Memphis Shocks Cincinnati and the AAC Braces for Realignment

[Dooley]

The thing I like about the article is that UConn isn't one of the four schools rumored going to the B12. Surely we'd have to be one of the four most attractive packages available. That must mean the B12 reps already put out feelers and Susan said, "Not interested" (kind of like me when those nice people come around every once in a while asking if I'd like a free subscription to The Watchtower). Not interested means "We're spoken for." We're spoken for means Big Ten here we come. Woo Hoo!

I like your line of thinking but holy , that's a tough sell for UCONN fans. Passing on a sure-thing P5 spot for a dream B1G invite that may or may not ever come is a little too risky for most UCONN fans, including me, to swallow.

 

[jostar1]

On reworking the current television deal

“I have had some talks with ESPN – and some good ones – and ESPN recognizes that as do we, that we’re not the conference that we were a year and a half ago. Let’s be honest. We were in a state of turmoil and we weren’t sure what was going to happen. Nobody really knew what we had. I thought we had some good schools in this conference and I thought putting them together would make a big difference because they had never played with a group that was this competitive with that kind of spotlight. Exposure is fine. That’s not an issue for us. It’s the revenue and I think we’ve proven to ESPN how valuable we can be and we’ve done things on our own to increase that value by playing Thursday, by playing Fridays, by playing an occasional Wednesday, by being really flexible and by seeking out good non-conference games which ESPN does really appreciate. … We’ll sit down with them. We have a really short-term deal so maybe there is some way to extend out – we don’t know – but we’re certainly going to make the effort.”

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...ith-strong-start-of-league-20141004-post.html

 

[whaler11]

Obviously the rumor is fiction but if UConn's leadership ever told the Big 12 they weren't interested they should be drawn and quartered at halftime of a game.

That would be the dumbest thing anyone in the history of college athletics had ever done.

 

[Point6]

Did you really just say, "If it is/was all about football...?" Boise brings a good football program but that is all. Nothing else. We UCONN fans know, better than anyone else, it is all about football.

Believe me I feel your pain. The other thing to consider is that we were left out with the fluffy dog mascot. I loved that dog but I have moved on to the new Nike mascot. That has to add to our total package.

 

[Husky92]

We haven't hit rock bottom yet.

The pain I feel reading some of these threads let's me know full well that I'm right there with you!

 

[CL82]

If this rumor comes true and ECU, UC, UCF and USF get out before we do, somebody better get their @ss down here with a f-king prozac drip because I will go completely ballistic. That is all. Go about your day while you still can.

F-king ECU? Are you kidding me?...mutter mutter gripe mutter.....

 

[Kolumbo]

If this rumor comes true and ECU, UC, UCF and USF get out before we do, somebody better get their @ss down here with a f-king prozac drip because I will go completely ballistic. That is all. Go about your day while you still can.

F-king ECU? Are you kidding me?...mutter mutter gripe mutter.....

The ACC has 4 schools in the same state and market. And none of them have the best football team in that state this year. How whack is that!

 

[Kolumbo]

Believe me I feel your pain. The other thing to consider is that we were left out with the fluffy dog mascot. I loved that dog but I have moved on to the new Nike mascot. That has to add to our total package.

I am all in with the new logo, as you can see. I actually just sold a car with a window decal rocking the 1980's-1990's logo. I was not a fan of the fluffy dog cartoon.

 

[BlueHen]

If there is any truth to the rumors of Big XII expansion then UConn needs to do the Big XII what Louisville did to the ACC. UConn can't sit back and be passive, it needs to sell itself. The basketball programs and proximity to NYC have value. If the Big XII is willing to reach into Florida, Connecticut should be in play.

