B1G

[juan]

Michigan fans are already taking about it.

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/if-when-b1g-expands-again-would-you-be-fine-wuconn

 

[RioDog]

Read the resposnes. What I came away with is how easy it is to be provincial, ill-informed and ignorant when your already sitting amongst the "Haves". Wouldn't bring TV's?! Prefer Miami of Ohio? Cheezus Christmas!

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Michigan fans are already taking about it.

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/if-when-b1g-expands-again-would-you-be-fine-wuconn[/quote]

Amazes me that half the votes are to retract back to 10 or less by kicking out Nebraska and Penn State, which has been in the B1G for 20 years now, and they don't even acknowledge Rutgers and Maryland. Sounds a lot like ND.

 

[whaler11]

Yeah Edsall only left UConn like 10 NFL draft picks. What a bastard.

 

[B1GALUM]

Read the resposnes. What I came away with is how easy it is to be provincial, ill-informed and ignorant when your already sitting amongst the "Haves". Wouldn't bring TV's?! Prefer Miami of Ohio? Cheezus Christmas!

The comments on this site are not a surprise and I expect similar comments would be made on sites for other B1G schools. However, these comments reflect the rank and file B1G fan perspective rooted in a historical view of the Big Ten conference. This is not the view of Jim Delany nor the view he endorses when he gives advice to the B1G presidents. Delany has spoken on multiple occasions about conferences moving from outside their traditional region into other regions and even having national reach. The B1G presidents, unlike some of the rank and file B1G fans, are certainly more forward thinking with respect to expansion of the conference into different regions. Although there is no public discussion on the part of the B1G conference that Delany and the B1G presidents are considering UConn for B1G membership, as all of you can attest there was public discussion from leadership of ACC member Boston College about keeping UConn out of the ACC. I think there is a significant difference between having the leadership of a school in a conference you want to join dismiss the idea of you joining and anonymous rank and file fans of a conference dismissing the idea. The B1G conference is moving forward. The Midwest will always remain the foundation for the conference but the conference is clearly seeking a presence in the East and beyond. This is the goal of the B1G leadership and I do not think the rank and file fans are going to get their wish to move back to a 10 team Midwest confined conference. Although not imminent and not guaranteed, I still think there may be a place for UConn in the B1G's plan for expansion to the East.

 

[Gfunk]

The comments on this site are not a surprise and I expect similar comments would be made on sites for other B1G schools. However, these comments reflect the rank and file B1G fan perspective rooted in a historical view of the Big Ten conference. This is not the view of Jim Delany nor the view he endorses when he gives advice to the B1G presidents. Delany has spoken on multiple occasions about conferences moving from outside their traditional region into other regions and even having national reach. The B1G presidents, unlike some of the rank and file B1G fans, are certainly more forward thinking with respect to expansion of the conference into different regions. Although there is no public discussion on the part of the B1G conference that Delany and the B1G presidents are considering UConn for B1G membership, as all of you can attest there was public discussion from leadership of ACC member Boston College about keeping UConn out of the ACC. I think there is a significant difference between having the leadership of a school in a conference you want to join dismiss the idea of you joining and anonymous rank and file fans of a conference dismissing the idea. The B1G conference is moving forward. The Midwest will always remain the foundation for the conference but the conference is clearly seeking a presence in the East and beyond. This is the goal of the B1G leadership and I do not think the rank and file fans are going to get their wish to move back to a 10 team Midwest confined conference. Although not imminent and not guaranteed, I still think there may be a place for UConn in the B1G's plan for expansion to the East.

Agree. So many the Michigan fans that posted on there seem like older, mentally stunted types.

I'm tired of the cranky folks of the Rust Belt BIG (and that definitely includes Pa & many PSU fans who claim they are somehow Eastern), most of us aren't like that in Minnesota, and basically the plains region of the BIG: much of Wisconsin , then Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

Funny thing about that thread: Michigan damn near lost yesterday, and needed terrible officiating to get past Akron. They will lose at least 2 BIG games, at least.

It's also hilarious some of them want to go back to the original 10 and even worse that Michigan fans think they can get back to football relevance without facing the GD music and playing a more national schedule. Michigan, is in fact the one true Rust Belt state with shrinking populations in various urban centers.

My only response to that thread: Why not diversify the BIG footprint, idiots?

 

[Gfunk]

I think for UConn to compete in football at a high level they have to recruit the Southeast. I can't see how they do that well in the Big 10.

I also see the ACC as a place where UConn could get to the top half of the league in a reasonable amount of time.

As for Rutgers vs. BC. Seems to me everyone already forgot Rutgers, yet many still obsess over BC. I think they are much more viable 'rival'.

