BLIKNS Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 They are supposed to be in talks... The plot thickens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Elrond Posted August 23 Share Posted August 23 This is actually an interesting situation to watch. UConn’s Men’s Basketball has been great, and every conference would want it, but their Football team has stunk like a week old catfish that hasn’t been refrigerated. Their clinging to independent status in football has been a huge mistake. I’m sure the Big 12 will want some hard guarantees on what they plan to do to upgrade the team, or they might as well forget these talks ever happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 46 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said: This is actually an interesting situation to watch. UConn’s Men’s Basketball has been great, and every conference would want it, but their Football team has stunk like a week old catfish that hasn’t been refrigerated. Their clinging to independent status in football has been a huge mistake. I’m sure the Big 12 will want some hard guarantees on what they plan to do to upgrade the team, or they might as well forget these talks ever happened. But their share of the B12 pot is a whole lot bigger than the Beast. UConn got slammed by the CT media when they decided a year ago to stay in the Beast for sentimental reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgstl Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said: This is actually an interesting situation to watch. UConn’s Men’s Basketball has been great, and every conference would want it, but their Football team has stunk like a week old catfish that hasn’t been refrigerated. Their clinging to independent status in football has been a huge mistake. I’m sure the Big 12 will want some hard guarantees on what they plan to do to upgrade the team, or they might as well forget these talks ever happened. Now imagine having vandy who has nearly just as bad of a football program and a meh basketball program Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Elrond Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 28 minutes ago, slu72 said: But their share of the B12 pot is a whole lot bigger than the Beast. UConn got slammed by the CT media when they decided a year ago to stay in the Beast for sentimental reasons. The question is why the Big 12 would want a bad football team, even if the BB is great. Every other recent conference expansion has been football 1st and foremost, Basketball a distant second, if it’s even a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lando Griffin Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 22 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said: The question is why the Big 12 would want a bad football team, even if the BB is great. Every other recent conference expansion has been football 1st and foremost, Basketball a distant second, if it’s even a consideration. It’s not, the Big 12 Commish sees basketball as a big revenue driver for their next TV contract and UCONN is about as big brand as it gets. It also gets them into the NY market. As someone who believes in the geography this is just dumb but hey maybe this opens a door for SLU if they can get it together and become a bit of a powerhouse. brianstl likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierPal Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 Interesting report on ESPN and CBS is that all sports except football would join the Big 12 as soon as UConn could unravel from the Big East but football would be delayed until 2031 so they could build their program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 12 hours ago, Lando Griffin said: It’s not, the Big 12 Commish sees basketball as a big revenue driver for their next TV contract and UCONN is about as big brand as it gets. It also gets them into the NY market. As someone who believes in the geography this is just dumb but hey maybe this opens a door for SLU if they can get it together and become a bit of a powerhouse. NY and New England markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Elrond Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 UConn only drew barely over 19,000 for its last football game last year. I doubt many fans from NY even know it exists. Hopefully they make up in BB revenue for letting them in and adding to expenses for every other sport while cutting their slice of the pie by adding another team, but this seems like a bit of a gamble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgstl Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 3 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said: UConn only drew barely over 19,000 for its last football game last year. I doubt many fans from NY even know it exists. Hopefully they make up in BB revenue for letting them in and adding to expenses for every other sport while cutting their slice of the pie by adding another team, but this seems like a bit of a gamble. Yep. CFB just isn’t a big deal in the NE. No matter how much uconn wants to build up the program, it’ll never be much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianstl Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 1 minute ago, Lord Elrond said: UConn only drew barely over 19,000 for its last football game last year. I doubt many fans from NY even know it exists. Hopefully they make up in BB revenue for letting them in and adding to expenses for every other sport while cutting their slice of the pie by adding another team, but this seems like a bit of a gamble. If you have a chance to get in one of the 4 big conferences you have no choice to do whatever you can to do so. That is the only way to insure you don’t get completely left behind. Box and Won likes this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Elrond Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 21 