UConn fans should stop pretending we have a shot at the Big 12

[djct1999]

I think you are overestimating the rationality of the BXII. I think they will either do nothing, or make an impulsive knee jerk addition.

By the way, Kansas is a huge brand name, UConn is getting close to where they are but in the B1G's eyes they are probably a bball equivalent of Nebraska. If Kansas, OU and one other football brand can head to the B1G, UConn will make a case for being the 4th addition. 2bb + 2fb.

HUH? I don't know a lot, but I am fairly certain that the B1G does not consider us as the basketball equivalent of Nebraska. That is pure lunacy. In fact, Delaney and company would probably rank our women's program in terms of value ahead of the Nebraska men.

 

[Gurleyman]

HUH? I don't know a lot, but I am fairly certain that the B1G does not consider us as the basketball equivalent of Nebraska. That is pure lunacy. In fact, Delaney and company would probably rank our women's program in terms of value ahead of the Nebraska men.

Not to speak out of turn, but I think his point was the B1G might view UConn basketball as an equivalent to Nebraska football. That's how I read it anyway. Although maybe I read it that way because the idea that UConn and Nebraska are equivalent in basketball is too far out there.

 

[djct1999]

Not to speak out of turn, but I think his point was the B1G might view UConn basketball as an equivalent to Nebraska football. That's how I read it anyway. Although maybe I read it that way because the idea that UConn and Nebraska are equivalent in basketball is too far out there.

Yeah, maybe I misunderstood it. In fact, it has to be that. My bad. Damn these are sensitive times.

 

[whaler11]

He meant that UConn basketball would be an outlier like Nebraska football. Not that their basketball programs are similar.

 

[Dooley]

Hey, I jumped down the assistant AD at Notre Dame's throat for posting a honest and sincere question about picture selection in a recent UConn football promotion. These are (overly) sensitive times indeed!

 

[junglehusky]

HUH? I don't know a lot, but I am fairly certain that the B1G does not consider us as the basketball equivalent of Nebraska. That is pure lunacy. In fact, Delaney and company would probably rank our women's program in terms of value ahead of the Nebraska men.

I meant Kansas would be viewed by the B1G as a bball brand the way they view Nebraska as a football brand. Sorry if that was unclear. Then, UConn + Kansas would be the 2 bball brands, OU and team X (Texas? OSU?) would be the 2 football brands. Balanced.

 

[CL82]

All it takes is the AD telling other schools & conferences what UConn brings and they will add us, nobody has added us so the AD must not have told them how good we are. Of course - it's so simple!

Who on this board has ever said UConn's value is zero? Not me - I'm in the camp that UConn can make a case to the B1G / ACC.

Ring, ring - ring, ring

Hello?

Is this Jim Delany?

Yes it is.

Hi, this Warde Manuel, the AD at UConn.

Well hi Warde. How the hell are you?

Um, I'm fine Jim, uh, may I call you Jim?

Absolutely Warde, ab-so-lute-ly!

Uh, so I wanted to say that UConn is a pretty terrific school, with good academic and athletic success.

Yep you sure do!

Uh and we have some decent markets and a pretty strong following in NYC.

Hell, you don't have to tell me, son. I was there at the Michigan State game in MSG aand my ears are still ringing, ha ha ha.

Uh, sorry?

No problem son, no problem at all. So what can I do for you?

Well we were, uh, wondering if we could join the Big Ten?

Well hell yeah! You'd be a great fit for us, and I wouldn't mind you winning a few more national championships in basketball for us! Just wish I knew that you were interested earlier.

Really?

Ab-so-lute-ly. I'll have our lawyers draw something up and send it to you next week.

Cool thanks. I guess I'll be talking to you soon.

Ab-so-lute-ly. Bye Bye

http://i2./www.votersopinion.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/that-was-easy.jpg

 

[1husky]

All it takes is the AD telling other schools & conferences what UConn brings and they will add us, nobody has added us so the AD must not have told them how good we are. Of course - it's so simple!

Who on this board has ever said UConn's value is zero? Not me - I'm in the camp that UConn can make a case to the B1G / ACC.

That's great and all but as far as anyone knows the B1G/ACC aren't adding anyone for the next 10 years. UConn cannot wait that long. IF the Big12 or any other P5 league adds anyone then we should be at the top of the list. No one else available touches UConn's combo of athletic success, academics and markets. Sorry that you and Whaler don't see that. Hopefully Boren sees that. Warde and Susan should damn well make sure the other presidents and the commissioners see it too since we're already playing in TX and OK and LA for 10% of the money. Decision makers in the Big12 were shortsighted with Louisville. If they are shortsighted again it could mean the end of their league. They better understand that too. If you and Whaler believe Memphis, Cincy, and UCF have more value than us than I can see why you think no one at UConn should be held accountable and we should just walk away with our tail between our legs. I happen to believe that is insane.