The new ACC basketball league is pretty impressive. That would be a lot of fun to partake in.

While not as stark - UConn in the Big 10 smells like WVU in the Big 12. Just out on an island so far away from Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota etc.

Hard to take this post seriously - you're an outlier now. The AAC is definitely more spread out than the BIG - Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU - now that's just far more real estate than even the western reaches of the BIG.

What's truly bad for WVa - they have to go through two states just to get to Kansas or Iowa. In comparison, UConn in the BIG would mean Rutgers, PSU, and Md nearby, and for all sports. Taken a step further, in the AAC, post Lville and Rutgers, you do have Temple and Navy close by, but only football for the latter.

You know, upon further review of the AAC, despiste broken up geography, at least UConn has access to 3 of the 5 best states for hs football recruits: La, Tx, and Florida. You also have schools like Houston and Memphis who have multiple final fours in basketball, men's side. But damn that geography, it's just to broken up and the cultural bonds will be too difficult to establish. It doesn't help that the Fl, Tx and La connections include the weaker football programs of each state.

 

[whaler11]

Hard to take this post seriously - you're an outlier now. The AAC is definitely more spread out than the BIG - Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU - now that's just far more real estate than even the western reaches of the BIG.

What's truly bad for WVa - they have to go through two states just to get to Kansas or Iowa. In comparison, UConn in the BIG would mean Rutgers, PSU, and Md nearby, and for all sports. Taken a step further, in the AAC, post Lville and Rutgers, you do have Temple and Navy close by, but only football for the latter.

You know, upon further review of the AAC, despiste broken up geography, at least UConn has access to 3 of the 5 best states for hs football recruits: La, Tx, and Florida. You also have schools like Houston and Memphis who have multiple final fours in basketball, men's side. But damn that geography, it's just to broken up and the cultural bonds will be too difficult to establish. It doesn't help that the Fl, Tx and La connections include the weaker football programs of each state.

Dude if I were proposing to stay in the AAC your post might make sense.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Agree.
I'm tired of the cranky folks of the Rust Belt BIG (and that definitely includes Pa & many PSU fans who claim they are somehow Eastern), most of us aren't like that in Minnesota, and basically the plains region of the BIG: much of Wisconsin , then Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska.

PA is an odd state. Philadelphia and the areas that are East of the Susquehanna are clearly Eastern/Mid-Atlantic while West of the River, especially, Pittsburg, are more Midwest/Ohio Valley. Pittsburgh is a 2 hour drive to Cleveland and Cincinnati, while it is a 4 hour drive to Philly, which is a 2 hour drive to NYC and DC.

 

[pj]

Hard to take this post seriously - you're an outlier now. The AAC is definitely more spread out than the BIG - Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU - now that's just far more real estate than even the western reaches of the BIG.

What's truly bad for WVa - they have to go through two states just to get to Kansas or Iowa. In comparison, UConn in the BIG would mean Rutgers, PSU, and Md nearby, and for all sports. Taken a step further, in the AAC, post Lville and Rutgers, you do have Temple and Navy close by, but only football for the latter.

You know, upon further review of the AAC, despiste broken up geography, at least UConn has access to 3 of the 5 best states for hs football recruits: La, Tx, and Florida. You also have schools like Houston and Memphis who have multiple final fours in basketball, men's side. But damn that geography, it's just to broken up and the cultural bonds will be too difficult to establish. It doesn't help that the Fl, Tx and La connections include the weaker football programs of each state.

True. The B1G is more compact than the AAC, culturally the Midwest is similar to New England, and the B1G is also dominated by state flagships like UConn. Also, many B1G schools are close to major airports. Not so in the B12, making WVU's travel problem even worse.

The AAC geography is not bad for recruiting. In the old Big East we got a lot of players from Florida and Georgia. With the new teams in Texas and Louisiana, we may be able to start drawing from there, although I think that will be tougher.

The big problem with the AAC is money. I wouldn't mind playing in the AAC if we could have a Notre Dame like deal where we retain our media rights. We could get $10-20 mn for them just due to Connecticut cable plus some national games, vs $2 mn in the AAC deal. That would help prove that with a better schedule against brand names, and continued growth in the program, we could pull in $30-40 mn for a conference.

My major concern now is that the P5 will make independence impossible and reduce the number of FBS conferences. If D4 brings us down to 6 conferences with an AAC/MWC hybrid as #6, UConn won't have any leverage to bargain for independence or control of TV rights, since it won't be able to leave the AAC. Then there may be little reason for a P5 conference to invite us, since the money would be already fixed.

