Big 12 will make significant push for UConn (merged)

[HuskyNan]

Makes me UCF is 25 minutes from me - it’s recently become a member of the Big 12. I would get to see my Huskies in person again!

https://www.si.com/college/westvirginia/big-12/report-big-12-will-make-significant-push-for-uconn

 

[CajunHusky]

Makes me UCF is 25 minutes from me - it’s recently become a member of the Big 12. I would get to see my Huskies in person again!

https://www.si.com/college/westvirginia/big-12/report-big-12-will-make-significant-push-for-uconn

From the article, emphasis added:

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports recently stated in an interview on ESPN 960AM, "There will be a significant push to get UConn into the Big 12. I don't know which way that will go; they're terrible in football and have travel issues. He will have to get that past the presidents. But the fact that it's being talked about now, especially in basketball, suggests there's some support with it."

This whole push for UConn is about men's sports. There is no upside to this right now. Men BB (and Women's BB) should stay right where they are. What kind of a league is Big 12 w/o Texas and Oklahoma? No No No

 

[Carnac]

This thread will certainly generate a ton of responses. My first thought is how badly does UConn want to join a P5 conference, especially one whose member schools are mostly located in the midwest, and as the article mentions would have travel issues, and their football team is still rebuilding, and two, what is the projected financial health of the Big 12 in the next 5-10 years?

Is this a "Godfather" offer? Would this be a move UConn is willing to make, or are they better off for now staying put in the Big East and perhaps waiting for things to settle down in 2-3 years and then addressing the possibility of changing conferences (assuming an offer would still be on the table)?

The Big 12 is leaking oil and taking on water right now with the departure of Texas and Oklahoma. I’m not sure that is a vessel you want to board right now. I know UConn is eager to join a P5 conference, but I question if this would really benefit them in the long run. A better offer might be forthcoming down the road in a few years.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Is any conference other than the Big 10 and the SEC okay anymore? Maybe the ACC is fine. Pac 12 and Big 12 both look like they are on shaky ground to me. I think the P5 is going to cease to exist sooner than later. Might be P2 or P3.

 

[HuskyNan]

the Big 12 is a better conference than the Big East. It’s 6th now but if UConn leaves, it’s standing will drop like a rock.

Would you rather see UConn play Baylor or Providence, Oklahoma or Xavier, hmmmmm….?

 

[HuskyNan]

 

[hoopsnloops32]

The Big 12 will collapse is 5 years anyways.

 

[Husker Husky]

I'm hoping that the Big 10 comes to their senses.

 

[UConnCat]

The Big 12 will collapse is 5 years anyways.

I don't think so. Just last year the Big 12 signed a $2.3 billion media rights deal with ESPN/Fox through 2030-31.

Meanwhile, the PAC-12 can't seem to sign a media deal with anybody and the ACC is holding on to Clemson and FSU only because of the GOR clause in their media deal.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

The Big 12 will collapse is 5 years anyways.

PAC and ACC look way more likely to collapse

 

[CL82]

Lousy? Which team are you referring to? Surely not the men's basketball team which are the reigning national champions? Of course, it could be the women's basketball team which holds the most national championships of any team. Perhaps you were referring to the baseball team which was ranked in the top 15 last year? Could it be the men's or women's hockey teams that were both ranked in the top 15 as well?

Oh, wait a minute, you must mean the football team which went to a bowl game last year. Are teams that go to ball games lousy? How about teams that have won their conference championship twice and go into a BCS bowl game? Are teams that have beaten perennial football powers like Notre Dame and SEC teams like South Carolina lousy? Or what about teams that have beaten big 12 potential peers like Baylor or Iowa State? Are they considered lousy? I'm just wondering.

Connecticut had three consecutive bad football coaching hires, but before that they sold it out Rentschler field (40000) about a dozen times and had many many more times of the crowds were about 38 to 39,000. There's not a reason in the world why Connecticut won't return to that given now that we have a former NFL and Pac 12 coach in Jim Mora in particularly if we have an affiliation with a P5 conference. Of course, in the meantime some uninformed people might refer to the team is "lousy" but I would expect that to change over time.

 

[Carnac]

From the article, emphasis added:

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports recently stated in an interview on ESPN 960AM, "There will be a significant push to get UConn into the Big 12. I don't know which way that will go; they're terrible in football and have travel issues. He will have to get that past the presidents. But the fact that it's being talked about now, especially in basketball, suggests there's some support with it."

This whole push for UConn is about men's sports. There is no upside to this right now. Men BB (and Women's BB) should stay right where they are. What kind of a league is Big 12 w/o Texas and Oklahoma? No No No

One more consideration to think about before you get up and do your happy dance...............Exit Fees.

