UConn to the Big East? Rumors and Discussion Thread...

[Toronto Rapture]

It's a no-brainer in my mind, even if their fans turn out to be generally insufferable.

Yeah, considering how a good amount of them feel about the BE and how UCONN should be in a P5 already, they would be the instant villains of the conference. Hate is always good for competitiveness, but I like the cohesion of the BE right now. I think the conference would be giving up some "fit" by adding UCONN, though it would also have its benefits.

I just don't like the feeling of adding a school that would seem to be joining reluctantly, almost kicking and screaming, at least on the part of some of their fans, when other schools, who admittedly do not bring as much to the table as UCONN, would love to join the conference.

[ecasadoSBU]

I don't know why people are second guessing allowing Connecticut in. Connecticut in the Big East just makes senses. I guess I'm biased... but still. Connecticut basketball belongs in the Big East and having six of the original eight members of the 1980 Big East can only be a win-win situation for all. a 20 game round-robin would be awesome!

I do have concerns overall for the other league members:

(1) Connecticut wants a P5 invite so what does this mean for long term Big East stability?
(2) does the public nature of the University of Connecticut result in a competitive advantage for their basketball programs?

[Fieldhouse Flyer]

Rothstein's update:

The Big East and UConn have had recent discussions about the Huskies joining the conference, multiple sources told FanRag Sports.

Rothstein reported during the SHU CU game that both UCONN and Big East say no discussions have taken place, it sounded like almost a retraction to me.

. . .

[_lh]

As unlikely as it is, I guess Yukon coming back may not be an unthinkable situation as some people claimed.

I don't care about the round robin, honestly. If Yukon comes back, bring another school in to make it 12. A Dayton, A St. Louis, or whatever best candidate isn't going to devalue this league.

If the BE can get UCONN, why would there be any rush to add a 12th team? The BE is doing great as a 10 team league. If they went to 11 with UCONN, the best thing would be to wait and see how it was working before adding an arbitrary crap 12th team like Dayton, SLU or anyone not named Notre Dame or Kansas.

Sure, there's no rush, and 11 can work for a season or two. Other than the obvious problem of a team forced into no-weekend game on most weeks, some reasons why I think expanding to 12 is a pretty safe bet:

11 can work well past a season or two. The B10 did it for years and years with plenty of success and no issues with scheduling or complaints about it in any way. UCONN makes sense but there is not currently another team available that makes sense to add as a 12th team. The BE can wait forever for the perfect 12th team. The group of crap teams like UD, SLU, VCU, etc. will always be there for the taking. There would be no reason to add them if we added UCONN though. It is easy to add teams but once you do, you are stuck with them so you need to be judicious on who you add. If ND or Kansas are not one of the candidates for the 12th team, stay at 11 unless Gonzaga moves to Illinois.

[whiteandblue77]

Rothstein's update:

The Big East and UConn have had recent discussions about the Huskies joining the conference, multiple sources told FanRag Sports.

Rothstein reported during the SHU CU game that both UCONN and Big East say no discussions have taken place, it sounded like almost a retraction to me.

. . .

That's exactly what happened, total fake news bomb retracted moments later. I'm sooo glad troll idiots like Rothstein and Gottlieb don't work for FS1. They are absolutely the worst.

[Dave]

That's exactly what happened, total fake news bomb retracted moments later. I'm sooo glad troll idiots like Rothstein and Gottlieb don't work for FS1. They are absolutely the worst.

Don't always believe the denials...

NEW YORK (AP) - Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says all the members of his conference are committed to staying together.

The presidents and athletic directors from the Big East football schools met for 3 hours at a Manhattan hotel Tuesday.

[stever20]

That's exactly what happened, total fake news bomb retracted moments later. I'm sooo glad troll idiots like Rothstein and Gottlieb don't work for FS1. They are absolutely the worst.

Don't always believe the denials...

NEW YORK (AP) - Big East Commissioner John Marinatto says all the members of his conference are committed to staying together.

The presidents and athletic directors from the Big East football schools met for 3 hours at a Manhattan hotel Tuesday.

Isn't that the truth. A lot of times in realignment, if something is said one way, believe the total opposite.

[Bill Marsh]

I still prefer Gonzaga as #11.

[FenwayFriar]

Rothstein reported during the SHU CU game that both UCONN and Big East say no discussions have taken place, it sounded like almost a retraction to me.

. . .

That's exactly what happened, total fake news bomb retracted moments later. I'm sooo glad troll idiots like Rothstein and Gottlieb don't work for FS1. They are absolutely the worst.

Where's the retraction that happened moments later?

[GoldenWarrior11]

This deal doesn't get done unless Fox also officially (or unofficially) makes concessions for UConn Football to help them schedule as an independent, because they aren't going to C-USA, MAC, MWC, or Sun Belt.

My guess is that Fox is trying to work with the Big 12 and B1G to arrange for some type of scheduling arrangement year-to-year that guarantees UConn play two teams from each conference. That would be four total games accounted for a schedule. Then, UConn would be able to schedule yearly games with Army, UMass and BYU - that gets them to seven games. Finally, you schedule three or four games each year against regional schools to help create regional interest and for recruiting purposes - Syracuse, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Virginia, etc. You could fill it out with one final FCS game against a Villanova, Delaware, James Madison, Richmond, etc.

A schedule like that absolutely does not devalue their football program (an argument can be made that it could even strengthen it). If they get to 6 wins, they are automatically eligible for a bowl game. Maybe Fox even agrees to televise some game(s) to sweeten the deal.

What's the end result? Getting UConn back into the Big East increases an already strong national prestige, entrenches the conference in New York City, increases prestige of basketball conference (which is already really high) and positions the current membership for a potential increase in pay via next TV contract. The other factor to consider is that it likely means we will start averaging six teams into the tournament instead of five. Obviously, UConn wins because it dramatically increases their conference prestige and fan interest with more regional rivals, and gets them properly rewarded for their basketball success.