 

[Gfunk]

PA is an odd state. Philadelphia and the areas that are East of the Susquehanna are clearly Eastern/Mid-Atlantic while West of the River, especially, Pittsburg, are more Midwest/Ohio Valley. Pittsburgh is a 2 hour drive to Cleveland and Cincinnati, while it is a 4 hour drive to Philly, which is a 2 hour drive to NYC and DC.

I had to travel much of Pa and the Rust Belt (basically central Pa, eastern NY (esp Buffalo) thru Chicago for a couple of years, previous job. I definitely agree, there are cultural distinctions between Philly and the rest of Pa, Pitt especially. But Philly and even Baltimore remind me more of Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago than say NYC or DC - the latter being more international and certainly transplant driven. Philly and Bmore are simply located between two very global cities (NYC and DC). I guess Chicago shakes the Rust Belt image once you get closer to the city core and up onto the Northside - more like DC and NYC than say Philly or Bmore - thank the rail yards and Chicago Stock Exchange, partly, for this global culture .

Strictly my opinion, I think the denser Rust Belt core has more in common with the Northeast than say the southern half of the Atlantic, which from a historical sense makes sense - need I say weather as well. The Rust Belt and Northeast are, in more primitive terms, Yankee havens : ).

 

[upstater]

Hard to take this post seriously - you're an outlier now. The AAC is definitely more spread out than the BIG - Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USF, Houston and SMU - now that's just far more real estate than even the western reaches of the BIG.

What's truly bad for WVa - they have to go through two states just to get to Kansas or Iowa. In comparison, UConn in the BIG would mean Rutgers, PSU, and Md nearby, and for all sports. Taken a step further, in the AAC, post Lville and Rutgers, you do have Temple and Navy close by, but only football for the latter.

You know, upon further review of the AAC, despiste broken up geography, at least UConn has access to 3 of the 5 best states for hs football recruits: La, Tx, and Florida. You also have schools like Houston and Memphis who have multiple final fours in basketball, men's side. But damn that geography, it's just to broken up and the cultural bonds will be too difficult to establish. It doesn't help that the Fl, Tx and La connections include the weaker football programs of each state.

I think you have good points comparing some east coast teams in the B1G to WV's being on an island in the B12.

One thing that people miss about the AAC, however, is that the schools are in metropolitan areas. We ran this down a little while ago, but flights to Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Memphis, Orlando, Tampa, Cincinnati, Washington DC (for Navy) were all direct non-stop and averaged around $250 RT from Hartford. Tulsa was cheap too but not non-stop. Out of all the schools, only ECU in Greenville was a question mark, but I believe it's only 1 1/2 hours from Raleigh. In that sense, it's very much like traveling to WV through Pittsburgh.

 

[upstater]

I had to travel much of Pa and the Rust Belt (basically central Pa, eastern NY (esp Buffalo) thru Chicago for a couple of years, previous job. I definitely agree, there are cultural distinctions between Philly and the rest of Pa, Pitt especially. But Philly and even Baltimore remind me more of Cleveland, Detroit and Chicago than say NYC or DC - the latter being more international and certainly transplant driven. Philly and Bmore are simply located between two very global cities (NYC and DC). I guess Chicago shakes the Rust Belt image once you get closer to the city core and up onto the Northside - more like DC and NYC than say Philly or Bmore - thank the rail yards and Chicago Stock Exchange, partly, for this global culture .

Strictly my opinion, I think the denser Rust Belt core has more in common with the Northeast than say the southern half of the Atlantic, which from a historical sense makes sense - need I say weather as well. The Rust Belt and Northeast are, in more primitive terms, Yankee havens : ).

East of the Hudson, Italian and Yankee.
West of the Hudson, Dutch
NYC, Italian
Pennsylvania, Central & Western NY, the entire Midwest other than Minnesota (Scandanavian) is German.
Down South: Real Americans

 

[Gfunk]

Dude if I were proposing to stay in the AAC your post might make sense.

Let me rephrase some of my points.

UConn will always be on the edge of any conference options out there: ACC, AAC and BIG.

My case for the BIG over ACC. In the ACC or BIG, you do have 3 nearby rivals, all sports. Pitt, Syracuse and BC in the ACC, or PSU, Rutgers, and Md in the BIG - the latter being similar state flagships. Clearly in this case, the BIG offers better nearby football rivals. ACC wins on the men's basketball side, but on the women's side - Rutgers and Md are more competitive & accomplished than any combo of nearby ACC rivals. In all, the BIG simply offers far more institutional harmony than the ACC, which has five private schools (Duke, ND {partial football member), WF, Miami, & BC compared to 1 in the BIG (NW). Moreover, the BIG has every flagship in its footprint (12 total) whereas the ACC is missing the flagships in the following states: Fl, In, Ky, Pa, SC, NY & Ga. But hey, maybe I overstate here. Just saying . . .

