UCONN back to Big East, per report

[HeavenUniv.]

I have been going to college sports since 1976. Don’t have much of an opinion on the behavior of their basketball fans, but after going to several Rutgers football games at the airport stadium, I have to say they are the most disgusting college fans I have ever been around.

 

[TDIrish27]

Not really sure what you’re saying. If you’re saying UConn is in no sure situation to dominate in the BE, that’s certainly true. But it gives them back old rivalries which gives them interest from the fanbase which gives them money. All theoretical of course. A strong UConn MBB doesn’t affect RU, but if it energizes the BE Tourney and by extension schools like SJU and SHU, that will affect us. Not that these schools need help to beat our ass.

If UConn beats either SHU , SJU or RU on a kid in the NYC Metro area it effects them.

They will all certainly be pursuing the same HS players.

 

[koleszar]

They'll just lose less money going to FCS-----you still have an empty stadium------55 scholarships and a coaching staff to pay.

In view of the straits both the state and the school are in financially they should just drop it. The only alternative is to go the way of UMass and just play Power 5 schools on the road----7-8 times a year for big guarantees.

What does that do ?

Win/Win here for both UConn and the BE if they come back.

They could get healthy quickly.

I think that would be the idea, lose less money. Spend less on coach's salaries, travel and scholarships. What you're saying is every FCS, Div.II and Div III school should just "drop it". While we're at it, why don't they just drop the other 15 sports they sponsor, they don't make money either. Let's stream line the whole thing to just Men's and Women's basketball, they'll be sure to make a profit then and can still remain Title IX compliant.

 

[TDIrish27]

I think that would be the idea, lose less money. Spend less on coach's salaries, travel and scholarships. What you're saying is every FCS, Div.II and Div III school should just "drop it". While we're at it, why don't they just drop the other 15 sports they sponsor, they don't make money either. Let's stream line the whole thing to just Men's and Women's basketball, they'll be sure to make a profit then and can still remain Title IX compliant.

That isn't what I'm saying at all.

Everybody doesn't have that kind of revenue gap.

What UConn does is none of my business or concern but my first choice if asked would be to go to FCS.

I know a kid quite well who plays at UMass and that model is awful.

At least at FCS the team has a competitive chance to play for something meaningful.

 

[Russ Wood]

What is there to discuss really? This is a no-brainer and a positive move for both UCONN and the Big East. They should have done this a few years ago, but UCONN probably needed to satisfy itself that there was no better option that could salvage football.

I think Connecticut finally woke up to the reality that no power 5 conference was going to invite them because they really don't bring a lot of eyeballs to TV.

So begging the Big East to take them back, and giving up on having an FBS football program, cut their losses.

 

[knight82]

I think Connecticut finally woke up to the reality that no power 5 conference was going to invite them because they really don't bring a lot of eyeballs to TV.

So begging the Big East to take them back, and giving up on having an FBS football program, cut their losses.

I don't think they had to do much begging. Sounds like the Big East is more than happy to take them back.

 

[Russ Wood]

I don't think they had to do much begging. Sounds like the Big East is more than happy to take them back.

Well, however it went down I hope they are happy with each other. The Connecticut fans in my mentions have been insufferable over the past couple of years.

 

[ru66]

a large state school among a bunch of small parochial schools--great chemistry/fit???--RU is perfect in BIG in size and statue--UCONN is still floating in purgatory--if any power 5 came along they'd sell their soul--actually to me UCONN looks small and weak

 

[jersey07080]

In retrospect I think I would trade 3 national championships in the past 2 decades and go back to the Big East over no tournament births in nearly 3 decades. But what do I know.

 

[TDIrish27]

a large state school among a bunch of small parochial schools--great chemistry/fit???--RU is perfect in BIG in size and statue--UCONN is still floating in purgatory--if any power 5 came along they'd sell their soul--actually to me UCONN looks small and weak

The results on size and fit say otherwise .

It's great that Hoops is making inroads but overall RU was completely over their heads infrastructure wise to compete in the Big Ten vs what they had to line up and play against in the sports that really count which are football and hoops.

Basketball is doable just because of location and the nature of the sport where you can get healthy with 4-6 good players and 2-3 complimentary ones.

But do you ever see them getting healthy vs the Big Ten East in football ?

I would love it to happen but can't see it.

 

[ru8081]

The results on size and fit say otherwise .

It's great that Hoops is making inroads but overall RU was completely over their heads infrastructure wise to compete in the Big Ten vs what they had to line up and play against in the sports that really count which are football and hoops.

Basketball is doable just because of location and the nature of the sport where you can get healthy with 4-6 good players and 2-3 complimentary ones.

But do you ever see them getting healthy vs the Big Ten East in football ?

