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I understand the perception argument but the Autonomy 5 distinction has many tangible benefits embedded in. Most importantly, when the playoff expands, a viable B12 in the P5 will continue to receive waaaay more of the annual payouts than G5 leagues.

(10-22-2021 02:17 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  I understand the perception argument but the Autonomy 5 distinction has many tangible benefits embedded in. Most importantly, when the playoff expands, a viable B12 in the P5 will continue to receive waaaay more of the annual payouts than G5 leagues.

Agree completely and I'm thrilled about the Autonomy 5 benefits UC will accrue. But I also want UC to be seen as "belonging" and not being a Vandy or Rutgers or someone like that who just gets big payouts but is not perceived to be a contributor. Also, it would be nice to position ourselves as desirable once that inevitable next wave of consolidation rolls around.

Honestly, I think we are in a better space football wise than hoops wise in the New Big XII. We have an established identity and structure in football. Coach Wes has a helluva rebuild on his hands to get to Big XII level in a very short time frame relatively speaking. The league will be amazing and hopefully Coach Wes & Co. mirror the success of CLF and his group

(10-22-2021 02:41 PM)Cal1362 Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 02:17 PM)Cataclysmo Wrote:  I understand the perception argument but the Autonomy 5 distinction has many tangible benefits embedded in. Most importantly, when the playoff expands, a viable B12 in the P5 will continue to receive waaaay more of the annual payouts than G5 leagues.

Agree completely and I'm thrilled about the Autonomy 5 benefits UC will accrue. But I also want UC to be seen as "belonging" and not being a Vandy or Rutgers or someone like that who just gets big payouts but is not perceived to be a contributor. Also, it would be nice to position ourselves as desirable once that inevitable next wave of consolidation rolls around.

Honestly, I think we are in a better space football wise than hoops wise in the New Big XII. We have an established identity and structure in football. Coach Wes has a helluva rebuild on his hands to get to Big XII level in a very short time frame relatively speaking. The league will be amazing and hopefully Coach Wes & Co. mirror the success of CLF and his group

Huge difference is basketball can fixed in a year or two, but can also tank just as quickly.

(10-22-2021 02:45 PM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Huge difference is basketball can fixed in a year or two, but can also tank just as quickly.

It took Mick about 4-5 years. But, we're talking about, what was a complete tear down back then. Wes, at least has some players (certainly more than one), and, for a couple years, not nearly a rough of a conference/schedule.

(10-23-2021 07:18 AM)Ring of Black Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 02:45 PM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Huge difference is basketball can fixed in a year or two, but can also tank just as quickly.

It took Mick about 4-5 years. But, we're talking about, what was a complete tear down back then. Wes, at least has some players (certainly more than one), and, for a couple years, not nearly a rough of a conference/schedule.

Wes year 1 has a roster that can compete for the post season, Mick year one had nothing.

(10-23-2021 07:58 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Wes year 1 has a roster that can compete for the post season, Mick year one had nothing.

Yes, we definitely agree on Mick.

But, with Wes, more than half of the players, he had to go out and get. And, about half of those who returned had a foot out the door. He flew around the country to convince them to stay. Give him a lot of credit there.

Big advantage for Wes, compared to the 2006 Mick, is the transfer portal. He is light years ahead of Brannen in taking advantage of it.

As for the current Mick, the transfer portal is definitely against his religion. However, if the transfer portal was around when Mick came here, he would have clearly used it.

(10-23-2021 08:14 AM)Ring of Black Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 07:58 AM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Wes year 1 has a roster that can compete for the post season, Mick year one had nothing.

Yes, we definitely agree on Mick.

But, with Wes, more than half of the players, he had to go out and get. And, about half of those who returned had a foot out the door. He flew around the country to convince them to stay. Give him a lot of credit there.

Big advantage for Wes, compared to the 2006 Mick, is the transfer portal. He is light years ahead of Brannen in taking advantage of it.

As for the current Mick, the transfer portal is definitely against his religion. However, if the transfer portal was around when Mick came here, he would have clearly used it.

Wes gets at least two years in the American, Mick’s first year would have looked different if he started in C-USA instead of the Big East.

Generally speaking UC athletics is a much better now then it was 15 years ago even with the Big East affiliation. UC wasn’t prepared to be a big time program in either major sport. They won a lot of games under Huggins but really didn’t take advantage of this by doing the little things to grow the program and they blew it up and started over, something the program still has to deal with in some ways. Football hired good coaches but wasn’t ready for success either.

