The Realignment Landscape from a UConn Perspective

[Ldandy]

Easy to forget, since they never played a game. But they did pay exit fees.

Exactly. They got a better deal and they took it. No different than every other team that left the old Big East. Same as UCONN would with The AAC.

 

[whaler11]

Exactly. They got a better deal and they took it. No different than every other team that left the old Big East. Same as UCONN would with The AAC.

Yes and note the deal they took isn't good so what does that say about the combined entities? It means no one wanted to pay them.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Besides UConn in basketball and possibly Boise State in football, what "name schools" are members of the AAC/MWC/MAC?

Outside of BYU,and the Service Academy's, probably Houston,SMU, San Diego State, Cinncy,Memphis,and shockingly Tulane have any national recognition.
Schools like CFU,ECU, are better football programs but new in a national sense.
Who actually stands out in the MAC ,it's a fun football conference because anyone can emerge from the pack.
If I where framing an argument against the P5 I certainly would play up the death of regional conferences like the MAC and Sun Belt as victims of the greed.

 

[B1GOSU]

The problem with markets for the AAC is that no school in the AAC is large enough/important enough to deliver a market outside of UConn. Houston and SMU don't really move the needle in the state of Texas. Top recruits don't go to Houston or SMU, so other AAC schools certainly can't expect to come in and grab 4 or 5 star recruits from the state when Houston and SMU can't even do that. Same with UCF and USF in Florida. There is no way the AAC would ever have its own TV channel, so those larger markets can't be utilized for a cable channel. The only market benefit would be for the national ESPN contract, and that isn't necessarily a great benefit. It's good in the sense that ESPN will pay more for Houston and SMU and the little they bring the Dallas and Houston markets than it would for Marshall or Middle Tennessee, which have no major markets at all.

The old Conference USA never was considered anything major, so why would it be so now as the AAC? UConn replaces Louisville. That is more or less the only difference. Temple is on the level of the old Conference USA. Everyone else is the old Conference USA.

How many of those teams have ever had a top 5 finish to even have a shot at the current 4 team playoff? I think a 2 loss team in every Power 5 conference would be considered first before an undefeated AAC team. I don't think an AAC team will ever sniff the playoffs, even if they do expand to 8 teams. Ten years ago, would anyone have said a Conference USA team has a shot at the playoffs if the playoffs existed? Of course not.

UConn is just stuck right now, whether its fair or not. I don't think its permanent. However, UConn needs to take care of business to ensure it gets out. I'm sure Cincinnati and others are thinking the same thing and are trying to position themselves to get their ticket out, so it can't be a forgone conclusion that UConn is next in line necessarily. You have to work at it to make sure it happens and don't just assume it will happen.

 

[Pudge]

Yes and note the deal they took isn't good so what does that say about the combined entities? It means no one wanted to pay them.

Let's not forget the time frame. When Boise and/or San Diego State joined ... were TCU, Pitt, SU, Louisville, (oops) Rutgers in or out? Once we slid and then slid again, you really never could talk Value of a TV package. It's not fair to just see this as anything but episodic slippage. Boise and SD State aren't in because the BE really never materialized as they were promised. Then ... of course, the money got worse.

 

[whaler11]

Let's not forget the time frame. When Boise and/or San Diego State joined ... were TCU, Pitt, SU, Louisville, (oops) Rutgers in or out? Once we slid and then slid again, you really never could talk Value of a TV package. It's not fair to just see this as anything but episodic slippage. Boise and SD State aren't in because the BE really never materialized as they were promised. Then ... of course, the money got worse.

Let's be honest. It makes no sense for them (Boise/SDSU). As bad as the AAC is the combined conference would skew very east. They would travel like crazy, play better teams on average and it would be much harder to win 8-10 games.

It makes more sense to make a touch less and beat up on the half of Mountain West that can't get out of their own way - without flying to Hartford, Phili, Orlando, Tampa and Raleigh.

 

[Fishy]

Easy to forget, since they never played a game. But they did pay exit fees.

San Diego State got out free.

 

[JayRU09]

Maryland negotiated a front-loaded deal - they'll get $32M after their first season and also will be given a travel subsidy to help them adjust to the additional costs of being in the Big Ten. Rutgers received no such concessions.

Rutgers was Maryland's plus-one - they were not getting the invite without Maryland.

We worked out a deal for $17M a year for seven years before receiving a full share.

 

[NickyNewark]

We worked out a deal for $17M a year for seven years before receiving a full share.

Thats what I'm talking about....its better than I thought!! That should keep us afloat for awhile. Sounds about like full ACC level untill "20/21"? I found it tough getting any real numbers outside the vague half share and 10% yrly percentages until full financial member after the sixth yr. Is this new/recent info?

 

[JayRU09]

Recent info from someone inside the AD. The B1G knows we need the help and I think when it became clear that they would reach their goals with the BTN it became easier to give us some extra help.

 

[ZooCougar]

Look at this way guys, if UConn does what it is supposed to do, it will be easy to stand out.

