UConn to the Big East

[bearcatbret]

Story about UConn leaving for the Big East in all sports but football. It will be a done deal if UConn can find a home for football. Without UConn men and women basketball teams, who would want the football team?
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/spor...sion/97944104/

[Lobot]

UConn football would have to go independent. They fit absolutely nowhere for football because none of the other conferences will want just the football program. They may even be better served by dropping to FCS again. I wonder if Edsall saw this coming when he signed his contract.

If they go to FCS, the option of ever getting into the P5 is toast. I think they're essentially waving a white flag here.

[blackattack]

This stinks. Not a good sign in my opinion. Looks like UConn is throwing in the towel on football. More evidence that hopes for future conference realignment which would add more G5 schools seems to be dying.

[RedDog]

Just being realistic. Their football is of no interest to anybody. Its an expensive black hole that wasn't going anywhere. They found out that packaging all their sports programs still didn't get them any P5 interest. Therefore the remaining sports are better suited and have more in common with the Big East programs. It definitely is surrendering to their P5 aspirations but probably stabilizes all their other sports.
I also don't think there is any realistic chance of the ACC adding any P5's through realignment. Theres more likelyhood that someday we get picked up by someone than any cast offs coming our way.

[RedDog]

it does however further weaken the AAC position to bargain as a package, plus it obviously weakens and already bleeding basketball conference. The one good thing it does is it takes the leading ACC candidate off the table should they decide to expand. I can't imagine they would have interest in anyone who doesn't play football. That might earn a glance our way, although I don't think we are considered a candidate at this point.

[Bearcats1232002]

This would further make the AAC a mid-major conference. When do we quit thinking about football and start looking to add basketball teams like Umass, Rhode Island, VCU, Dayton and the previously mentioned Wichita State? We need to try to make the AAC a strong basketball conference. Perhaps combining the best from the AAC, Conf USA (even though I am not sure what teams are good that are left) and the A10. We could even add teams from the Big 12 if or when that conference collapses. If the conference gets too big then kick out the programs that suck and don't really have any chances of getting good like East Carolina.

[coach]

I seriously doubt it goes anywhere. Way to big of an investment in football, not to mention Fox way overpaid the Big Midwest on this current bball deal. Next deal likely will not be for as much $'s and to kill football with those prospects is not a sound decision. Someone like a network would have to guarantee down the road that the $'s make sense which in bball they likely will not.

[longtimefan]

Funny, outside of Villanova, the new BE is just the bottom of the old league. As it turns out, even though the Big East name was worthless in football, it was probably a mistake to sell the name to the breakaway schools even though the money was good. Without the Big East name and the Madison Square Garden tournament that league would have plummeted downwards. That being said, I'd be sorry to see UConn go, as they are the only real rivalry we've had in the league since it formed. It wouldn't take UConn very long to rise back to the top of that league.

As far as dropping football that is not as out there as people may think. With the new order of money in college football, the strong will continue to gain more and more of the money with little left over, and in the next 10 years we may see as many as 15 G5 teams drop FBS football. If UConn does this, they'll be giving up in football, but they may not be the last one.

As far as the AAC is concerned, I have no idea who we would want to add as the 12th football school, or who would be interested in joining. But I would definitely go to 14 in basketball by adding three quality programs for all sports except football, perhaps Wichita State, Dayton, Rhode Island, we could actually do that now and perhaps that would satisfy UConn.

The AAC has solid basketball programs, but they are weighed way way down by teams that have never really competed in basketball, ECU, USF, UCF, and Tulane provide you with a lot of no win games every year.

[Lobot]

The UConn AD, Jeff Benedict, is stating publicly that they have had no talks with the Big East. This pretty much exactly what he has to say to prevent a revolt from the athletes and fans so I don't put much stock in the statement. It also makes no mention of a third party having contact through a back channel is what I suspect probably happened here.

[Lobot]

There's a media source out there that indicating UConn could pull the plug on the AAC by the end of the year if not sooner (I'm thinking fiscal year on July 1). Also of possibly related note, BC canned it's AD and NIU AD tweeting interesting things regarding conference realignment also. Things are getting weird.

I think we're seeing schools give up on the FBS arms race here. It's not terribly sustainable unless you can position yourself to move up a notch. I think we're in a position where we can move up a notch if we hang on long enough to let this stuff play out. We might see some more FBS schools opt out and free up spots in in the P4/5. Seems like some of this is happening awfully fast despite it looking like a long arc.

[RedDog]

I hope there is no correlation between things at BC (who shouldn't be in the ACC) and UConn who is a very good ACC candidate. That would be a real blow if they got in the ACC.
The Bearcats need to be proactive and be a ground level member in putting together something that strengthens their position for the next wave of restructuring. Its painfully obvious that no one will woo us so we have to continue to prep and market our brand. Hanging on financially until that time is going to be very difficult.

[Lobot]

Syracuse and BC will fight tooth and nail to keep UConn out of the ACC. Also, I'm not sure UConn can viably continue football at an ACC level even with ACC money. I think they'd likely end up in BC's current position in the permanent basement long term. The only way it makes sense is if the football program is an ACC sacrificial lamb whose money gets plowed back into the two basketball programs. If that's what's happening and I were Edsall I be out of there but then it's Edsall so who the heck knows.

[Lobot]

On another note. If BC and UConn both drop to the Big East, that leaves us a spot in the ACC. I hope Pinto is up to speed on this since he just started yesterday.

[coach]

I really have not seen any real credible sources for this. Jon Rothstein to me is not one. Is there someone else out there on this?

[Lobot]

Mark Blaudschun at TMGSports. Formerly of NJ.Com