UConn approaching a fork in the road

[Bill Marsh]

As a Connecticut resident and a sometimes UConn season ticket holder, I have been the first to say that UConn will stay the course with football and the AAC to maintain its viability as a candidate for a P5 conference. That will certainly be true for the next few years as revenue from entrance fees, exit fees, and Big East basketball tournament credits continue. However, that will eventually run out a few more years down the road and the university will be facing a decision if no P5 invite has been forthcoming.

As the result of a recent op-ed in cut viewpoints.org, I am beginning to have my doubts. The author of op-ed cites a number of points which have to be taken seriously by the UConn administration, many of which are taken from the President's Athletic Advisory Council (PAAC) report in 2013:

1. Financial concerns: in a recent year cited in the article, UConn subsidized it's athletic programs to the tune of $15 million, or 25% of a budget which already includes $6 million of university contributions, as reported in USA Today. This is up from 20% 5 years earlier. This is high among peer institutions.

2. Declining revenues: it's been several years since those revenues were sourced and UConn was a member of the Big East. Since joining the AAC, ticket sales in ALL sports have declined, further reducing reducing revenues.

3. Concerns about big time sports highlighted by the academic fraud scandal at North Carolina.

4. Concerns about the welfare of football players as the result of numerous reports on concussions and other brain injury in the sport.

5. Concerns about the academic welfare of all student-athletes due to travel issues related to membership in the far flung American Athletic Conference.

The drive for membership in a P5 conference has been advocated at UConn since the issue was first raised by former AD Lew Perkins almost 25 years ago. Current university president Susan Herbst has been clear about her goal to build UConn into a premier public research university and has taken significant steps in this direction. One of her strongly held beliefs is that athletic excellence with membership in a P5 conference with other elite public research universities is part of the formula for achieving this status at the University of Connecticut.

That has been the driving force behind UConn's upgrades, not any high value placed on college football among UConn fans. The decline of football ticket sales from 40,000 per game to a little above 30,000 in the last 10 years reflects the lack of urgency among the fan base. So, did the lack of ticket sales for the Fiesta Bowl when UConn had the good fortune of gaining a berth in that bowl back in the old Big East Football days. The result was that the university actually lost money on that bowl invitation while it made money for the rest of the conference.

There were editorials in both the Hartford Courant and the New Haven Register within the past 6 months questioning UConn's commitment to football and the accompanying decline in basketball attendance even with the recent basketball national championship. The Board of Trustees has to be asking itself if it's all worth it. If they haven't, they will be in a few years when the entrance & exit fee dollars along with the NCAA tournament revenue starts to dry up. Perhaps elite basketball is enough to boost applications to the Admissions Office and to heighten the profile to Public Ivy status in a region of the country that doesn't care all that much about college football.

As I said at the beginning, I have been dismissive of claims that UConn may become available to the Big East. I am reversing my position. If a P5 invitation is forthcoming within the next few years, then obviously all bets are off. But until then, this is a story worth following. Here is the link for anyone interested in reading the full op-ed:

http://ctviewpoints.org/2015/04/07/bask ... mic-focus/

[GoldenWarrior11]

UConn plays Villanova at home for its first game of 2015 on September 3rd. How fitting would it be if Villanova were to upset the Huskies in their opening game of 2015? BTW, Villanova just lost by one point in 2OT to Syracuse last year. It is definitely possible.

[GoldenWarrior11]

I just saw that UConn is 23-44 against its 2015 opponents. If they get another 2-10, 3-9 or 4-8 season this year, that would only strengthen the argument that UConn cannot sustain a D1 football program, competitively. That would really kill hopes of a P5 invite, unless the B1G or ACC would overlook football for basketball (unlikely).

[Hoyas]

I know in mens basketball- attendance was up this year by about 800 per game. Women's was down by about 100(entirely the NCAA tourney looking at it last year they got 5018 and 4245 so 9257 total- this year they got 3666 and 3486 so 7152). BTW- their women's team averaged 8216 this season! I don't think you can discount that fact- the women's program is part of the equation there more than anywhere else. The problem that UConn has is for 2 of their 3 main programs- and yes, the women are a main program there- a move to the Big East doesn't make sense at all.

I don't think UConn will make a move independent of something else happening.

[jfan]

You can see why UCONN wants to wait for a P5 invitation. That is where the decision making power is residing
(not as much for BB). We will have to see how much the recent decision on conference championships influences expansion. If expansion stops, UCONN would be in trouble with football. Always attractive for basketball though!

[Hoyas]

I just saw that UConn is 23-44 against its 2015 opponents. If they get another 2-10, 3-9 or 4-8 season this year, that would only strengthen the argument that UConn cannot sustain a D1 football program, competitively. That would really kill hopes of a P5 invite, unless the B1G or ACC would overlook football for basketball (unlikely).

more than that they have a tough schedule just looking at last years records.... 6 of the 8 conference opponents were bowl eligible last year, and then add to that BYU and Missouri. They play 5 of the 6 teams that were .500 or better in conference play last year. The division they are in is the tougher of the 2 divisions from looks of things. UCF, Temple, ECU, and Cincy(along with USF).

[NovaBall]

It's a five year plan for uconn. If they are not in a football five conferenceby then (which I think they will be), then the big east comes in play. They are not going to be in the conference of Americans long term.

Leave a light on for uconn.

[Bill Marsh]

It's a five year plan for uconn. If they are not in a football five conferenceby then (which I think they will be), then the big east comes in play. They are not going to be in the conference of Americans long term.

Leave a light on for uconn.

It might be less than that. There are only 4 years left on pay outs from the NCAA tournament credits which they earned with their national championship last year. At the rate that the rest of the AAC is earning tournament credits, that should be the end of the gravy train. That's the last reason for them to stay with this conference because the payments from the entrance & exit fees will be gone even before that. Then the real financial crisis will hit. They could possibly get a favorable negotiated settlement even sooner.

[chopper]

You can see why UCONN wants to wait for a P5 invitation. That is where the decision making power is residing
(not as much for BB). We will have to see how much the recent decision on conference championships influences expansion. If expansion stops, UCONN would be in trouble with football. Always attractive for basketball though!

Did you guys see the recent news story about the NCAA relaxing the requirement of needing 12 teams to host a conference tourney?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... laxed.html

If that is the case, what incentive does the Big 12 have to expand beyond say a television footprint standpoint?

[Hoyas]

You can see why UCONN wants to wait for a P5 invitation. That is where the decision making power is residing
(not as much for BB). We will have to see how much the recent decision on conference championships influences expansion. If expansion stops, UCONN would be in trouble with football. Always attractive for basketball though!

Did you guys see the recent news story about the NCAA relaxing the requirement of needing 12 teams to host a conference tourney?

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... laxed.html

If that is the case, what incentive does the Big 12 have to expand beyond say a television footprint standpoint?

That's not passed yet at all. A lot of the story was based off of what Bob Bowlsby said. Who is Bowlsby? The Big 12 commish. It's not a lock at all that what he said will come to fruition at all. What basis does the Big 10, Pac 12, or SEC have to help the Big 12 out? Even the ACC would be against that part of it.