(09-11-2021 08:38 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  The BE was concerned about UConn chasing football. I thought there was something in the BE contract that would make it very painful, i.e. expensive, for UConn to leave for football reasons??

There is. It’s completely unnecessary.

(09-11-2021 08:09 AM)BigOwensboroCard Wrote:  UConn would be better off scrapping their football program all together, and selling off their stadium which is a 100miles from campus. In the end it’s coasting them more to run the program than what they are bringing in. It was a good run while it lasted, but the Big East is no more, and the ACC isn’t going to invite you let alone another P5 conference. Yes you are going to lose money now, but think of it as a bad investment where you’ve learned the hard way it’s not always greener on the other side BS and accept it. Look to sale all you football related equipment for schools will most likely buy most of it, and the stadium look and see if it can be parted out for schools with tight budgets could be interested. At least this way you are getting something back for playing football isn’t in your guys future.

UConn doesn't own their stadium. Thus, they are unable to sell it. They do rent it, and absolutely do have a very unfavorable agreement with the state that does not put the school or football program in a position to be sustainably beneficial, financial-wise.

If UConn continues to go 0-12, 1-11, 2-10, etc. as an Independent, then serious conversations need to be had at the state, presidential and athletic department levels about the future and direction of the program. However, UConn is still in the first year of being an Independent outside the AAC. It would be a shortsighted decision to pull the plug right now and attempt to drop down to FCS, or disband the program altogether. Even long-term, moving down to FCS does not change their rent situation (which, of course, affects their budgeting and spending). The stadium situation will continue to be a major obstacle in terms of being able to earn major revenues, as well as the inability of the school to find and locate a head coach that can recruit the area and be competitive as an Independent.

Nevertheless, UConn Basketball (Men's and Women's) has been righted, which has always been the top program for UConn Athletics. There should be less pressure to get UConn Football right today than in 2014, when it was attempting to solidify itself as the top Big 12 candidate. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that things can get much worse for UConn Football, excluding a major scandal.

(09-11-2021 08:40 AM)LostInSpace Wrote:  

(09-11-2021 08:38 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  The BE was concerned about UConn chasing football. I thought there was something in the BE contract that would make it very painful, i.e. expensive, for UConn to leave for football reasons??

There is. It’s completely unnecessary.

The terms of the Big East/UConn contract state that UConn will be responsible for paying the conference $30 million if it withdraws within the first six years of membership. If the school bails within a three-year period after that, $15 million is owed. After 10 years, UConn would owe $10 million.

UConn would be smart trying to put a FB conference together with UMass and Army.

A lower tier FBS conference where they can be competitive.

Or talk to the MAC about joining. The MAC East is one of the least competitive FB divisions around and with Akron/BG on the schedule it would be a chance to get a few victories.

(09-11-2021 08:47 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  

(09-11-2021 08:40 AM)LostInSpace Wrote:  

(09-11-2021 08:38 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  The BE was concerned about UConn chasing football. I thought there was something in the BE contract that would make it very painful, i.e. expensive, for UConn to leave for football reasons??

There is. It’s completely unnecessary.

The terms of the Big East/UConn contract state that UConn will be responsible for paying the conference $30 million if it withdraws within the first six years of membership. If the school bails within a three-year period after that, $15 million is owed. After 10 years, UConn would owe $10 million.

That language is in the contract with the Big East to cover the possibility that UConn might somehow be involved in power conference football realignment. There is no other reason for it to be in the contract.

MAC East for FB.

All sport: Stony Brook, Delaware
FB only: UConn, UMass

Ohio, Kent, Akron, Buffalo, Stony Brook, Delaware, UConn, UMass

With the NE TV markets the MAC deal could be worth 5 mil per school when renegotiated.

Good academics to make the school presidents happy.

UConn needs to stay out of a competition that can only end in bankruptcy. They were sold a bill of goods 25 years ago.

(09-11-2021 08:59 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  MAC East for FB.

All sport: Stony Brook, Delaware
FB only: UConn, UMass

Ohio, Kent, Akron, Buffalo, Stony Brook, Delaware, UConn, UMass

With the NE TV markets the MAC deal could be worth 5 mil per school when renegotiated.

Good academics to make the school presidents happy.

I don't know if the MAC would be too interested in football-only given what happened previously with UMass, nor would it make sense for them given the poor quality of their (UConn/UMass) football programs. All or none for the MAC, if you have to take in their football, you have to benefit somewhere else, which would be basketball. And for UConn, if this were to occur, then might as well stick with the BE or go crawling back to the AAC with a UMass and Buffalo trio to join Temple.

