I wouldn't worry too much about UConn not making much noise in realignment talk

[CAHUSKY]

How does the author possibly draw this conclusion from the article he wrote?

Lots of factors would go into a Big 12 expansion decision, but this shows more reasons for the conference to look at BYU and UCF/USF/Cincinnati and be wary of UConn and Boise State.

 

[ElGuapo]

I'm with Butch on this one.
So many years hanging here that all signs point to the B1G.
Take emotion out of it and you will see.
I'm guilty of it for checking this place multiple times a day.
UCONN is positioning itself grandly towards meeting B1G metrics.

 

[Dooley]

Ya'll better fire up LinkedIn!

http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...2-conference-expansion-byu-ucf-usf-cincinnati

>>We checked with LinkedIn to find out where the graduates of each Big 12 school and the most frequently mentioned potential candidates (Boise State, BYU, Cincinnati, Memphis, UConn, UCF, USF) actually live.<<

Excellent use of "Ya'll". That is exactly what it will take to appeal to B12 fans.

 

[BoatShow]

What drives me nuts the most about these types of stories is that people look at Hartford and they go, "Oh well there's barely any B1G/Big 12 alumni there so it would be a mistake to invite UConn."

B1G/Big 12 Alumni travel so ridiculously well and to be right smack within 2 hours and change of NYC and Boston that's absolutely a perfect situation. Anyone remember how many Michigan fans showed up at the Rent two years ago? If you think most of them were flying in from the Mitten you are crazy, they all convoyed up from NYC and down from Boston.

UConn would have no problem packing the Rent every Saturday for football and Gampel on most nights for basketball.

We all remember how WVU fans would pile into the Rent. ISU also brought tons of people when they played here. Texas had a huge showing at Gampel this year as well. But yeah Big12 fans travel so well it doesn't matter much. Obviously Michigan is Big10 but people were losing their minds over them bringing 10-12k fans to the Rent but that's normal for big time football. It just stood out a lot more in a 40k seat stadium vs a 65k seat one.

 

[Adios]

So we need a date. There are no obvious candidates unless the B1G wishes to pay up on an ACC/SEC/B12 buyout. And so, we have to wait until the B12 implodes to free up a Kansas or OU or even the mighty Texas. Don't bother posting about the continuous geography rule for the B1G footprint. If OU or Texas is available, I think they make an exception.

SEC has no buyout.

Thinking about what the OP said, UConn has not said a damn word about any conference other than the AAC.

I am going to miss the Hockey East.

 

[pj]

SEC has no buyout, but they have ESPN and the B1G won't want to cross ESPN as long as they are a bidder for B1G rights. Presumably that's why the B1G was vetting Vanderbilt -- not that it was attractive to the B1G, but it was a school the SEC and ESPN wouldn't mind losing. They could move Vanderbilt to the B1G, NC State to the SEC, and the ACC could backfill in a number of ways -- SEC would be more valuable replacing its secondary TN school, a small private school, with its first NC school, a large state school; ACC would be closer to a network, relieved of its four school in NC problem and getting a new market. Vanderbilt would be attracted to B1G academics. B1G would have a partner for UConn. Everybody wins ... maybe.

 

[whaler11]

Yes, work has to be done; but, publicly politicking for it usually doses not work in college football, especially with the B1G - just ask Missouri, and the corporate world. Remember, while these entities are universities - this is strictly about business and money.

I do a lot of M&A work and while Wall Street may get wind of deals from time to time, companies don't go advertising that a deal is imminent. The only time they go public is if the deal had already been floated and rejected resulting in the bid to go hostile with both sides using to press to sway the target's shareholders, see Anthem and Cigna right now. Deals do not go public in advance because as soon as a deal is known (and sometimes before just based on rumors alone) competitors for both the buyer and seller will smell blood in the water and make runs at their customers and key employees. Happens all of the time.

Um Aetna and Humana was the worst kept secret in history. Wall Street leaked it weeks before an offer.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

Um Aetna and Humana was the worst kept secret in history. Wall Street leaked it weeks before an offer.

Likely on purpose as it came out right around the time the rumor popped-up about UHC buying Aetna along with Anthem buying Cigna. Rumors of Humana putting itself up for sale have been around since early 2015. Everyone was just waiting for the green flag to drop - the SCOTUS ruling in ACA subsidies. By leaking this news, Aetna tried to squash the talk of UHC buying them (cost of a combined Aetna/Humana entity and regulatory anti-trust concerns) and showing Cigna that Aetna could outbid them for Humana. Cigna is interested in buying Humana as a strategy to avoid being bought themselves by Anthem. It's all posturing once the first move was made. Sound familiar? See the mad scramble after Maryland and Rutgers bolted to the BIG.

 

[whaler11]

Likely on purpose as it came out right around the time the rumor popped-up about UHC buying Aetna along with Anthem buying Cigna. Rumors of Humana putting itself up for sale have been around since early 2015. Everyone was just waiting for the green flag to drop - the SCOTUS ruling in ACA subsidies. By leaking this news, Aetna tried to squash the talk of UHC buying them (cost of a combined Aetna/Humana entity and regulatory anti-trust concerns) and showing Cigna that Aetna could outbid them for Humana. Cigna is interested in buying Humana as a strategy to avoid being bought themselves by Anthem. It's all posturing once the first move was made. Sound familiar? See the mad scramble after Maryland and Rutgers bolted to the BIG.

The initial rumor was an Aetna/Cigna merger - I don't think that was published anywhere. A week later an analyst came out of a meeting with Aetna and said Aetna/Humana.

CIGNA/Anthem news was after and the United letter to Aetna was well after.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

SEC has no buyout, but they have ESPN and the B1G won't want to cross ESPN as long as they are a bidder for B1G rights. Presumably that's why the B1G was vetting Vanderbilt -- not that it was attractive to the B1G, but it was a school the SEC and ESPN wouldn't mind losing. They could move Vanderbilt to the B1G, NC State to the SEC, and the ACC could backfill in a number of ways -- SEC would be more valuable replacing its secondary TN school, a small private school, with its first NC school, a large state school; ACC would be closer to a network, relieved of its four school in NC problem and getting a new market. Vanderbilt would be attracted to B1G academics. B1G would have a partner for UConn. Everybody wins ... maybe.

Hypothetically, say Missouri bolts the SEC for the BIG and UConn would be their partner. Who would the SEC back fill with or would they just stay at 13 and wait for the ACC or XII to fall apart?

 

[Adios]

Vanderbilt is never leaving the SEC. It's their baby. I have no idea who'd even come up with this crap.

SEC-B1G rivalry started with Vanderbilt and Michigan.

 

[pj]

Vanderbilt is never leaving the SEC. It's their baby. I have no idea who'd even come up with this crap.

Nebraska sports writers: http://www.teamspeedkills.com/2013/4/23/4256822/big-ten-vanderbilt-expansion-conference-realignment "two sources have told The World-Herald that the Big Ten has done prior "homework" on Oklahoma, Kansas and Vanderbilt among other schools who might some day be expansion targets."

If the B1G had its druthers, it would probably prefer Missouri, Kentucky, or Tennessee to Vandy. If Vandy is the lone SEC school it's looking at, it must be because that's what's available.

 

[uconnfan68]

Vanderbilt is never leaving the SEC. It's their baby. I have no idea who'd even come up with this crap.

SEC-B1G rivalry started with Vanderbilt and Michigan.

That's like saying BC would never leave the Big East, and Maryland would never leave the ACC, because both were founding members in those conferences. S! happens.