“We didn’t join the Big East to leave,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said back in May, 2020. “They didn’t bring us in to leave, and we didn’t join to leave.” The school couldn’t be happier to be back in the Big East, and one way it’s showed its gratitude is by agreeing to pay a whopping $30 million exit fee if it were to leave any time within its first six years in the league. That fee gradually decreases after six years, but will still be substantial for a while.

Don’t forget, UConn is still paying the AAC about $1 million a year over the next six years for its own $17 million exit fee, which was largely covered by turning over the school’s share of media rights to the AAC. UConn currently has a $43.5 million athletics budget deficit that has caused the school to drop several sports, among other measures. But wouldn’t all those deficits be made up for by the financial windfall of joining the Big 12 or ACC? Well, sure. But not for a long time. Yes, the ACC shares $32.3 million per member school via its media-rights deal. The Big East only shares about $4 million per school. But typically, when a school joins a new conference, it doesn’t become fully-vested for such payments for several years.

Schools aren’t immediately fully-vested in NCAA units and other payments earned by their new conference, either. UConn won’t be fully-vested in the Big East for another three years. Right now, it’s all speculation. But don’t speculate that UConn is packing for a Big East departure. Bottom line is that may not be happening anytime soon — if ever.

 

[EricLA]

This is totally a no-brainer. Big 12 would be amazing. UCONN football has already made some nice strides. Let them continue to rise. I think in the long run UCONN will be a more desirable overall sports program than Rutgers or BCU. But it's all about football. Many things need to happen down the road. Better football program, more fannies in the seats, upgrade and expand Rentschler Field, etc.

Getting us in to a current power conference, even if it is dismantled down the road, hopefully helps pay big dividends in giving us a place at the big boys table when the musical chairs stops. People who continue to hope for the status quo in the Big East are short sighted. How long do you think UCONN can support all it's sports teams, almost all of which lose money, without the revenues from football? Revenues, BTW, that are miniscule as an independent vs. being in a power conference?

 

[SweatinIt]

Don’t do it !!! As stated previously, Big12 will be defunct sooner than later.

 

[dtbtbtb]

The Big East in WBB is going down in quality (aside then UConn) with losing a lot of the stars as well promising possible future stars and i don't see it getting better....Clearly what behind such a move to the Big 12 is money and the need to be in a P5 conference. It does seem that in the near future the only real players will be a P2 (SEC and Big10) but to stay in the Big East is not the solution.

 

[Carnac]

The Big East in WBB is going down in quality (aside then UConn) with losing a lot of the stars as well promising possible future stars and i don't see it getting better....Clearly what behind such a move to the Big 12 is money and the need to be in a P5 conference. It does seem that in the near future the only real players will be a P2 (SEC and Big10) but to stay in the Big East is not the solution.

I think the main question here is not if UConn should try to get into a major conference. As EricLA said, it's a no brainer. The question is when? Timing is everything.

 

[HuskyNan]

https://www.si.com/college/2023/05/15/college-football-expansion-whats-next-power-5-conferences

 

[DEpup]

the Big 12 is a better conference than the Big East. It’s 6th now but if UConn leaves, it’s standing will drop like a rock.

Would you rather see UConn play Baylor or Providence, Oklahoma or Xavier, hmmmmm….?

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The Big 12 won't be any better once their 1st and 3rd place team leave the conference.

 

[JellyBean]

The Big 12 will collapse is 5 years anyways.

Yup. I am almost with you on this one. I got the Big 12 closing shop in 10 years.

 

[HuskyNan]

These are the 2023-24 Big 12 teams. The following season Texas and Oklahoma go to the SEC and the Big 12 will look to expand.

 

[CL82]

Don’t do it !!! As stated previously, Big12 will be defunct sooner than later.

Thank you for your interest in Connecticut conference realignment.

 

[uconnfan68]

Yup. I am almost with you on this one. I got the Big 12 closing shop in 10 years.

The ACC and Pac-12 are much more vulnerable. Maybe the ACC leftovers would be a better fit.

 

[CL82]

The ACC and Pac-12 are much more vulnerable. Maybe the ACC leftovers would be a better fit.

Maybe, but that's definitely the B plan.

 

[oldhusky]

The Big East in WBB is going down in quality (aside then UConn) with losing a lot of the stars as well promising possible future stars and i don't see it getting better....Clearly what behind such a move to the Big 12 is money and the need to be in a P5 conference. It does seem that in the near future the only real players will be a P2 (SEC and Big10) but to stay in the Big East is not the solution.

One thing I thought might happen but it apparently hasn't is the addition of Uconn to the Big East raising the level of the other teams. The conference lost some big time players this off-season and Uconn still seems to be the only team in the conference that has a good chance at say top 50 level recruits.

The rest of the conference is not able to recruit at a level to improve the league overall despite Uconn's presence. Seems like it is what it is, with the Big East being as good as any of the next tier conferences, but clearly a significant notch behind the Power 5, and not looking like they can close the gap.

Travel is an issue, but it was with the AAC as well so at least we know how much of a factor that can be.