I would love it to happen but can't see it.

I don't agree with this. Yes they are a little behind. They need a permanent practice facility and the RAC needs to be renovated. But, Rutgers is a perfect academically. Also, don't compare us to Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. We do have alot of catching up to do against those three. We never belonged in the Big East or Atlantic 10 for that matter.

 

[ru66]

nm

 

[ru66]

tdirish-- you have a jaded view if you can't admit as a university RU fits the BIG perfectly--size, academic credentials, diversity, AAU, tremendous research institute--I can go on and on--the size of the RAC was not what I was referring too- - that's way too simple-----the BIG is more than athletics

 

[RUinFla]

UConn football has done pretty well--four straight bowl games at one point, winning two. But football is such a drain on athletic funding. Nastiest fan base I ever saw in person? UK hoops fans in the first round of the NCAA's in the Meadowlands back in the 90's. Dreadful.
TL

 

[TDIrish27]

tdirish-- you have a jaded view if you can't admit as a university RU fits the BIG perfectly--size, academic credentials, diversity, AAU, tremendous research institute--I can go on and on--the size of the RAC was not what I was referring too- - that's way too simple-----the BIG is more than athletics

Yes they do absolutely but I was referring to Athletics.

As to the Big Ten being more than Athletics go to the various websites throughout the Rivals Network and look for the Endowment Board.

Let me know how you make out.

 

[batts]

The results on size and fit say otherwise .

It's great that Hoops is making inroads but overall RU was completely over their heads infrastructure wise to compete in the Big Ten vs what they had to line up and play against in the sports that really count which are football and hoops.

Basketball is doable just because of location and the nature of the sport where you can get healthy with 4-6 good players and 2-3 complimentary ones.

But do you ever see them getting healthy vs the Big Ten East in football ?

I would love it to happen but can't see it.

I have to side with TDIrish on this one. Hell, maybe Rutgers will catch lightening in the bottle again in Football as it did with Schiano. It was a lot more exciting when RU was going to bowl games and filling the stadium on a regular basis.

However, I would be shocked if RU did not find its way into a post-season tournament in basketball in the next two years.

 

[Virginiarufan]

Short memories. Schiano had our football team able to compete with most teams from the Big Ten. The right coach can do it again.

 

[ru66]

if you think RU was taken into the BIG only based on athletics or tv ,you and our SHU fans are so naive or can't face the reality about how significant and well respected RU is as a university

 

[batts]

if you think RU was taken into the BIG only based on athletics or tv ,you and our SHU fans are so naive or can't face the reality about how significant and well respected RU is as a university

As a holder of a graduate degree from RU, I am proud of its academic status. However, it’s membership in the Big 10 was mostly based on the N.Y. Metro television market.

 

[shields]

Batts, want the full share of the money.

 

[MADHAT1]

As a holder of a graduate degree from RU, I am proud of its academic status. However, it’s membership in the Big 10 was mostly based on the N.Y. Metro television market.

I think the TV market was the major reason, but as RU66 said:> "RU fits the BIG perfectly--size, academic credentials, diversity, AAU, tremendous research institute"< made it possible for the B1G to see RU as an asset besides just the TV sets it would bring with them.
( my opinion)
It was more than just the Metro TV market that had the B1G feel Rutgers belongs, it was a combination of everything RU had going for it that overcome the product it was placing on the field and the potential of Rutgers FB being a program that would gain the heart and soul of the metro area college football fan if RU FB ever became a good program.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

As a holder of a graduate degree from RU, I am proud of its academic status. However, it’s membership in the Big 10 was mostly based on the N.Y. Metro television market.

The answer is ...Rutgers fit the bill for the big ten because it helped add a major additional market while being a similar institution to other big ten members.

Point blank

 

[batts]

Rutgers fit the footprint of Big 10 constituents. RU was chosen over and above other candidates based on access to the NY Metro Television market. I think we are all in agreement.

 

[RUfinal4]

there was an article that UConn football may go indy and try to work with Army, BYU, Liberty, and UMass for a joint scheduling agreement with tv contract attached.

can also see them trying to get into long term scheduling deals with BC, Cuse, Rutgers, West va, and other former BE schools.

Maybe a MAC deal too where they get 2 MAC games a season as part of the MAC TV deals.

The issue will be scheduling 12 games
- FCS game
- Army
- UMass
- Liberty
- BYU
- New mexico St (is indy too)
- Rutgers, Cuse, WV, BC (rotating each year)
- Mac 1
- Mac 2
- AAC game (Temple, Cincy, USF, UCF)
- 2 bought road games by big programs looking to schedule a win

 

[Steve91562]

I only care about this move as it pertains to Rutgers (though I did enjoy seeing UConn wallowing in the AAC). And I think this is bad for our fledgling program. The reunion of UConn and the BE will likely revitalize both and a strong BE in this area will do no favors for a RU program trying to claw back from sucking for over three decades.