Lastly, I think UConn's outliers in the AAC exceed the ones faced in the ACC or BIG. Between the BIG and ACC, average travel distances in the ACC are slightly lower - advantage ACC, plus those outliers are warmer, year round : ). There is no overall geographical contiguity in the AAC. In the ACC, UConn would have it. In the BIG, well shucks, you have a slight break between CT and Jersey (Greenwich to Englewood Cliffs - roughly 29 miles - though less if taken a straight path).

At the end of the day, I think my 3rd paragraph, above, includes the points that will bring UConn to the BIG - screw the traditionalists of the BIG - they'll adapt. The forces are aligning to truly separate FBS from the other divisions & push an 8 team playoff - super-conferences will therefore be wiser.

 

[whaler11]

Nobody is saying they want to be in the AAC. I think UConn would be better positioned in the ACC than Big 10. I'm not saying I wouldn't kill for a Big 10 invite.

 

[Gfunk]

East of the Hudson, Italian and Yankee.
West of the Hudson, Dutch
NYC, Italian
Pennsylvania, Central & Western NY, the entire Midwest other than Minnesota (Scandanavian) is German.
Down South: Real Americans

I hate using it, but it applies in this case; LMAO!

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Down South: Real Americans

I am Irish and French and live just West of the Hudson. As for down south, are there a lot of Native Americans there as they are really the only 'real' Americas. The rest of us are just immigrants.

 

[upstater]

I am Irish and French and live just West of the Hudson. As for down south, are there a lot of Native Americans there as they are really the only 'real' Americas. The rest of us are just immigrants.

Does the town you live in end with the letters --kill or --dam or --voort or --vliet or --hook or --laer or for that matter does it begin with Van?

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Does the town you live in end with the letters --kill or --dam or --voort or --vliet or --hook or --laer or for that matter does it begin with Van?

Nope, named after a tree. The rest of the towns (boroughs) around here tend to have 'wood' or 'river' it the name with a few Indian names. The Dutch names are more common right along the Hudson. I live about 15 miles inland.

 

[NickyNewark]

No worry here Mr Conehead its nothing a few buttwhippings couldn't cure!!We(all the newcomers) will earn our respect!How much better did the mighty Wolverines look against Uconn with all their "talent advantage" Saturday even though were in a down year?

 

[RMoore1999]

Nobody is saying they want to be in the AAC. I think UConn would be better positioned in the ACC than Big 10. I'm not saying I wouldn't kill for a Big 10 invite.

I'd give my left testicle for a B1G invite. Probably for an acc invite too, though I'd feel the pain for that procedure much more.

 

[Vuce]

Not sure this belongs in this thread but this is conference realignment related so I am going to post it. I caught Gary Danielson (college football analyst) on Mad Dog radio today. Mad Dog was complaining about all the crappy games that are out there with the big boys playing the lesser weights. Danielson said that with all the recently that some programs were scrambling to find games, etc. He said that in 2 to 3 years when the shifting ends he forsees the top 120 programs just playing each other and those lesser schools wont have to worry about playing those games and getting their kids injured for a large paycheck game. He didnt elaborate on the timeframe or anything just caught my attention when he talked about it.

 

[billybud]

"Value" is a local denomination and geography and proximity to rivals is still important.

To me, UConn has more "value" if tied to teams like Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers..and maybe, Boston College...than it would tied to teams in the southeast.

Boston College, as an example, has been an outlier in the ACC, an uncomfortable fit. No real rivalry built. No real connection to FSU, Clemson, Virginia, NC State, etc in the division.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

"Value" is a local denomination and geography and proximity to rivals is still important.

To me, UConn has more "value" if tied to teams like Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers..and maybe, Boston College...than it would tied to teams in the southeast.

Boston College, as an example, has been an outlier in the ACC, an uncomfortable fit. No real rivalry built. No real connection to FSU, Clemson, Virginia, NC State, etc in the division.

After the last year and a half, West Virginia is starting to look like the XII’s version of BC. I wonder if that is a concern in Morgantown?

 

[billybud]

After the last year and a half, West Virginia is starting to look like the XII’s version of BC. I wonder if that is a concern in Morgantown?

I would imagine that the free fall from last years #5 ranking, losing 8 of their last 12 BCS matches, and only scoring 7 points total in their two BCS games this season is of the most concern right now.

But being the only eastern team in a conference that plays west of the Mississippi has got to have a downside. When the Eers rivals were VT, Pitt, and Maryland and they now have to manufacture a rivalry with Oklahoma State or Texas, it will take a while.

FSU has been in the ACC for 22 seasons, and is only now developing a rivalry....with Clemson.