Why not UConn to Big XII?

[Arjona]

I am relatively new here and this is my first post, so please be gentle if this has been hashed-out on another post or is an incredibly ignorant question. I've read that the top Big XII expansion candidates are BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Boise. I think our overall athletic program, flagship university status, state support, TV market, and academics would make us an attractive candidate. Not perfect due to our location, but at least in the conversation. WTF?

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Yep, you're clearly new.

And I'm not the fool who is going to make the case against UConn, but the Big XII is not a good fit for us just as much as it's not a good fit for them.

If you think of CR (that's conference realignment) as a game of Risk, UConn is Argentina - stuck in isolation in the corner of the board and therefore not strategically important in any way.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

Taking that riff a step further, UConn fans are hoping the B1G wants the northeast continent bonus, as a UConn invite would give them the definitive dominant presence in the region.

We are the largest and most important fan base this side of Penn St., sorry Rutgers, sorry Syracuse, sorry BCU.

The perception issue comes from the fact that the fan base came to be largely on the backs of strong basketball, and the majority of the commentary is from football fans who think basketball means nothing.

We will never play a game in the ACC, and the B1G has high standards to meet. I believe we have a better shot than Frank the Tank thinks. Our fan base represents a monetizable asset that places it clearly in the middle of P5 peers, regardless of how it came to be.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

Yep, you're clearly new.

And I'm not the fool who is going to make the case against UConn, but the Big XII is not a good fit for us just as much as it's not a good fit for them.

If you think of CR (that's conference realignment) as a game of Risk, UConn is Argentina - stuck in isolation in the corner of the board and therefore not strategically important in any way.

Except that Storrs isn't Argentina, is not stuck in some isolated corner, and offers strategic value in several important ways including product and market.

 

[billybud]

I am waiting for someone to belt out.."Don't cry for me, Argentina"...ala Madonna.

 

[huskypantz]

The B12 cares about teams bringing in a solid football product and it cares about football culture and proximity. TCU was a major negative in many aspects but they had football success/reputation. Otherwise, TCU has a small fan base and were in a market already dominated by he B12. WVU and UL were candidates for the final spot, WVU won out. Despite a tiny market, limited recruiting territory (unless you count western PA) and no proximity to B12 schools, they won out due to their football credentials.

So basically the characteristics UConn brings to the table are only mildly intriguing to the B12. We need to turn our program into a 7-10+ win team and sell out the Rent over the next few years to get the B12 to notice (and have them implement a TV network). And by then it might be too late.

 

[Ldandy]

UCONN is a terrible fit both geographically and culturally for The Big 12. To further complicate things, Texas's continued lording of the LHN over the heads of their minions means there is little chance that a Big 12 Network will ever be a reality. This further diminishes UCONN's attractiveness because of an inability to monetize its valuable TV markets.

The biggest mistake was the Big 12 taking WVU in the first place. It was a short sighted decision based off a run of BCS Success. The Neers literally brought nothing else to the table for the conference. No markets, no recruiting grounds, mediocre athletic dept, and ridiculous amounts of increased travel. Now because of it, any addition has to factor in this awkward geography. In a perfect scenario The Big 12 would cut them loose and they would end up in The ACC with either Cincy or UCONN following for an even 16 full members. The Big 12 could then expand with 5-7 teams from the mountain west region, which is currently woefully under represented in The P5.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Yep, you're clearly new.

And I'm not the fool who is going to make the case against UConn, but the Big XII is not a good fit for us just as much as it's not a good fit for them.

If you think of CR (that's conference realignment) as a game of Risk, UConn is Argentina - stuck in isolation in the corner of the board and therefore not strategically important in any way.

In risk, I always went for Australia in the other corner. Build up your base and come out swinging.
Uconn/UCF/Cincy/Memphis are probably the biggest programs left. Could go Temple and ECU and suddenly the Big 12 has a foothold in the Northeast, Southeast and mid-west... A competitive Temple against OK or Texas in Philly, or a rated Uconn against Texas would be huge for Northeast football...

But, if you think Uconn fan's are a little disappointed in sharing the pot with an ECU, how would Texas and Oklahoma feel?

 

[epark88]

Dear OP,

I despise your handle's namesake. ...

 

[CL82]

Bad fit geographically.

 

[Arjona]

The B12 cares about teams bringing in a solid football product and it cares about football culture and proximity. TCU was a major negative in many aspects but they had football success/reputation. Otherwise, TCU has a small fan base and were in a market already dominated by he B12. WVU and UL were candidates for the final spot, WVU won out. Despite a tiny market, limited recruiting territory (unless you count western PA) and no proximity to B12 schools, they won out due to their football credentials.

