Are they killing their football program in an attempt to recapture their past glory on the hardwood?
UCONN to Big East?
- Thread starter BigNUFan51
- Start date
Putting their football program out of its misery is more like it......a mercy killing.
UConn played in the Fiesta Bowl in 2010. I don't think Boston College ever played in a BCS or NY6 bowl in the BCS/NY6 era.
The American got as many invites as the Big East in the last NCAA Tournament (four). That, plus the American is clearly the best football conference of the "Group of Five." UConn athletics has problems, but I'm not exactly sure how the American is the cause of any of them.
UConn played in one of the premiere basketball conferences before it all went to hell in the last decade. The rivalries in the BigEast were classic. The break-up of the BigEast really sapped all the energy out of the program. There are some ok teams in the American, but not elite programs. Its just hard to get up for Wichita State or Central Florida when you're used to playing big games against Syracuse and Georgetown at Madison Square Garden.
Cincinnati is an elite program. Memphis is a big time program, although they've fallen the last five years or so, but they won't be down forever. Houston has re-emerged as an elite program (the program has five appearances in the Final Four). If UConn has no motivation to form rivalries with these teams, then I don't know what to say.
Syracuse isn't in the Big East anymore, so joining the Big East won't help you there. Sure, you'll have Georgetown.
As someone who is a bigger Cincinnati fan than a UConn fan, I can say that Cincinnati is NOT an elite program. They are a solid program, but not elite. And they are probably the best of the American. Also, for the same reason that its hard to get up for Maryland in the BIG, its hard for UConn nation to get excited about their American foes. There is no history, geography or anything.
If you consider Georgetown an elite program (presumably, since they're your most-missed rival that still plays in the Big East), then Cincinnati is an elite program. Cincinnati has more national championships and more Final Four appearances. Cincinnati hasn't missed the NCAA Tournament since 2010; Georgetown hasn't been since 2015.
You can argue with me about what things look like on paper all you want. I'm just telling you that on the ground here, the break-up of the BigEast killed the energy around UConn hoops. The American bores people here. And no matter who you want to hold up in the American, they are not elite programs today and so the perception of 2nd tier is fixed. Fans know it. The media (i.e., tv contracts) know it. And, most importantly, recruits know it. UConn used to be the home of NBA level recruits, but not these days.
I understand the Big East is a better fit than the AAC for basketball, but wouldn’t they lose a ton of money if they leave the conference from a football standpoint?
Football is a money loser for UConn. The tv deals for the American are pitiful, so not much loss there. The travel cost savings for all the UConn sports will be substantial.
Really? CFB is so popular that I assumed that every conference is doing well on a monetary level wit regards to TV deals
I think we have to consider the possibility that people from Connecticut are simply delusional.
CFB is so popular that I assumed that every conference is doing well on a monetary level wit regards to TV deals.
BCS, probably; CFB, not so much. I understand, for instance, that C-USA schools derive almost no TV money in comparison with the top conferences. AAC is not one of those powerhouses.
BCS, probably; CFB, not so much. I understand, for instance, that C-USA schools derive almost no TV money in comparison with the top conferences. AAC is not one of those powerhouses.
I can’t beleive that. CFB is all over the place on saturdays. Every network is looking for live sports especially college football.
The AAC's new TV deal is worth about $7 million per school per year in revenue. It's less than the Power 5 conferences, but it's easily the best of the "Group of 5" conferences and is nothing to sneeze at. CUSA, in comparison, had TV revenue under $1 million per school. The AAC is easily the best of the non-power conferences and UConn should probably make sure they're not making a knee-jerk decision.
The UConn athletic department is in a $40 million hole. That $7 million from tv is just a band-aid. My guess is that their football program drops back to FCS or just disappears. This is a school with a lot of good non-football programs including their men's and women's basketball. These other programs will benefit immensely from the move. This ain't the midwest or the south. Football is not king in New England.
No way, not after investing in building that new football stadium in 2003 (still relatively recent). It's a nice stadium; what are you going to do, demolish it? No way! But it's an overkill stadium for mere FCS play. Why would you drop out of FBS after making such an investment to join, with such nice facilities? No, you're not dropping out of FBS. You'll either go independent (like BYU) or you'll find another conference willing to take you as a football-only member, probably the MAC.