 

[junglehusky]

That's great and all but as far as anyone knows the B1G/ACC aren't adding anyone for the next 10 years. UConn cannot wait that long. IF the Big12 or any other P5 league adds anyone then we should be at the top of the list. No one else available touches UConn's combo of athletic success, academics and markets. Sorry that you and Whaler don't see that. Hopefully Boren sees that. Warde and Susan should damn well make sure the other presidents and the commissioners see it too since we're already playing in TX and OK and LA for 10% of the money. Decision makers in the Big12 were shortsighted with Louisville. If they are shortsighted again it could mean the end of their league. They better understand that too. If you and Whaler believe Memphis, Cincy, and UCF have more value than us than I can see why you think no one at UConn should be held accountable and we should just walk away with our tail between our legs. I happen to believe that is insane.

Now you're just making up things I didn't say. Of course UConn has a great resume, best overall athletics profile of any G5, excellent academics and research and markets. I AGREE. Stop saying I don't recognize these attributes. I recognize that, the UConn people recognize that, and I would wager they have already sent out materials and called people in the B12 and other leagues to make them recognize that.

If, as you and nelsonmuntz seem to think, this is all it takes to get to the top of the list, then UConn will be in the B12 if they expand. If, on the other hand, there are other criteria on the B12's list like recruiting territory or cultural fit, or if the Big12 are not rational actors, then a school with less value could wind up there. The fact that it already happened with UL indicates to me it can happen again. For UConn to get in the Big 12, our best bet would be for them to wait several years before expanding so that our football program (the Big12's likely #1 priority criteria) can start winning again. Then we could say at least say we'd be competitive in that league and not a drag on their perception.

 

[whaler11]

That's great and all but as far as anyone knows the B1G/ACC aren't adding anyone for the next 10 years. UConn cannot wait that long. IF the Big12 or any other P5 league adds anyone then we should be at the top of the list. No one else available touches UConn's combo of athletic success, academics and markets. Sorry that you and Whaler don't see that. Hopefully Boren sees that. Warde and Susan should damn well make sure the other presidents and the commissioners see it too since we're already playing in TX and OK and LA for 10% of the money. Decision makers in the Big12 were shortsighted with Louisville. If they are shortsighted again it could mean the end of their league. They better understand that too. If you and Whaler believe Memphis, Cincy, and UCF have more value than us than I can see why you think no one at UConn should be held accountable and we should just walk away with our tail between our legs. I happen to believe that is insane.

Brother buy a map. You can ignore the geography and the fact the Big 12 is really only a football league if you'd like.

You can act like UConn is a slamdunk to any league you like - but the leagues to this point completely disagree with you.

If you want to tar and feather the admin if they don't get invited knock yourself out.

 

[SonsOfNutmeg]

Here's a pro IF UConn got a Big XII bid... we could still retain our membership in Hockey East for men's and women's ice hockey. I'd imagine if the B1G was interested they'd want us to bring hockey over too.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Here's a pro IF UConn got a Big XII bid... we could still retain our membership in Hockey East for men's and women's ice hockey. I'd imagine if the B1G was interested they'd want us to bring hockey over too.

I can't even express how little that matters. I would personally drive the Ice Bus to Ohio State if it got us into the B1G.

 

[DudeOfCT]

I can't even express how little that matters. I would personally drive the Ice Bus to Ohio State if it got us into the B1G.

We would need to go to the NHL Central

 

[1husky]

Brother buy a map. You can ignore the geography and the fact the Big 12 is really only a football league if you'd like.

You can act like UConn is a slamdunk to any league you like - but the leagues to this point completely disagree with you.

If you want to tar and feather the admin if they don't get invited knock yourself out.

Like I said, we are already playing games in TX, OK, and La. Shouldn't be an impediment to us joining another league with the same geography. And if the Big12 leadership doesn't recognize the fact that they may need to diversify, add new markets, and additional sports to remain a viable league, well that's on our leadership. We need an AD and a president who recognize that it's their responsibility to make them realize that. The Hathaway Method is a proven failure.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Brother buy a map. You can ignore the geography and the fact the Big 12 is really only a football league if you'd like.

You can act like UConn is a slamdunk to any league you like - but the leagues to this point completely disagree with you.

If you want to tar and feather the admin if they don't get invited knock yourself out.

Should we celebrate failure instead?

If UConn's athletic department is not financially self-sufficient within 5 years, it is going to look a lot different than it is now. If you think UConn is finished athletically, I won't argue with you. I think that is the most likely outcome and regardless, I don't feel like arguing that scenario. If you think it is OK for Manuel to fail to achieve something better than the AAC and $2MM a year in conference TV revenue, then we have a strong disagreement.