Right now UC is where Louisville was a decade ago without all the scandals to go along with growth. The key is maintaining the growth, avoiding scandals, and building the brand.

Getting the next apparel deal right is going to be huge. I also believe basketball has to get back to being a top 20 program. Those two things will help build back some of the pop culture vibe the brand had in the 90s, add that to football success and have a monster.

(10-23-2021 07:18 AM)Ring of Black Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 02:45 PM)UCBearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Huge difference is basketball can fixed in a year or two, but can also tank just as quickly.

It took Mick about 4-5 years. But, we're talking about, what was a complete tear down back then. Wes, at least has some players (certainly more than one), and, for a couple years, not nearly a rough of a conference/schedule.

Not to mention, Mick was in year 4 of his coaching career. Wes is in year 11.

Went to a wedding in Kansas this weekend. Lots of KU & KSU fans. While the KU fans were hopeful of getting into the Big Ten, they realize that's not in the cards.

Every single one of them was excited about the additions to the Big 12, especially UC. They said that "other than the eyeballs on the TV," the additions might even be an upgrade for the conference over the teams leaving.

They're especially thrilled that the conference upgraded in basketball - it reminded me of how Big East basketball fans viewed Big East expansion in 2005.

They also predicted that Texas & Oklahoma would have about as much success in the SEC as Nebraska has had in the Big 10.

I think Wes Miller has done a great job since he has gotten here in all facets.

And I think the situation he inherited, while a mess, doesn’t compare to what Mick inherited. Wes has a talented core or returning players, doesn’t have to compete in the BE, has the transfer portal, doesn’t have a divided fan base, has the positive energy from the FB program and got the invitation to the Big 12 with great timing for recruiting.

Wes should get a lot of credit for taking advantage of all these assets especially in recruiting his staff, filling out this years roster, and getting solid recruits already for ‘22.

I’m looking forward to UC BB - but the pressure isn’t high - because I have the likely best season of UC football to enjoy!!

(10-24-2021 06:31 PM)bearcat_df Wrote:  I think Wes Miller has done a great job since he has gotten here in all facets.

And I think the situation he inherited, while a mess, doesn’t compare to what Mick inherited. Wes has a talented core or returning players, doesn’t have to compete in the BE, has the transfer portal, doesn’t have a divided fan base, has the positive energy from the FB program and got the invitation to the Big 12 with great timing for recruiting.

Wes should get a lot of credit for taking advantage of all these assets especially in recruiting his staff, filling out this years roster, and getting solid recruits already for ‘22.

I’m looking forward to UC BB - but the pressure isn’t high - because I have the likely best season of UC football to enjoy!!

Agreed. The jury is still out on Wes as coach until play begins. My guess is he gets a faster start than Mick did because he's a much more experienced head coach. It's not a shot at Mick who on balance did good work here. But I always felt it took Mick a long time to get traction. Yes, it was the real Big East which competitively was like nothing before or since. But that should have meant at least a few more high major recruits would have been willing to step in and play immediately on the big stage.

(10-25-2021 06:51 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(10-24-2021 06:31 PM)bearcat_df Wrote:  I think Wes Miller has done a great job since he has gotten here in all facets.

And I think the situation he inherited, while a mess, doesn’t compare to what Mick inherited. Wes has a talented core or returning players, doesn’t have to compete in the BE, has the transfer portal, doesn’t have a divided fan base, has the positive energy from the FB program and got the invitation to the Big 12 with great timing for recruiting.

Wes should get a lot of credit for taking advantage of all these assets especially in recruiting his staff, filling out this years roster, and getting solid recruits already for ‘22.

I’m looking forward to UC BB - but the pressure isn’t high - because I have the likely best season of UC football to enjoy!!

Agreed. The jury is still out on Wes as coach until play begins. My guess is he gets a faster start than Mick did because he's a much more experienced head coach. It's not a shot at Mick who on balance did good work here. But I always felt it took Mick a long time to get traction. Yes, it was the real Big East which competitively was like nothing before or since. But that should have meant at least a few more high major recruits would have been willing to step in and play immediately on the big stage.

Both coaches inherited messes. Comparing their messes is a bit like counting angels on the head of a pin.