Does the average Connecticut resident not even know that UConn played in the Fiesta Bowl in the last decade? (Just curious.)
Yes, I think they do. It was big news here when it happened. But then things went to hell when that coach left for Maryland. The next coach was horrible and recruiting was decimated. Now they are one of the worst football teams in the country and the average person pays them no attention at all.
The university already stated they aren’t planning on dropping the program or going the Idaho route to the FCS. Reports are that neither Conf USA, MAC, or AAC are interested in keeping/bringing them in as a football only member.
Is joining the Big East really going to make that much of an impact? 7MM is a lot.
I'm far from an expert on this topic. I don't pay that much attention to the UConn program and don't even get a local paper. I just know the people I talk to love the move and have been clamoring for it for a few years now. Basketball is king in Connecticut. Football is an afterthought.... even at the high school level... unless its the NFL. The East Coast is much more about pro sports than college. I know that must sound weird to midwesterners. Its taken a while for me to get used to.
Yeah.... it was a real civil conflict the way UCF has demolished UConn the last few years. The governor here probably should have called for the National Guard to come in and help. Last fall's game was the one UConn game I've been to in the last several years and it was a thorough beat-down. The best part of the game for me and my boys was watching the marching band at half-time.
What if, after UConn hamstrings its football program to a fate of FBS Independent limbo, the basketball team still sucks and just serves as a punching bag in the Big East? What if the basketball team is struggling for reasons other than its conference affiliation, and this attempt at a quick fix actually causes a few more years to pass before the actual problems are addressed, prolonging everybody's suffering?
The current Big East tv deal is $4 mil per year per school, it was signed during the realignment, and apparently viewership is overperforming initial expectations making that a below market value deal for member schools.
What I’ve heard is that adding UCONN voids that deal and triggers a revaluation. This alone would make it worthwhile for the Big East, but when you consider that UCONN would also add the to per school payout it becomes a no brainer.
As far as competition, the Big East has consistently been ranked as a top 3-4 conference nationally in Kenpom/Sagarin. BE has multiple titles and multiple different schools to be one seeds in the last couple years. Someone mentioned that BE and AAC had the same number of tourney teams, but neglected to mention that the Big East has 2 fewer teams, and this was the lowest they’ve ever sent to the NCAA tourney. It’s quite objectively a much different level of competition than the AAC.
What I’ve heard is that adding UCONN voids that deal and triggers a revaluation. This alone would make it worthwhile for the Big East, but when you consider that UCONN would also add the to per school payout it becomes a no brainer.
As far as competition, the Big East has consistently been ranked as a top 3-4 conference nationally in Kenpom/Sagarin. BE has multiple titles and multiple different schools to be one seeds in the last couple years. Someone mentioned that BE and AAC had the same number of tourney teams, but neglected to mention that the Big East has 2 fewer teams, and this was the lowest they’ve ever sent to the NCAA tourney. It’s quite objectively a much different level of competition than the AAC.
Football has never been a big draw at UConn. Women's and Men's hoops make money for the school and they will do better again facing more traditional rivals. Also they will save some travel money for all of their sports as more Big East teams are in closer proximity to UConn and also in more major markets. The teams can bus to Providence, NYC (St. Johns), NJ (Seton Hall) Philadelphia and maybe DC. Other travel cities are Chicago, Indianapolis, Cincy, Milwaukee, and Omaha.
The markets in the American have some overlap with Philadelphia and Cincy, but the rest are Orlando, Dallas, Greeneville NC, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Wichita. So that means their teams don't even probably have direct flights to half of their roads games.
I know that football is where the big money is and I agree with that, but U Conn will only make the next Big East TV deal worth a lot more and that might get them close to AAC money.
The markets in the American have some overlap with Philadelphia and Cincy, but the rest are Orlando, Dallas, Greeneville NC, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, Tulsa and Wichita. So that means their teams don't even probably have direct flights to half of their roads games.
I know that football is where the big money is and I agree with that, but U Conn will only make the next Big East TV deal worth a lot more and that might get them close to AAC money.
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