(09-11-2021 07:03 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  UConn left the AAC at the opportune time. Had they not left in 2019, they remain in the American - and recently witness the top part of the league depart. They inevitably circle back to return to the Big East eitherway, but they did so from an active, not reactive, position. After the heartache of 2012 with Louisville getting the final nod, and with the Big 12 electing not to expand in 2016, things could have gone very different for UConn.

They are in the conference they should be. Football remains a lame duck, but UConn was never a football-first athletic program. Being in the Big East is better for its student-athletes, students, coaches, alumni and fans.

All of this is true, but it still doesn’t explain why they are keeping the football program in hospice care, instead of allowing a dignified burial. The whole pandemic-drama actually would’ve been the perfect cover for that.

(09-11-2021 08:09 AM)BigOwensboroCard Wrote:  UConn would be better off scrapping their football program all together, and selling off their stadium which is a 100miles from campus. In the end it’s coasting them more to run the program than what they are bringing in. It was a good run while it lasted, but the Big East is no more, and the ACC isn’t going to invite you let alone another P5 conference. Yes you are going to lose money now, but think of it as a bad investment where you’ve learned the hard way it’s not always greener on the other side BS and accept it. Look to sale all you football related equipment for schools will most likely buy most of it, and the stadium look and see if it can be parted out for schools with tight budgets could be interested. At least this way you are getting something back for playing football isn’t in your guys future.

All true, except Rentschler is 20 miles from campus not 100 miles.

(09-11-2021 08:38 AM)Wolfman Wrote:  The BE was concerned about UConn chasing football. I thought there was something in the BE contract that would make it very painful, i.e. expensive, for UConn to leave for football reasons??

Yes. Although I think it gets less painful after 15 years or so.

As much as the Big 12 would take a hard pass on UConn at the moment for football reasons, UConn would likely also take a hard pass on the Big 12. The Big 12 will continue to be the least stable of the P5 leagues as at some point the Big Ten or PAC may take some pieces from it (and as stated, the P5 designation is going away anyway). The Big East is now one of the most stable major conferences and it features our best sports (men’s and women’s bball).

We just got out of a “kitchen sink league” where far flung schools were tossed into the salad bowl to try and prop up a league that got raided. This isn’t much different from the AAC situation (although the New Big 12 is a slight improvement in football over AAC football and a major improvement over AAC basketball). Our AAC days taught us some valuable lessons, however. It isn’t fun being in a league with no rivals near you and zero games that are drivable. It decreases fan interest and makes travel brutal on student athletes. WVU and Cincinnati are the closest Big 12 schools to UConn at like 500 and 750 miles respectively. The rest are between 1200 and 2200 miles away from Storrs. The New Big 12 will be a conference that stretches from Utah to Florida and covers three time zones. Usually these three or more time zone conferences don’t work well over time (look at the old WAC as proof). The risk of Big 12 instability just doesn’t beat being in a northeastern basketball league with independent FBS football in my book. (To the naysayers, UConn will never entirely drop football. We have played the sport since the 1890’s. Could we drop back to FCS? Sure. But that is a financially dumb move. We need to stay the course. Independence is working quite fine for indecent Liberty in football at the moment.)

Finally, giving up our men’s basketball conference tournament at MSG in NYC to play in Kansas City is of no interest to me. The Big East tournament is special. It is a part of us. The only two conferences who could make leaving the Big East worth it for us are the ACC and Big Ten. With the sad state of our football program, that isn’t happening anytime soon (if ever). So, realistically, our current setup of the Big East and independence is what is best for us at the moment. Count me as fully content with our current setup. Our fans love it.

EDIT: I understand how the Big 12 would be more appealing to UConn’s administration from a monetary perspective. However, I am just a fan. I am cool with the Big East and then mixing up our opponents in football to keep the schedule interesting

No.

(09-11-2021 12:26 AM)Bogg Wrote:  No more plains states conferences. I'm never flying out to KC end of Feb/start of March.

Right now the KC airport is under construction. But before, though minimal in terms of restaraunts, etc. It was easy in and easy out. I think it was a great airport. I get the need for updates though as more and more flyers are business flyers.

I think they are.mimicking the Raleigh airport with one level for drop off, one for pick up, which I think makes a lot of sense. If they keep the drop off at your terminal I think it will be solid once construction is done.

But yes, February is hit and miss in terms of weather.

(09-11-2021 12:32 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  As much as the Big 12 would take a hard pass on UConn at the moment for football reasons, UConn would likely also take a hard pass on the Big 12. The Big 12 will continue to be the least stable of the P5 leagues as at some point the Big Ten or PAC may take some pieces from it (and as stated, the P5 designation is going away anyway). The Big East is now one of the most stable major conferences and it features our best sports (men’s and women’s bball).