One incredibly big difference in Mick year 1 and Wes year 1 is the transfer portal. Mick did not have that available, and I think he did a heck of a job under the circumstances. (Mick frustrated me a bit later, but that is a separate topic.) Wes seems to have played the transfer portal wonderfully. Time will tell how it all plays out.

(10-22-2021 11:23 AM)skylinecat Wrote:  If Fick sticks around, I think the opportunity is there for us to become the Clemson of the Big 12. I'm not saying we will reach quite that high but the conference is wide open and someone always comes out on top of a power vacuum. I'd say the only real contenders are us, UCF, BYU, OSU. I feel like Baylor and TCU are just too small, Kansas is Kansas and Iowa State will always struggle demographically in a way that we don't. I also think being an urban campus helps a lot in bringing kids in from the south. If you live in Atlanta or Orlando, would you rather move to Cincinnati or Ames, Iowa.

Cincinnati isn’t really the north, and my experience with southerners is they don’t necessarily think of us as the north.

Seeing the reports from today that CUSA is negotiating with UConn and Liberty. Please let this be true. UConn so deserves it.

(10-28-2021 11:14 PM)geef Wrote:  Seeing the reports from today that CUSA is negotiating with UConn and Liberty. Please let this be true. UConn so deserves it.

Would be comical.

(10-29-2021 06:23 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 11:14 PM)geef Wrote:  Seeing the reports from today that CUSA is negotiating with UConn and Liberty. Please let this be true. UConn so deserves it.

Would be comical.

UCONN should just drop its moribund football program. Imagine going from a BCS 6 conference and New Year's Bowl appearance about a decade ago to CUSA?

Denials coming out of Storrs right now. My guess is they are finding Independence a little more challenging than they thought. A couple Indy’s will be joining a conference and here in a couple years, a lot of conferences will be moving to only 2-3 OOC games. Also have to wonder how long their media deal with CBS Sports lasts. With the exception of the ultimate diehard, nobody is watching those games.

Would not be surprised to see them try and kick the tires on a FB only invite to the MAC again

(10-29-2021 06:23 AM)BcatMatt13 Wrote:  

(10-28-2021 11:14 PM)geef Wrote:  Seeing the reports from today that CUSA is negotiating with UConn and Liberty. Please let this be true. UConn so deserves it.

Would be comical.

Imagine that conference...

UTEP
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
Western Kentucky
Florida International
New Mexico State
UConn
Liberty

An 8 team conference that runs from New Mexico to Connecticut and Florida...

CUSA STATUS:

Remaining:
FIU - no one seems to want them
LA Tech - see FIU
MTSU - see FIU
UTEP - see FIU
WKU - see FIU
Marshall - rumored to SB

Possible adds:
UGonn & Umess these two going together seems logical
Liberty - they deserve better based on recent success
NMSU - nearest CUSA is UTEP

CUSA - College Unwieldy Sports Affiliation

It's (almost) funny watching the uConn apologists now getting ruffled over this on the Conference Realignment board. "Tiresome" one calls it, "clueless" another one says.

What is funny is that when uConn left, they did it by quite literally flipping us the "double bird." They managed to insult every member of the AAC while they were in it, claiming that their "fans just can't get excited about playing" us, and bitching and moaning about how "the conference" was "holding them back" in recruiting, etc... Then, as they left (conveniently as soon as the BE exit money was gone, coincidence, I'm sure), they bragged about how the BE and "Football Independence" was going to solve all their problems: they would be playing exclusively marquee names, their travel would be so much less, yadda, yadda, yadda... Thank God, they were free of "the conference."

Now suddenly, they are looking at rejoining a football conference; it's another win! They would suddenly get the benefits of a Conference: bowl tie-ins, media deals, scheduling alliances. Their AD is a freaking genius! Win, win, win!

Look, uConn obviously made a good decision jumping to the BE. Fine. Maybe they even made a good decision to show their ass as they went out the door. But in what world does trading SMU for NMSU and Houston for UTEP, and even Tulsa for Middle Tennessee State actually count as a "win"? That's all I want to know.

I wonder if this isn't a real-life "Major League" type scenario: the AD wanting and needing justification to kill off the FB team, so he assembles a line-up SO bad that nobody will come? "You want us to lose?" the GM asks in the movie, to which the owner says, "No, you've been losing...I want you to finish dead last." so that attendance will drop below a certain number so that she can relocate the Indians (sorry, the GUARDIANS) to Miami. What is the attendance number so dismally low that uConn can finally make a case to scrap the program?