Would we accept Uconn if their football was in MAC?

[redmen9194]

The problem with UConn, as well as most FBS schools not in a power league, is that they would be looking to leave. The Big East needs to be a destination conference, not a stop on the way to better things. If a school has FBS football, they would be looking to move on. That would make the conference unstable and look weak - even if its just one school. I'm not a Nova guy, but from everything I have seen, read and heard, Villanova is not going to be playing FBS football anytime soon. No UConn, we don't need them at this point.

[Dave]

LOL sure.......

obviously Zags would be better outside of location, personally VCU and SLU would be better league wise, hell Dayton too. UConn prays to the football gods now... seriously 11 sucks so bad as a conference number that I would argue that no team outside of a UK, UL, Duke, NC, Kansas, Indiana would be worth moving to just 11 and UConn isn't even close to the caliber of these schools. However these schools do have one thing in common with UConn. They are FBS schools who have a 0% chance of moving to the BE.

OK, so obviously the Blue Bloods that you list are not possible as they are on better BCS conferences.

UConn is elite. Who has won more titles in the last 15 years? Right. No one. "UConn isn't even close to the caliber of these schools". Do you mean basketball program, or academics? In either case, you are wrong. Certainly they have the basketball results. And UConn is on par academically with most of the big east, and head and shoulders above UK and Ville.

Zags haven't made a final four.

And 11 teams sucks? Why? I see this comment a lot... I think people just don't take the time to think it through. An odd number isn't complicated.

[Dave]

... That would make the conference unstable and look weak - even if its just one school. I'm not a Nova guy, but from everything I have seen, read and heard, Villanova is not going to be playing FBS football anytime soon...

The conference is weak, or at least weaker than it could be. Wishing won't change it, only winning will. UConn has titles and is a winning program. We'd be stronger with them.

You are correct on Nova - not any time soon. Has to be the next Pres/AD.

[redmen9194]

In terms of weak, I mean that from the point of being a stable conference. It is certainly stronger now than it has possibly ever been. But the league is not weak in terms of good teams as well. G'Town and Quette will be good next season. I may be biased, but the Johnnies are returning a deep and talented team that should absolutely make the NCAAs and will contend for a league title. Nova and Creighton should be good as well. I see six teams that could make an NCAA appearance and I think we will get five bids. Now, we have to see this all occur of course but we are neither a weak league competitively nor structurally. I would love to have UConn in the league, but the fact is they will continue to fawn over the ACC and Big Ten until they get an invite. Part of the problem was you had schools like Syracuse pledging allegiance and then begging to leave. There were a lot of people out there who thought the C& should never have left as being part of any league with football would be better than not. Now you have UConn with a football program making LESS TV money than DePaul. This league can be good and will be good. Just my opinion...

[Dave]

I mean weak as in progression into the tournament. Tournament success is really the measure that sticks. The current members don't have a recent national championship. UConn is our past mate with the hardware. Cuse and Ville next.

The next measure is Final Fours. Butler Nova and Gtown come into play. And Marquette further back.

But what major conference has zero championships from its current membership, over the last 20 years?

I'd rather be a better conference with a risk of flight from one or two schools than be rock solid stable and not as competitive.

Getting to the NCAA tournament as a standard of success is certainly mid-major thinking in my opinion. We need Creighton, Butler, GTown, Marquette and Nova to advance. And the bottom half needs to step up and be competitive.

[BillEsq]

LOL sure.......

obviously Zags would be better outside of location, personally VCU and SLU would be better league wise, hell Dayton too. UConn prays to the football gods now... seriously 11 sucks so bad as a conference number that I would argue that no team outside of a UK, UL, Duke, NC, Kansas, Indiana would be worth moving to just 11 and UConn isn't even close to the caliber of these schools. However these schools do have one thing in common with UConn. They are FBS schools who have a 0% chance of moving to the BE.

OK, so obviously the Blue Bloods that you list are not possible as they are on better BCS conferences.

UConn is elite. Who has won more titles in the last 15 years? Right. No one. "UConn isn't even close to the caliber of these schools". Do you mean basketball program, or academics? In either case, you are wrong. Certainly they have the basketball results. And UConn is on par academically with most of the big east, and head and shoulders above UK and Ville.

Zags haven't made a final four.

And 11 teams sucks? Why? I see this comment a lot... I think people just don't take the time to think it through. An odd number isn't complicated.

Calhoun is gone... and UConn is living off old luster i admit the '90s uconn would be a get but '90s uconn is no more the coach is gone and the school is committed to football. Academically Uconn is a good school but their athletic department is a train wreck academically. The fact is that Uconn should never have moved its Football program up. They did and it took a toll on a woefully unprepared Athletic Department.

11 sucks not for scheduling but for media scheduling. Conference season you have one team every weekend not playing a conference game or any game. That equals loss of TV/gate revenue. Schools are in this to make money, thus 11 is not going to work.

[Dave]

1990s UConn. You make them sound like a program that has not been good recently. They won the championship twice since the 90s. They won in 2011.