We just got out of a “kitchen sink league” where far flung schools were tossed into the salad bowl to try and prop up a league that got raided. This isn’t much different from the AAC situation (although the New Big 12 is a slight improvement in football over AAC football and a major improvement over AAC basketball). Our AAC days taught us some valuable lessons, however. It isn’t fun being in a league with no rivals near you and zero games that are drivable. It decreases fan interest and makes travel brutal on student athletes. WVU and Cincinnati are the closest Big 12 schools to UConn at like 500 and 750 miles respectively. The rest are between 1200 and 2200 miles away from Storrs. The New Big 12 will be a conference that stretches from Utah to Florida and covers three time zones. Usually these three or more time zone conferences don’t work well over time (look at the old WAC as proof). The risk of Big 12 instability just doesn’t beat being in a northeastern basketball league with independent FBS football in my book. (To the naysayers, UConn will never entirely drop football. We have played the sport since the 1890’s. Could we drop back to FCS? Sure. But that is a financially dumb move. We need to stay the course. Independence is working quite fine for indecent Liberty in football at the moment.)

Finally, giving up our men’s basketball conference tournament at MSG in NYC to play in Kansas City is of no interest to me. The Big East tournament is special. It is a part of us. The only two conferences who could make leaving the Big East worth it for us are the ACC and Big Ten. With the sad state of our football program, that isn’t happening anytime soon (if ever). So, realistically, our current setup of the Big East and independence is what is best for us at the moment. Count me as fully content with our current setup. Our fans love it.

EDIT: I understand how the Big 12 would be more appealing to UConn’s administration from a monetary perspective. However, I am just a fan. I am cool with the Big East and then mixing up our opponents in football to keep the schedule interesting

I think the long game will work out somewhat for schools like UConn and UMass. Once the AAC collapses on itself, UConn, UMass, Temple, Navy, Army, and a few others in the Northeast - namely Buffalo and Stony Brook - can form a Northeastern football-only lower level FBS conference associated with the Big East where ones like Villanova can also place their football team if desired. Heck even call themselves Big East Football haha

(09-11-2021 12:32 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  As much as the Big 12 would take a hard pass on UConn at the moment for football reasons, UConn would likely also take a hard pass on the Big 12.

That’s an honest, legitimate answer, and it makes perfect sense from a UConn perspective. It does prompt a follow-up question, though: if UConn does not want to be in an FBS-level football conference, why does it continue to play FBS-level football opponents? How is UConn benefiting from that?

Quote:The Big 12 will continue to be the least stable of the P5 leagues as at some point the Big Ten or PAC may take some pieces from it (and as stated, the P5 designation is going away anyway).

There is only one (1) member left (KU, of course) that has any possible appeal to B1G or PAC, and even that one (1) member is a very mixed bag, as far as those 2 leagues are concerned. With that one possible/debatable exception, there’s simply nothing in the BXII left that the 4 richer/more-powerful conferences want.

Quote:The Big East is now one of the most stable major conferences and it features our best sports (men’s and women’s bball).

True. Football continues to circle the drain, but for everything else that’s true.

(09-11-2021 02:51 PM)AntiG Wrote:  I think the long game will work out somewhat for schools like UConn and UMass. Once the AAC collapses on itself, UConn, UMass, Temple, Navy, Army, and a few others in the Northeast - namely Buffalo and Stony Brook - can form a Northeastern football-only lower level FBS conference associated with the Big East where ones like Villanova can also place their football team if desired. Heck even call themselves Big East Football haha

LOL that Army/Navy would have any interest in that. I mean, they could go ahead and join the Patriot League right now if that was considered a viable option. But even if you throw the service academies into that mix, what you’re taking about is still nothing more than glorified FCS with a few extra bells and whistles. Most UConn fans who have addressed that idea have been fairly consistent that such an option would be a total waste of time.

(09-11-2021 03:30 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  LOL that Army/Navy would have any interest in that. I mean, they could go ahead and join the Patriot League right now if that was considered a viable option. But even if you throw the service academies into that mix, what you’re taking about is still nothing more than glorified FCS with a few extra bells and whistles. Most UConn fans who have addressed that idea have been fairly consistent that such an option would be a total waste of time.

well yeah, the point to that would be to have more reasonable costs for travel and scheduling having a MAC type of regional conference for placing their football while keeping their other sports in the Big East. I'm sure UMass, UConn, Temple would be happy with that type of arrangement, and perhaps get Buffalo onboard as well.