The new BE isn't the old BE. And I'm not sure the new BE schools can keep up with the financial firepower coming from the football power 5 schools. When places like Arkansas, BC, or Rutgers, get 50-60 million, not including ticket sales, some of those dollars will bleed into their basketball programs and beyond. What is the Catholic schools and UCONN going to do when Rutgers has much more $$ available for salaries and better facilities? Not even mentioning the Ohio St., Texas and Alabama of the world, who may some day have the dollars to dominate in every sport.

The power in basketball will probably shift to the Power 5 in the coming years, because that's where the money is located (to spend legally!). The new BE schools get paid only $4 mill. a year, although I understand they can renegotiate that contract now. It will be telling to see their new, renegotiated payout.

Leaving the AAC for UCONN may have been the best of the bad options available, but not sure it was home run decision in the long run. They will not be able to maintain Division 1 football independence. That'll cost too much.

 

[Scangg]

Rutgers being a fit based on market and academic status are not mutually exclusive. It's both but obviously the money from the NYC market was the major reason. If Rutgers was a joke academically they probably wouldn't have gotten it done

 

[TDIrish27]

The new BE isn't the old BE. And I'm not sure the new BE schools can keep up with the financial firepower coming from the football power 5 schools. When places like Arkansas, BC, or Rutgers, get 50-60 million, not including ticket sales, some of those dollars will bleed into their basketball programs and beyond. What is the Catholic schools and UCONN going to do when Rutgers has much more $$ available for salaries and better facilities? Not even mentioning the Ohio St., Texas and Alabama of the world, who may some have the dollars to dominate in every sport.

The power in basketball will probably shift to the Power 5 in the coming years, because that's where the money is located (to spend legally!). The new BE schools get paid only $4 mill. a year, although I understand they can renegotiate that contract now. It will be telling to see their new, renegotiated payout.

Leaving the AAC for UCONN may have been the best of the bad options available, but not sure it was home run decision in the long run. They will not be able to maintain Division 1 football independence. That'll cost too much.

This argument was made 5 years ago-----still waiting.

The BE schools will stay a very viable option for kids and continue to be a 5-6 bid league annually .

IMO after 2-3 years as an Indy UConn will go back down to FCS

The same 10-12,000 people will go to see them play and they can build a very good FCS Program as they will have better facilities than almost all the schools they play.

It's better than being hammered as an Indy playing 6-7 payday games every year IMO.

 

[Steve91562]

This argument was made 5 years ago-----still waiting.

The BE schools will stay a very viable option for kids and continue to be a 5-6 bid league annually .

IMO after 2-3 years as an Indy UConn will go back down to FCS

The same 10-12,000 people will go to see them play and they can build a very good FCS Program as they will have better facilities than almost all the schools they play.

It's better than being hammered as an Indy playing 6-7 payday games every year IMO.

It's only been in the last couple of years, with the new media contracts, and in some cases new networks, that all this new money has flowed into the SEC, B10, ect. The big discrepancy wasn't there 5 years ago, or whatever. The schools in the new BE will face increased competition -- not from the big boys, there always there -- but from schools like Rutgers.

 

[RUfinal4]

if conference realignment happens UConn will be in play.

If B10 goes to 16, ACC adds a team, and SEC goes to 16. B12 only has 10 and can grow to 12.

Surprised the B12 didn't try to get UConn and Cincy.

 

[kcg88]

if conference realignment happens UConn will be in play.

If B10 goes to 16, ACC adds a team, and SEC goes to 16. B12 only has 10 and can grow to 12.

Surprised the B12 didn't try to get UConn and Cincy.

Texas has zero interest in traveling to Connecticut for a football game.

 

[Virginiarufan]

For Uconn to be in play they have to bring something to the table of value$$$. They have men's and women's basketball and men's bball is questionable. They don't bring a recruiting territory and they don't bring a TV market. They don't even have a football stadium within 25 miles of campus. So all they bring to a conference is an extra mouth to feed. It's never going to happen.

Uconn's football experiment is DEAD and their self-entitled fans can rot in FCS purgatory till hell freezes over for all I care.

 

[RUfinal4]

Texas has zero interest in traveling to Connecticut for a football game.

would Texas go to met Life or Gillette Stadium for a game? How about Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park? They can add that as a condition.

imagine laddies hoops of Baylor vs UConn twice a year.


and for football a 12 team conference has divisions:
A - Texas, Baylor, TCU, Tx Tech, Oklahoma, Okl St
B - UConn, Cincy, West Va, Iowa St, Kansas, Ks St
- 5 division games and 3 cross games a years. 4 OOC games
- A division should win the conf championship most years.

