UConn Smoke

[adoraz]

Felt this deserved it's own thread, since this isn't just fan speculation (like in the expansion thread).

After Val's comments yesterday about the possibility of expanding to 11, the AAC sent out an urgent GOR request to all members this morning.

There are a lot of news articles, but for starters:

https://the-boneyard.com/threads/aac-gr ... ts.137263/

Especially around page 4 things get interesting.

Personally, I'd be happy to see them join. Just talks for now, but enough to get the AAC's attention.

[stever20]

Felt this deserved it's own thread, since this isn't just fan speculation (like in the expansion thread).

After Val's comments yesterday about the possibility of expanding to 11, the AAC sent out an urgent GOR request to all members this morning.

There are a lot of news articles, but for starters:

https://the-boneyard.com/threads/aac-gr ... ts.137263/

Especially around page 4 things get interesting.

Personally, I'd be happy to see them join. Just talks for now, but enough to get the AAC's attention.

Yep. Like what we've said- if UConn wants in the Big East, it's a matter of seconds for them to get in.

This does seem like it could have some legs... I did see that Aresco will be making some comments this afternoon. Just really interesting timing after yesterday.

[ArmyVet]

the AAC should be worried about UCF leaving in my opinion. That's the school any GOR should be aimed at keeping.

[zebrapoodle23]

I can see how it works, but these types of deals are going to be bad for the conference as a whole as well as the member schools. Even if you are one of the schools getting more money, the other schools in your conferences are going to fall behind even further.

Let's say you think UCF is a total facade because they play a shit schedule. Suddenly the TV deal is giving them 25% more more than Temple gets. If UCF does it again do people suddenly sit back and think "Oh hey they are for real now!"? No, people are just going to keep thinking the same.

The schools getting more money wouldn't get anywhere near what they could get in even a single year in a bigger conference, so if they think expansion could happen, it's a terrible deal.

The smaller schools trying to get security are screwed because the money from a Bigger conferences TV deal is so much bigger that you can probably break the GoR and still come out ahead in a year or two.

The only way this is a benefit if there is absolutely no expansion and no threat of expansion and somehow this is able to get more money from the networks in general. Having an earnings tier when all members re there from the start is a terrible idea that is only going to cause resentment when one of the "smaller" schools has a good run. The point of the conferences is to act together to support each other. f---ing some of the schools over because you can is a terrible way to run a conference.

[xusandy]

"Yep. Like what we've said- if UConn wants in the Big East, it's a matter of seconds for them to get in." Stever, for once I agree with you: UConn is a second choice!

[GoldenWarrior11]

Under the proposed GOR, UCF, USF, Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis would all receive higher television revenue payouts than the rest of the league. That means Aresco is effectively trying to sell the ****-canning of schools like Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, ECU and UConn as a way for the league to make more money and "force" long-term stability. Absolutely hilarious. We all have been told for years that football drives the bus. I guess it must be true. BEEP BEEP!

[stever20]

"Yep. Like what we've said- if UConn wants in the Big East, it's a matter of seconds for them to get in." Stever, for once I agree with you: UConn is a second choice!

there would be nothing second about it. They would be added in about 2 seconds. Absolutely no debate at all.....

[Xudash]

I can see how it works, but these types of deals are going to be bad for the conference as a whole as well as the member schools. Even if you are one of the schools getting more money, the other schools in your conferences are going to fall behind even further.

Let's say you think UCF is a total facade because they play a shit schedule. Suddenly the TV deal is giving them 25% more more than Temple gets. If UCF does it again do people suddenly sit back and think "Oh hey they are for real now!"? No, people are just going to keep thinking the same.

The schools getting more money wouldn't get anywhere near what they could get in even a single year in a bigger conference, so if they think expansion could happen, it's a terrible deal.

The smaller schools trying to get security are screwed because the money from a Bigger conferences TV deal is so much bigger that you can probably break the GoR and still come out ahead in a year or two.

The only way this is a benefit if there is absolutely no expansion and no threat of expansion and somehow this is able to get more money from the networks in general. Having an earnings tier when all members re there from the start is a terrible idea that is only going to cause resentment when one of the "smaller" schools has a good run. The point of the conferences is to act together to support each other. f---ing some of the schools over because you can is a terrible way to run a conference.

Excellent post.

Once upon a time, when I was involved in a financing for a regional fiber optics telco company - all this following the AT&T Divestiture decree in the early 80's - I asked the CEO about his competitive positioning, etc. His response has stuck with me forever: "From a network point of view, you're only as strong as your weakest link." He was specifically talking about throughput / bandwidth, but the point is made. Not to pick on Bowling Green (OH), but imagine the B1G if BGSU were a member and imagine an arrangement where top conference performers like Ohio State received much higher distributions than other members. Arrangements like that become self-fulfilling "prophecies" - the obvious haves swimming with the obvious and forever havenots.

More to the point, this was what life was like and probably still is like in the A10. The A10 had its poor institutional alignment problems when X was a member of it and it appears to continue to be stuck with very bad management and few options for strengthening itself today. Schools like Fordham and LaSalle can't get ahead of the curve because they can't get there financially. Fordham probably could get their from their own funding base if they wanted, but they lack the vision for it. Schools like St. Bonaventure and LaSalle are too far behind the financial power curve to play on the high-end.

