No B12 Expansion: What Next? Time to Shake Down Aresco for our T3 Rights

[Dooley]

So the B12 officially ended its quest to remain a power conference for the long term and, in doing so, also ended our hopes of finding a temporary Power home until we are ready for a B1G move. What now?

The B1G might not expand for another 5-10 years. The ACC might never expand. That means all of our regional r1vals are going to separate themselves from us even more in the short-term future. Meanwhile, UConn has the 3rd highest subsidy for athletics in the country at $27.2M. And while that shows our continued commitment to compete at a P5 level while we're stuck in G5 quicksand, this will come home to roost soon. My guess is that UConn is using all of that Big East exit fee cash to help fund the subsidy but as we all know, that will run out soon. We need more money. We need our Tier 3 rights back where they belong.

Before Tier 3 media rights became a thing of the past, UConn also stacked up with its P5 peers. UConn signed a Tier 3 media deal with IMG valued at $80M over 10 years, which, at the time, placed UConn in the top half of similar deal values. UConn also signed a Tier 3 media contract with SNY for women's basketball only, valued at $1.14M/yr. Combined, this put UConn's Tier 3 media rights well over $9M/yr which would be valued in the upper half of P5 member values, not to mention the runaway #1 in the entire G5.

If Commissioner Aresco can't get us any more than the pennies that we are currently getting, then we need to shake him down for our T3 rights. We know full well that we can make 10x as much as the current TV deal if we shopped our rights on our own. Not only would that put us at #1 in the G5 and give us a competitive advantage over our AAC mates, it will also send a continuous reminder to the P5 who ranks where on the "next in line" ladder should the CR train start up again.

The school should remain in B1G or bust mode. But until then, we need our Tier 3 rights returned to us to keep afloat.

 

[NYUConn]

I agree with the sentiment, but in practice I'm not sure we have any leverage to get them back.

We can't threaten to leave, because where would we go?

Short of a lawsuit against The American (which I doubt we could win), I can't see how we could get them back.

 

[Carl Spackler]

To my knowledge UCONN never made it to open market and was forced to give up splitting rights because of why? Mike Tranghese's contract for the Big East which gave ESPN not just right of first refusal, but stipulated that any first matching offer must be accepted.

The AAC was required to adhere to that contract. NBC presented an offer for pennies but stipulated national TV broadcasts of everything, and that's exsctly what we got from ESPN.

The real market value of what UCONN can bring will not be known until the next AAC broadcasting contract goes to open market, or a vote happens among conference leadership of other conferences that would cause us to change conference affiliation.

Should it all turn out to be a bubble and the entire bowl system and playoff implode in bankruptcy, and legal issues involving the antitrust stuff cone back around, I do not find it to be incomprehensible that a significant group of schools may return to the independent model of scheduling and rrvenue generating from prior to the BCS.

Aresco actually did a hell of a job of trading off $ now for a few years of maximum exposure nationally on ESPN networks, when this hodgepodge conference could have ended up withmedium $ for a little while and buried in espn inventory or some other platform no one could find even if they felt like looking.

What's clear, is that as long as the FBS jerks around with a bullsh-t competition system for determining a national champion, and contractual bowl games - the sport is going to drive away casual interest and ratings.

Its happening faster and steeper than could havd been predicted.

The post season needs to move to a true playoff of all conference champs, like every other division and sport, and cut the number of bowls in half and go back to an invitation system.

 

[Dooley]

I wonder if UConn signed them over under the impression that our conference TV money would be comparable. Kind of like the rumors that say FSU and Clemson signed the ACC GOR under the guise that the ACC would have a ACCNetwork soon. If the 'if' doesn't happen, can the powerhouses get their rights back? Interesting and should be explored by UConn.

 

[BUConn10]

To my knowledge UCONN never made it to open market and was forced to give up splitting rights because of why? Mike Tranghese's contract for the Big East which gave ESPN not just right of first refusal, but stipulated that any first matching offer must be accepted.

The AAC was required to adhere to that contract. NBC presented an offer for pennies but stipulated national TV broadcasts of everything, and that's exsctly what we got from ESPN.

The real market value of what UCONN can bring will not be known until the next AAC broadcasting contract goes to open market, or a vote happens among conference leadership of other conferences that would cause us to change conference affiliation.

Should it all turn out to be a bubble and the entire bowl system and playoff implode in bankruptcy, and legal issues involving the antitrust stuff cone back around, I do not find it to be incomprehensible that a significant group of schools may return to the independent model of scheduling and rrvenue generating from prior to the BCS.

Aresco actually did a hell of a job of trading off $ now for a few years of maximum exposure nationally on ESPN networks, when this hodgepodge conference could have ended up withmedium $ for a little while and buried in espn inventory or some other platform no one could find even if they felt like looking.

What's clear, is that as long as the FBS jerks around with a bullsh-t competition system for determining a national champion, and contractual bowl games - the sport is going to drive away casual interest and ratings.

Its happening faster and steeper than could havd been predicted.

