Zags and UConn as basketball only members could work. Does the money offset the terrible travel for those 2 teams make it worth it though.
Big 12 Conference Realignment
- Thread starter t-noah
- Start date
UConn as basketball only might be a non-starter because it wouldn't bring substantial incremental revenue to the school.
UConn's athletic department is running deficits in the neighborhood of $40M annually. Getting around $6-$10M (speculation) as a basketball only member doesn't really solve their budget issues. At some point getting $32M (all sport) would make a dent.
Obviously, if UConn could earn the P5 twelve-team CFP monies (vs. G5) that would also be a big consideration.
IMO UConn (or Gonzaga) make sense as basketball only schools if:
- Yormark is looking to add a larger number of east coast basketball only schools like UConn, Villanova, Georgetown, Creighton and Marquette to go with Cincy, WVU and UCF.
- Big12 realignment gains scale on west coast adding 4-6 Pac12 schools to go with BYU and Gonzaga.
I heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone that Davenport Assumption is actually under consideration, too. What happened was Brett Yormark told a staffer that he wanted to explore some east coast options, and the staffer naturally thought he meant Iowa's east coast. But Yormark was so impressed when he met with Davenport Assumption's AD that now he's strongly considering them, even after finding out that it's a high school.
Reading various Big 12 fan/Facebook pages and other sites--I still see this ridiculous push to invite programs like Memphis, Colorado St, SDST, et all to the Big 12
Just stop this nonsense. Watering down the Big 12 into a glorified WAC/Mountain West is a horrible idea. It's why Utah jumped to the Pac 12 years ago.
And Memphis (the city) is pretty benign, lifeless, and void.
Just stop this nonsense. Watering down the Big 12 into a glorified WAC/Mountain West is a horrible idea. It's why Utah jumped to the Pac 12 years ago.
And Memphis (the city) is pretty benign, lifeless, and void.
The only places discussing that are Facebook fan pages. Don't visit those
UConn would not water down the Big 12. They are a basketball blue blood with a football program that matches Kansas University. No one here would kick out Kansas University. UConn basketball both men and women is better than Kansas.
UConn is in a metro area bigger than Kansas as well so I just don't understand the hate on UConn. They would be in the same geography of West Virginia and played Cincinnati in past leagues.
UConn is in a metro area bigger than Kansas as well so I just don't understand the hate on UConn. They would be in the same geography of West Virginia and played Cincinnati in past leagues.
Kansas wouldnt be kicked out because no one gets kicked out, but it's a lot less likely theyd be invited in the first place due to that bad football.
They also have the benefit of being geographically central to most of the conference.
I actually think this would be a bad move for UConn as well. Theyre much better off in the big east.
I don’t doubt they’ve done their research on some of these schools, but I’d assume 1 at most is a take and that would probably be UCONN with SDSU as the only other school with a real chance. But if we get an even amount of PAC schools then we don’t add any of those others. Or if we end up not getting any PAC schools, they just stay at 12. No reason to water the conference down just because.
UConn badly needs FB TV revenues to keep their AD financially afloat so they are better off with B12 membership. I have my doubts the B12 would be better off.
What's the actual concern for UConn and Villanova staying in Big East?
That's what I don't understand. UConn has a claim to top program of the past decade, they are very definitely the top program of past quarter century. I would think they actually have an NIL advantage in focusing all NIL efforts on just an elite basketball program without NIL dollars getting drained to football.
Can they really need basketball facility improvements and coaching salary improvements which is about all the media money can be spent on? How can they need those things as they've racked up championships hopping around from conference to conference?
Same questions to Villanova to lesser degree.
The Big 12 has been on average the #1 conference for a decade plus now, but the Big East is the clear #2 and a good argument they were #1 last year at least in the top half. It's not like we're talking about Pac 12 football where they're last in revenue and last in on field production while also having the least tv eyeballs. Big East basketball has some real things going for it.
Gonzaga is a totally different discussion in terms of what it gets them. I think Gonzaga is just an average team if they joined a conference as tough as Big 12/Big East and combined that travel with that physical high level of play. It would have been a great move for Pac and Gonzaga if Pac added them as basketball only a few years ago though.
That’s like asking why Texas and Oklahoma went to the SEC, or why USC and UCLA went to the B1G lol
I think this may be the final solution for UConn if she does not get an invite to the Big 12 because they are not going to the Big 10 or ACC or SEC for sure.
I have a feeling if Texas and Oklahoma had 6 NCs each in 25 years the Big 12 would have been the conference doing some raiding while they stayed. It's not like UConn basketball is just having a little success, they're lapping the field including teams like KU.
Maybe UConn football is way more important to them than I ever dreamed.
I'd think UConn basketball is a self sustaining money making machine at this point and they're already in a stable elite basketball conference.
They should drop football.
ya probably. play delaware rhodeisland, maine etc. idk if new hampshire or vermont do football
UCONN can still make and win the tournament from the Big12. Being in the Big12 gives them even more money for basketball, as well as football and other sports again. If they wanted to drop football they would have done it when the BigEast stopped playing football instead of going independent. They just don’t make enough to put they money into it they need.