 

[1husky]

Now you're just making up things I didn't say. Of course UConn has a great resume, best overall athletics profile of any G5, excellent academics and research and markets. I AGREE. Stop saying I don't recognize these attributes. I recognize that, the UConn people recognize that, and I would wager they have already sent out materials and called people in the B12 and other leagues to make them recognize that.

If, as you and nelsonmuntz seem to think, this is all it takes to get to the top of the list, then UConn will be in the B12 if they expand. If, on the other hand, there are other criteria on the B12's list like recruiting territory or cultural fit, or if the Big12 are not rational actors, then a school with less value could wind up there. The fact that it already happened with UL indicates to me it can happen again. For UConn to get in the Big 12, our best bet would be for them to wait several years before expanding so that our football program (the Big12's likely #1 priority criteria) can start winning again. Then we could say at least say we'd be competitive in that league and not a drag on their perception.

You created the thread. So it's pretty obvious you don't recognize the value UConn brings. Hathaway II will not get us out of the AAC. And time is most definitely NOT working in our favor. Every day that passes is one more day we are removed from our last significant athletic success. It's one more day that our fanbase and the rest of the college world sees our rivals as Tulsa, ECU, and Temple. It's one more day our value is declining. If we are lucky enough to tapped for a new league tomorrow it will still be 27 months before we change leagues. And we know that isn't happening. If it takes 5+ years for us to get tapped we will have been in the AAC for a decade at 10% income. We need to move NOW and Warde needs to make it happen or he needs to be replaced by someone who can. Sorry to single you out but there are too many fans on this board who make excuses and accept the status quo. I'm just a frustrated fan who wants us out of this league like we all do. We need to put pressure on our leadership to make it happen and NOT accept other crappy schools passing us by.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

To me the most disturbing thing about UConn's position is the ACC has apparently never acted to add us. The B12 talk is fun but extremely impractical and even silly.
I don't believe the ACC is stupid and I think they understand that if UConn ended up in the B1G it would be awful for their NY and network objectives. It's just a good move for them to take us off the board and I am certainly no ACC fan.
In fact my first reaction to ACC acceptance would be disappoiment that my hopes of the B1G would be forever dashed.
My second reaction would be relief that athletic survival is probably assured.

I can only conclude there is little concern on their part , of another conference taking us and they think that we will eternally be available, until rendered irrelevant.
Maybe my dream of us in the B1G is just that a dream based on pure emotion.

 

[whaler11]

Should we celebrate failure instead?

If UConn's athletic department is not financially self-sufficient within 5 years, it is going to look a lot different than it is now. If you think UConn is finished athletically, I won't argue with you. I think that is the most likely outcome and regardless, I don't feel like arguing that scenario. If you think it is OK for Manuel to fail to achieve something better than the AAC and $2MM a year in conference TV revenue, then we have a strong disagreement.

I don't think it's finished. I think they end up in the ACC at some point.

This go round, I still don't actually believe the Big 12 is going to expand. If they do I don't think UConn would even enter into a Big 12 discussion.

 

[junglehusky]

You created the thread. So it's pretty obvious you don't recognize the value UConn brings. Hathaway II will not get us out of the AAC. And time is most definitely NOT working in our favor. Every day that passes is one more day we are removed from our last significant athletic success. It's one more day that our fanbase and the rest of the college world sees our rivals as Tulsa, ECU, and Temple. It's one more day our value is declining. If we are lucky enough to tapped for a new league tomorrow it will still be 27 months before we change leagues. And we know that isn't happening. If it takes 5+ years for us to get tapped we will have been in the AAC for a decade at 10% income. We need to move NOW and Warde needs to make it happen or he needs to be replaced by someone who can. Sorry to single you out but there are too many fans on this board who make excuses and accept the status quo. I'm just a frustrated fan who wants us out of this league like we all do. We need to put pressure on our leadership to make it happen and NOT accept other crappy schools passing us by.

If our fanbase saw Tulsa ECU and Temple as rivals, and sold out the Rent when they came to town it would actually help our chances with the P5 conferences, not hurt it. The point that we make less money in the AAC is not exactly a news flash. Replacing Warde would satisfy a small portion of the fanbase for about 5 minutes, then the next person would come in and UConn would be in the exact same position with regards to P5 conferences. Maybe we can bring back the #BegHarder hashtag.

There is a long term plan in place - look at faculty hires, capital improvements to campus, ice hockey upgrade, partnership with P&W, scheduling. In case you are being deliberately obtuse I'll spell it out for you - this is the exact opposite of Hathaway's record of coasting and "making excuses and accept the status quo" which you attribute to "fans on this board". It's true that the athletic department will run in the red and require subsidies while we are in the AAC. I think there's a decent chance UConn people are having preliminary discussions with B1G administrators. If there's even a chance that they would take UConn with their next move, it would be completely worth the wait, debt, and pain, no matter how long it took from them to shake loose a partner.