The post season needs to move to a true playoff of all conference champs, like every other division and sport, and cut the number of bowls in half and go back to an invitation system.

It's ridiculous to me that every September, before the college football season has even started, that around 90% of FBS programs have zero shot at being in the national championship game. These teams could go undefeated and blow all of their opponents out, and still have zero shot, and even the public knows this. Realistically the realignment that has taken place recently simply elevated the games top 20 or so programs and separated them from the rest, reducing their risk and increasing their odds of always being in the national limelight/in the title discussion.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The BCS system for about 20 years at least gave the impression of a somewhat level field when it came to it, but it wasn't. This bullsh-t playoff now just makes it clear what the BCS was hiding.

To be fair, going all the way back to the very beginning, there never has been a true competition system to determine a national champion, its always been media driven.

I think its about time that changed.

All that would happen is that recruiting would really become level. You can imagine why schools will fight that to the death.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I wonder if UConn signed them over under the impression that our conference TV money would be comparable. Kind of like the rumors that say FSU and Clemson signed the ACC GOR under the guise that the ACC would have a ACCNetwork soon. If the 'if' doesn't happen, can the powerhouses get their rights back? Interesting and should be explored by UConn.

I could be wrong, but its my understanding that due to the first refusal/match situation that Tranghese agreed to with ESPN, we had to give up splitting tier rights, because it was not included in the offer nbc made -which was national broadcasting of everything.

Speculation : but given a guy like Aresco's record and knowledge on the areas, I have no reason to think he didn't at least try to retain the ability for uconn to split rights, and I think he did actually msnage to keep uconn womenls basketball separate somehow, now that i tjknk of it.

Anyway, i'm reasonably sure that due to constraints on negotiating that were in place from Tranghese's management of big east contracts, we git the best deal we could and traded whatever dollars could bd offered at the time and took pennies on tge dollar in trade for national exposure of all conference games in football and basketball on espn networks.


Leveraging exposure now, for returns later

 

[uconnphil2016]

Question--this might be really silly, but what's the disadvantage of dropping the American and being independent until further conference realignment? I know this won't happen, and I know we get revenue sharing, but do you think that with our own TV rights/contracts we could exceed the payout that we receive to be a part of the AAC?

 

[kemba]

Realistically the realignment that has taken place recently simply elevated the games top 20 or so programs and separated them from the rest, reducing their risk and increasing their odds of always being in the national limelight/in the title discussion.

How so? It's screwed over UConn and the other Big East leftovers, but all the teams that left the Big East are in a better football conference now, and other teams just changed to other bcs/p5 conferences. And a 4 team playoff does increase the number of teams in contention even if its only slight.

 

[Carl Spackler]

How so? It's screwed over UConn and the other Big East leftovers, but all the teams that left the Big East are in a better football conference now, and other teams just changed to other bcs/p5 conferences. And a 4 team playoff does increase the number of teams in contention even if its only slight.

I wouldn't necessarily call them better conferences, but certainly higher paying, and having a much more beneficial media bias.

 

[Carl Spackler]

How so? It's screwed over UConn and the other Big East leftovers, but all the teams that left the Big East are in a better football conference now, and other teams just changed to other bcs/p5 conferences. And a 4 team playoff does increase the number of teams in contention even if its only slight.

I wouldn't necessarily call them better conferences, but certainly higher paying, and having a much more beneficial media bias.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Question--this might be really silly, but what's the disadvantage of dropping the American and being independent until further conference realignment? I know this won't happen, and I know we get revenue sharing, but do you think that with our own TV rights/contracts we could exceed the payout that we receive to be a part of the AAC?

UCONN would have to ho indeprndant in basketball and only if some kind of arrangement to guarsntee access to the ncaa tournament and revenue there to even consider it.

Essentially try to become a basketball model of Notre Dame football.

The only way uconn could consider independant football, was if everyone that formed tge big east football conference in 1992 also went back to being independant.

Not going to happen unless the current post season revenue sharing goes bankrupt

 

[kemba]

I wouldn't necessarily call them better conferences, but certainly higher paying, and having a much more beneficial media bias.

The Big East was unquestionably the weakest of the 6 BCS football conferences, assuming we're just talking the post Miami/VT/BC Big East.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The Big East was unquestionably the weakest of the 6 BCS football conferences, assuming we're just talking the post Miami/VT/BC Big East.

Not really at all.

The BE was actually rated pretty favorably especially compared to the ACC.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The Big East was unquestionably the weakest of the 6 BCS football conferences, assuming we're just talking the post Miami/VT/BC Big East.

That's a completely false statement, based upon 20 years of conference existence among the 6 BCS conferences, where conference leadership did absolutely nothing to establish football as the primary focus for revenue sharing and revenue generating. The Big East became the black sheep of the college football world, and the conference leadership didn't care.

In the early years of the BCS, the Big East regularly represented in the national title picture. The Big East produced a national champion. In head to head records, the Big East post season record was far better than at least one other conference - that was desperate to knock down the Big East.

 

[Fishy]

If you want a condensed version of realignment-induced stupidity, I recommend this thread.

