn has given up on the P5.

Leaving the AAC lowers their chances of ever joining a P5 conferences.

(06-28-2019 12:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I think it highly unlikely that UConn has given up on the P5.

That idea is DOA. UConn has given up on it with this move.

Its Indy for a short while, then either FCS or disband the football program.

UConn has finally accepted that no P5 invitation will ever come and has acted accordingly to save its basketball programs.

Football was an afterthought in this Big East move. There is no plan, it is all grab bagging.

This move allows them to let the FBS football program fade and possibly die a natural death.

The P5 "dream" is dead for UConn and the people who made this move know it and acted upon that belief.

In reality, it has been dead since the ACC invited Louisville. The Big Ten and the ACC were and are not interested.

Given the CR landscape (more attractive P5 football candidates), the state of Northeastern football (fan disinterest, lack of recruiting territory, etc.), the arterial bleeding of the UConn athletic department and the flagging attendance in basketball, it was a smart move by UConn.

They knew that there were no P5 lifeboats coming.

I wish them the best in the Big East and like the idea of another independent football program.

I just don't think that UConn in particular is well positioned to thrive enough as one to get a future P5 invitation.

(06-28-2019 12:43 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  And yet we've heard from several of them...

It's natural for both sides to feel each other out, but ultimately you most likely won't see a team from the Mountain or Pacific time zones going to the AAC.

(06-28-2019 01:34 PM)TerryD Wrote:  

(06-28-2019 12:17 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I think it highly unlikely that UConn has given up on the P5.

That idea is DOA. UConn has given up on it with this move.

Its Indy for a short while, then either FCS or disband the football program.

UConn has finally accepted that no P5 invitation will ever come and has acted accordingly to save its basketball programs.

Football was an afterthought in this Big East move. There is no plan, it is all grab bagging.

This move allows them to let the FBS football program fade and possibly die a natural death.

The P5 "dream" is dead for UConn and the people who made this move know it and acted upon that belief.

In reality, it has been dead since the ACC invited Louisville. The Big Ten and the ACC were and are not interested.

Given the CR landscape (more attractive P5 football candidates), the state of Northeastern football (fan disinterest, lack of recruiting territory, etc.), the arterial bleeding of the UConn athletic department and the flagging attendance in basketball, it was a smart move by UConn.

They knew that there were no P5 lifeboats coming.

I wish them the best in the Big East and like the idea of another independent football program.

I just don't think that UConn in particular is well positioned to thrive enough as one to get a future P5 invitation.

I definitely agree with this take. I think some AAC fans are saying, “Well, this move will absolutely kill their football program.” However, to most UConn fans/stakeholders, their football program is already long dead. This move wasn’t a suicide as much as it was a burial.

I think the writing is on the wall that they are not going to get into another league either. They would need a lot of very specific things to go their way to even warrant consideration and I just don’t see it happening. As I said earlier, for most conferences, should they ever need to expand, football is almost certainly going to drive that decision. As such, programs from larger television markets and more fertile recruiting areas like UCF, USF, Houston and Cincinnati are all very likely ahead of UConn on the realignment depth chart.

Think about it for a second. If you are the Big 12 and you want to add two or even four teams, is UConn making that cut? No chance! The same goes for the ACC. If they ever need to add two more teams, it’s almost certainly going to be in reaction to having lost two teams. Where are they going to turn in that instance? The Florida schools, that’s where. Maybe Houston. Not Connecticut, not now.

That’s why I agree this was a smart move on their part. If no one is going to swoop in at the eleventh hour to rescue your football program, you might as well do whatever you can to protect your immensely successful men’s and women’s basketball programs.