So basically the characteristics UConn brings to the table are only mildly intriguing to the B12. We need to turn our program into a 7-10+ win team and sell out the Rent over the next few years to get the B12 to notice (and have them implement a TV network). And by then it might be too late.

Thanks! That clears-up the mystery, particularly the background on WVU.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Except that Storrs isn't Argentina, is not stuck in some isolated corner, and offers strategic value in several important ways including product and market.

His analogy is true from from the B12 prospective,but let me also add the typical B12 view is
Myopic.
Therefore we are not even on their Radar.
The case for UConn to the B12
Taking UConn would change that conference from a pretty desperate regional bunch. Although I think a great conference. To a truly national group that limits further exspansion from the B1G and ACC. It could double their viewing potential making a network more attractive.
However ,in the past they have never shown themselves to be strategic thinkers , so UConn is out of the picture. The chief power also gives the impression that they are not really committed to the conference future ,it's more like a convienent resting spot while the weigh their next move.
It's everyone else in that conference that has a vested interest in its survival and therefore ripe for change.
From our prospective it's a bad choice , but it means survival.
Heck I would accept a PAC invitation .
We are truly that Desparate.

 

[pj]

I am relatively new here and this is my first post, so please be gentle if this has been hashed-out on another post or is an incredibly ignorant question. I've read that the top Big XII expansion candidates are BYU, UCF, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Boise. I think our overall athletic program, flagship university status, state support, TV market, and academics would make us an attractive candidate. Not perfect due to our location, but at least in the conversation. WTF?

It's not an ignorant question. UConn is indeed more valuable than those other schools even to the B12, so the question is more why there is no buzz for UConn to the B12. I think it comes down to two things:

(1) UConn is more valuable to the ACC or B1G than to the B12, and if the realignment situation ever makes it beneficial for the B12 to expand, then it will also make it beneficial for the ACC and B1G to grow, and they'll grab UConn ahead of the B12. On the other hand, if the environment is such that UConn is not attractive to the B1G or ACC, then it won't be attractive to the B12 either (and neither will UCF, Cincy, or BYU), and so the B12 will not expand at all. They will stay at 10, as they are currently doing.

(2) UConn has no incentive to create buzz around the B12 as its landing place will be in the B1G or ACC. Whereas UCF, Cincy, BYU, Memphis, and Boise are in desperate straits -- the B12 is their only possible P5 landing place. So they want to create momentum and a perception that they belong there, as do their fans. So these schools and fanbases are creating buzz about their schools and the B12, but UConn and our fans are not.

 

[djct1999]

It's not an ignorant question. UConn is indeed more valuable than those other schools even to the B12, so the question is more why there is no buzz for UConn to the B12. I think it comes down to two things:

(1) UConn is more valuable to the ACC or B1G than to the B12, and if the realignment situation ever makes it beneficial for the B12 to expand, then it will also make it beneficial for the ACC and B1G to grow, and they'll grab UConn ahead of the B12. On the other hand, if the environment is such that UConn is not attractive to the B1G or ACC, then it won't be attractive to the B12 either (and neither will UCF, Cincy, or BYU), and so the B12 will not expand at all. They will stay at 10, as they are currently doing.

(2) UConn has no incentive to create buzz around the B12 as its landing place will be in the B1G or ACC. Whereas UCF, Cincy, BYU, Memphis, and Boise are in desperate straits -- the B12 is their only possible P5 landing place. So they want to create momentum and a perception that they belong there, as do their fans. So these schools and fanbases are creating buzz about their schools and the B12, but UConn and our fans are not.

This 100%.
The Big12 will only expand as a defensive reaction. There is no way it will be a stand alone move. This being the case, UConn is not mentioned as a possible candidate because they will be undoubtedly be involved in a move elsewhere and not available to the Big12.

 

[Fishy]

You kids are whistling past the graveyard.

An imaginary bidding war isn't going to keep the Big 12 away - it's geography and the perception of our football program that will keep the Big 12 from considering UConn. (Even when we were decent, Oklahoma was officially pissy about having to play us in the Fiesta Bowl.)

The wrong conference might be expanding. The 'right' conferences are not expanding.

We should be used to this by now. And even worse, if the Big 12 selects the right combination of schools, ESPN can whack the television contract way back.

 

[junglehusky]

IMHO only way BXII would have ever had UConn in it is if they had taken Pitt first and then decided to go full retard and have an eastern division by picking up a handful of Big East teams before the ACC could. There was no financial incentive for them to do that (and there still isn't), and if you think conference politics were bad for UConn's candidacy in the ACC imagine what it would be like in the BXII.