minutes ago, brianstl said: If you have a chance to get in one of the 4 big conferences you have no choice to do whatever you can to do so. That is the only way to insure you don’t get completely left behind. I get why UConn would want in, they should do this in a heartbeat. What I don’t get is why the B12 wants to divide up it’s revenue by another school for a place with such a miserable football program, which is still your big revenue source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted August 24 Share Posted August 24 If Clemson and FSU bolt for the SEC, the ACC would pursue UConn as well. That would make sense from both a hoops and FB standpoint. Plus UConn could renew their rivalries with ex Beast schools. Clemson is trying to extricate itself from the ACC. Not sure about FSU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taj79 Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 With Oklahoma and Texas heading to the SEC, what football “powers” are left in the Big Twelve? Seems to me they are mostly mediocre programs that occassionally rise to the top but don’t stay there. Oklahoma State? Colorado? Baylor? Kansas State? UConn football has miles to go just to get to this mediocre level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierPal Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/40968712/uconn-big-12-early-talks-potential-membership https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story?id=40968712&_slug_=uconn-big-12-early-talks-potential-membership A Big 12 board call is being planned for next week with the league's presidents that would lay out the specific deal points, sources said. "I think the word is 'premature,'" a high-ranking Big 12 official said. "There's a far distance between conversations and anything that would happen. The presidents haven't seen the case yet." The addition would be for all sports, and the delay to 2031 in football would give UConn a chance to catch up in terms of funding and a talent upgrade through NIL. The Athletic first reported on the potential board call and the talks. The other sports, including UConn's dominant basketball programs, would be added whenever the school could negotiate or wait out the 27-month waiting period to exit the Big East. Thought I pasted these before, but I see I didn't. Not a 100% certainty that the Big 12 will accept UConn. There is a key Big 12 Board call this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slu72 Posted August 25 Share Posted August 25 1 hour ago, HoosierPal said: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/40968712/uconn-big-12-early-talks-potential-membership Thought I pasted this before, but I see I didn't. Not a 100% certainty that the Big 12 will accept UConn. There is a key Big 12 Board call this week. Sounds like this is far from a done deal. Look for the ACC to cozy up to UConn should Clemson and FSU bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierPal Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Report on Big 12 President's meeting Monday. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-12-presidents-pitched-on-potential-uconn-addition-but-lack-of-consensus-likely-to-prolong-decision/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierPal Posted September 5 Share Posted September 5 UConn to the Big 12 dead, for now. Give it another year. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/big-12-uconn-pause-expansion-discussions-though-commissioner-brett-yormark-remains-bullish-on-huskies/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierPal Posted September 6 Share Posted September 6 https://uconnhuskies.com/news/2024/9/5/general-statement-from-david-benedict.aspx Not exactly a "we are committed to the Big East' statement from UConn. Dear UConn Nation, As you know, it's been both an exciting and turbulent time in college athletics over the past few years. With the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal, the landscape has changed dramatically. Further, conference realignment has significantly blurred the national panorama. Undoubtedly, many of you have followed recent media reports about the Big 12's renewed interest in UConn as a conference member. It is always our objective to put UConn in the very best position for future success, so we did engage in exploratory dialogue with the Big 12. Ultimately, the Big 12 determined that it will pause on conversations about membership expansion. I encourage all who care deeply about the Huskies to pause and reflect. Certainly, it is flattering to be courted; it says a lot about UConn and what others think of us. Further, we have enjoyed tremendous success since our return to the BIG EAST in 2020, which has included 36 conference championships (across all conferences in which we are affiliated) and, of course, our back-to-back NCAA men's basketball titles. No matter our conference home, our mission has been, and will always be, to provide an exceptional academic and athletic experience to the outstanding young men and women who proudly wear the UConn uniform. It is our North Star, and we must never forget the shining principle which guides our everyday work. Let's celebrate who we are and be proud of our greatness. We will push forward, stay grounded in what drives us, and demonstrate our ability to be highly successful in every one of our 21 varsity sports. We will stay focused on achievement in everything we do. And we will continue to position UConn as one of the nation's premier brands. Your ongoing support, both emotionally and financially, remains critical to ensuring a bright future and maintaining the championship tradition which defines UConn Athletics. Thank you for your dedication to our nearly 600 student-athletes. Go Huskies! Sincerely, David Benedict Director of Athletics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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