Thoughts out of left field from a southpaw...

[Wildgopher]

In a nutshell I think this is where we are. I just don't see us in the P2 and, frankly, as a fan, I'm fine with that.

I'm 100% with you on this one. Give me some great games with teams we are familiar with (like back in the Big East days), with the occasional big money game for a new road trip, and I will again enjoy college football. This power 2 stuff really pisses me off. I hate greed, nothing good ever comes with it.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

How do you know not being an AAU member would not be an issue and just applying for membership would be enough?

Nebraska is not an AAU member, but may reapply soon.

 

[ScottVib]

Nebraska is not an AAU member, but may reapply soon.

They technically were a member (although were known to be on the way out) at the point where they were added

 

[uconndogs]

Honestly guys, I think any pretense concerning academic qualifications is bs. This is about markets and money and the BiG will do what it has to do to grab the markets it feels it needs to have. Those markets happen to be with large, state flagships the majority of which are AAU certified.

By way of example, ND is not an AAU member (to the best of my knowledge) and I have to believe the BiG would not let that get in the way for one second.

 

[TheDrifter75]

Nebraska is not an AAU member, but may reapply soon.

Nebraska was a member when invited to the Big10. They were kicked out of the AAU, this is a current point of contention among many longtime Big10 fans and administrators, they do not like having a non member at their party. Nebraska's former prominence is the only thing that makes it palatable. I could be wrong on this part but I don't believe you apply for membership to the AAU, you are invited.

 

[TheDrifter75]

Honestly guys, I think any pretense concerning academic qualifications is bs. This is about markets and money and the BiG will do what it has to do to grab the markets it feels it needs to have. Those markets happen to be with large, state flagships the majority of which are AAU certified.

By way of example, ND is not an AAU member (to the best of my knowledge) and I have to believe the BiG would not let that get in the way for one second.

I think ND is the only one able to pull this off. All the other schools that are rumored to be considered by the BIG10, Oregon, Washington, Standford, Cal, UNC etc, all are members.

 

[uconndogs]

I think ND is the only one able to pull this off. All the other schools that are rumored to be considered by the BIG10, Oregon, Washington, Standford, Cal, UNC etc, all are members.

Yes, because they are in the desired markets that the BiG wants.

I don't know how academics continues to play any role in college athletics at that level. This is about market share for media contracts which correlates into big dollars. Throw in NIL and the transfer portal, and you are squarely in an unfettered professional sports environment.

 

[hardcorehusky]

The Big 10, the ACC and I believe the Pac-12 have academic consortiums where they work together on grants. Academics do matter somewhere in the calculation. I would think the Big 10 would want AAU schools first and foremost.

 

[CONN78SEJ]

The Big 10, the ACC and I believe the Pac-12 have academic consortiums where they work together on grants. Academics do matter somewhere in the calculation. I would think the Big 10 would want AAU schools first and foremost.

They invited Nebraska while they already knew Nebraska was about to get booted from the AAU. Getting Nebraska was purely a hedge against the SEC raiding the Big 12, which eventually did happen. You are right generally speaking about academics and the Big 10, but in Nebraska’s case academics was not the primary mover.

 

[BigTenFan]

The B1G 10 Universities do share a lot of academic resources between the schools. The AAU credentials do carry some weight.
The 100 million dollar payout each school gets for membership absolutely flows down to academics. As stated previously, Nebraska got the boot and I think the B1G Ten regrets their invite...both academically and athletically. ND ..right or wrong would get an AAU pass

 

[Bongo Fury]

At Buffalo and Stony Brook, Yewww!

 

[LoyalFanCT]

At Buffalo and Stony Brook, Yewww!

Buffalo has a pretty extensive research-focused graduate school. Stony Brook has a major program in some of the sciences. It shows that UConn has models on how to reach AAU status. I hope it is achieved sooner than later even if we don't get into the B10 for a while.

 

[UConnJim]

We need the Board of Trustees and the governor totally behind UConn winding up in the best conference possible ASAP. They give the orders, Benedict will follow them. It is too soon for a new UConn president to take charge on this issue.

The problem is that the Board of Trustees is not made up of heavy hitters so they will be of little help when it comes to conference realignment. The makeup of the UConn board is one of my biggest pet peeves about how small time UConn acts. We have a veterinarian, local lawyers, a former local mayor, political hacks,... USC, for example, has the CEOs of Salesforce, Amgen, Wellpoint, East West Bank, Washington Post, Executive Chair of United Airlines, retired Vice Chair of Goldman Sachs,... We are going to have to count on Benedict and Lamont to look out for UConn's interests.

 

[LoyalFanCT]

The problem is that the Board of Trustees is not made up of heavy hitters so they will be of little help when it comes to conference realignment. The makeup of the UConn board is one of my biggest pet peeves about how small time UConn acts. We have a veterinarian, local lawyers, a former local mayor, political hacks,... USC, for example, has the CEOs of Salesforce, Amgen, Wellpoint, East West Bank, Washington Post, Executive Chair of United Airlines, retired Vice Chair of Goldman Sachs,... We are going to have to count on Benedict and Lamont to look out for UConn's interests.

Makes sense. Then Lamont has to take charge. Instead of worrying about UConn being environmentally friendly (our priority in the Herbst years), how about three priorities for this decade: UConn to ACC or other top conference, UConn is on a clear path to AAU membership, and tripling the university endowment.