 

[bobbyinaz]

Honestly, I continue to be absolutely shocked that the ACC hasn't scooped up UCONN already. The B1G made a significant step into the northeast by adding RU and MD. There are TONS of B1G alums living on the east coast and playing games in NJ and MD is a big eastward move that will really pay off in the long run. The ACC really should be going into full defense mode of its eastern flank and UCONN would give them that protection. Not to mention, UCONN brings markets for a potential ACCN. If the B1G adds UCONN, then it instantly injects enthusiasm around here to the point where we sell out our building and bring the same kind of east coast juice that the games in RU and MD have brought. In that scenario, the ACC would have virtually no presence north of Virginia. The ACC can add UCONN now, then work on reeling in ND as a full-time member.

While we all sit here in front of our computers and preach about how valuable UConn is/would be to the B1G, ACC or Big 12 the reality is that we may not be.

DeFilippo made it very clear that the ACC has & will continue to take their cues from ESPN. If ESPN were to tell the ACC that they would increase the contract value by adding UConn or that an ACCN would be much easier to launch with a UConn addition it would be done already. I know the ESPN conspiracy believers say that why should ESPN move UConn to the ACC when they already own their rights for peanuts but, if the ACC felt they are under pressure to lose schools (which these recent blogs/tweets/articles seem to suggest) the first thing Swofford would do is go to ESPN & say "what can we do to strengthen the conference?". ESPN obviously does not believe that adding UConn provides a significant enough increase to them to justify a higher payout to the conference or a launch of an ACCN.

It appears that our belief in UConn's value to CR and another conference is significantly higher than the belief of the decision makers. This may end up being a LONG, LONG wait for us.....

 

[Dooley]

If this rumor comes true and ECU, UC, UCF and USF get out before we do, somebody better get their @ss down here with a f-king prozac drip because I will go completely ballistic. That is all. Go about your day while you still can.

F-king ECU? Are you kidding me?...mutter mutter gripe mutter.....

I think we would all go ballistic. I would definitely have to take a very long break from this CR board.

 

[Kolumbo]

While we all sit here in front of our computers and preach about how valuable UConn is/would be to the B1G, ACC or Big 12 the reality is that we may not be.

DeFilippo made it very clear that the ACC has & will continue to take their cues from ESPN. If ESPN were to tell the ACC that they would increase the contract value by adding UConn or that an ACCN would be much easier to launch with a UConn addition it would be done already. I know the ESPN conspiracy believers say that why should ESPN move UConn to the ACC when they already own their rights for peanuts but, if the ACC felt they are under pressure to lose schools (which these recent blogs/tweets/articles seem to suggest) the first thing Swofford would do is go to ESPN & say "what can we do to strengthen the conference?". ESPN obviously does not believe that adding UConn provides a significant enough increase to them to justify a higher payout to the conference or a launch of an ACCN.

It appears that our belief in UConn's value to CR and another conference is significantly higher than the belief of the decision makers. This may end up being a LONG, LONG wait for us.....

Plus it's not just a matter of value. UCONN, L-ville, Pitt, SU, they could all add about the same value. Now it's about whether or not to expand, the law of diminishing returns...L-ville was seen as more valuable because of its proximity to other conferences. Oh it. Who the hell knows anymore, or cares.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I think Aresco might have more luck in TV negotiations if the AAC could get over .500 against CUSA

 

[John]

I think we would all go ballistic. I would definitely have to take a very long break from this CR board.

If any school in this DF12 leaves before us, never mind four of them, I will probably slide into an Edgar Allen Poe level depression.

 

[metsfan2323]

If Fox is financing the B12's expansion UCONN has to be in play. Travel distance is overrated, once you are using a jet to travel does it really make that much of a difference if you are flying from Texas to North Carolina vs Texas to Hartford? What is that an extra hour of flight time at most, big deal. UCONN basketball (Men's and Women's) plus the Northeast market has to be more valuable to Fox than a second florida school or East Carolina, or even Cincy.

 

[buddy]

If there is any truth to the rumors of Big XII expansion then UConn needs to do the Big XII what Louisville did to the ACC. UConn can't sit back and be passive, it needs to sell itself. The basketball programs and proximity to NYC have value. If the Big XII is willing to reach into Florida, Connecticut should be in play.