Texas and Oklahoma can force their every other year games at UConn to be at met Life, Gillette, Yankee, or Fenway. Same for Cincy where they play in the bengals stadium, Cleveland, Chicago, or Indy. They are going to West Va currently.

 

[TDIrish27]

if conference realignment happens UConn will be in play.

If B10 goes to 16, ACC adds a team, and SEC goes to 16. B12 only has 10 and can grow to 12.

Surprised the B12 didn't try to get UConn and Cincy.

Can't see it----football at a high level is dead at UConn.

 

[srru86]

The Jersey papers, Gannet and Advance, are covering this topic with a sense of relief, and excitement, that would make you think the Huskies' campus was in Hackensack.

I don't think the New Haven or Bridgeport papers had this level of enthusiasm in their coverage of Rutgers going to the Big Ten.

Wait... I know they didn't because I read them at the time. All they could talk about was how it should have UConn, and Rutgers was undeserving.

Do Jersey hoops writers have such a hard on for, Seton Hall, Dan Hurley, and/or the ghost that is Big East hoops circa 1985 they can't help themselves?

 

[Upstream]

there was an article that UConn football may go indy and try to work with Army, BYU, Liberty, and UMass for a joint scheduling agreement with tv contract attached.

can also see them trying to get into long term scheduling deals with BC, Cuse, Rutgers, West va, and other former BE schools.

Maybe a MAC deal too where they get 2 MAC games a season as part of the MAC TV deals.

The issue will be scheduling 12 games
- FCS game
- Army
- UMass
- Liberty
- BYU
- New mexico St (is indy too)
- Rutgers, Cuse, WV, BC (rotating each year)
- Mac 1
- Mac 2
- AAC game (Temple, Cincy, USF, UCF)
- 2 bought road games by big programs looking to schedule a win

Scheduling 12 games is only part of the problem. They also need to get 6 home games a year to maintain the ticket revenue they get. UConn has a huge revenue problem, and the move they've made is only going to exacerbate that problem by significantly reducing their football revenue.

 

[Mr Magoo]

I have been going to college sports since 1976. Don’t have much of an opinion on the behavior of their basketball fans, but after going to several Rutgers football games at the airport stadium, I have to say they are the most disgusting college fans I have ever been around.

Yes, they are a vile group of low-lifes.

 

[LC-88]

Texas has zero interest in traveling to Connecticut for a football game.

Agree. If UConn is in the Big XII that means that Texas is in the Big Ten, so they wont care.

 

[TDIrish27]

The Jersey papers, Gannet and Advance, are covering this topic with a sense of relief, and excitement, that would make you think the Huskies' campus was in Hackensack.

I don't think the New Haven or Bridgeport papers had this level of enthusiasm in their coverage of Rutgers going to the Big Ten.

Wait... I know they didn't because I read them at the time. All they could talk about was how it should have UConn, and Rutgers was undeserving.

Do Jersey hoops writers have such a hard on for, Seton Hall, Dan Hurley, and/or the ghost that is Big East hoops circa 1985 they can't help themselves?

Slow time for news and with regard to college hoops SHU is states premier program till proven otherwise.

Easy solution to fixing that.

 

[Skull83]

if conference realignment happens UConn will be in play.

If B10 goes to 16, ACC adds a team, and SEC goes to 16. B12 only has 10 and can grow to 12.

Surprised the B12 didn't try to get UConn and Cincy.

It is significant that UCONN's agreement not to join a Power 5 football conference, and the accompanying $30 million dollar buyout, apparently only applies for the next 6 years. After that, the buyout drops significantly. The more I think about it, they really aren't giving up on football yet. They likely determined that based on current TV contracts, etc. there is no realistic chance of joining a Power 5 conference in the next 5 or 6 years. They are hoping that they can stabilize/revitalize basketball by rejoining the Big East and then be in a position of relative strength if there is another round of realignment. There's nothing they can do about their market, etc., but they're gambling that their basketball programs will be enough of a draw down the road if someone wants to expand in the northeast. They're hemorraghing money now anyway, so this is a hail mary to hopefully position themselves better for a future invite. They have to somehow keep football alive for the next 6 years, which won't be easy, but I don't think they're going to give up on it yet. Of course, in 6 years time if there doesn't seem to be a reasonable prospect of them landing somewhere, they'll have to make a decision on what to do with football, but for basketball and other sports they'd still be better off in the Big East.

 

[cubuffsdoug]

Has the announcement of UCONN rejoining the Big East official or still in the works? Btw, please forgive me since I haven't followed sports in the last few weeks. Cheering for Rutgers, the Mets, the Jets, and any other local team will do that to you.