This was HFD's take on it last August (he posted this on the CSNbbs). His timing was off.:
"My friend, who connected me to this site, has egged me on to give proof of what I said last week to be true of Big Ten and the University of Connecticut now in the process of having advanced talks with the growing possibility of the University of Connecticut receiving an invite to the Big Ten in the date range of February, March of 2014. I’m pretty sure I have found a way to give proof to the readers of this site without making myself more exposed.
In the next month, in 4 weeks, you will hear public statements out of the President’s office, not just out of the Athletic Department, which will describe advanced financial plans of the University of Connecticut building a new On-Campus Ice Arena for the Men’s and Women’s University of Connecticut Hockey teams.
The University of Connecticut is working off of Big Ten instructions on how to maximize their value to gain entrance into the Big Ten conference. The Big Ten Hockey league currently has 6 teams and will be played on BTN starting this October. There will be double headers played every Friday night during the winter season. The Big Ten Hockey league is projected to be very profitable and the University of Connecticut can add value to this new league. The University of Connecticut Women’s Hockey Team, and the University of Connecticut commitment to this program, has added tremendous value to the University of Connecticut brand in front of the eyes of Big Ten officials, especially to the University of Minnesota, which is a very important step in this process. The Big Ten, besides adding the University of Connecticut in all sports, is interested in adding another partial member for “Hockey Only” from Hockey East to create an 8 team Big Ten Hockey League. These 2 new additions, University of Connecticut, plus a "Hockey Only" university, will add much needed content and value to the BTN network.
The University of Connecticut is working on adding value to their brand, working on items within their control, and is showing a commitment of growth to the Big Ten.
To answer the question of where is the proof, you will have it in new public statements in regards to advance financial plan in the building of a new On-Campus Ice Arena for the Men’s and Women’s University of Connecticut hockey teams. This investment is secured, and is now seen as a vital investment for the University of Connecticut going forward. "
Let's assume this is correct (I have gathered that HFD has a very "interesting" history here and am not taking what he says at face value). I have various things running through my mind.
My thoughts:
1. My assumption is that The NE is a big college hockey area. I played football at Northern Michigan University and the only only sport that was/is D1 is Hockey (we were D2 in football). I heard much about New England/Northeast hockey during my time there and NMU did just win a Frozen Four in '91 (beating Boston U). Could college hockey help with The BTN in Boston and other parts of New England?
2. How good is UConn's hockey program? There are so many teams out East that I haven't really heard much of them. Out here in Michigan, we hear of BU, BC and Maine to go along with our midwestern powers. I know there are others (I remember hating Denver University and Colorado College out West during my time in Marquette) and a quick glance at the championship games shows teams like RPI, Quinnepiac, New Hampshire, and several Ivy schools from out East. How does UConn fare against the other NE programs?
3. Other programs considered? If we are playing this HFD game right, travel costs will be taken care of. The Big10 is already giving the other Big10 hockey schools an additional $2 million for supplying the additional content. My guess is that whomever would be brought in would receive something similar.
- Boston U - They would be my first choice: AAU, prominent program in a large market with a huge enrollment (around 30,000), and an already large arena (6,200). Would they bring in the Boston market by themselves? No, not a chance. With UConn? Maybe.
- Cornell - Not as winning of a program and doesn't even come close to to doing anything in the NYC/New England market, but would be a link for The CiC into The Ivy Schools. They are one of those rare public/private schools and are the only Ivy that's a land grant (who knows if that's important, it wasn't for Johns Hopkins). They have a very large enrollment, but are out in the middle of no where (Ithica NY). AAU, of course.
- Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth - Doubt it, but who knows
- Denver University - Good program that would add a pretty decent lacrosse team as well. Not AAU, but a very well respected school. Not NE, but who knows?
- Providence - See below
My guess is, if it's true they take another NE hockey affiliate, the BTN wants more than NYC, they want all if NE. I would think that there would be more moves to come. I'm going to make a fool of myself here, but I have a nice, long commute where I think a lot, so here goes: The BTN is rumored to want multiple channels. Would they have enough quality live content to do so? What if The BTN went with the rumored multiple channels (BTN2, BTN8, The Ocho or whatever) and partnered with other conferences?
There's one in particular I'm thinking of: The Big East *dodges wrenches being thrown*. It would cost virtually nothing as Fox already own's their TV rights. They could broadcast teams that the new BTN markets might watch: NYC (St. Johns, Seton Hall), in DC (Georgetown) and Philly (Villinova). Maybe, combined with UConn and Boston U hockey, it might help with the NYC-Boston corridor. Throw in Providence and it just might get the job done.
The added content from the premiere non football playing BB conference would add some more quality programming to the network. With well known basketball schools like St. Johns, DePaul, Creighton, Butler, Xavier, and Georgetown, the name brands alone would help with advertising. There's nothing like live broadcasts to make a sports network go and this would help. The Big East plays baseball, soccer, and lacrosse to go along with basketball. They are already partnering with The Big10 in a basketball challenge so the communication is already there. Why would The Big East want to to this? Exposure. Getting their brands broadcasted on games they normally wouldn't would be huge.
Questions abound, I know. First and foe most, and I crazy? (My wife often thinks I am). Would The Big10 schools want another conference in on their branding? Would The Big East demand a piece of the BTN fees? How would Big10 teams like PSU, Rutgers, Maryland, Northwestern, Nebraska, and, if invited, UConn feel about having another school in their market shown on The BTN to compete with? Would it really help the BTN? Does The BTN really want 2 channels?
Go ahead, rip me apart.