 

[Adios]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flutie_Effect

UMass-Amherst, URI, etc, have yet to have such a moment that'll put them at the table with the big boys. Some may point at UMass-Amherst's Final Four under Squid, but that's vacated. URI has no ambition to be powerful in athletics. Nice state, though.

UMass-Amherst and UMass-Lowell might be competing against each other now with UMass-Lowell going nuts in hockey. Outdoing UMass-Amherst. The Riverhawks were close to winning a title in hockey. UMass-Amherst better pray Jonathan Quick's two Stanley Cup wins help.

 

[buddy]

If UCONN is not invited to The B1G or ACC by the end of The AAC's current media deal, I would hope that your AD would strongly look into negotiating with the top programs of The AAC, MWC, and possibly MAC about forming a new conference meeting P5 Standard. Fox and NBC would likely covet a national reaching conference with plenty of name schools in it. Enough to provide a respectable media deal. At that point a push for an 8 team playoff will likely be in swing. P6 Conference Champs + 2 wild cards.

Recent info from someone inside the AD. The B1G knows we need the help and I think when it became clear that they would reach their goals with the BTN it became easier to give us some extra help.

What does this have to do with UConn and CR? Do you really think people here care about RU and their lottery jackpot?

 

[Adios]

What does this have to do with UConn and CR? Do you really think people here care about RU and their lottery jackpot?

He's saying that since no one cares about Rutgers, there's rumblings in the B1G about adding UConn.

 

[buddy]

He's saying that since no one cares about Rutgers, there's rumblings in the B1G about adding UConn.

I disagree. They were responding to the fact that RU was MD's +1. It has nothing to do with UConn and are basically rubbing in our faces. Nowhere does it say anything about UConn. They needed Maryland to get to the B1G and they succeeded. That is what they are saying.

 

[pj]

You guys are over-sensitive. Ldandy was discussing our best backup plan if a B1G invitation doesn't come. That is absolutely UConn-relevant. JayRU09 was responding to a question from Nicky about why Rutgers' payout was increased from earlier reports. Rutgers is more valuable than the B1G expected; that is relevant to how the B1G regards UConn.

Even if those points weren't UConn relevant, they are just engaging in normal civil conversation. Be gentlemanly.

 

[NickyNewark]

I disagree. They were responding to the fact that RU was MD's +1. It has nothing to do with UConn and are basically rubbing in our faces. Nowhere does it say anything about UConn. They needed Maryland to get to the B1G and they succeeded. That is what they are saying.

No he was responding to my question regarding how the B1G is paying new members in various ways differently but in the long run evenly....Mds deal is frontloaded and had unique circumstances and may have needed a "sweetener".

 

[Pudge]

JayRU09 and others are like Pavlov's Dog however. The slights we regularly throw at Rutgers, deservedly targeted I might add, get them here in a Nano. It's dissipated in number of Rutgers guys in 2 years. Their argument generally centers on how great their Football is because of all the better 3 & 4 Stars they've recruited. Record comparison - keeping in mind our PP hiccup - over the last 10 years is fairly indistinguishable to what was our first 10 in FBS. I think Kyle Flood is in for a really rocky 2013.

So ... if they were a Maryland PLUS 1, what does their inclusion say for the B1G entrance into the NYC and Eastern seaboard market. Not much. Any splash in NYC - particularly MBB (and probably CFB) needs UConn. The 200 guys that wear Scarlet that show for their MSG games never pulls along any casual-yet-bigtime College hoop fans in Metro NYC. It is going to be a UConn with the Brand & our latest stars that excites the upper decks.

 

[buddy]

You guys are over-sensitive. Ldandy was discussing our best backup plan if a B1G invitation doesn't come. That is absolutely UConn-relevant. JayRU09 was responding to a question from Nicky about why Rutgers' payout was increased from earlier reports. Rutgers is more valuable than the B1G expected; that is relevant to how the B1G regards UConn.

Even if those points weren't UConn relevant, they are just engaging in normal civil conversation. Be gentlemanly.

No disrespect was meant to Nicky or RU. I didn't see what their conversation had to do with UConn, that's all.

 

[JayRU09]

It was a tidbit over us being 'Maryland's +1' and how they are getting more money from the B1G earlier, and someone saying we were getting no such concessions. But we are, not to the level of Maryland getting huge money upfront before dropping down, but just getting a higher amount than originally thought.

Here's realignment stuff for you guys:

Proposed autonomy rules makes the Big XII by far the weakest P5 group. They will have to expand sometime in the future.

 

[NickyNewark]

No disrespect was meant to Nicky or RU. I didn't see what their conversation had to do with UConn, that's all.

No problem guys...I completely understand where you're coming from and remember at least for me and i even think JRU we are just simple fans too and only want the best for UConn as locals and brother privates....i always try to avoid what might/could be perceived slights but in this summer lull I had to know(curiosity) what was happening on that front so my apologies to those offended. Thanks to you JRU for the info.