I would certainly hope that the UConn administration has learned it's lesson from it's previous head in the sand approach. Any invitation that comes along to any P5 conference should be embraced.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Honestly, I continue to be absolutely shocked that the ACC hasn't scooped up UCONN already. The B1G made a significant step into the northeast by adding RU and MD. There are TONS of B1G alums living on the east coast and playing games in NJ and MD is a big eastward move that will really pay off in the long run. The ACC really should be going into full defense mode of its eastern flank and UCONN would give them that protection. Not to mention, UCONN brings markets for a potential ACCN. If the B1G adds UCONN, then it instantly injects enthusiasm around here to the point where we sell out our building and bring the same kind of east coast juice that the games in RU and MD have brought. In that scenario, the ACC would have virtually no presence north of Virginia. The ACC can add UCONN now, then work on reeling in ND as a full-time member.

Ultimately, this is what I expect will happen. The ACC is biding its time, waiting for the B1G of Big XII to become a real threat to take UConn and then we'll have our invite. It has an open slot right now to fix an unbalanced number of teams in every sport but football. Going unbalanced in football is no issue because of the ND games and the ability to pick teams for the conf championship.

 

[Fairfield_1st]

If this rumor comes true and ECU, UC, UCF and USF get out before we do, somebody better get their @ss down here with a f-king prozac drip because I will go completely ballistic.

Great comedy. I love these little gems I find in the midst of the pain and agony.

 

[ZooCougar]

I believe the rumor is BS. Last I heard, the Big 12 had little appetite to assist WVU. They don't want to travel more. Of course I could be wrong.

 

[Fishy]

I believe the rumor is BS. Last I heard, the Big 12 had little appetite to assist WVU. They don't want to travel more. Of course I could be wrong.

You're right.

They have no need to appease West Virginia.

 

[ZooCougar]

You're right.

They have no need to appease West Virginia.

In the first year that WVU was in the Big 12, they scheduled really stupidly with basketball and the other non football sports. It's really not that bad for WVU, and it's painless for the rest of the Big 12. Why would the rest of the Big 12 want to make it more painful? It's just patently absurd.

 

[CoastAtlantic]

http://www.bcsnn.com/aac/777-cincinnati-s-stock-keeps-plummeting-while-ucf-and-ecu-s-rise.html

The new rumor is ECU, USF, UCF and UConn. I have no idea whether to believe this or not but I have a theory that if the B12 passes on Cincinnati it's because Cincinnati has been promised an invitation to the ACC.

 

[Dooley]

http://www.bcsnn.com/aac/777-cincinnati-s-stock-keeps-plummeting-while-ucf-and-ecu-s-rise.html

The new rumor is ECU, USF, UCF and UConn. I have no idea whether to believe this or not but I have a theory that if the B12 passes on Cincinnati it's because Cincinnati has been promised an invitation to the ACC.

This one cracked me up. The reasoning for the B12 passing on Cincinnati is because their football team has struggled this year. In that case, I hope that we aren't on TV anywhere in the B12 footprint. Maybe playing on ESPN Ocho is doing a good job of keeping our clusterf--- program buried under the radar where I hope it stays (until we can win a few games).

 

[larryredbull]

Maybe playing on ESPN Ocho is doing a good job of keeping our clusterf--- program buried under the radar where I hope it stays (until we can win a few games).

Dont worry about that. Maybe you guys can drop down to FCS for awhile to win a few games.

 

[Kolumbo]

http://www.bcsnn.com/aac/777-cincinnati-s-stock-keeps-plummeting-while-ucf-and-ecu-s-rise.html

The new rumor is ECU, USF, UCF and UConn. I have no idea whether to believe this or not but I have a theory that if the B12 passes on Cincinnati it's because Cincinnati has been promised an invitation to the ACC.

for the love of God....
those aren't rumors, those are the ramblings of a a guy entertaining himself.