 

[pj]

You kids are whistling past the graveyard.

An imaginary bidding war isn't going to keep the Big 12 away - it's geography and the perception of our football program that will keep the Big 12 from considering UConn. (Even when we were decent, Oklahoma was officially pissy about having to play us in the Fiesta Bowl.)

The wrong conference might be expanding. The 'right' conferences are not expanding.

We should be used to this by now. And even worse, if the Big 12 selects the right combination of schools, ESPN can whack the television contract way back.

The B12 will be motivated by what their TV partners tell them about value. If they want a network, they'll favor big-market schools like UConn over better football programs located a bit closer.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

IMHO only way BXII would have ever had UConn in it is if they had taken Pitt first and then decided to go full and have an eastern division by picking up a handful of Big East teams before the ACC could. There was no financial incentive for them to do that (and there still isn't), and if you think conference politics were bad for UConn's candidacy in the ACC imagine what it would be like in the BXII.

What are you talking about "no financial incentive"? A presence in the nation's biggest mega-region is financial reason enough for any conference to at least kick our tires.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

An imaginary bidding war isn't going to keep the Big 12 away - it's geography and the perception of our football program that will keep the Big 12 from considering UConn. (Even when we were decent, Oklahoma was officially pissy about having to play us in the Fiesta Bowl.)

The wrong conference might be expanding. The 'right' conferences are not expanding.

We should be used to this by now. And even worse, if the Big 12 selects the right combination of schools, ESPN can whack the television contract way back.[/QUOTE]
If your correct Nelson was right all along.
It's back to the Big East for BB and either:
Drop football
Go Indy
Or Return to FCS
Our future in the AAC is doomed
Or we could have a nice little Eastern a Football

 

[djct1999]

An imaginary bidding war isn't going to keep the Big 12 away - it's geography and the perception of our football program that will keep the Big 12 from considering UConn. (Even when we were decent, Oklahoma was officially pissy about having to play us in the Fiesta Bowl.)

The wrong conference might be expanding. The 'right' conferences are not expanding.

We should be used to this by now. And even worse, if the Big 12 selects the right combination of schools, ESPN can whack the television contract way back.

If your correct Nelson was right all along.
It's back to the Big East for BB and either:
Drop football
Go Indy
Or Return to FCS
Our future in the AAC is doomed
Or we could have a nice little Eastern a Football[/QUOTE]
Yep. Any team from the G5 that is not attractive three years out, will be even less attractive 10 years from now. If we are to believe that realignment is over for the near future, UConn is simply wasting money.

 

[junglehusky]

UConn is probably going to have to wait, and it'll probably be a long time. That's not the same thing as saying there is zero chance at P5. There is probably a 50% chance or better of P5 with certain conditions (though most likely P5 means ACC or B1G, not BXII). One of those conditions is surviving for another 5 years or more in the AAC, possibly without Cincy and another school. I think UConn can swing that, Nelson doesn't. It'll be running a deficit, but that's not as bad as throwing in the towel to save cash which is pretty irrevocable as UAB may be realizing.

 

[Adios]

I am waiting for someone to belt out.."Don't cry for me, Argentina"...ala Madonna.

Can you do it with a straw hat and a banjo and put it on youtube? Please?

 

[The Funster]

Big 12 ought to freak everyone out and add six:

UConn
Cincy
WVU
UCF
Memphis
TCU
Baylor
Houston

OU
OSU
Texas
Kansas
Kstate
Iowa St
Texas Tech
BYU

 

[OkaForPrez]

Remember when MD announced they were gone and it was a forgone conclusion we were going to the ACC by everyone in the media until all of a sudden Louisville propped up and became the talking point? That's how I think B12 expansion plays out. Only this time we go from not in the conversation to the inside track.

Every realignment decision is based on a criteria that has nothing to do with the previous and that includes decisions made by the same conference. Therefore it's illogical to predict what a conference will do based on previous criteria, which is what everyone in the circle who cares about this stuff does. The OU saber rattling about the LHN and a big12 network is intriguing. If they do head towards that model I'm certain it makes UConn as valuable to the B12 as Rutgers was to the B1G.

 

[don356]

Big 12 ought to freak everyone out and add six:

UConn
Cincy
WVU
UCF
Memphis
TCU
Baylor
Houston

OU
OSU
Texas
Kansas
Kstate
Iowa St
Texas Tech
BYU

this is probably not unrealistic, but the reality is that if it happened probably only 12 or 14 teams would be left after texas left.