Where would you rank them in the BE for 2013-2014? They are still relevant.

I am not a UConn fan... But I acknowledge that they would boost the conference with history, current strength, and NYC/MSG position.

As far as 11 teams, one team playing a good OOC per week (it could be a TV game), or sitting a game out in the schedule (playing only one game that week) is no big deal for TV. Especially if we had UConn as the extra team. There is absolutely no TV conflict - it's a red herring argument.

[BillEsq]

1990s UConn. You make them sound like a program that has not been good recently. They won the championship twice since the 90s. They won in 2011.

Where would you rank them in the BE for 2013-2014? They are still relevant.

I am not a UConn fan... But I acknowledge that they would boost the conference with history, current strength, and NYC/MSG position.

As far as 11 teams, one team playing a good OOC per week (it could be a TV game), or sitting a game out in the schedule (playing only one game that week) is no big deal for TV. Especially if we had UConn as the extra team. There is absolutely no TV conflict - it's a red herring argument.

UConn won... got sanctioned for cheating... got sanctioned for bad grades... their tarnished head coach retired... and since then the ACC abandoned them even with their proximity to NYC. However i admit i am not a UConn fan so... i might be a bit too negative on them. I just don't think they bring that much appeal; of the AAC Cincy is seen as the stronger athletic department. Not to mention their football team has been a walking scandal since their old head coach fled the program.

In regards to the 11 teams... few opportunities for a good OOC game in conference season. And i think you miss my point. Its not that you can't schedule a 11 team league its that you have one team every weekend getting $0 for revenue. No TV, no advertising, no gate, etc. etc. You also lose 1 team every week day game over the course of 10 weeks thats 20 byes for the conference. For a twenty game round robin you need 14-16 weeks just to play the conference. Thats conference starting before Christmas with each school missing at least 2 games/ 1 being a weekend in the conference season. your now scheduling games when the students are out for Christmas break, loosing revenue, etc etc. Look you don't have to take my word for it. The Big 10 had 11 teams for a number of years. They played a 16 game schedule. why? because a round robin is impractical. It also created a situation where teams were playing unbalanced schedules. The Big 10 responded by having a unbalanced with 1 OOC game for the loose weekend. I admit this is an option. however you previously stated you wanted a 20 game round robin so.... you inherit the longer conference season.

i don't doubt its possible to have a 11 team round robin schedule my problem is the logistics behind such a mess.

However once again... UConn his committed to football. there is a 0% chance they will move to the BE.

[Dave]

UConn won... got sanctioned for cheating... got sanctioned for bad grades... their tarnished head coach retired... and since then the ACC abandoned them even with their proximity to NYC. However i admit i am not a UConn fan so... i might be a bit too negative on them. I just don't think they bring that much appeal; of the AAC Cincy is seen as the stronger athletic department. Not to mention their football team has been a walking scandal since their old head coach fled the program.

In regards to the 11 teams... few opportunities for a good OOC game in conference season. And i think you miss my point. Its not that you can't schedule a 11 team league its that you have one team every weekend getting $0 for revenue. No TV, no advertising, no gate, etc. etc. You also lose 1 team every week day game over the course of 10 weeks thats 20 byes for the conference. For a twenty game round robin you need 14-16 weeks just to play the conference. Thats conference starting before Christmas with each school missing at least 2 games/ 1 being a weekend in the conference season. your now scheduling games when the students are out for Christmas break, loosing revenue, etc etc. Look you don't have to take my word for it. The Big 10 had 11 teams for a number of years. They played a 16 game schedule. why? because a round robin is impractical. It also created a situation where teams were playing unbalanced schedules. The Big 10 responded by having a unbalanced with 1 OOC game for the loose weekend. I admit this is an option. however you previously stated you wanted a 20 game round robin so.... you inherit the longer conference season.

i don't doubt its possible to have a 11 team round robin schedule my problem is the logistics behind such a mess.

However once again... UConn his committed to football. there is a 0% chance they will move to the BE.

You seem to hold up Louisville, Kentucky, UNC on a pedestal... But you trash UConn. UConn has the most titles in the last 15 years. Its academics would be behind UNC but far above Ville and UK. I think UConn's sanction issues are less significant than UNC's football issues.

OOC conference games can be on TV. There is revenue from OOC games. Total revenue would not decrease by adding UConn. The inconvenience of an 11 team conference would only be worth it for an exceptional draw. UConn is the only candidate.

That said, I agree it won't happen. There are other forces at work than pursuing the best basketball conference.

[Bluejay]

As far as 11 teams, one team playing a good OOC per week (it could be a TV game), or sitting a game out in the schedule (playing only one game that week) is no big deal for TV.

I think you may overestimate the ease of finding good teams to play OOC games in the middle of their conference seasons. Most teams are not going to want to interrupt their conference seasons to play a noncon game. further, I doubt many of the BE teams are going to have much interest in playing a noncon game in the middle of the conference season either -- they certainly aren't going to want to play on the road. My fear is that you'd end up with 11 games against SWAC-like teams that don't so anything for anybody and have zero TV appeal.