The Big East is doing a great job of managing its overall strength by providing reasonable economic balance for its members.

[JPSchmack]

I can see how it works, but these types of deals are going to be bad for the conference as a whole as well as the member schools. Even if you are one of the schools getting more money, the other schools in your conferences are going to fall behind even further.

Let's say you think UCF is a total facade because they play a shit schedule. Suddenly the TV deal is giving them 25% more more than Temple gets. If UCF does it again do people suddenly sit back and think "Oh hey they are for real now!"? No, people are just going to keep thinking the same.

The schools getting more money wouldn't get anywhere near what they could get in even a single year in a bigger conference, so if they think expansion could happen, it's a terrible deal.

The smaller schools trying to get security are screwed because the money from a Bigger conferences TV deal is so much bigger that you can probably break the GoR and still come out ahead in a year or two.

The only way this is a benefit if there is absolutely no expansion and no threat of expansion and somehow this is able to get more money from the networks in general. Having an earnings tier when all members re there from the start is a terrible idea that is only going to cause resentment when one of the "smaller" schools has a good run. The point of the conferences is to act together to support each other. f---ing some of the schools over because you can is a terrible way to run a conference.

Excellent post.

Once upon a time, when I was involved in a financing for a regional fiber optics telco company - all this following the AT&T Divestiture decree in the early 80's - I asked the CEO about his competitive positioning, etc. His response has stuck with me forever: "From a network point of view, you're only as strong as your weakest link." He was specifically talking about throughput / bandwidth, but the point is made. Not to pick on Bowling Green (OH), but imagine the B1G if BGSU were a member and imagine an arrangement where top conference performers like Ohio State received much higher distributions than other members. Arrangements like that become self-fulfilling "prophecies" - the obvious haves swimming with the obvious and forever havenots.

More to the point, this was what life was like and probably still is like in the A10. The A10 had its poor institutional alignment problems when X was a member of it and it appears to continue to be stuck with very bad management and few options for strengthening itself today. Schools like Fordham and LaSalle can't get ahead of the curve because they can't get there financially. Fordham probably could get their from their own funding base if they wanted, but they lack the vision for it. Schools like St. Bonaventure and LaSalle are too far behind the financial power curve to play on the high-end.

The Big East is doing a great job of managing its overall strength by providing reasonable economic balance for its members.

My assessment on the UConn smoke was more "the NBC Sports article was talking UConn, but it's not like Val hinted at UConn..." I still cannot imagine a universe in which UConn says "we'll worry about football conference affiliation later, let's get basketball and all our non-revenue sports into the Big East." No disrespect to UConn football, but they're definitely not Notre Dame with a century of national following, or BYU with a national following due to their unique standing as the de facto "unofficial college team of the Mormon faith."


The have/have not schism within conferences is 99% spot on. I'd disagree slightly with your examples within the A-10...
- Fordham is an A-10 have not, but while they get very little money from NCAA payouts in the A-10's sharing plan, the have a "big budget" for an A-10 school. They just have WAY TOO many sports, so they spread that money out so thin. If they trimmed sports and focused more on basketball, they'd be so much better. They need to commit one way or the other: Lots of sports in the Patriot League or hack their spending down by cutting sports if they remain A-10.

- St. Bonaventure is tiny and have low revenue, but they know who they are and focus their spending on men's basketball. And aside from that sanction era, they've been a constant overachiever. It's funny you mention a team that basically had 3 NCAA seasons in the last seven years (Tulsa boy screwed them to take Tulsa on year) and just beat UCLA in the NCAA Tournament nine months ago, as a team incapable of "playing on the high end."


For the American, I would think this would be more about UCF than UConn. Tons of attention because of football. And 7 of the 11 programs who’ve been BCS Busters have been invited to a better conference, including all three who have done it multiple times. Three of them (Louisville, Utah and TCU) got invited to the Power 5.

Considering that UCF…
Football is 7th in the CFP
MBB is 39th in the MBB Coaches’ Poll
WBB is coming off two straight postseasons and is 33 in the RPI now
Women’s Soccer has 17 NCAA bids in the last 21 seasons
Men’s Soccer has 3 NCAA bids in 8 years, including this year
Softball has 4 NCAA bids in 7 years and just missed the last two
Baseball has 3 NCAA bids in 8 years.

They’re a BCS school in a non-BCS conference (not that UConn, Memphis or Cincinnati aren’t). But UCF is in prime football recruiting territory, which makes them far more attractive to the Big XII than UConn would be. I thought the Big XII was silly to not take UCF/USF at least, maybe Memphis/Cincinnati as well the last time they considered expansion. UConn is probably going to be hosed as far as conference unless the SEC adds a school from the ACC.

And boy was BC smart for jumping to the ACC before UConn football got started.

[ArmyVet]

Under the proposed GOR, UCF, USF, Cincinnati, Houston and Memphis would all receive higher television revenue payouts than the rest of the league. That means Aresco is effectively trying to sell the ****-canning of schools like Tulane, Tulsa, SMU, ECU and UConn as a way for the league to make more money and "force" long-term stability. Absolutely hilarious. We all have been told for years that football drives the bus. I guess it must be true. BEEP BEEP!

Well that's got to hurt if you are UCONN. The AAC is making no effort to keep you and also essentially penalizing UCONN by giving a share of their $$ to keep others.