"The announcement against expansion was not unexpected and is indicative of the volatile world of college athletics administration," UConn President Susan Herbst said.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby called Herbst before his press conference to inform her of the decision.
"He communicated to her they have chosen not to expand," UConn athletic director David Benedict said. "Obviously this is second hand from Susan to me, but the communication to me was that they were not expanding and don't plan on having any further conversations about expansion. The word tabling was not used. They are not expanding and don't have any future plans of discussing expansion."
ESPN and Fox – which were reportedly against expansion because of the financial obligations both would share in reimbursing the conference about $25 million for each new member.
It is expected that the Big 12's television partners will eventually pay the conference something less than the $25 million in return for the no expansion vote.
What's left to be decided is the direction of UConn athletics and, most important, how it will be financed. The Huskies basically have two choices to make.
Choice No. 1: They can remain in the AAC and share in revenue that is far below the level they would have enjoyed in the Big 12. The AAC signed a seven-year, $126 million rights agreement in 2013; the Big 12 is the midst of a 13-year, $2.6 billion media rights deal. The Big 12 recently announced that its 10 members each would draw $30.4 million from the TV deal last year. The AAC reportedly earned $18 million in revenue for the entire conference.
Choice No. 2 (the less-likely option): UConn can petition to leave the AAC, something that would require a 27-month waiting period and cost a $10 million exit fee. Where would the Huskies go? Well, there is the suggestion the Big East Conference, currently a 10-team non-football league, would take the Huskies back for basketball and other minor sports.
However, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman told The Courant last week that the conference had no plans to expand, despite how the presence of the Huskies stands to make its next television package more lucrative.
As for football, the Huskies would have to come to a harder decision. Since the AAC would not allow UConn to keep only its football team in the conference – and UConn would not consider doing so – the athletic administration would have to find it a new home – perhaps the Mid-American Conference, which currently has 12 members.
But that move threatens to devalue the football program to the extent no conference would be interested in UConn during what inevitably will be the next wave of expansion.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy issued a statement after hearing the Big 12 would not expand:
"UConn offers any athletic conference a unique combination of stellar academics and championship-level athletics. We have communicated with UConn throughout this process and we stand proudly in support of them in whichever conference they compete. As all of us know, Husky athletes and fans are some of the best in the nation – we will continue our legacy of supporting the university both academically and athletically to ensure UConn remains a world class institution."
On October 10th Fieldhouse Flyer wrote:
The MAC doesn't want football-only members.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/U ... onferencesUMass was effectively kicked out of the MAC football conference after the 2015 season. It was offered full membership, but declined.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... l/6918677/After two years as a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference, the University of Massachusetts will leave the league in 2015, MAC commissioner Jon Steinbrecher told USA TODAY Sports.
In February 2014, MAC league presidents enacted a clause that started a clock on UMass' membership. According to the clause, UMass could either accept full membership in the MAC or serve only two additional years as a football-only member.
Rather than join the league across all NCAA sports – including basketball, the school's premier athletic program – UMass opted for another two years as a football member before leaving the conference altogether.
admin wrote:I simply don't agree with this assertion which is stated as fact by the Hartford Courant:
However, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman told The Courant last week that the conference had no plans to expand, despite how the presence of the Huskies stands to make its next television package more lucrative.
I also believe that if UCONN made a TV contract more lucrative it would be for a league that doesn't already have a presence in the Northeast and New York, ala at the Big 12. The Big East is doing just fine in that area as currently constructed. Personally, other than renewal of past rivalries, I personally don't believe that UCONN adds anything to the Big East.
iii. Willingness to consider a football-only membership and competitive plans for other sports programs in that scenario.
UConn would accept football-only membership, and subsequently would pursue
membership in the Big East Conference for other sponsored sports currently competing in
the American Athletic Conference (AAC).
admin wrote:
I simply don't agree with this assertion which is stated as fact by the Hartford Courant:
However, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman told The Courant last week that the conference had no plans to expand, despite how the presence of the Huskies stands to make its next television package more lucrative.
GoldenWarrior11 wrote:A couple of thoughts after yesterday's decision by Big 12 not to expand:
1.) It should finally cement the notion that UConn is not coming back to the Big East. While it was a pipe dream to begin with, it never was really a fit. The Big East, as currently configured, is Private/Catholic-based. While it is a basketball-first league, it would take an extraordinary situation for them to invite an outsider (like UConn). While a program with UConn's credentials would/should absolutely be considered, stability for the conference was a priority since the reorganization in 2013. Adding a school like UConn, which has publicized its intentions to get into a power football conference, would only add instability for the other 10-schools.
2.) Since yesterday's decision was a huge win for the AAC, and due to the continued battle for supremacy from the BE/AAC split, it is imperative that the BE continue to perform well and out-perform the AAC. If the AAC is now able to get a larger contract from ESPN (or any other network), then the Big East should absolutely be able to make a similar argument with Fox once our contract comes up as well. Even though we don't play football, we do offer a power basketball conference that has proven it is a nationally competitive league, on par with the B1G, ACC, SEC, PAC-12 and Big 12. The BE needs to continue to cement itself as the top basketball conference not in the Power 5 group, and not let the AAC wiggle its way in that spot.
3.) Expansion in the Big East will not happen at least until new contract negotiations come up, and even by that point, we aren't expanding unless Saint Louis, Dayton, or any other Private/Catholic university proves that it belongs. 10 is a perfect number for basketball. Unless we get paid even more to add by Fox, we should stay that way until a viable and realistic opportunity presents itself.
GoldenWarrior11 wrote: 2.) ... yesterday's decision was a huge win for the AAC
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