It's like we held an All-Star Game for the realignment forum.

 

[zls44]

To my knowledge UCONN never made it to open market and was forced to give up splitting rights because of why? Mike Tranghese's contract for the Big East which gave ESPN not just right of first refusal, but stipulated that any first matching offer must be accepted.

This is a misconception that needs to be cleared up- this wasn't something that Mike Tranghese agreed to, the right to match is a common stipulation in almost every single pro and college sports broadcasting contract.

And the AAC did not HAVE to accept the matching offer. They chose to accept it. They could have taken the NBC deal after ESPN matched.

 

[CL82]

I could be wrong, but its my understanding that due to the first refusal/match situation that Tranghese agreed to with ESPN, we had to give up splitting tier rights, because it was not included in the offer nbc made -which was national broadcasting of everything.

Speculation : but given a guy like Aresco's record and knowledge on the areas, I have no reason to think he didn't at least try to retain the ability for uconn to split rights, and I think he did actually msnage to keep uconn womenls basketball separate somehow, now that i tjknk of it.

Anyway, i'm reasonably sure that due to constraints on negotiating that were in place from Tranghese's management of big east contracts, we git the best deal we could and traded whatever dollars could bd offered at the time and took pennies on tge dollar in trade for national exposure of all conference games in football and basketball on espn networks.


Leveraging exposure now, for returns later

Maybe, or maybe it was the leverage needed to get a good deal for the rest of the conference.

 

[Dooley]

I am not in the Independence camp. At all. I'm in the "time to start acting like the Texas/ND of the G5" camp. If our G5 competition can't get $9-$10M/yr farming out their T3, then em. Advantage UConn.

We gave up $9.14M/yr in T3 revenue for $1-$2M/yr AAC revenue. Time to get that back. What is the AAC going to do? Backfill UConn with UMass/Southern Miss/Old Dominion and continue beating a P6 drum? The AAC needs us for our markets and brand.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I am not in the Independence camp. At all. I'm in the "time to start acting like the Texas/ND of the G5" camp. If our G5 competition can't get $9-$10M/yr farming out their T3, then em. Advantage UConn.

We gave up $9.14M/yr in T3 revenue for $1-$2M/yr AAC revenue. Time to get that back. What is the AAC going to do? Backfill UConn with UMass/Southern Miss/Old Dominion and continue beating a P6 drum? The AAC needs us for our markets and brand.

No reason to think that if we are still affiliated with the AAC by the time the next media contract is up, this isn't exactly what will happen.

 

[Carl Spackler]

This is a misconception that needs to be cleared up- this wasn't something that Mike Tranghese agreed to, the right to match is a common stipulation in almost every single pro and college sports broadcasting contract.

And the AAC did not HAVE to accept the matching offer. They chose to accept it. They could have taken the NBC deal after ESPN matched.

True. I let personal opinion cloud my typing to convey thoughts a bit. It is my opinion though, and I'm not changing it, that ESPN evolved quite a bit as a business from 1979 to the 2000's, and by then they were operating as pure business in contracts, while Tranghese was still negotiating with the mindset of the hsndshake deals in the trailer offices parked in the dirt lot at the intersection for the entrance to Lake Compounce.

Regardless of personal opinion on a certain former conference commissioner, and the constraints on negotiation, we gave up money in the contract, for a trade off for regular national broadcasting on visible and easily accessible ESPN platforms.

 

[noeynox]

Question--this might be really silly, but what's the disadvantage of dropping the American and being independent until further conference realignment? I know this won't happen, and I know we get revenue sharing, but do you think that with our own TV rights/contracts we could exceed the payout that we receive to be a part of the AAC?

What kind of contract do you thinkg we would get with the opponents we would be playing via an independent schedule? For starters your can forget any team in the American scheduling after you tell them "were leaving cause were better than you" and just ramp down the level of competition from there. No one would come to the Rent for a schedule with the likes of Western Kentucky, Florida International, La. Monroe etc.

We need to back off the ledge a little here and continue making our case. I get the angst we feel as a fan base. It will be difficult to fund a P5 level athletic program on a G5 revenue, but we haven't reached the nadir yet and we shouldn't hasten our arrival to that point by overreacting.

 

[Confident Carl]

What kind of contract do you thinkg we would get with the opponents we would be playing via an independent schedule? For starters your can forget any team in the American scheduling after you tell them "were leaving cause were better than you" and just ramp down the level of competition from there. No one would come to the Rent for a schedule with the likes of Western Kentucky, Florida International, La. Monroe etc.

We need to back off the ledge a little here and continue making our case. I get the angst we feel as a fan base. It will be difficult to fund a P5 level athletic program on a G5 revenue, but we haven't reached the nadir yet and we shouldn't hasten our arrival to that point by overreacting.

UMASS desperately wants in to the American. UCONN going Independent would be a disaster. Navy joined the conference because scheduling became difficult. They are very happy being in the American. As the American Brand grows and the teams improve the money will too. In UCONN's case it has to.