(09-11-2021 03:30 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  That’s an honest, legitimate answer, and it makes perfect sense from a UConn perspective. It does prompt a follow-up question, though: if UConn does not want to be in an FBS-level football conference, why does it continue to play FBS-level football opponents? How is UConn benefiting from that?

It's not that UConn's against being in a conference for football, it's that they're making sure basketball's protected because basketball's what they've built a national brand on. The real answer to how the athletic department would look at the Big 12 is that it'd depend very heavily on what the finances involved looked like. However, the Big East is the best on-court option for UConn, no qualifiers needed, because the "secret sauce" of UConn basketball is New York/New Jersey recruiting and the Big East has a near-monopoly on high-level basketball in that northeast 95 corridor.

I know I've been repetitive about this, but: football's going to figure it out or they won't. Whatever the answer, UConn's going to make their name in March though.

(09-11-2021 05:57 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I know I've been repetitive about this, but: football's going to figure it out or they won't. Whatever the answer, UConn's going to make their name in March though.

Maybe the question I’m trying to ask is this: What would have to happen, for UConn to realize that football is not “going to figure it out”? Do you see any signs of hope or encouragement for the future?

(09-11-2021 03:30 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  

(09-11-2021 12:32 PM)UConnHusky Wrote:  As much as the Big 12 would take a hard pass on UConn at the moment for football reasons, UConn would likely also take a hard pass on the Big 12.

That’s an honest, legitimate answer, and it makes perfect sense from a UConn perspective. It does prompt a follow-up question, though: if UConn does not want to be in an FBS-level football conference, why does it continue to play FBS-level football opponents? How is UConn benefiting from that?

Quote:The Big 12 will continue to be the least stable of the P5 leagues as at some point the Big Ten or PAC may take some pieces from it (and as stated, the P5 designation is going away anyway).

There is only one (1) member left (KU, of course) that has any possible appeal to B1G or PAC, and even that one (1) member is a very mixed bag, as far as those 2 leagues are concerned. With that one possible/debatable exception, there’s simply nothing in the BXII left that the 4 richer/more-powerful conferences want.

Quote:The Big East is now one of the most stable major conferences and it features our best sports (men’s and women’s bball).

True. Football continues to circle the drain, but for everything else that’s true.

(09-11-2021 02:51 PM)AntiG Wrote:  I think the long game will work out somewhat for schools like UConn and UMass. Once the AAC collapses on itself, UConn, UMass, Temple, Navy, Army, and a few others in the Northeast - namely Buffalo and Stony Brook - can form a Northeastern football-only lower level FBS conference associated with the Big East where ones like Villanova can also place their football team if desired. Heck even call themselves Big East Football haha

LOL that Army/Navy would have any interest in that. I mean, they could go ahead and join the Patriot League right now if that was considered a viable option. But even if you throw the service academies into that mix, what you’re taking about is still nothing more than glorified FCS with a few extra bells and whistles. Most UConn fans who have addressed that idea have been fairly consistent that such an option would be a total waste of time.

Well, obviously UConn “wants” to be in a FBS level football conference. Here is the rub. There are no good football recruits in the northeast. If UConn were a member of a P5 conference, we would get recruits and compete. However, BC and Syracuse blackballed us from the ACC in order to protect “their turf” in football. Fine. As petty as it is, I get it. I am just pleased that UConn decided to control its own destiny by heading back to the Big East (a conference that resonates far more with NYC basketball recruits than the ACC or Big Ten). Bury is in football? Fine. But we will own this turf in basketball (along with Villanova).

I’m convinced that independent teams make people uncomfortable and they want them to either A) join a conference—preferably one of eight 16-team leagues or something symmetrical or B) drop to FCS where they don’t have to think about them.

Let UConn live their life!

(09-11-2021 07:12 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  

(09-11-2021 05:57 PM)Bogg Wrote:  I know I've been repetitive about this, but: football's going to figure it out or they won't. Whatever the answer, UConn's going to make their name in March though.

Maybe the question I’m trying to ask is this: What would have to happen, for UConn to realize that football is not “going to figure it out”? Do you see any signs of hope or encouragement for the future?

If they don’t “figure it out,” they will still likely remain FBS. We have played football since 1896, so we aren’t dropping it, and FCS saves us little money. We will punch hard for another 15 years at the FBS level to try and create an opportunity. If that doesn’t work, then we move to FCS. So be it. New England isn’t “Friday Night Lights” territory. Basketball is our thing, not football. That is why BC and Syracuse blackballed us from the ACC. They will both never be more than middling in football and adding competition in their market only makes their lives harder in recruiting with what little talent there is here. Whatevs. We will do us and they can do them. I am happy in the Big East.